Our Time in Eden | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 29, 1992 | |||
Recorded | July 1991 – May 1992 | |||
Studio | Bearsville (Woodstock, New York) | |||
Genre | Alternative rock, folk rock, jangle pop, college rock, soft rock | |||
Length | 47:55 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Producer | Paul Fox | |||
10,000 Maniacs chronology | ||||
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Singles from Our Time in Eden | ||||
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Our Time in Eden is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. It was released in 1992 on Elektra Records. The release is 10,000 Maniacs' last studio album with original lead singer Natalie Merchant. The album included her future replacement Mary Ramsey on violin and viola on such tracks as "Stockton Gala Days" and "How You've Grown". Singles released from the album were "These Are Days", "Candy Everybody Wants" and "Few and Far Between". The brass and woodwind section is covered by James Brown's band the J.B.'s. The album had the working title African Violet Society. [2]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Chicago Tribune | [4] |
Entertainment Weekly | C [5] |
Los Angeles Times | [6] |
NME | 4/10 [7] |
Q | [8] |
Rolling Stone | [9] |
Slant Magazine | [10] |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10 [11] |
Vox | 7/10 [12] |
In Rolling Stone , Anthony DeCurtis said that Natalie Merchant's lyrics reflect a "struggle between fervent hope and a kind of wide-eyed despair" and give Our Time in Eden "a provocative, unnerving power", and "the sonic allure of the Maniacs' music and Merchant's voice is a seduction into songs that are charged, complex and troubling." [9] Steve Morse of The Boston Globe wrote that "these are some of [Merchant's] finest songs yet—intellectually challenging, lyrically brilliant and filled with intricate, dream-weaving melodies sparked by multi-instrumentalist Rob Buck (on guitars, sitar, banjo, pedal steel and mandocello)." [13]
All songs written by Natalie Merchant, except as noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Noah's Dove" | 4:29 | |
2. | "These Are Days" | Robert Buck, Merchant | 3:40 |
3. | "Eden" | Buck, Dennis Drew, Steven Gustafson, Jerome Augustyniak, Merchant | 4:07 |
4. | "Few and Far Between" | 3:13 | |
5. | "Stockton Gala Days" | Buck, Drew, Gustafson, Augustyniak, Merchant | 4:18 |
6. | "Gold Rush Brides" | Buck, Merchant | 3:22 |
7. | "Jezebel" | 4:00 | |
8. | "How You've Grown" | 3:39 | |
9. | "Candy Everybody Wants" | Drew, Merchant | 3:04 |
10. | "Tolerance" | 4:13 | |
11. | "Circle Dream" | Buck, Drew, Gustafson, Augustyniak, Merchant | 3:25 |
12. | "If You Intend" | 3:01 | |
13. | "I'm Not the Man" | 3:24 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [18] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
10,000 Maniacs is an American alternative rock band founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four albums that charted in the top 50 in the US: In My Tribe (1987), Blind Man's Zoo (1989), Our Time in Eden (1992), and the live album MTV Unplugged (1993). After the recording of MTV Unplugged, original lead singer and songwriter Natalie Merchant left the band to pursue a solo career, while the remaining members continued the band.
Tigerlily is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant, released on June 20, 1995, following her departure from the alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs.
In My Tribe is the third studio album from the American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. Released on July 27, 1987 by Elektra Records, it was their second major-label album and their first to achieve large-scale success. John Lombardo, Natalie Merchant's songwriting partner on previous albums, had left the band in 1986, and In My Tribe saw Merchant begin to collaborate with the other members of the band, most notably with Rob Buck.
Natalie Anne Merchant is an American singer-songwriter. She joined the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and was lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the group. She remained with the group for their first seven albums before leaving to begin her solo career in 1993. She has since released nine studio albums as a solo artist.
Robert Norman Buck was an American guitarist and founding member of the alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. Some of his compositions with Natalie Merchant are among the most popular songs recorded by 10,000 Maniacs, including "What's the Matter Here", "Hey Jack Kerouac", "You Happy Puppet" and "These Are Days".
Ophelia is the second studio album by the American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant, released on May 19, 1998, by Elektra Records. The album was supported by the singles "Kind & Generous" and "Break Your Heart", with the former being the most successful single of the album, reaching the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Chart. "Break Your Heart" also received single and video treatment. These and the other videos from the album, plus three from Tigerlily, were gathered on a Warner Music Vision home video, also entitled Ophelia. "I love the opportunity to flex my thespian muscle," Merchant quips on it. The album became Merchant's only top ten hit on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at number eight.
Motherland is the third solo album by Natalie Merchant, released in 2001. It was her last studio album released on Elektra Records.
Hard Candy is the fourth studio album by American rock band Counting Crows, released in the United Kingdom on July 7, 2002, and the following day in the United States.
The Wishing Chair is the first major-label album by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs, released in 1985 by Elektra Records. Recorded in London, the album did not achieve the commercial success some of their later releases would receive, but received mostly favorable reviews and brought the band more visibility than had their previous independent releases. A live concert video of "Scorpio Rising" was produced and received a moderate amount of airplay on MTV.
Blind Man's Zoo is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. It was released on May 4, 1989, by Elektra Records. The album contains songs addressing social issues and current events, which occurred during and before the production of the album. The track "Trouble Me" was written as a dedication to the father of the band's lead singer Natalie Merchant.
Hope Chest: The Fredonia Recordings 1982–1983, also known as just Hope Chest, is a compilation album of songs by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs, released in 1990 by Elektra Records. It compiles tracks from their early releases Human Conflict Number Five (1982) and Secrets of the I Ching (1983). All tracks on the album are remixed from their original versions.
John Lombardo is one of the founding members of the American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs and one of the band's most influential members, writing much of its early material. He is also a member of folk rock duo John & Mary.
Mary Ramsey is a member of folk rock duo John & Mary and lead singer and violist for the American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. Ramsey has also worked with other well-known artists such as Jackson Browne, Goo Goo Dolls, Billy Bragg, Warren Zevon, Alex Chilton and Ani DiFranco.
Secrets of the I Ching is the first album by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs, released in 1983 by Mark Records. While the album also contained the band's own Christian Burial Music imprint, the label itself was fictitious.
Human Conflict Number Five is the debut EP by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs, released in 1982 by Mark Records. While the EP also contained the band's own Christian Burial Music imprint, the label itself was fictitious.
MTV Unplugged is a 1993 live album and video by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs, recorded for the MTV Unplugged series. The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and spawned the hit single "Because the Night", a cover of the song written by Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen. Between the recording and release of the album, vocalist Natalie Merchant left the band to pursue a solo career.
"These Are Days" is a song by alternative rock group 10,000 Maniacs, released as the lead single from their 1992 album, Our Time in Eden. The song reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in November 1992. They also performed the song for their 1993 album, MTV Unplugged, and it appears on their 2016 live album, Playing Favorites, with lead vocalist Mary Ramsey.
Live Twenty-Five is a 2006 live album by 10,000 Maniacs, recorded to commemorate the band's 25th anniversary, and was only sold on tour. It is their first release with Oskar Saville as lead singer.
Playing Favorites is a live album by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs released in 2016. The album was recorded on September 13, 2014, at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts in Jamestown, New York. This is their first live album with current lead vocalist Mary Ramsey and also marks the return of founding member John Lombardo who contributes lead vocals on "My Mother the War".
"Candy Everybody Wants" is the second single by American alternative rock group 10,000 Maniacs from their fifth album, Our Time in Eden (1992). The song was released in March 1993 by Elektra Records. It was written by Dennis Drew and Natalie Merchant, the band's keyboardist and lead singer respectively. Rolling Stone wrote that the song is about "the American appetite for televised sex and violence – and big business's willingness to satisfy that craving."