The POLLing Chair: 10,000 Maniacs Studio Albums

i may like the unplugged disc best of all actually, for that version of "jezebel"

the kerouac song makes me wretch though. okay i'm done.

stroke music for burgeoning liberals

Um, sanctimonious or not, that's about five. And that's off the top of your head. And that's too many (cuz, yeah, sanctimonious)

that's "child beating"

What about the one called "Hateful Hate"?

The idea that "Cherry Tree" (the adult literacy one) is sanctimonius is laughable on its face, unless any song that's, like, ABOUT something, maaaaaaaan, is sanctimonius.

Plus y'all are leaving out the one about an alcoholic spouse, "Don't Talk," which is megaultrafucking classic.

Also, Our Time in Eden is really a great album, and still sounds good today. The two songs with the Memphis horns area aces, "Gold Rush Brides" is one of her best melodies, etc.

I hardly think it's unreasonable for a song about human slavery to use a word like "hateful". Next up, "Why it's sanctimonious to condemn the Holocaust." xp

pancakes otm

"'Boy, it sure would be great if this lady could teach me to read?' Get off your high fucking horse, Merchant."

Now that we're on the subject, I appreciate Merchant's novel take on child abuse in "What's The Matter Here?" Her geographic and psychological distance from the situation dovetails with the song's choice of point of view; she doesn't pretend to be an expert, she's just tired of excuses and that boy and his father making noise in the apartment next door.

Luka Pt. II

so otm

This is the ultimate "I used to listen to them in high school (junior high?) but then got over it" band.

I don't know how I missed this poll -- would probably have put in for Hope Chest.

(There's already some long Natalie Merchant thread where I go on and on about what I think is great and valuable in her lyric-writing and general style, so I guess I won't repeat too much...)

You were pretty eloquent about HC once.

natalie merchant had a secret huge rack

uhrrm...okay then.

anyway, thread revive to say that the John and Mary album from '91 fits really nicely between The Wishing Chair and In My Tribe.

All these albums are good, but In My Tribe is best overall IMO.

Where does Jesus fit in

xp Don’t know why I said that—it’s totally Eden!

(I think I’ve gone on about it in another thread, but Eden sounds astonishingly good to me now… I realize that I actually under-appreciated it back in the day, and I liked it plenty then! Their early stuff still sounds great too. If anything, it’s Tribe and Zoo that maybe haven’t aged so well.)

from a natalie merchant thread-

Listening to Hope Chest I keep thinking that if Rob Buck were in some sort of critically-credible band he'd be considered one of the great guitar players of the 80s.

― nabiscothingy, Sunday, August 7, 2005 1:06 PM

i don't need the extra snark, but this post from the other day is on to something.

anagram has some quality posts ITT. Anyway, it’s all about Wishing Chair and Eden for me (how many other bands’ first* and final** albums are also their best?)

* not counting Secrets of the I Ching
** in their “classic lineup”

Btw, I recently learned that the surviving Maniacs have essentially merged with Sixpence None the Richer(!):

https://www.post-journal.com/news/top-stories/2023/09/10000-maniacs-add-new-singer-guitarist-to-perform-at-jcc/