Customer Reviews

Campfire Songs: The Popular, Obscure & Unknown Recordings

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Oh, to be young and alternative again. I used to love 10,000 Maniacs, having seen them 5 or 6 times in concert and having met Natalie Merchant at a couple of shows. (My heart about stopped when she came up to me and remembered my name...) While I still have a serious soft spot for their music, this was a group that made great albums that held together as wholes. So a "Best Of" is probably more for the uninitiated than a long time fan. It sure is nice to have a disc loaded with the best known songs all culled to one CD, with the however obvious title "The Most Popular Recordings."

I'm most heartened that "Verdi Cries" is included on disc one, because it was long a fan favorite at 10,000 Maniacs' shows. Natalie would usually perform this as an encore on solo piano. The first time I saw her play this one as the show closer, I was absolutely mesmerized by its grace. I've never tired of hearing it since. And since "Wishing Chair" and "Hope Chest" are pretty much devout fan recordings only, having selections on both of "Campfire Songs" double discs is a bonus.

So if you're a die hard, then having disc two is what you're really buying this for. I'm glad to have the covers of Bowie and Morrissy, since they are of spiritual kin to 10,000 Maniacs' sound and general demeanor, but "Wildwood Flower" and "Hello There" really aren't a match. Having R.E.M. pal Michael Stipe chime in on "To Sir With Love" works as novelty, but he and Natalie would have been better represented by their duets on "Candy Everybody Wants" or "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville." I'm also glad "Peace Train" made the cut, even if my CD of "In My Tribe" was picked up early on enough to not have lost it after the Cat Stevens brouhaha.

If you're not a die hard? Natalie Merchant was a vocalist that found a certain strength in herself that other mid-eighties women didn't. Much like today, where radio is blanded down by Teen (American) Idols and cookie cutter girl-toys, the radio then was ruled by Debbie Gibson, Tiffany and hundreds of Madonna wannabes. The late Robert Buck also had a truly unique guitar style. He was otherworldly and folkish both at once, and by the time he really found his voice ("In My Tribe"), so had Natalie. They were political in a vague but obvious way ("What's The Matter Here?," "Poison In The Well") while also introspective and personal ("Verdi Cries" and "These Are Days"). Not many bands forge this kind of soundscape that makes others leap to catch up; 10,000 Maniacs are one of the few.

I'll give this 4 stars for the same reason I would give the new R.E.M. "Best Of" set an equivalent rating. There are plenty of good songs here, and there are an even greater amount of classic material to be found on the individual albums. "Campfire Songs" is worth having if time has whittled down your CD collection, otherwise, you likely own most of it already.

At last here is the long promised "best of" 10,000 Maniacs collection. Apparently all (surviving) band members were involved in one way or another in the process of putting this compilation.

CD1 (17 tracks, 65 min.) collects "the Most Popular Songs" (meaning: the greatest hits, yea!). Thankfully, the songs are compiled chronologically, which, among others, show the amazing musical leap the band took from the early stuff to the first full-fledged album "In My Tribe". It remains the band's best album after all these years, and is rightfully represented by 5 tracks, including the delicious "About the Weather" (Natalie's best moment ever?). "Blind Man's Zoo" gets 4 tracks, including the seminole "Trouble Me". "Our Time in Eden" (the band's biggest commercial succes) gets 3 tracks, including of course "Candy Everybody Wants". "Because the Night" (from the "MTV Unplugged" album) concludes CD1.

CD2 (14 tracks, 49 min.) covers "The Obscure & Unknown Recordings" and is more of a mixed bag. There are some real nuggets here, including the cover of Cat Stevens' "Peace Train" and David Bowie's "Starman" (Natalie continued covering Bowie tracks in her solo career). Lacking unfortunately in the liner notes are details about the dates of these "obscure" recordings.

Overall, this is a very satisfaying compilation, much better than, say, the recent REM "best of" compilation. In case you haven't kept up with Natalie's most recent work, check out last year's independently released "The House Carpenter's Daughter", truly a mesmorising album.

Even though 10,000 Maniacs are no longer a household name, their music from 1981-1993 has stood the test of time since Natalie Merchant's departure in 1993. After Merchant left the band, Mary Ramsey took over singing duties and the Merchant-less band released two albums without much fanfare. This collection of hits and b-sides appropriately only features songs from the Merchant-era, so if you're a Mary Ramsey fan look elsewhere. The first disc features many of their signature songs like These Are Days, Like the Weather and their live cover of Because the Night. I was quite surprised at the number of songs from their pre-The Wishing Chair days, but they included too many from their In My Tribe breakthrough album. The second disc features b-sides, demos and a few live selections. I suppose the only true rarities are the demo versions of Can't Ignore the Train, Noah's Dove, Circle Dream and Eden, plus the previously unreleased Poppy Selling Man from the early 80's, so if you own a lot of their singles this collection might not be worth it. For those of us who weren't around to witness the impact this underrated band made, Campfire Songs is well worth the investment.

This is a wonderful collection of Maniacs' works. It includes a lot of great songs, popular and obscure alike. Scorpio Rising, Happy Puppet, and a great version of "To Sir, with Love" (w/ Michael Stipe) are just a few of the choice tunes you'll hear on this 2 disc set. The packaging includes several classic photos of the band and the liner notes are written by the Maniacs themselves (including an entry from original band member John Lombardo). Whether you are a Maniacs fan, a Natalie fan, or both - this purchase will not disappoint.

Listening to this 2-CD set makes it clear just how bad radio is today! A 10,000 Maniacs song would never be played on the radio today, squeezed out by another Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake song. The songs are remastered and sound great, and the packaging and liner notes are insightful and interesting to read. If there's any complaint, it's that some great songs were left off, such as The Painted Desert, Lily Dale, Few and Far Between, and Jezebel, but that's a minor complaint. However, the second disc, full of previously unreleased or hard to find b-sides, is the main reason to buy this set- it's the best thing next to an all-new 10,000 Maniacs CD that we'll ever get. Peace Train, Let the Mystery Be, To Sir With Love, Everyday is Like Sunday and the rest are the perfect antidote to the state of popular music today.

If you want to hear Natalie Merchant at her very best and the distinctive guitar work of the late great Robert Buck, then this is the CD set for you. This is smart music, no love songs. Socially conscious lyrics put to great music. The upbeat Natalie that her ''solo'' fans have missed is all here. From the weird wild early days, to classics songs with meaning like: Don't Talk (alcohol abuse) What's the Matter Here (battered children) Hey Jack Kerouac (the beat poets) Poison in the Well (precursor to Erin Brockovich) Eat for Two (youth pregnancy) Big hits like: Like The Weather, candy Everybody Wants, These Are Days, and the cover Because The Night.

CD 2 has some great rare Gems like the Cat Stevens cover Peace Train, no longer available on the classic In My Tribe CD, and songs that fans know from cd single added tracks, like some great covers of the likes of John Prine, Lulu, Morrissey, Jackson Browne, Tom Waits, David Bowie, etc. This is one of those ''best of'' CD's that will make you want to go out and get all the 10,000 Maniacs CD's.

First off let me say I love Natalie's voice. I feel she has a gift to sing in her voice the emotion she is feeling.
I had a couple of maniacs LPs years ago (the hope chest and the wishing well)but that was about it for my intrest. I have every NAtalie Merchant CD made (well a copy of each) so I was intrested in her roots. I bought the Campfire Songs and I was not disappointed.
The first side contains all the hits that they had mixed with some songs of mention BUT the real treasure is the second CD.
It is awesome. I find myself playing the second side the most.

If you like Natalies style and want to see where she developed it or if you want to hear a band that is so underrated that it make you sick then buy this compiliation.
10,000 manaics are a lost gem in the roots late 80's and 90's music that took a close eye on the world around us.Natalies lyrics can at times be rebelious and scarcastic as well as sad and hopeless portraying a world of economic disparity, a world of addiction but also the glimmer of hope that seems to come just when you need it most.
Yes, these are the days that you'll remember. I promise!

I first saw 10,000 Maniacs performing their Peace Train video on MTV and became an instant fan - and immediately bought In My Tribe. Much to my dismay, although Peace Train was listed on the CD jacket and in the lyrics section, it wasn't on the CD itself! I assumed there was some copyright issue and figured I'd have to be content with the rest of their great music.

Some 17 years (wow) later - I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it listed as one of the songs in Disc 2. WOO-HOO!!!

Disc 1 is a good selection from their other albums - good for the car while keeping the other CDs in the house. The real reason to buy this is for Disc 2. A must have for any 10kM or Natalie Merchant fan.

If you want to hear Natalie Merchant at her very best and the distinctive guitar work of the late great Robert Buck, then this is the CD set for you. This is smart music, no love songs. Socially conscious lyrics put to great music. The upbeat Natalie that her ''solo'' fans have missed is all here. From the weird wild early days, to classics songs with meaning like:  Don't Talk (alcohol abuse) What's the Matter Here (battered children) Hey Jack Kerouac  (the beat poets) Poison in the Well (precursor to Erin Brockovich) Eat for Two (teen pregnancy) Big hits like: Like The Weather, candy Everybody Wants, These Are Days, and the cover, Because The Night. CD 2 has some great rare gems like the Cat Stevens cover, Peace Train, no longer available on the classic In My Tribe CD, and songs that fans know from cd single bonus tracks, like some great covers of the likes of John Prine, Lulu, Morrissey, Jackson Browne, Tom Waits, David Bowie, etc. This is one of those ''best of'' CD's that will make you want to go out and get all the 10,000 Maniacs CD's.

As a long-time fan, the collection on disc 1 doesn't faze me in the least, since I have all their albums and most of my favorite Maniacs songs are not even included here (mostly from the Wishing Chair and Hope Chest). But I must say that it's great too see all the rarities collected in one place, even though over the years I've gathered them all up individually. I was especially happy to see Wildwood Flower and Hello In There included--though the live version of the latter performed with Michael Stipe and Billy Bragg that is on the VHS compilation "Time Capsule" is the one I prefer. Speaking of which, any chance that might be released on DVD with Our Time in Eden stuff included too???