01. These Are Days
02. Eat for Two
03. Candy Everybody Wants
04. I'm Not the Man
05. Don't Talk
06. Hey Jack Kerouac
07. What's the Matter Here?
08. Gold Rush Brides
09. Like the Weather
10. Trouble Me
11. Jezebel
12. Because the Night
13. Stockton Gala Days
14. Noah's Dove
For years MTV had been showcasing bands on their popular hour long show MTV Unplugged. Bands like Poison, Nirvana and R.E.M. all enjoyed a short sixty minute, televised set. For the 10,000 Maniacs who had lived in relative obscurity for years, it was a chance to play for a new audience, and hopefully gain some airplay on MTV.
The set list included songs mainly off of their three latest albums, 'In My Tribe', 'Blind Mans Zoo' and most recent release 'Our Time in Eden', as well as a cover of the Patty Smith song "Because the Night", which actually became a hit for the Maniacs.
Because of the nature of their studio albums and they way their songs were written, the songs lend themselves beautifully to an acoustic setting. Songs like "These Are Days", "Eat for Two" and "Stockton Gala Days" are actually better here than their studio counterparts.
This album marks the final release from the 10,000 Maniacs with Natalie Merchant as the lead singer. Mary Ramsey, who played viola for the unplugged show would replace Natalie on upcoming releases.
So the one question on everybody's mind is... who are all of the 10,000 Maniacs, and how tight are touring and album royalties stretched amongst them?
Rob