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Our Time in Eden

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Our Time in Eden
Studio album by
10,000 Maniacs
ReleasedSeptember 29, 1992
RecordedJuly 1991 – May 1992
StudioBearsville (Woodstock, New York)
GenreAlternative rock, folk rock, jangle pop, college rock, soft rock
Length47:55
LabelElektra
ProducerPaul Fox
10,000 Maniacs chronology
Hope Chest
(1990) 		Our Time in Eden
(1992) 		MTV Unplugged
(1993)
Singles from Our Time in Eden
  1. "These Are Days"
    Released: August 31, 1992
  2. "Candy Everybody Wants"
    Released: March 29, 1993
  3. "Few and Far Between"
    Released: 1993[1]

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]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Chicago Tribune[4]
Entertainment WeeklyC[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
NME4/10[7]
Q[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Slant Magazine[10]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[11]
Vox7/10[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]

Track listing[edit]

All songs written by Natalie Merchant, except as noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Noah's Dove" 4:29
2."These Are Days"Robert Buck, Merchant3:40
3."Eden"Buck, Dennis Drew, Steven Gustafson, Jerome Augustyniak, Merchant4:07
4."Few and Far Between" 3:13
5."Stockton Gala Days"Buck, Drew, Gustafson, Augustyniak, Merchant4:18
6."Gold Rush Brides"Buck, Merchant3:22
7."Jezebel" 4:00
8."How You've Grown" 3:39
9."Candy Everybody Wants"Drew, Merchant3:04
10."Tolerance" 4:13
11."Circle Dream"Buck, Drew, Gustafson, Augustyniak, Merchant3:25
12."If You Intend" 3:01
13."I'm Not the Man" 3:24

Personnel[edit]

10,000 Maniacs
Additional musicians
  • The J.B. horns – horns on "Few and Far Between" and "Candy Everybody Wants":
  • Mary Ramsey – violin on "Stockton Gala Days", viola on "How You've Grown"
  • Paulinho Da Costa – percussion on "These Are Days", "Candy Everybody Wants" and "Circle Dream"
  • Charles Fleischer – harmonica on "Gold Rush Brides"
  • Kim Laskowski – bassoon on "I'm Not the Man"
  • Atsuko Sato – bassoon on "I'm Not the Man"
String quartet on "Jezebel"
  • Larry Corbett – cello
  • Bruce Dukov – violin
  • Pamela Goldsmith – viola
  • Ralph Morrison – violin
Technical
  • Paul Fox – producer
  • Ed Thacker – engineer, mixing
  • Paul Buckmaster – string quartet arranger and conductor
  • Michael Reiter – second engineer
  • Scott Blockland – second engineer (mixing)
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering
  • Rob Marinissen – photography
  • Frank Olinsky – package design
  • Natalie Merchant – package design

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[18] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ France, Kim (March 18, 1993). "10,000 Maniacs: Eden's Children". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  2. ^ Wild, David (August 20, 1992). "10,000 Maniacs on the Loose Again". Rolling Stone. No. 637. p. 17.
  3. ^ McCartney, Kelly. "Our Time in Eden – 10,000 Maniacs". AllMusic. Retrieved April 15, 2006.
  4. ^ Kot, Greg (October 15, 1992). "10,000 Maniacs: Our Time In Eden (Elektra)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  5. ^ Browne, David (October 16, 1992). "Our Time in Eden". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  6. ^ Rosenbluth, Jean (September 27, 1992). "10,000 Maniacs, 'Our Time in Eden,' Elektra". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  7. ^ Quantick, David (October 10, 1992). "10,000 Maniacs: Our Time in Eden". NME. p. 40.
  8. ^ "10,000 Maniacs: Our Time in Eden". Q. No. 74. November 1992. p. 122.
  9. ^ a b DeCurtis, Anthony (October 1, 1992). "10,000 Maniacs: Our Time In Eden". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  10. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (September 29, 2003). "Review: 10,000 Maniacs, Our Time in Eden". Slant Magazine. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  11. ^ Crist, Renée (1995). "10,000 Maniacs". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 400–401. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  12. ^ McLean, Craig (November 1992). "10,000 Maniacs: Our Time in Eden". Vox. No. 26. p. 74.
  13. ^ Morse, Steve (October 15, 1992). "Recordings". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 8.
  14. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1919". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  15. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  16. ^ "10,000 Maniacs Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  17. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  18. ^ "American album certifications – 10,000 Maniacs – Our Time in Eden". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
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