15 Years After
Encyclopedia
15 Years After is a box set by the musical project Enigma
. It was released by Virgin Germany on 9 December 2005. The box set contains 8 discs, 5 of them original studio albums created from 1990 to 2003, 2 DVDs and a bonus CD of Enigma's songs covered by Rollo Armstrong
.
As the title suggests, the box set's release was to celebrate the 15 years since the release of Enigma's first single, "Sadeness (Part I)
". The album cover was taken from Lady with an Ermine
, a 1490 painting by Leonardo Da Vinci
. The box set packaging and photography was done by Dirk Rudolph while artwork direction and original designs were created by Johann Zambryski, a long-time designer of Enigma artworks.
Originally the box set was sold at €
128 and this raised a stir within the Enigma forums. Fans criticised Virgin for releasing an expensive box set and capitalising on the fans to earn more money, while others lamented that the discs were not remastered unlike the compilation album Love Sensuality Devotion: The Greatest Hits
but were instead fitted with Copy Control
. The fact that the new single, "Hello and Welcome
" received mixed responses from the fans, and The Dusted Variations
in turn received lukewarm responses made other fans question the need to splurge out more money for an expensive box set when they already have most if not all of the albums and/or DVDs.
To make things worse, the music video for "Out from the Deep
" which was dropped from the Remember the Future DVD without an apparent reason, was still absent in this re-release, and despite the box set being 12-inch vinyl-sized, there were little information about the history of the project within the booklet, apart from the credits and a press release inside.
Later on, the price of the box set dropped to €92.99 and on 30 November 2005, the producer and creator of Enigma, Michael Cretu
personally visited the EMI
factory in Uden
, Netherlands
to sign a thousand copies of the box set. The thousand signed copies had Cretu's initials ("MC") signed with a silver marker. While signed copies of Enigma's albums are extremely rare, the autographed version of the box set was still available for purchase at Amazon.de half a year after its release. Also within the box set WAS a code which enables owners of the box set to download the music videos of "Voyageur
" and "Boum-Boum
" by typing it in a special section within Enigma's official website, but is no longer available.
Bonus CD
DVDs
Enigma (musical project)
Enigma is an electronic musical project founded in Germany by Michael Cretu, David Fairstein and Frank Peterson in 1990. The Romanian-born Cretu conceived the Enigma project while working in Germany, but has based his recording studio A.R.T. Studios in Ibiza, Spain, since the early 1990s until May...
. It was released by Virgin Germany on 9 December 2005. The box set contains 8 discs, 5 of them original studio albums created from 1990 to 2003, 2 DVDs and a bonus CD of Enigma's songs covered by Rollo Armstrong
Rollo Armstrong
Rollo Armstrong is one half of the music producers/remixers team Rollo and Sister Bliss and is a founding member of the electronic music group Faithless.-Early life:...
.
As the title suggests, the box set's release was to celebrate the 15 years since the release of Enigma's first single, "Sadeness (Part I)
Sadeness (Part I)
"Sadeness " is a 1990 single created by the musical project Enigma. The song was the first of four singles from the project's first album MCMXC a.D. and upon release became an international smash hit, reaching number one in 24 countries and the top ten in four others including the United States...
". The album cover was taken from Lady with an Ermine
Lady with an Ermine
Lady with an Ermine is a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, from around 1489–1490. The subject of the portrait is identified as Cecilia Gallerani, and was probably painted at a time when she was the mistress of Lodovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, and Leonardo was in the service of the Duke.The painting is...
, a 1490 painting by Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
. The box set packaging and photography was done by Dirk Rudolph while artwork direction and original designs were created by Johann Zambryski, a long-time designer of Enigma artworks.
Originally the box set was sold at €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
128 and this raised a stir within the Enigma forums. Fans criticised Virgin for releasing an expensive box set and capitalising on the fans to earn more money, while others lamented that the discs were not remastered unlike the compilation album Love Sensuality Devotion: The Greatest Hits
Love Sensuality Devotion: The Greatest Hits
Love Sensuality Devotion: The Greatest Hits is a 2001, multi-million selling, greatest hits album by the musical project Enigma. The album, along with Love Sensuality Devotion: The Remix Collection brings a close to Michael Cretu's first chapter of Enigma...
but were instead fitted with Copy Control
Copy Control
Copy Control was the generic name of a copy prevention system, used from 2001 until 2006 on several digital audio disc releases by EMI Group and Sony BMG Music Entertainment in several regions...
. The fact that the new single, "Hello and Welcome
Hello and Welcome
"Hello and Welcome" is a song created by the musical project Enigma, released on 10 March 2006 .The vocals in the song is sung by Andru Donalds, who also lent his voice in the fourth and fifth Enigma albums...
" received mixed responses from the fans, and The Dusted Variations
The Dusted Variations
The Dusted Variations is a set of songs from the musical project Enigma covered by Rollo Armstrong. It is the sixth disc from Enigma's 15 Years After box set, labeled as a bonus disc and also includes the radio edit of "Hello and Welcome"....
in turn received lukewarm responses made other fans question the need to splurge out more money for an expensive box set when they already have most if not all of the albums and/or DVDs.
To make things worse, the music video for "Out from the Deep
Out from the Deep
"Out From The Deep" is a 1994 song created by the musical project, Enigma. This single is the fourth and last single released from the project's second album, The Cross of Changes. The single cover art is a simplified version of The Cross of Changes....
" which was dropped from the Remember the Future DVD without an apparent reason, was still absent in this re-release, and despite the box set being 12-inch vinyl-sized, there were little information about the history of the project within the booklet, apart from the credits and a press release inside.
Later on, the price of the box set dropped to €92.99 and on 30 November 2005, the producer and creator of Enigma, Michael Cretu
Michael Cretu
Michael Cretu is a Romanian musician. He is known also as Curly, MC or Curly M.C. because of his fair curled hair . His peak musical activity was with the Enigma project, which was mainly based in Germany....
personally visited the EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
factory in Uden
Uden
Uden is a municipality and a town in the province of Noord-Brabant, Netherlands.- History :Uden was first recorded around 1190 as “Uthen”. However, earlier settlements have been found in the areas of the modern day Moleneind, Vorstenburg and Bitswijk and evidence of ice-age settlements has been...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
to sign a thousand copies of the box set. The thousand signed copies had Cretu's initials ("MC") signed with a silver marker. While signed copies of Enigma's albums are extremely rare, the autographed version of the box set was still available for purchase at Amazon.de half a year after its release. Also within the box set WAS a code which enables owners of the box set to download the music videos of "Voyageur
Voyageur (song)
"Voyageur" is a 2003 song created by the musical project, Enigma. The single was the first released from their fifth album, Voyageur.The video for the song was filmed on location in Prague, the Czech Republic.-Single track listing:...
" and "Boum-Boum
Boum-Boum
"Boum-Boum" is a 2004 song created by the musical project, Enigma. The single was the last one released from the album, Voyageur.The vocals on this song are provided by Andru Donalds and Ruth-Ann Boyle.-Single track listing:...
" by typing it in a special section within Enigma's official website, but is no longer available.
Box set contents
Albums- MCMXC a.D.MCMXC a.D.MCMXC a.D. is a concept album created by the musical project Enigma, spearheaded by Michael Cretu. Released at the end of 1990, it was Enigma's debut album...
(1990) - The Cross of ChangesThe Cross of ChangesThe Cross of Changes is a 1993 album by the musical project Enigma. It is Enigma's second album, following MCMXC a.D., released three years earlier....
(1993) - Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi!Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!-Singles:*1996 – "Beyond the Invisible"*1997 – "T.N.T. for the Brain"*1998 – "The Roundabout" -Personnel:*Peter Cornelius – guitar*Michael Cretu – record producer, sound engineer, instruments*Sandra Cretu – voices*Louisa Stanley – voices...
(1996) - The Screen Behind the MirrorThe Screen Behind the Mirror-Singles:*1999 – "Gravity of Love" *2000 – "Push the Limits" -Personnel:*Ruth-Ann Boyle - lead vocals*Michael Cretu - record producer, lead vocals*Sandra Cretu - voices*Andru Donalds - lead vocals*Jens Gad - guitar...
(2000) - VoyageurVoyageur (album)-Personnel:*Ruth-Ann Boyle – lead vocals *Michael Cretu – record producer, lead vocals *Sandra Cretu – back vocals *Andru Donalds – lead vocals *Jens Gad – guitars...
(2003)
Bonus CD
- "Hello and WelcomeHello and Welcome"Hello and Welcome" is a song created by the musical project Enigma, released on 10 March 2006 .The vocals in the song is sung by Andru Donalds, who also lent his voice in the fourth and fifth Enigma albums...
" and The Dusted VariationsThe Dusted VariationsThe Dusted Variations is a set of songs from the musical project Enigma covered by Rollo Armstrong. It is the sixth disc from Enigma's 15 Years After box set, labeled as a bonus disc and also includes the radio edit of "Hello and Welcome"....
DVDs
- Remember the Future (2001)
- MCMXC a.D.: The Complete Video Album (2003)