The Book of Secrets

The Book of Secrets is the sixth studio album by Loreena McKennitt, released in 1997. It reached #17 on the Billboard 200.[3] Its single "The Mummers' Dance," remixed by DNA, was released during the winter of 1997–98, and peaked at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #17 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.[4] The album is certified double-platinum in the United States.[5] It has now sold more than four million copies worldwide. [6]

The Book of Secrets
Studio album by
Loreena McKennitt
ReleasedSeptember 30, 1997 (1997-09-30)
GenreFolk, world, new-age
Length53:00
LabelQuinlan Road, Warner Bros.
Loreena McKennitt chronology
A Winter Garden: Five Songs for the Season
(1995)		 The Book of Secrets
(1997)		 Live in Paris and Toronto
(1999)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
sputnikmusic[2]

Track listing

All music written by Loreena McKennitt. All lyrics written by Loreena McKennitt except as noted.[7]

  1. "Prologue" – 4:22
  2. "The Mummers' Dance" – 6:07
  3. "Skellig" – 6:07
  4. "Marco Polo" – 5:15
  5. "The Highwayman" (lyric by Alfred Noyes, abridged by Loreena McKennitt) – 10:19
  6. "La Serenissima" – 5:09
  7. "Night Ride Across the Caucasus" – 8:30
  8. "Dante's Prayer" – 7:11

Song information
  • The DNA remix of "The Mummers' Dance" was made into a music video.
  • "Skellig" relates the dying words of a monk from a monastery that existed during the 6th–12th centuries on the island Skellig Michael (Great Skellig), 11.6 km west of Ireland.
  • "The Highwayman" is an adaptation of the poem "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes.
  • "Night Ride Across the Caucasus" was featured in the 1998 film Soldier.
  • The music from "Night Ride Across the Caucasus" was featured in the song Kokli by Ulytau.
  • "Dante's Prayer" is a reference to Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy.

Chart performance
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[8] 33
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[9] 34
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[10] 25
Canadian Albums Chart[3] 3
Danish Albums Chart[11] 14
Dutch Albums Chart[12] 29
French Albums Chart[13] 16
German Albums Chart[14] 18
Italian Albums Chart[15] 17
New Zealand Albums Chart[16] 9
Norwegian Albums Chart[17] 30
Spanish Albums Chart[18] 16
Swiss Albums Chart[19] 30
US Billboard 200[3] 17
US World Albums[3] 1

Year-end charts
Chart (1997) Position
German Albums Chart[20] 92

Personnel

This information is directly from the sleeve notes.

  • Loreena McKennitt – vocals (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8), piano (track 8), keyboards, harp (track 6), kanun (track 1), accordion (tracks 4, 5)
  • Anne Bourne – cello (track 6)
  • Aidan Brennan – acoustic guitar (track 3), mandola (tracks 4, 7)
  • Martin Brown – acoustic guitar (track 5), mandolin (track 5), mandola (track 5)
  • Stuart Bruce – assembled drone (track 1), vocal drone (4)
  • Paul Clarvis – snare drum (track 5)
  • Nigel Eaton – hurdy-gurdy (track 2, 4)
  • Steáfán Hannigan – bodhrán (track 5)
  • Nick Hayley – serang (track 7), rebec (track 7), lira da braccio (track 7)
  • Brian Hughes – oud (tracks 2, 4, 7), electric guitar (tracks 1, 5), acoustic guitar (tracks 4, 5, 7), irish bouzouki (tracks 4, 5, 7), guitar synthesizer (track 4), classical guitar (track 6), vocal drone (track 4)
  • Robin Jeffrey – Victorian guitar (track 6)
  • Martin Jenkins – mandocello (tracks 3, 4, 5, 7)
  • Manu Katché – drums (tracks 1, 2, 4, 7)
  • Caroline Lavelle – cello (tracks 2, 5, 8)
  • Rick Lazar – percussion (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7)
  • Joanna Levine – viola da gamba (tracks 3, 6)
  • Hugh Marsh – violin (tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
  • Osama – violin (track 4)
  • Steve Pigott – additional keyboards (tracks 3,8)
  • Donald Quan – tabla (tracks 2,4,7), timba (track 1), esraj (track 1), viola (tracks 2,4,5,6,8), additional keyboards (tracks 3,4), vocal drone (track 4)
  • Hossam Ramzy – percussion (tracks 2,4,5,7)
  • David Rhodes – electric guitar (track 2)
  • Danny Thompson – acoustic bass (tracks 2,3,4,5,7,8)
  • Bob White – tin whistle (track 3), shawm (track 4)
  • String Quartet:
    • Jonathan Rees – 1st violin (tracks 3,7)
    • Iain King – 2nd violin (tracks 3,7)
    • Andy Brown – viola (tracks 3,7)
    • Chris van Kampen – cello (tracks 3,7)
  • Caroline Dale – string arrangements for tracks 3,6,7
  • Additional string arrangements – Brian Gascoigne and Doug Riley

Production
  • As listed in CD booklet:
    • Produced by Loreena McKennitt; assisted by Brian Hughes & Donald Quan
    • Recorded & Mixed by Kevin Killen (recorded track 1; mixed tracks 1, 2, 5 & 7) & Stuart Bruce (recorded tracks 2-8; mixed tracks 3, 4, 6 & 8)
    • Recording & mix assisted by Jacquie Turner, Justin Griffith, Marco Migliara
    • Mastered by Bob Ludwig
    • All songs published by Quinlan Road Music, except in Europe, South America & Southeast Asia (Quinlan Road Music/BMG Music Publishing International)

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[21] Gold 30,000^
Australia (ARIA)[22] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[23] 3× Platinum 300,000^
France (SNEP)[24] Gold 110,000[25]
Germany (BVMI)[26] Gold 250,000^
Greece (IFPI Greece)[27] Gold 30,000^
Italy — 100,000[25]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[28] Gold 70,000[25]
United States (RIAA)[29] 2× Platinum 1,867,000[30]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

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References
  1. Allmusic review
  2. g, manos (May 21, 2014). "Review: CD Loreena McKennitt - The Book of Secrets Album". sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  3. "The Book of Secrets - Loreena McKennitt". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  4. "The Mummers' Dance - Loreena McKennitt". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  5. "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  6. http://www.universalmusic.es/es_ES/524/loreena-mckennitt/biografia
  7. CD liner notes
  8. "australian-charts.com - Loreena McKennitt - The Book of Secrets". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  9. "ultratop.be - Loreena McKennitt - The Book of Secrets". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  10. "ultratop.be- Loreena McKennitt - The Book of Secrets". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  11. "danishcharts.dk - Loreena McKennitt - The Book of Secrets". danishcharts.dk. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  12. "dutchcharts.nl - Loreena McKennitt - The Book of Secrets". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  13. "lescharts.com - Loreena McKennitt - The Book of Secrets". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  14. "Musicline.de - Chartverfolgung - MCKENNITT,LOREENA - THE BOOK OF SECRETS". www.musicline.de. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  15. "Hit Parade Italia - ALBUM 1997". www.hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  16. "charts.nz - Loreena McKennitt - The Book of Secrets". charts.nz. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  17. "norwegiancharts.com - Loreena McKennitt - The Book of Secrets". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  18. "Promusicae". Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  19. "hitparade.ch - Loreena McKennitt - The Book of Secrets". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  20. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  21. "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  22. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1998 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  23. "Canadian album certifications – Loreena McKennitt – The Book Of Secrets". Music Canada. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  24. "French album certifications – Loreena McKennitt – The book of secrets" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  25. "International Spotlight" (PDF). Music & Media. 23 May 1998. p. 14. Retrieved 10 June 2020 – via World Radio History.
  26. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Loreena McKennitt; 'The Book Of Secrets')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  27. "Greek album certifications – Loreena McKennitt – The Book Of Secrets" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  28. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 943. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  29. "American album certifications – Loreena Mc Kennitt – Book of Secrets". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  30. "World's greatest". Billboard. 16 June 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
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