Our Time In Eden

Performer: 10,000 Maniacs
Engineer: Ed Thacker
Producer: Paul Fox
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: 10,000 Maniacs: Natalie Merchant (vocals, piano); Rob Buck (guitar, sitar, banjo, mandocello); Dennis Drew (accordion, piano, organ, keyboards); Steve Gustafson (bass); Jerome Augustyniak (drums, percussion). Additional personnel: Mary Ramsey (violin, viola); Bruce Dukov, Ralph Morrison (violin); Pamela Goldsmith (viola); Larry Corbett (cello); Kim Laskowski, Atsuko Sato (bassoon); Charles Fleischer (harmonica); Maceo Parker (alto saxophone); Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis (tenor saxophone); Fred Wesley (trombone); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion). Recorded at Bearsville Studios, Bearsville, New York. On their fifth album, 10,000 Maniacs adopt a lush, full sound that more thoughtfully integrates Natalie Merchant's vocals with the rest of the band. The balance also allows her the option to rise above the mix to far greater effect. Throughout the album, keyboardist Dennis Drew shines, especially on "Gold Rush Brides" and on the title track, where his playing adds tremendous depth to Merchant's tales of loss and loneliness. On both "Few & Far Between" and "Candy Everybody Wants," James Brown's horn section brings a previously absent Motown flavor to the Maniacs' folk-rock sound. The rhythm section provides an extremely sturdy backbone for Robert Buck's subtle guitar playing and understated violins on "Stockton Gala Days," EDEN's standout track. "Jezebel" concludes with a powerful, soaring string section after a long introduction that pairs Drew's keyboards with Merchant's vocals. "The sound you're hearing, the sound you're fearing is the hate that parades up and down our streets," announces Merchant over the distorted guitars of "Tolerance"'s chorus, offsetting the much sweeter-sounding verses. The album ends on the chilling notes of "I'm Not the Man," a wrongfully accused man's first-person narrative set to plaintive viola.

Rolling Stone (10/1/92, p.62) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...[a] gripping new album, infus[ed] with a provocative, unnerving power...[singer] Merchant's voice provides continual sensual pleasure...the Maniacs are far less restrained, though no less disciplined..." Spin (11/92, p.114) - Recommended - "...it's not hard to drink half a bottle of red wine and go all weepy-eyed at EDEN'S soft revelations about the sadness in life and the joy in the moment..." Q (11/92, p.122) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...Natalie Merchant's yearning has never been more keenly pitched, nor set in tunes of such exquisite yet pensive refulgence...an album which will yield more secrets with each play..."

Led by vocalist Natalie Merchant, 10,000 Maniacs combined danceable rhythms, jangly guitars, catchy melodies, and liberal politics to create a super-accessible version of 1980s college rock. The band broke into the mainstream with a cover of Cat Stevens's classic "Peace Train," and followed up with a string of successful, well-crafted albums. In 1993 the act scored a massive pop hit with a live cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Because the Night," off their MTV UNPLUGGED album. After Merchant left the band for a successful solo career, 10,000 Maniacs soldiered on with former member Mary Ramsey at the helm, never quite achieving the same level of success, but scoring a top 40 hit in 1997 with another cover (Roxy Music's "More Than This").

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