by Enya List Price:$18.00 Our Price:$13.00 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Product Details
Media: Audio CD
Release Date: Tuesday, January 10, 1989
Label: Warner Brothers
Average Customer Review: 5 Based on 155 reviews.
Sales Rank: 607
Tracks
1.
Longships
2.
Na Laetha Gael M'Óige
3.
Storms in Africa, Pt. 2
4.
River
5.
Evening Falls...
6.
Orinoco Flow
7.
Miss Clare Remembers
8.
Exile
9.
Storms in Africa
10.
On Your Shore
11.
Cursum Perficio
12.
Watermark
13.
Na Laetha Gael M'+ige
Editorial Review
Enya's 1988 recording Watermark achieved landmark success with her groundbreaking use of multi-tracking technology to fuse new age and Celtic themes and instrumentation. The meticulous production defines her sound and achieves continuity even while weaving together tender ballads, piano pieces, massively layered vocal harmonies, and symphonic synthesizer movements. Although Enya's pristine voice isn't especially strong, her lead vocals possess a vulnerability that reflects the lyrics' sense of personal searching. From the ubiquitous, frothy single "Orinoco Flow" (which was used to hawk Crystal Light on TV) to the hard, bold edge of "Cursum Perficio," Enya's style remains fresh and engaging today. --Richard Price
Top Customer Reviews
Rating:
5 Rating: five galaxies, not five stars
It's simply a masterpiece. My guess is that people will be listening to this music 100 years from now and it will still be available for purchase. I bought the tape several years ago, which has different titles than the CD by the same name. I liked it even more than the CD version.For months I used to listen to the title track each night as I went to sleep. Simply amazing! It would often bring tears to my eyes. Although it was the song that brought me to her music, I have finally tired of Orinoco Flow (Sail Away.) It is the only song that I've tired of, and I listen to her CD's constantly.I hesitate to say that Watermark is her best album because in Enya's case, each one is a masterpiece. Five stars? How about five galaxies!As I read other people's comments and the beautiful expereinces that they have while listening, it reminds me a bit of the many miracles Jesus performed. His ability was to give to each person what they needed. Enya's music does much the same. Although she'd never say it, Enya is a living master, one of the all time gifts from God.
Rating:
4 I Was Torn Between 4 And 5 Stars!
Although this album of hers was produced in '88, I'd only (shamefully) purchased it a few weeks ago. It's frankly an excellent album, as always, but I got the awkward feeling that Enya had started out..."stiff". The fact that this was only her second new-age album - after an unsuccessful first from '83 to '84 - was accepted willingly by me on why all the tracks on this CD seemed to carry similar atmosphere - almost same tunes and similar rhythm. Honestly, because of this, I wanted to give her 5 stars, but considering the standards she's met up to today, I'd say this is mere second-hand work on her part (hence, a 4-star rating)! Nonetheless, it's definitely a new-age compilation worth listening to, for it's very clear why Enya shot to fame producing this CD! There're of course the three tracks which shortly made her the unprecedented superior diva in the era of new-age music, "Orinoco Flow", "Storms in Africa" and the title track, which is a beautiful piano recital, "Watermark". But not all the other songs and musical pieces are disappointing fillers (nah! You wouldn't expect that from her, would you?); other masterpieces include "The Longships (EXCELLENT instrumentation and voice budding)", "Miss Clare Remembers (a recital as wonderful as the title track)", "Exile (if you liked "Paint the Sky with Stars")", "River (a marvellous instrumental adaptation of "Orinoco Flow")" and "Evening Falls (a mystical lullaby)". This album would reassuringly still give new fans a good impression of this musical queen; as for those who have been avid all this while, you simply CANNOT miss this out in your collection!
Rating:
5 A New-Age Dynasty has Begun
Enya, one one the most talented musician I've ever heard, truly gives it all in this single CD. It wasn't new; I've heard songs by Enya in the past but I have never listened to all of them. In Watermark, one of her oldest albums, gently and beautifully expresses the contents of her heart. Her music has become a real inspiration to others and myself. When I first listened to Watermark, the first track, I realized that this is pure gold in music form. Anyone who wishes to explore some of the earliest and beautiful works by Enya must have Watermark. As the Editorial Review states, her first debut of this cd made a huge imapact on its' listeners. This cd personally impacted my outlook on New-Age music. It made me realize that new things can be found in old work. The effect on its' listeners is very calming. The instrumental music in addition with Enya's voice induces relaxation and will alleviate stress. Her heavenly voice, at a gentle pitch, helps sooth and put a smile on ones' face. This is a truly inspirational work by whom I consider the "Diva of New-Age" and listening to her wonderful achievments will have the same effect as it did for me.
Rating:
5 Enya : the Queen of new-age music !
When Orson Welles did "Citizen Kane" in 1940, he created somethings new, a new kind of movie, and every films critics say that it's a chef-d'oeuvre, the best film of the century... I feel the same way about "Watermark" of Irish singer Enya !!! She created somethings different in the industry of music, and she makes us travel around the world and dream... "Watermark" is a new-age album and the title piece, "Watermark", is a nice overture, but this CD is not only compose of instrumental music, you can also find many very beautiful songs like "Orinoco Flow" (a big hit) and "Storms in Africa, Part one and two". Enya sings some songs with lyrics, and some without. But you can always hear her wonderful delicate voice that she records many time to make us feel that there is 50 persons who sing the song ! You just put the CD on and you relax ! Enya is one of the greatest international artist of the past fifteen years. Her post "Watermark" work is comparable to this one, especialy her last album, "A Day Without Rain", released in 2000.
Rating:
5 The volume? Well, turn it up, turn it up...
Watermark is a unique album, totally fantastic! It's incredible how a person - just 27 years old at that time - was able to create an album like this. I like the whole album, but I have two favourite tracks; the first is one of Enya's greatest hits... yes, of course it's the spectacular Orinoco Flow! The second is Storms In Africa which was a hit too, though a much smaller one. Other songs which I prefer are Cursum Perficio, River and The Long Ships but, as a mentioned before, the whole album is great. The music is from 1988 but that's impossible to hear, it could well have been the music of today.Here comes a short description of the tracks on Watermark: 1. Watermark - Instrumental; very relaxing 2. Cursum Perficio - Latin; pretty powerfull, special* 3. On Your Shore - English; beautiful, relaxing 4. Storms In Africa - Gaelic; great, wonderful, special* 5. Exile - English; beautiful, pretty calm 6. Miss Clare Remembers - Instrumental; relaxing 7. Orinoco Flow - English; great, powerful, wonderful, special* 8. Evening Falls - English; beautiful, pretty calm 9. River - Instrumental; nice, beautiful10. The Long Ships - Gaelic; pretty powerful, special*11. Na Laetha Geal M'=ige - Gaelic; calm and relaxing* Hard to say why these songs are special, but perhaps because they don't sound like any other musical stuff. There's only one person that's able to create songs like these and her name is - Enya. You must hear them, but don't forget to try her remaining albums such as Shepherd Moons and The Memory Of Trees.
Rating:
3 A rough draft of her later work
I had already heard "The Celts" (a very good CD) and "A Day Without Rain" (Excellent) and was expecting more of the same. Watermark was somewhat disappointing though snatches of Enya's beautiful voice, entrancing harp work and flowing melodies are featured throughout the CD.The best cuts are "Orinoco Flow" (though I wish she had done more with the harp and had less dorky lyrical rhymes), "Evening Falls" and "Exile" (which is as pretty as anything found on "A Day Without Rain"). Also "Na Leatha Geal M'oige" is very lovely though for all I know she is singing praises to some obscure Irish shrubbery (or is it just New Age glossalia? - see comments on the booklet below). "Cursum Perficio" sounds like chanting clone warriors on parade.Die-hard Enya fans will probably like this CD but if you are just a person looking for good music to listen to - well, there are better CD's to buy - including hers. But I will say this, the more I listen to this CD, the more it grows on me (this review was written while listening to it the third time).Also a word about the booklet. The photo's are terrible (the cover photo makes Enya look like she just had a root canal) and all the writing is in some stylistic script that is barely legible - a real nuisance since I had a hard time understanding what Enya was saying in some of the songs (another criticism of the music). And no translation provided for the non-English lyrics (Yes, I am an ignorant American, but . . . . do you speak Irish? Latin? Celtic?).It is my understanding that "Watermark" was released after "The Celts". Perhaps it was Enya's attempt to move above and beyond her previous work.Well, at least she tried. And on later CD's she succeeded.
Rating:
5 One of the best new age albums of all time!
This is a fabulous album that really helps a person unwind and relax. This is Enya at her best. This album has a very ethereal feel to it, especially with the instrumentation and numerous voice-overs. This album really takes the listener away to some far off mystical place that's a million miles from life's daily grind and a world away from the pretentious, grinding, cookie cutter music that has deluged the music industry today. Enya's vocals are superior, as always, and the music is soothing without being dull. Describing it is difficult since it is such a lush sound scape, but if you add the elements of classical and Celtic, mix them with Enya's sweeping vocals, one can get a pretty good idea of what the sound will be like. She is really a very talented musician, as she composed all of the music and performed all of the vocals. This is an excellent album to purchase if you're just discovering Enya or new age music. It's highly recommended that you do! If you like this one, try Shepherd Moons, while it's not as haunting or ethereal as Watermark, it is still a good release.
Rating:
5 A Musical Paragon
While I enjoy all of Enya's stellar works, WATERMARK is clearly her crowning achievement.Watermark, of which the instrumental A Day Without Rain is based, remains my favorite Enya title track. It's soothing, lulling, quiescent, and I love the way Enya manipulates her voice so effectively, as an instrument, in this very relaxing piece. Cursum Perficio, like Pax Deorum of The Memory of Trees, is a magnificent piece, with a darker tone. The vocals, lyrics, and instrumentation are all remarkable. Storms in Africa is sung in Enya's native Gaelic, and is a stirring piece that really does have an African feel to it with the drums, alternating warm and harsh vocals, and overall atmosphere. Exile is my favorite song from her pre-A Day Without Rain period. Its vocals will truly inspire you while really making you feel what Enya is trying to convey. Her voice is truly glorious on the piece, as is her instrumentation, complete with a breathtaking low whistle. The Orinoco Flow, Enya's arguably second greatest hit (behind Only Time, which hit number 10 in the United States and number 1 in Germany), is about as "pop" in execution as Enya's come in recent years, along with Only If... that took a dalliance in that area. Great vocals, remarkable composition, and, even despite the "pop" influence, it still retains the theme of all Enya's songs. Evening Falls... is another truly remarkable song. You really feel Enya in this piece, comparative to the emotions evoked in the equally somber and sublime Exile. The Longships is a passionate hymn (with no real translation). Na Laetha Geal M'Óige is another beautiful Gaelic piece, complete with Uillean pipes. It isn't exactly as powerful as Isobella or Smaointe... but Na Laetha Geal M'Óige is successfully able to convey its point to the listener. And, unlike recent years where the United States has been shorted "bonus tracks" on Enya cds, we have a "bonus track" on WATERMARK, Storms in Africa II, a rough translation of the Gaelic version. The song is sped up in the English version, and very effectively at that, with an introductory section of music that really reminds one of a storm. The technologies Enya used in this cd from 1988, namely multilayered vocals where Enya sings a particular section over and over again sometimes up to five-hundred times creating a buildup of sound, were all new. Enya was a fresh face in the music world, braving waters people had never really thought of traversing. Now, we've come to expect that from this gifted artist.WATERMARK clocks in at 43:01, almost ten minutes longer than the American edition of A Day Without Rain, Enya's latest blockbuster. In contrast to A Day Without Rain, Enya seems fresher on this cd, her voice a little more relaxed, a little bit less rigid, which I, on most songs, have come to prefer. If you're a new fan or an experienced listener of Enya's multilayered vocals and expert instrumentation, purchase WATERMARK, if you haven't already - it's a real treat.
Rating:
4 WATERMARK: 5 STARS, 4 STARS FOR ENYA
I enjoyed the cd but Enya has previously made much better cds. watermark is an amazing cd and i highly recommend it if it is your first enya cd but if youve heard enya many times, i would move on to so,thing morelike, Best of Enya.
Rating:
5 Watermark: Enya's artistic pinnacle.
I am literally flying away when listening to this magical album. This album is like nothing that Enya has done before or since even though all of her albums are great, even her most recent A Day Without Rain. Unlike the cheerful, sunny romps of that album, Watermark is a rather stormy album. It's the dark, moody, stormy music that makes me love New Age and makes Watermark, in my opinion, Enyas strongest outing to date. Nothing of her latter albums could topple this album even though they are great albums in their own way. The title track is a stunning piano instrumental with a hounting melody. Things get stormy with the turbulent Cursum Perficio with a stormy grey melody, Gothic chants, and a very medievel sound. The song speeds up at the second half of the song. This is more like two songs in one. Things calm down with the somber On Your Shore with ambient organs, beautiful singing, and relaxing horns that make an upset person feel good again. Storms In Africa is a breathtaking musical journey with a very stormy atmosphere, thundering drums, haunting Gaelic lyrics, a mournful melody, and probably some of Enyas best vocals ever. Exile is one of the best songs Enya has ever recorded. It's kind of like Storms but darker, more mournful, and more calm. This song is like bringing up images of a storm coming and seeing the sun at the edge of the clouds as they roll in. It also has very haunting flutes at the bridge. I enjoy how the song reverts between minor and major notes. If only Enya could produce songs like this again. I hope Enyas follow-up to A Day Without Rain would have a sound like Exile, it could rival this album as my favorite. Miss Clare Remembers is very much like the title track to this album but with just pianos and no electronic synths. A beautiful piece. Orinoco Flow is the popular song that we,ve all heard so I,m not going to explain it in detail but I can say that it is a great song. The part I do love though is the quiet bridge in the middle from 1:50 to 2:10. Evening Falls is a very dark haunting track with ambient synths and some almost church sounding organs. This song is one of the darkest songs Enya has ever recorded. This song alone makes Watermark a five star. This song makes me imagine walking and watching the twilight sunset as nighttime falls. River is absolutely radiant. It's a slightly Orinoco Flow-esque song mainly just with a similar rhythm. It has some of the most amazing synthesizers I,ve ever heard. This is a must hear. The Long Ships is a gem beyond words. It's a very beautiful, intense song with thundering beats, and intense chanting. In contast to saying that Enyas music is soothing this song is an exeption. It's one of Enyas more intense sounding pieces and actually gets me going with it's strong melody, haunting voices, and thundering beats. This is another must hear. Na Leatha Geal M'oige is the winner and probably the most amazing song Enya has ever written. It's a very meloncholy, ambient song with one of the most haunting melodies I,ve ever heard from Enya. Fans of this kind of Enya music should try to find the Japanese version of A Day Without Rain with Isobella on it because it is a very beautiful and could please those who were dissapointed by the more cheerful material on that album. Na Leatha Geal M'Oige has Celtic bagpipes at the middle of the bridge to add a more touching edge to this song. I feel more emotion from the first 30 seconds of this song that I do from The entire A Day Without Rain album. Fabulous work Enya! If only you could return to this kind of sound again I would be pleased. The closing track is a reprise of Storms In Africa. This version is more intense, has a louder drum and is sung in English. This version probably could surpass the original. This version appears only in the U.S. version of Watermark. This is the best Enya CD ever and could rank as one of my all time favorite New Age albums ever. I can sense more talent coming out of the first 30 seconds of Evening Fall, or Exile than from Janet Jacksons entire All For You album. A very cool idea I thought up of is maybe someday Enya could collaborate with my other favorite new age musician Patrick O'Hearn and create an album with a sound very much like Watermark but with the electronic keyboards of O'Hearns sound similar to his first three albums. It would be a best-seller and could shatter new grounds for both artists. I can smell it.Anyway this is Enyas strongest collection of songs to date. I highly recommend this CD to all music fans. This is very intellegent music that only ignorant people could pass up. Well that's all I can say now. Good Bye!
Rating:
5 This is all the New Age music you need
I bought this album a long time ago, but I'm listening to it right now, and I love it as much now as when I first heard it. It's the only new age music most fans of more rock-oriented pop would own up to listening to, and I think her appeal lies in her ability to couch catchy melodies within those ethereal synth-scapes that usually turn new age musicians into laughing stocks for those of us who don't buy our records for album covers that have nice pictures of flora and fauna. At any rate, she's not Windham Hill, and she's not really Celtic either. She's just Enya--and that's her biggest selling point. Simply beautiful music. For those unfamiliar with her work, this is an excellent starting point, as it was her first big seller, and includes her most famous song, "Orinoco Flow," a rousing and atmospheric epic about something or other (her lyrics are not exactly the strongest aspect of her songs). All the other tracks are dripping in haunting beauty as well. Buy it, and find yourself suddenly feeling v-e-r-y c-a-l-m...
Rating:
5 Absolutely Beautiful!
This was the first Enya CD that I ever purchased (its been about 10 years ago now), and I still love it. There are not many CD's where every song is great - but this is definately one of them.I find Enya's music to be extremely calming & soothing. This is the perfect CD to put on after a hard day, and just unwind to.
Rating:
5 Pure beauty.
I normally don't listen to much new-age type music, and tend to spend my time with alternative and classic rock, but I can't get enough "Enya". Possibly my first exposure to her was in the early 90's watching the movie "Green Card". As good as the film was, it was the music of "Enya" that made it. Since then I have gotten "Watermark", "Shephard Moons", and "Paint The Sky With Stars", and easily like this the most. Every track here is an absolute must, and it's one of the few albums I own that I actually take the time to lay on the couch and just listen to. It's so peaceful. Also, though "Orinoco Flow" is her most popular song, and I've heard it a thousand times, it still never gets old. The whole thing is just timeless. It's an album I always must have with me, which is why I have it on CD, cassette, and vinyl.
