Music : Love Among the Ruins
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0720642500927
Format: Import
Label: Geffen UK
Manufacturer: Geffen UK
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Geffen UK
Release Date: June 17, 1997
Sales Rank: 64453
Studio: Geffen UK
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
Every song here sports the customized blend of sprightly guitars and warm-bath keyboards that marked this band's salad days. But Mary Ramsay is no Natalie Merchant, and her bland delivery ensures that these dozen tunes sound more or less identical, even if their ho-hum cover of Roxy Music's "More Than This" was a big radio hit. --Jeff Bateman
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
This cd is alright and 10,000 Maniacs fans will probably like it. However, it does not have the same feel as earlier Natalie Merchant works. The song writing is not as spectacular as before and the songs are not as catchy. I'd recommend cds: In My Tribe and Our Time in Eden. But, if you love those and are looking for more then this would be a good choice. Their cover or Roxy Music's More Than This is the best song and had a music video accompanying it when it was released. Shining Light is the next best song and is worth a listen.
Rating:  -
I liked some of the 10,000 Maniac albums with Merchant, such as In My Tribe and Blind Man's Zoo--but Our Time in Eden was strange and fragmented, hard to understand. Merchant was so in love with writing odd lyrics that she forgot the main purpose of a song: to tell a story.
Mary's voice is beautiful, sweet and strong, and the title song "Love Among the Ruins" is just gorgeous. "Shining Light" is another strong song, and with this album it becomes clear that 10,000 Maniacs was never just about Merchant, though she'd have liked us to think so.
Rating: -
I'm soooo sick and tired of the comparison of Mary Ramsey to Natalie Merchant. Mary's cover of Roxy Music's classic "More Than This" is, quite simply, beautiful. She does it in her own simple, smooth, and sultry style. As a matter of fact, her version was the first I'd ever heard of this peerless and dreamy song. Roxy Music's original will always be the best, but the 10,000 Maniacs version stands tall in its own right, too. Hey, there's a reason this song was such a popular radio play in the late 90's.
There's no need to be so harsh on Mary Ramsey's singing talents ... besides, most of her critics wish they could sing half as well as she can! So, enjoy this song and the album for what it is, a nice work from a talented group of musicians.
Rating: -
Yep, I agree, let's leave the comparisons with Natalie out of the picture. This is a superb album, despite the all-too common lousy editorial review (where do Amazon find these clowns?)
I discovered this album by accident when I went into the TV room and was captivated by Mary's beauty in the band's cover of Bryan Ferry's stunnning song More Than This. It was only at the end of the video that I realized that it was the Maniacs.
This is an exceptional album, which stands on its own.
Rating: -
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 ... Read More
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