The Visit (Loreena McKennitt album)

Last updated
The Visit
Album Cover-The Visit.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 27, 1991 (1991-09-27)
Genre Folk, world, new-age
Length49:10
Label Quinlan Road, Warner Bros.
Producer Loreena McKennitt
Loreena McKennitt chronology
Parallel Dreams
(1989)
The Visit
(1991)
The Mask and Mirror
(1994)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Calgary Herald A [2]

The Visit is the fourth studio album by Loreena McKennitt. Released on September 27, 1991, the album has been certified four times Platinum in Canada and Gold in the United States. It was produced by McKennitt and Brian Hughes. [3]

Contents

The album was a cowinner, with the compilation album Saturday Night Blues , of the 1992 Juno Award for Best Roots and Traditional Album of the Year. [4]

The album was released as a limited edition, numbered, 180 gram vinyl in 2016.

A 30th anniversary edition of the album titled "The Visit - The Definitive Edition" was released on September 24, 2021.

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."All Souls Night"  5:09
2."Bonny Portmore"traditionaltraditional, arr. McKennitt4:21
3."Between the Shadows"  3:42
4."The Lady of Shalott" Alfred, Lord Tennyson (adapted by McKennitt) 11:34
5."Greensleeves"traditionaltraditional, arr. McKennitt4:26
6."Tango to Evora"  4:10
7."Courtyard Lullaby"  4:57
8."The Old Ways"  5:44
9."Cymbeline" William Shakespeare  5:07
Total length:49:10

Song information

Personnel

Other personnel

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [6] Gold35,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [7] Gold100,000*
Canada (Music Canada) [8] 4× Platinum400,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [9] Gold50,000^
United States (RIAA) [10] Gold646,000 [11]
Summaries
Worldwide1,400,000 [12]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loreena McKennitt</span> Canadian musician

Loreena Isabel Irene McKennitt is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who writes, records, and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern influences. McKennitt is known for her refined and clear soprano vocals. She has sold more than 14 million records worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lady of Shalott</span> 1832 Victorian ballad by Alfred Tennyson

"The Lady of Shalott" is a lyrical ballad by the 19th-century English poet Alfred Tennyson and one of his best-known works. Inspired by the 13th-century Italian short prose text Donna di Scalotta, the poem tells the tragic story of Elaine of Astolat, a young noblewoman stranded in a tower up the river from Camelot. Tennyson wrote two versions of the poem, one published in 1832, of 20 stanzas, the other in 1842, of 19 stanzas, and returned to the story in "Lancelot and Elaine". The vivid medieval romanticism and enigmatic symbolism of "The Lady of Shalott" inspired many painters, especially the Pre-Raphaelites and their followers, as well as other authors and artists.

<i>To Drive the Cold Winter Away</i> 1987 studio album by Loreena McKennitt

To Drive the Cold Winter Away is Canadian musician Loreena McKennitt's second studio album, released in 1987. It pays homage to her childhood memories of music for the winter season, the most vivid of which "came from songs and carols recorded in churches or great halls, rich with their own unique ambience and tradition."

<i>The Mask and Mirror</i> 1994 studio album by Loreena McKennitt

The Mask and Mirror is the fifth studio album by Loreena McKennitt. Released in 1994, the album has been certified Gold in the United States.

<i>Live in Paris and Toronto</i> 1999 live album by Loreena McKennitt

Live in Paris and Toronto is a two CD live album by Loreena McKennitt, released in 1999. Disc one is a live performance of the studio album The Book of Secrets; disc two features songs from her albums The Visit and The Mask and Mirror.

<i>The Book of Secrets</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Loreena McKennitt

The Book of Secrets is the sixth studio album by Loreena McKennitt, released in 1997. It reached #17 on the Billboard 200. The lead single of the album, "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. The album is certified double-platinum in the United States. It has now sold more than four million copies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Lavelle</span> English musician

Caroline Lavelle is an English singer-songwriter and cellist who has created three solo albums and contributed vocals, music, and production help to many other artists and bands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Two Sisters (folk song)</span> Traditional song

"The Two Sisters" is a traditional murder ballad, dating at least as far back as the mid 17th century. The song recounts the tale of a girl drowned by her jealous sister. At least 21 English variants exist under several names, including "Minnorie" or "Binnorie", "The Cruel Sister", "The Wind and Rain", "Dreadful Wind and Rain", "The Bonny Swans" and the "Bonnie Bows of London". The ballad was collected by renowned folklorist Francis J. Child as Child Ballad 10 and is also listed in the Roud Folk Song Index. Whilst the song is thought to originate somewhere around England or Scotland, extremely similar songs have been found throughout Europe, particularly in Scandinavia.

Brian Hughes is a Canadian guitarist whose work draws from smooth jazz and Latin music. Hughes also plays oud, bouzouki, and balalaika. For over twenty years, he has worked in the studio with singer-songwriter Loreena McKennitt. He co-produced many of her recordings and leads her touring band.

<i>An Ancient Muse</i> 2006 studio album by Loreena McKennitt

An Ancient Muse is the seventh full-length studio album of the Canadian singer, songwriter, accordionist, harpist, and pianist, Loreena McKennitt. It was released on November 20, 2006, internationally, and November 21, 2006, in the United States and Canada. It was her first studio album after a 9-year gap. It has sold over a half a million copies worldwide since its release.

<i>Nights from the Alhambra</i> 2007 live album by Loreena McKennitt

Nights from the Alhambra is a live album and DVD from the Canadian singer, songwriter, accordionist, harpist, and pianist, Loreena McKennitt and is her first live concert DVD. It was recorded in September 2006, live at the Palace of Charles V, in the Alhambra, Granada, Spain, and released commercially in September 2007.

<i>A Winter Garden: Five Songs for the Season</i> 1995 EP by Loreena McKennitt

A Winter Garden: Five Songs for the Season is an extended play (EP) by Loreena McKennitt. Recorded and released in 1995, it contains five tracks: three Christmas carols, McKennitt's adaptation of Archibald Lampman's poem "Snow", and the traditional English "Seeds of Love."

<i>A Midwinter Nights Dream</i> 2008 studio album by Loreena McKennitt

A Midwinter Night's Dream is the eighth studio album by the Canadian singer, songwriter, accordionist, harpist, and pianist Loreena McKennitt, released on October 28, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mummers' Dance</span> 1997 single by Loreena McKennitt

"The Mummers' Dance" is a song written and performed by Canadian singer Loreena McKennitt, released as a single from her sixth studio album, The Book of Secrets (1997), in November 1997. The song refers to the seasonal mummers' play performed by groups of actors, often as house-to-house visits. Its lyrics indicate a springtime holiday. Remixed by electronic music production duo DNA for its single release, "The Mummers' Dance" reached No. 10 in Canada, No. 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and No. 1 on the Billboard Triple-A chart. A music video was also produced for the song.

<i>The Wind That Shakes the Barley</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Loreena McKennitt

The Wind That Shakes the Barley is the ninth studio album by the Canadian singer, songwriter, accordionist, harpist, and pianist Loreena McKennitt, released on November 12, 2010.

<i>A Mediterranean Odyssey</i> 2009 compilation album by Loreena McKennitt

A Mediterranean Odyssey is a two-disc collection of the music of Canadian singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Loreena McKennitt. The disc titled From Istanbul To Athens features a selection of previously unreleased live recordings from her 2009 Mediterranean Tour, while the disc titled The Olive And The Cedar contains previously released studio recordings selected by Loreena to complement the project's Mediterranean theme.

<i>Lost Souls</i> (Loreena McKennitt album) 2018 studio album by Loreena McKennitt

Lost Souls is the tenth studio album by Canadian singer Loreena McKennitt, released on May 11, 2018. The track "The Ballad of the Fox Hunter" is an adaptation of the poem by W. B. Yeats, and "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" is an adaptation of the poem by John Keats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heather Dale</span> Canadian musician

Heather Dale is a Canadian Celtic folk musician, author, entrepreneur, and filker who was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association's Hall of Fame in 2020. Much of her music draws on Celtic and Arthurian legend, but she also incorporates influences and instruments from other genres, including world music. She runs her own independent record label, Amphis Music, from its office in Toronto, Ontario.

<i>The Road Back Home</i> (Loreena McKennitt album) 2024 live album by Loreena McKennitt

The Road Back Home is a live album by Canadian singer Loreena McKennitt. It was released on March 8, 2024, through Quinlan Road.

References

  1. AllMusic review
  2. Zimmerman, Kate (October 6, 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald .
  3. "RIAA certification for "The Visit" Album". The Recording Industry Association of America. June 16, 1997. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  4. "Here's who took top music prizes". Vancouver Sun , March 31, 1992.
  5. e.g., see https://earlymusicmuse.com/greensleeves1of3mythology/
  6. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  7. "Brazilian album certifications – Loreena McKennitt – The Visit" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil . Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  8. "Canadian album certifications – Loreena McKennitt – The Visit". Music Canada . Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  9. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 950. ISBN   8480486392.
  10. "American album certifications – Loreena Mc Kennitt – The Visit". Recording Industry Association of America.
  11. "World's greatest". Billboard. 16 June 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  12. "McKennnit to unleash 'Book of Secrets'". Billboard. 23 August 1997. Retrieved 12 April 2018.