10,000 Maniacs "MTV Unplugged" (1993) (live)

MTV Unplugged (live)
release date: Oct. 26, 1993
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Paul Fox
label: Elektra - nationality: USA

Final album release by 10,000 Maniacs featuring Nathalie Merchant is a live album of a recording made in the Spring '93. It contains acoustic versions of material from the years 1987-1992 with a majority of seven tracks taken from the most recent album Our Time in Eden (Sep. 1992), only two from Blind Man's Zoo (May 1989), and four tracks from In My Tribe (Jul. 1987), which makes a total of 13 out of the 14-tracklist - the last being a cover version of "Because the Night" (written by Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen, and first recorded by Patti Smith and appearing on her album Easter from 1978).
The album is mighty fine, and both the band and Merchant all perform very well, but it never really seem as an essential release. Nathalie Merchant initiated her long solo career after the album release and was substituted by Mary Ramsey.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5, Rolling Stone, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]

10,000 Maniacs "Music From the Motion Picture" (2013)

Music From the Motion Picture
release date: Jan. 15, 2013
format: digital (14 x File, MP3)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: 10,000 Maniacs, various
label: ORG Music - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "I Don't Love You Too" - 2. "When We Walked on Clouds" - 4. "Triangles" - 10. "Downhill"

8th studio album by 10,000 Maniacs with co-producer credits to more than 15 [!] people is the band's first studio release in 14 years, and it's the first to feature new guitarist Jeff Erickson, who has substituted Robert Buck after his passing in 2000. The band has experienced a heavy change on the members list during these past years. Although, Natalie Merchant didn't take part in the formation period of the band, it is with her as lead vocalist that the band became widely known and was subject of international fame. After her leave in 1993, John Lombardo returned to the fold, and Mary Ramsey, who had taken part in the band on viola and backing vocals for only a few years, was then established as the band's new lead singer up until around 2002, when the band of Gustafson, Drew, and Augustyniak wanted to continue with a new lead vocalist, Oskar Saville, and also had invited Jeff Erickson to play guitar. This decision led Ramsey and Lombardo to leave the band, and the two performed and released music as John & Mary; however, Ramsey returned around 2006 to play viola and to do backing vocals as she had done previously when Merchant was still in the band. Saville left again in 2007, which (once again) made room for Ramsey performing as lead vocalist. The formation of the band for this album feature Mary Ramsey on lead vocals, Jeff Erickson on lead guitar, Jerry Augustyniak on drums, and with founding members Steve Gustafson on bass, and Dennis Drew on keyboards.
Actually, this album isn't just all bad. I know I had given up on the band in the years following Merchant's leave - and not just because of that, but I didn't like the music led by Lombardo and Ramsey. It's not an album I like a lot, but listening to it, just to be updated on their music, it's really quite all right as a traditional folk pop release. All band members are credited for vocals on this album, and that's also a bit of a weak spot. There's no real outstanding vocal performances here, and the album is just something entirely different to what used to be the DNA of the band, and I do thnk that's its biggest hurdle. Also, you have to be really fond of folk fiddles and harmony-vocals without expectations of new takes on a much tried genre to really enjoy this. It draws heavily on folk but I actually come to think of more recent albums by British band The Beautiful South, who also embark on a stylistic blend of folk and soft rock in a more mainstream pop / rock tradition, only with the British band having more to offer in terms of vocal quality and lyrical content.
Music From the Motion Picture is by no means a poor album, but in the discography of one of the major bands of new rock music it's not the most favourable by 10,000 Manaics.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

10,000 Maniacs "The Earth Pressed Flat" (1999)

The Earth Pressed Flat
release date: May 18, 1999
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,06]
producer: Armand John Petri
label: Bar/None Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 2. "Ellen" - 3. "Once a City" - 6. "Somebody's Heaven" - 7. "Cabaret" - 12. "Hidden in My Heart"

7th studio album by 10,000 Maniacs actually contains nine outtakes from the album Love Among the Ruins (Jun. 1997), which only makes room for five new compositions.
Stylistically, it's the same ballgame as the predecessor, which means folk pop and soft rock founded on traditional folk that doesn't come close to the band's most successful releases but also reflecting a diverse sound. It's the final album to feature Robert Buck on guitar, as he passed away in Dec. 2000, and then it's the final studio album by 10,000 Maniacs for the following 14 years.
Although, the majority of the tracks weren't found suited for the previous album, I find it on much the same level as the predecessor - again without being really good. Too many tracks sound like attempts to reproduce some of their hit material from the '80s resulting in little originality. All in all, it's above mediocre and a bit of a tepid experience compared to the heydays of the Merchant era, imho.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, Rolling Stone Album Guide 1,5 / 5 stars ]

10,000 Maniacs "Love Among the Ruins" (1997)

Love Among the Ruins

release date: Jun. 17, 1997
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,35]
producer: John Keane
label: Geffen Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Rainy Day" - 2. "Love Among the Ruins" - 5. "Green Children" - 7. "More Than This" - 11. "Shining Light"

6th studio album by 10,000 Maniacs following nearly five years after Our Time in Eden (Sep. 1992) is the first without Nathalie Merchant, who has been substituted by Mary Ramsey, and back in the band is founding member guitarist and songwriter John Lombardo, making the band a sextet once again. The style has changed to be less jangle pop, less mainstream pop / rock, and with more stress on traditional folk, and what's more apparent is that the great songs simply are absent. Nathalie Merchant almost wrote all lyrics for the band and now that part is left to the band as such, and although, Ramsey is not a bad singer, it's just that she simply doesn't have an instrument of a matching caliber to substitute Merchant. A cover version of "More Than This" originally performed by Roxy Music (written by Bryan Ferry) doesn't present the magic of the original. This is one of the band's least successful albums to date, imho, although, I'm fully aware that by losing old fans they still manage to attract a new audience, who find the new stylistic blend and sound a welcoming turn to traditional folk.
With this, I initially lost my interest in the band, who by no means was seen as a mere failure. I do think that some of the original fans really welcomed the return of Lombardo - the band's original guitarist and songwriter - and with him, 10,000 Maniacs returned to a more traditional stand of folk pop, which had been the basis for the duo John & Mary (Lombardo & Ramsey). Shortly after this, guitarist Robert Buck took a year off from the band to focus on another musical project but he returned again for what was regarded the final album from 1999. Sadly however, he passed away from a liver failure in Dec. 2000, which by then nearly put an end to the band.
Love Among the Ruins is not my recommended album to start with but it's part of the discography of 10,000 Maniacs albeit a fine example of contemporary soft rock founded on traditional folk, and in retrospect I do find it one of the band's best albums without Merchant. If you, as I do, associate this band with the sound of Nathalie Merchant, I suggest starting with the band's first five studio albums.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5, Rolling Stone 2,5 / 5 stars ]

10,000 Maniacs "Candy Everybody Wants" (1992) (single)

Candy Everybody Wants, CD single

release date: Oct. 1992

format: cd

[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,12]

producer: Paul Fox

label: Elektra - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Candy Everybody Wants (Single Remix)" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Everyday Is Like Sunday" - 3. "Sally Ann" - 4. "Don't Go Back to Rockville"

Single release by 10,000 Maniacs is the band's second to be taken from the album Our Time in Eden (Sep. 1992) following the single "These Are Days" (Aug. 1992) and succeeded by "Few and Far Between" (1993). Only the title track here appears on the album - the other three are cover songs. "Everyday Is Like Sunday" is a song by Morrissey written with Stephen Street and taken from Morrissey's solo debut Viva Hate (Mar. 1988) [org. song]; "Sally Ann" is written by Judy Hyman and Jeff Claus of American folk rock sextet The Horse Flies [org. song] together with multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell - a song taken from the '91 album Gravity Dance. This was later again covered by Natalie Merchant solo appearing in a later recorded version on the album The House Carpenter's Daughter (Sep. 2003). The end-track "Don't Go Back to Rockville" is an R.E.M. song taken from Reckoning (Apr. 1984) [org. song].

This four-track single is a true gem with no weak tracks, when in fact it was 'only' made to promote the '92 album.

10,000 Maniacs "Our Time in Eden" (1992)

Our Time in Eden
release date: Sep. 29, 1992
format: vinyl / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,16]
producer: Paul Fox
label: Elektra Records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Noah's Dove" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "These Are Days" (5 / 5) - 3. "Eden" (live) - 4. "Few and Far Between" (live) - 5. "Stockton Gala Days" (4 / 5) (live on Letterman) (MTV unplugged) - 6. "Gold Rush Brides" - 7. "Jezebel" (4 / 5) - 8. "How You've Grown" (4 / 5) - 9. "Candy Everybody Wants" (4,5 / 5) - 10. "Tolerance" - 11. "Circle Dream" - 12. "If You Intend" (4 / 5) - 13. "I'm Not the Man"

5th studio album by 10,000 Maniacs following Blind Man's Zoo (May 1989), again released on Elektra, is the final album with new material to feature Nathalie Merchant on lead vocals. Before this they released their first compilation album Hope Chest: The Fredonia Recordings 1982-1983, compiling their earliest recordings: the ep Human Conflict number Five from 1982, and the self-released debut album Secrets of the I Ching (1983). Paul Fox is new producer on this one, and I simply consider this the best-produced album with 10,000 Maniacs. The album is my only vinyl release with the band. I already had In My Tribe (1987) on cassette, which until then was my favourite with the band, and these two are imo the band's master works, being much alike, without being repetitive, but both albums have that special tone, which has to do with Nathalie's narrating melancholic, yet strong voice, and the band's trademark of blending folk, jangle pop and pop / rock into a great mixture with banjo, mandolin, violin, and percussion. On this, brass sections is an additional element, which helps shaping this as their best-sounding album with great melodic catchy songs.
In 1993, Nathalie Merchant parted with the band and initiated a long-lasting solo career. Elektra chose to follow Merchant's solo career and instead dropped the band, who extended the line-up with two members: a return to founding member John Lombardo and new lead vocalist Mary Ramsey (both from the folk-duo John & Mary) and the sextet initially went by the name of John & Mary, Rob, Steve, Dennis, & Jerry before settling with the old band name.
Highly recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

1992 Favourite releases: 1. Morrissey Your Arsenal - 2. 10.000 Maniacs Our Time in Eden - 3. Adrian Borland Brittle Heaven

10,000 Maniacs "Blind Man's Zoo" (1989)

Blind Man's Zoo
release date: May 11, 1989
format: digital (11 x File, MP3)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Peter Asher
label: Elektra Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Eat for Two" - 2. "Please Forgive Us" - 4. "Trouble Me" (4 / 5) - 5. "You Happy Puppet" - 7. "Poison in the Well" - 11. "Jubilee"

4th studio album by 10,000 Maniacs released on Elektra and once again with producer Peter Asher. Stylistically, the band keeps to a defined combination of folk pop, jangle pop, and pop / rock, which works for the band without the need to try out other styles or look for a progression in their sound, and the album sounds like a continued chapter to In My Tribe (Jul. 1987). They have their distinct and unique style, which binds them to traditional folk roots but also to a contemporary jangle pop, and you sort of know what you may expect.
The album is not bad but not one of their best - the sound is similar to In My Tribe but it simply doesn't contain that amount of great and memorable tracks, and everything is just... quite solid workmanship, which isn't bad - it just doesn't really move me that much, and it stands as a somewhat forgettable album in between two really unique releases.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

10,000 Maniacs "In My Tribe" (1987)

In My Tribe
release date: Jul. 27, 1987
format: vinyl / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,06]
producer: Peter Asher
label: Elektra - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "What's the Matter Here?" (5 / 5) - 2. "Hey Jack Kerouac" (4 / 5) - 3. "Like the Weather" (4 / 5) - 4. "Cherry Tree" - 5. "The Painted Desert" - 6. "Don't Talk" (4 / 5) - 7. "Gun Shy" - 8. "My Sister Rose" (4 / 5) - 9. "A Campfire Song" (feat. Michael Stipe) - 10. "City of Angels" - 11. "Verdi Cries" (4 / 5) (Nathalie Merchant live)

3rd studio album by 10,000 Maniacs following the album The Wishing Chair (Sep. 1985). A year before releasing the album, guitarist and songwriter John Lombardo left the band, reducing it to a quintet, and Natalie Merchant and Robert Buck initiated their collaborative works on composing songs for the new album. The production sound has improved with more focus on uptempo jangle pop compositions centered around guitar, drums and vocal, and the mandolin, accordion, and more traditional folk instrumentation, including the tam-tam drums are now barely noticeable.
In the late '80s U2 and R.E.M. were among my favourite bands, and the music scene of Athens, Georgia was on everyone's lips, and I found that this band was very interesting, although, their style is much more folk-minded and perhaps for a more mature audience. Several things brought me to the attention of the band. All members of R.E.M. occasionally met and played with the band, whose guitarist is Peter Buck's younger brother, Robert, and Michael Stipe participates on "A Campfire Song", which may have been the reason why I decided to check their music in the first place. Another thing that caught my interest for the band, was a look at the tracklisting and finding a song titled "Hey Jack Kerouac". I had just read his famous novel "On the Road" and then deduced that their music couldn't be all bad! Nathalie Merchant shines all over the album, and together with Our Time in Eden (1992), this release shows the band at their very best.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

10,000 Maniacs "The Wishing Chair" (1985)

The Wishing Chair
release date: Sep. 23, 1985
format: cd (reissue)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]
producer: Joe Boyd
label: Elektra Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Can't Ignore the Train" - 3. "Just as the Tide Was a Flowing" - 4. "Lilydale" - 5. "Back O' the Moon" - 8. "Grey Victory" - 9. "Among the Americans" - 12. "Daktari" (4 / 5)

2nd studio album by 10,000 Maniacs after the self-released debut Secrets of the I Ching (1983) and their first major release on Elektra. At this point the band consists of Natalie Merchant on vocals, Robert Buck on electric & acoustic guitar, mandolin, and pedal steel, John Lombardo on 6 & 12 string guitars (and bass), Steven Gustafson on bass (and guitar), Dennis Drew on keyboards, and with Jerome 'Jerry' Augustyniak on drums.
The style is folk-based jangle pop, often characterized by Robert Buck's mandolin, and the quartet of instrumentalists playing acoustic or electric guitars, producing a bold sound of strings, and of course on top of that: Merchant's beautiful, vibrant alto vocal all held together within a rather traditional folk frame, also secured by long-time folk-producer Joe Boyd - who has worked with many acclaimed folk and psychedelic rock artists in the 1960s and '70s including Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention, The Incredible String Band, and Nick Drake.
The Wishing Chair is not one of the band's best albums, imho, but it has its moments. The best track "Daktari" is a re-recording of a track from the debut, which here comes close to their best tracks on the successor In My Tribe (1987) - it only figures as a bonus track on the cd version of the album. I don't find the production sound that impressive and basically find it a bit of an anachronism with its 1960s [flat] sound.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]