I absolutely LOVE 10,000 Maniacs!!!! I’ve seen Natalie Merchant more times than I can remember. The first time I saw 10,000 Maniacs they were playing William and Mary and I had won a front row center seat. They were amazing!!!! I have all of their CDs.
They were for me, back in the 90’s and together with R.E.M., the transition between what I listened as a teenager and what I then considered Adult music.
Natalie Merchant, Tori Amos, Liz Phair--this was such an incredible moment for women in music in general and these artists set the bar for so many that came after. Great piece and insights here! Spot on about the college sensibilities...just reading this puts me back on the quad, skipping Italian class because it was just too nice to be inside :) Thanks!
Deeply! We also had a barely known artist just starting to get some radio play for some song about ants OPENING for Alanis Morissette. Incredible times! 💥
I totally forgot about The Wishing Chair. The first album I bought by them was In My Tribe which is still my favorite. Natalie Merchant's solo stuff isn't bad but it isn't as good as her work with 10,000 Maniacs.
Cool! I enjoy the band, but never dug into the catalog or listened to anything beyond Eden or Unplugged. This is great. I was surprised to hear a song with distortion/more of a rocker from them. As you note, Merchant's voice is transcendent and front and center (as it should be), but this track sorta turns up the volume of the band in a good way and now I'm listening more closely to all of the great guitar work on this album. Thanks for the excellent spin as always!
Wow, had to mention, going back and listening as an adult after 25+ years...10k maniacs hits super hard. What wonderful lyrics that always appealed a bit more to adults, and now I get it... too much. The weather? YES. These are the musical themes that are relevant to my life. Someone's got to have an interesting piece about the decline of adults or adult themes in music...I'm certain it has to do with $.
Funny you said that. When I saw this piece I held on to it to make sure I would read it later. At one point I had this album, although it fell into the loaned/lost/sold to pay rent pile many years ago. Hearing this in college was where 10,000 Maniacs made me pay attention, and I wish they could have remained together for a couple of more albums. Merchant still has a great voice, but there was something about her together with this band. I wish they could have done another album similar to this one after they had become mainstream; makes me wonder if it would have been successful following "In My Tribe."
Wow. Awesome. And, if this is from the mid-eighties, they were ahead of their time. Sounds very much like that typical nineties sound by bands like The Tragically Hip, The Smashing Pumpkins and maybe a touch of Counting Crows or even Rage Against the Machine.
Love 10,000 Maniacs/Natalie Merchant, their stunning live version of 'My Mother the War' (at the Hammersmith Clarendon 1985) will always be one of my standout concert memories.
(Waves from Madison)
Great minds think alike. Have fun tomorrow!
I will forever love 10KManiacs. Don’t forget the majesty of that Unplugged album.
Great album, Unplugged!
How I miss that Unplugged series of albums. It was like having all those artists at home, playing for you.
I can think ten amazing unplugged performances that are standards now.
It might be a nice topic for you, talented writers ;)
Might be! :)
Waiting for it! :)
I absolutely LOVE 10,000 Maniacs!!!! I’ve seen Natalie Merchant more times than I can remember. The first time I saw 10,000 Maniacs they were playing William and Mary and I had won a front row center seat. They were amazing!!!! I have all of their CDs.
I love hearing about all the shows you got to see! Merchant is on tour now; is she coming anywhere near your part of the world?
Terrific review. This was quite a throwback read.
Thanks Rui!
They were for me, back in the 90’s and together with R.E.M., the transition between what I listened as a teenager and what I then considered Adult music.
Natalie Merchant, Tori Amos, Liz Phair--this was such an incredible moment for women in music in general and these artists set the bar for so many that came after. Great piece and insights here! Spot on about the college sensibilities...just reading this puts me back on the quad, skipping Italian class because it was just too nice to be inside :) Thanks!
I was really hoping someone would relate to that part about college.
Deeply! We also had a barely known artist just starting to get some radio play for some song about ants OPENING for Alanis Morissette. Incredible times! 💥
Ha! Incredible times indeed.
I totally forgot about The Wishing Chair. The first album I bought by them was In My Tribe which is still my favorite. Natalie Merchant's solo stuff isn't bad but it isn't as good as her work with 10,000 Maniacs.
In My Tribe is a personal favorite of mine too. !
100% agree.
Cool! I enjoy the band, but never dug into the catalog or listened to anything beyond Eden or Unplugged. This is great. I was surprised to hear a song with distortion/more of a rocker from them. As you note, Merchant's voice is transcendent and front and center (as it should be), but this track sorta turns up the volume of the band in a good way and now I'm listening more closely to all of the great guitar work on this album. Thanks for the excellent spin as always!
Wow, had to mention, going back and listening as an adult after 25+ years...10k maniacs hits super hard. What wonderful lyrics that always appealed a bit more to adults, and now I get it... too much. The weather? YES. These are the musical themes that are relevant to my life. Someone's got to have an interesting piece about the decline of adults or adult themes in music...I'm certain it has to do with $.
I don't think a lot of people even know this record exists- certainly not compared to Eden or In My Tribe.
Funny you said that. When I saw this piece I held on to it to make sure I would read it later. At one point I had this album, although it fell into the loaned/lost/sold to pay rent pile many years ago. Hearing this in college was where 10,000 Maniacs made me pay attention, and I wish they could have remained together for a couple of more albums. Merchant still has a great voice, but there was something about her together with this band. I wish they could have done another album similar to this one after they had become mainstream; makes me wonder if it would have been successful following "In My Tribe."
I think we all had one of those piles! :(
Good question on what might've happened if something similar had come out after In My Tribe.
In My Tribe totally reminds me of my first love in Washington DC. It was a wonderful chapter of my life with a beautiful woman.
I'm always happy to take people down these trips on memory lane.
The Unplugged album is peak imo. So good.
Wow. Awesome. And, if this is from the mid-eighties, they were ahead of their time. Sounds very much like that typical nineties sound by bands like The Tragically Hip, The Smashing Pumpkins and maybe a touch of Counting Crows or even Rage Against the Machine.
AT least, that's what I hear in it.
I definitely hear the Tragically Hip, but also Lone Justice (though that might just be because I've been listening to them so much lately).
Love 10,000 Maniacs/Natalie Merchant, their stunning live version of 'My Mother the War' (at the Hammersmith Clarendon 1985) will always be one of my standout concert memories.