Customer Reviews

Love Among the Ruins

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Love Among the Ruins is the first new studio album from 10,000 Maniacs since 1992's Our Time in Eden.

Leaving soon-after the release of MTV Unplugged in 1993, Natalie Merchant was replaced by Mary Ramsey. Mary, part of the duo John & Mary, brings new life into the band. She adds a vocal quality similar to Natalie's, but also brings a unique contributiion in her excellent viola playing.

More Than This and Rainy Day, singles from the album, are good pop songs that are sure to please. Green Children will cast aside any doubts of Mary's vocal ability.

With Love Among the Ruins, the musical style of 10,000 Maniacs has returned somewhat to the early days of the band. LAtR sounds very similar to The Wishing Chair, reflecting the return of John Lombardo, also of John & Mary. Although Mary Ramsey is frequently referred to as 10KM's "new" lead singer, it should be noted that she contributed to both Our Time in Eden and MTV Unplugged as well. John Lombardo, having left the band after the release of the The Wishing Chair, is a welcome return. His excellent guitar work is heard throughout Love Among the Ruins. In short, the integration of John & Mary into the band has produced a hybrid of old and new that can only be described as excellent.

Yeah, yeah, yeah--10,000 Maniacs is dead; Mary Ramsey is no Natalie Merchant; This isn't the same band.... yadda, yadda, yadda. Listen, this is a GREAT album. Mary Ramsey's voice is soothing and the band is as finely tuned as ever. If this CD had been released by a group with a different name, fans of the Maniacs would be singing its praises--instead these bitter fans are still crying in their beer. Get over it! They're right though; 10,000 Maniacs isn't the same group without Natalie, but that doesn't mean "different" is bad. KEEP ON SINGING, MARY! (BTW I've also bought Natalie's solo albums and love them too.)

Natalie Merchant may have been the lyrical muse of 10,000 Maniacs, but this album (and Merchant's solo works) show that the compositional genius rested with Buck et al. I bought this album on a whim, not having heard any of it, and I was very plesantly surprised. Even without Merchant's distinctive voice this is very definitely a 10,000 Maniacs album, with all the distinctive melodies and arrangements we expect from the band. It's a pity that the reformed Maniacs haven't gotten the same press that Merchant has, as I think their post-breakup musical output has, in general, been superior to hers.

I remember, back when this album was released in 1997, hearing a radio DJ, in an attempt to promote the album, proclaim, "Mary Ramsey sounds just like Natalie Merchant!!" And I remember thinking to myself, "No she doesn't; what in the world is he listening to?" Because it was just that kind of comparison, I think, which doomed this lineup of 10,000 Maniacs right from the start.

I will say that Mary Ramsey's voice is just as distinctive as Natalie Merchant's. But it is very different--neither better nor worse--just different. The rest of the band, though, sound like classic Maniacs. Their music reminds me more of their "Blind Man's Zoo" era than anything else.

But what is clear upon listening to this album is not only that Ramsey sounds different from Merchant, but that when Merchant left the band to pursue a solo career, she also took with her the band's social and political consciousness. The songs on this album lack the anti-war, pro-liberal, pro-feminist commentary that the earlier 10,000 Maniacs albums are known for (which demonstrates just how much of a powerful creative influence Merchant had over the band). Instead, we have a dozen of your typical mid-nineties adult-contemporary-style love songs. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but again, it makes for a very different "10,000 Maniacs experience". The songs here are pleasant, upbeat, and catchy.

When Merchant left the band and Ramsey was brought in, the wise thing to do would have been to give this new lineup a different name. That way, they could have had a fresh start without the never-ending (mostly negative) comparisons between Ramsey and Merchant. I think if that had happened, then the former Maniacs might have seen a lot more post-Merchant success than they did.

Because when you strip away all of the old-10,000 Maniacs baggage, when you free this band from their anxiety of influence, when you stop trying to compare Ramsey to Merchant, when you stop trying to compare this album to "Our Time in Eden" or "In My Tribe," when you are willing to listen to this band not as "10,000 Maniacs" but simply as a group of talented musicians, then you find that "Love Among the Ruins" really is a very good album that deserves to be judged by its own merits and not forever compared to a different lineup--indeed, a different band altogether.

Thoroughly good cd. The songs are classic Maniacs. Mary Ramsey is a more than adequate replacement for Natalie Merchant. She has a beautiful voice that works nicely with the music. The songs are not quite as stimulating as some of the previous Maniac songs, but are highly enjoyable. Maniac fans will not be disappointed. I certainly an not.

This album was done a huge disservice in that it was released under the name 10,000 Maniacs. This guaranteed two things... first, long time maniacs fans would be turned off by a different group sound minus the talented Natalie Merchant, and secondly, that new fans will not be attracted by such an established name. This album was doomed to obscurity before it was even released and that's a shame, since it really is a pretty piece of music.

Soft and melodic, with quality keyboarding and guitars guiding Mary Ramsey's spritely vocals, each song fits well with the songs before and after it, creating a very cohesive listening experience. From start to finish it's a soothing musical escape, great for the drifting reflections of a rainy day. The album together is stronger than the sum of its parts, and should definitely be listened to from start to finish, but if I had to pick standout tracks they would include, "Rainy Day", "Even With My Eyes Closed", "Green Children", and the well done cover "More Than This".

This isn't the same old maniacs, either in sound or lineup, and Mary Ramsey cannot replace Natalie Merchant, but if given a chance this album can easily be enjoyed and appreciated on its own merits.

There is much, much more to a band than their lead singer. If this were not the case, more recording studios would insist upon singers using studio bands to back them up simply because it is cheaper and albums can be produced much more quickly this way. When Natalie Merchant left 10,000 Maniacs I was very disappointed, I think most people were. To discount the band as talentless, worthless, or pointless without Natalie, however, is just plain ridiculous. Love Among the Ruins proves my point. The sound here can be slightly over-produced at times, but by listening to the instrumentation of these 12 tracks one immeadiately recognizes the signature style and intelligent playing that made this band a hit in the 80's and early 90's. As for Ramsey, the new lead singer, her sound is both powerful and somehow soothing. Anyone who doubts this band's talent and musicianship should give Across the Field, Green Children, and Rainy Day a listen.

I'm quite surprised at the negative customer reviews of this CD...especially given the more favorable reviews of the Maniacs' new CD, The Earth Pressed Flat. I just bought Earth and like it very much, but getting it caused me to go back and listen some more to Love Among the Ruins, and...Ruins it is one of the most beautiful and uplifting recordings I can think of. Each song combines lilting melodies, Mary Ramsey's warm vocals and viola, and the bright guitar work of the Maniacs. Together, the effect is to conjure a mood that is both thoughtful and joyous. I can't listen to this album without smiling...and dreaming a bit. Maybe the naysayers are card-carrying cynics, but if you're at all a romantic, I think you will adore this record.

At first I was sceptical.I mean,with Natalie Merchant gone they might as well not even be the Maniacs right? Wrong!(I mean, hey Van Halen did it) The remaining maniacs retrieved founding member John Lombardo and added long-time friend/musician Mary Ramsey(both of whom made up the group John & Mary).The Maniacs are better than ever here.They still have the same treasured sound plus Mary's viola and Natalie-like vocals yet they are all her own.Although this CD has been very underrated or even somewhat unnoticed, it has enthralling songs full of emotion and hope.It produced the radio-played cover of Roxy Music's "More Than This"and the very sunny "Rainy Day". Other songs are "Even With My Eyes Closed" "Love Among The Ruins" "Green Children" and "Shining Light". Finally it is crowned with the yurning yet hopeful "Across The Fields". This is a must have for any fan of 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant, John & Mary, or anyone who likes smart upbeat music. Welcome back Maniacs.

The ill criticisms about Mary Ramsey can be saved for a rainy day!

I've never heard such breathtakingly beautiful sound from the 10,000 maniacs as I have from this album.

And though I love Natalie Merchant's music with a passion, I agree that the singing styles they have are unique and so spectacular that you can't compare the two. If you love soft music with rhythm, an uplifting spirit, and superior musical quality, you will love the 10,000 maniacs...especially this Love Amongst the Ruins album.