The September 1992 ActionAIDS/World Cafe Benefit in Philadelphia; the 10,000 Maniacs topped the bill. The drummer's out with broken collar bone, but no matter; the Mighty Max Weinberg of the E Street Band fills in. The band in place, an unfamiliar tune starts—and Natalie skips to stage center, hands clasped behind her back. “These are days/you’ll remember/never before and never since …” These are days, indeed. Add to that the utter sarcastic joy of "Hey! Hey!" from “Candy Everybody Wants” and the sweeping "Stockton Gala Days," with Natalie swirling and whirling and becoming one with the music.

Perhaps it's that she's about my age (one and 1/2 years older) and, in that sense, reflects a certain Gen X sensibility that baby-boomer artists lack. Whereas the baby boomers were shaped by JFK's assassination, the Beatles, The Graduate, Vietnam, Bobby and MLK, to name a few touchstones, we were raised and shaped by The Brady Bunch, Wings, Billy Jack, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. Quite a different set of yardsticks, eh? Anyway, I discovered the Maniacs toward the end of my college years, when idealism, disenchantment and the like reigned supreme. "Scorpio Rising" from The Wishing Chair is what drew me in; "Hey Jack Kerouac" from In My Tribe sealed the deal. I've been along for the ride since.

--JGG
 

Discography

Campfire Songs: The Popular, Obscure & Unknown Recordings (10,000 Maniacs) (2004). An exquisite collection that's a good jumping off point for folks just getting acquainted with the Maniacs; and a necessity for those of us older fans. It collects much of the band's best songs; and includes a truck-load of "rarities." Well ... they were once rare. The cover version of John Prine's "Hello In There," originally a bonus track on the "You Happy Puppet" CD single is a wondrous, heartfelt, can't-say-enough-about-it moment. And the band's rendition of Bowie's "Starman," much like Natalie's later cover of his "Space Oddity," is a real treat. (A+)

The House Carpenter’s Daughter (2003). Natalie serves up a heaping dose of folks songs most of us have never heard before. Her voice remains wondrous, luscious even, something I could soak in for hours on end. The songs? They’re fairly somber. The best of the bunch: the union classic, “Which Side Are You On?” Even if the conceit doesn’t sound like your kind of thing, I say: buy it. Why? Because Nat’s left the world of major labels and released it on her own. Plus, she has a baby to feed. Don’t let the young ‘un starve! (B) 

Motherland (2001). My choice for 2001’s “Album of the Year” has only become one of my fave Natalie albums of all time, including her work with the Maniacs. As always, she’s in perfect voice—like honey oozing from the grooves and encasing you in her warmth, essentially. And the songs! “Tell Yourself” is as perfect a pop-rock song ever written, and as addictive, too; the title song is a true treatise about the earth from an Earth-friendly gal; and, despite its title, “Just Can’t Last,” and the album as a whole, lasts long after the CD’s over. (A+) 

Live In Concert (1999). All things considered, 1999 was not a whiz-bang year for albums. Not for my tastes, at any rate. There were a few glimmers: Kelly Willis’ What I Deserve and Steve Earle’s The Mountain are two. CSNY’s Looking Forward, another. Then, late in the year came Natalie Merchant’s Live In Concert. Recorded at the Supper Club in New York City, it’s a smart set that includes several choice covers. Neil Young’s "After the Gold Rush" is mesmerizing; at one point, the organ, guitar and other instruments drop out, leaving Natalie alone breathing the lyrics for a verse. And David Bowie’s "Space Oddity" comes off with the requisite spacey vibe. Reaching back to her stint with the 10,000 Maniacs, "Dust Bowl" and "Gun Shy" also register; they conjure memories of when Diane and I saw the Maniacs for the first time, in 1992. I’d always liked them; don’t get me wrong. "Hey Jack Kerouac" was, and remains, among my all-time faves. (As it is for many English majors from a certain era, I’d wager) But, seeing them live? Until that night, our schedules never meshed. After? I made sure that they did. Natalie swirled, twirled and skipped across the stage to the microphone: "These are days ..." From the infectious "hey hey" chorus of "Candy Everybody Wants" to the hushed and hypnotic "Noah’s Dove," it was one of those concerts.

On her own, Ms. Merchant continues that tradition. The austere Tigerlily and its follow-up, the lusher Ophelia, are solid efforts both. "I’d have preferred the luscious "Break Your Heart" to "Ophelia," but that’s a small quibble on what is a strong live collection. The songs, drawn from all facets of her career, work as an "album" in the traditional sense of the word. The guitar groove of "Carnival" works as a gritty response to "Space Oddity," and the one-two punch of "Dust Bowl" and "After the Gold Rush" is simply phenomenal—as is her rendition of Katell Keineg's "The Gulf of Araby." (A-) ... Of note, of course, is the live DVD for the same show. As with the album, it's a necessity for any fan ...

Ophelia (1998).Maybe it's me, but this album never took residence in my CD player the way, say, Tigerlily or 10,000 Maniacs' Our Time in Eden did. Yes, it's good. The question is, how good? Aside from the intoxicating, lush and magical "Break Your Heart," the spacey title track and "Life Is Sweet," the album's concept (the many facets of womanhood) eventually weighs on the individual songs until they collapse. There's nothing here that grooves like "Carnival" or, heaven forbid, frolics through the mind the way "Stockton Gala Days" did oh-so-many years ago. ("Break Your Heart" comes close to the latter, but it's a compassionate song, not a frolic-some one, if that makes sense.) A good example is "Kind and Generous," which seems modeled after an Aretha number ("Baby, I Love You"?) but comes off as simple-minded mish-mash. La-la-la-de-da. It's fun to listen to, yeah. But it has no staying power. "Break Your Heart," however, makes the album a "must" even for casual fans. (B+)

Tigerlily (1995). Quiet and low-key, Natalie's solo debut, suffered upon its initial release from comparisons with her previous work with 10,000 Maniacs—though, in reality, it wasn't as drastic a departure, or dour an effort, as some critics contended at the time. The lyrics and music are intense, introspective, romantic and fanciful, with an occasional dose of social commentary ("Carnival") thrown in. Granted, live, the songs took off into another dimension thanks, in large part, to Jennifer Turner's upfront, incisive lead guitar. Here, however, Turner is restrained, her fills focused purely on supporting Natalie's vocals—and not, as live, juxtaposing them. But what vocals! Natalie has never sounded better, her voice warm and lush and filled with passion. Whether she's singing of a widower who can't bear to live without his spouse ("My Beloved Wife"), the late River Phoenix ("River") or delving inside the inner-reaches of her own soul ("I May Know the Word"), she invests so much of herself in every syllable that we, the listeners, cannot help but to sympathize, empathize and just plain give ourselves over to her wholly ... but, of course. That's why she's Natalie. (A-)

Of note, in support of Natalie's 1996 European tour, Elektra released a special version of Tigerlily that included a bonus CD featuring a remix of "Jealousy" and four live songs—cover versions of the Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil," a rambunctious, soulful medley of "Baby I Love You" and "Son of a Preacher Man," Allan Toussaint's "Take a Look" and an old Nina Simone song, "The Work Song." All are delightful, but "Take a Look" is—by far—worth the price of admission. It's a catchy, poppy tune that features a coy, seductive vocal reminiscent of Natalie's take on "The Art of Love." It would have—should have—topped the charts if it had been released as a single; it's that catchy. In England, those songs as well as a faithful cover version of Joni Mitchell's "All I Want" were released as the b-sides on the CD-single two-pack of "Wonder"; in the States, they're available either as an import or on an AAA Radio Sampler promo Electra released. Track ‘em down. They’re worth it.
 

Unplugged (10,000 Maniacs) (1993). Following a successful tour, the news broke: Natalie was leaving to set out on her own. Why? It was a decision she made before Our Time in Eden was recorded, and centered around her wish to have more control over her art. Understandable, yes. Regrettable? No. Her work since has provided ample evidence that Ms. Merchant possesses the talents required to carry a solo career. Yet, it's regrettable that Unplugged is the only official testament of the Natalie-era Maniacs live, for as anyone who saw their final tour can verify—they were electrifying. Unplugged, on the other hand, is a low-key reading of their best known songs, with the bonus of a sultry rendition of Patti Smith's "Because the Night" thrown into the mix. At the same time, the album is a disappointment, if only because it comes nowhere near to their live shows, which often included such fun covers as “To Sir with Love," "Suspicious Minds" and "Band of Gold" plus between-song treats like "Drift Away," "The Art of Love" and "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." Unplugged's failure, thus, stems from comparison of what could have been and not what’s actually here. It’s darn good. (B+)

Our Time in Eden (10,000 Maniacs) (1992). The final studio offering from the Natalie Merchant-fronted version of the 10,000 Maniacs is, without doubt, them at their most commercial—and their best. From the opening, hypnotic groove of "Noah's Dove" to the final, powerful lament "I'm Not the Man," and the in-between hits of "These Are Days" and "Candy Everybody Wants," this album is more than a collection of songs. It is, in the traditional sense, an "album." Filled with exuberant highs ("Few & Far Between," "Stockton Gala Days") and introspective lows ("Jezebel"), each song is placed so that they play off of and complement one another, adding to their impact. Natalie, too, is in perfect voice—"Noah's Dove" may well be her at her best, ever. (A+)

Hope Chest (10,000 Maniacs) (1990). Although released after Blind Man's Zoo, the songs herein date to two independent albums the band released pre-The Wishing Chair. It's interesting, filled with quirky, occasionally catchy songs that, although filled with sound and fury, signify nothing. (C+)

Blind Man’s Zoo (10,000 Maniacs) (1989). After the success of the stellar In My Tribe, it was a sure bet that the follow-up would be perceived as a "disappointment." Yet, on its own terms, Blind Man's Zoo succeeds. Yes, the songs occasionally lapse into a preachy mode—"Please Forgive Us," about American imperialism, is a good example of that. But it also includes the perceptive "Eat for Two," which finds Natalie cast as an unwed mother, and "Trouble Me," a wonderful ode to friendship. Toss in the sarcastic "You Happy Puppet," which questions mindless devotion (a perfect summation of the Reagan years), and the stubborn "Headstrong" and you have a solid, not spectacular album. (B+)

In My Tribe (10,000 Maniacs) (1987). With tuneful commentaries on child abuse ("What's the Matter Here"), homelessness ("City of Angels"), illiteracy ("Cherry Tree") and alcoholism ("Don't Talk"), this was the album that established the Maniacs in the minds of many as a "message" band. Odd, then, that it was the potent meandering of "Like the Weather" that broke them ... and that the ode to aging beats "Hey Jack Kerouac" won them an audience with English majors—and would-be beats—everywhere! An interesting tidbit is that, lthough Allen Ginsberg is addressed ("Allen, baby, why so jaded? Have the boys all grown up and their beauty faded?"), rather than be offended the poet took to reciting the lyrics at poetry readings! Truly, this album is a late-1980s classic—an essential addition to any and all CD collections. (A+)

The Wishing Chair (10,000 Maniacs) (1985). The lead-off track "Scorpio Rising" is the song that perked this Cat's ear. It's an up-tempo tune that's as catchy as it is cool ... "cool white stare," indeed. As a whole, though, the album is like many first albums: it hints of the greatness to come. Other strong songs include "My Mother the War" and "Cotton Alley." That said, the lyrics do lapse into obtuseness; and the music is a tad thin. (B-)