"With Natalie Merchant since gone solo", wrote Rolling Stone critic Paul Evans, "the 10,000 Maniacs set is a fine souvenir... they flourish their gift for intricate texture – and Merchant's voice is the essence of lilt."

The album debuted at its No. 13 peak and spent 45 weeks on the Billboard charts. In December 1997, it was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA.

The single release "Because the Night" reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, two positions higher than Patti Smith's original version in 1978. It remains the band's biggest hit.

Track listing

Cassette/CD

  1. "These Are Days" (Rob Buck, Natalie Merchant) – 4:22
  2. "Eat for Two" (Merchant) – 4:12
  3. "Candy Everybody Wants" (Dennis Drew, Merchant) – 3:19
  4. "I'm Not the Man" (Merchant) – 3:46
  5. "Don't Talk" (Drew, Merchant) – 5:22
  6. "Hey Jack Kerouac" (Buck, Merchant) – 3:29
  7. "What's the Matter Here?" (Buck, Merchant) – 4:50
  8. "Gold Rush Brides" (Buck, Merchant) – 4:12
  9. "Like the Weather" (Merchant) – 4:15
  10. "Trouble Me" (Drew, Merchant) – 3:40
  11. "Jezebel" (Merchant) – 4:20
  12. "Because the Night" (Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith) – 3:44
  13. "Stockton Gala Days" (Jerome Augustyniak, Buck, Drew, Steve Gustafson, Merchant) – 5:25
  14. "Noah's Dove" (Merchant) – 5:07

CD reissue and LP from Rhino

: same as Cassette/CD, with the addition of the following bonus tracks:

  1. "Let the Mystery Be" (Iris DeMent) (with David Byrne) – 3:08
  2. "Jolene" (Dolly Parton) (with David Byrne) – 2:50
  3. "Dallas" (Jimmie Dale Gilmore) (with David Byrne) – 4:10

LaserDisc/VHS

  1. "Noah's Dove" (Merchant)
  2. "These Are Days" (Buck, Merchant)
  3. "Eat for Two" (Merchant)
  4. "Candy Everybody Wants" (Drew, Merchant)
  5. "I'm Not the Man" (Merchant)
  6. "Don't Talk" (Drew, Merchant)
  7. "Hey Jack Kerouac" (Buck, Merchant)
  8. "What's the Matter Here?" (Buck, Merchant)
  9. "Gold Rush Brides" (Buck, Merchant)
  10. "Like the Weather" (Merchant)
  11. "Trouble Me" (Drew, Merchant)
  12. "Jezebel" (Merchant)
  13. "Stockton Gala Days" (Augustyniak, Buck, Drew, Gustafson, Merchant)
  14. "Because the Night" (Springsteen, Smith)
  15. "Let the Mystery Be" (Iris DeMent) (with David Byrne)
  16. "Jolene" (Dolly Parton) (with David Byrne)
  17. "Dallas" (Jimmie Dale Gilmore) (with David Byrne) / End Credits
  • During the introduction to "Hey Jack Kerouac", Merchant reads a passage from On the Road by Jack Kerouac. During the introduction to "Gold Rush Brides", she reads a passage from Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey by Lillian Schlissel.

Personnel

10,000 Maniacs

  • Natalie Merchant – lead vocals, piano
  • Jerome Augustyniak – drums, percussion
  • Rob Buck – acoustic guitar
  • Dennis Drew – piano, Hammond organ, pump organ
  • Steven Gustafson – acoustic bass guitar

Additional musicians

  • Bill Dillon – acoustic guitar, mandolin, slide guitar
  • Amanda Kramer – piano, pump organ
  • Jerry Marotta – percussion
  • Morgan Fichter – violin, background vocals
  • Mary Ramsey – viola, background vocals
  • Jane Scarpantoni – cello
  • Richie Stearns – banjo
  • Atsuko Sato – bassoon
  • Kim Laskowski – bassoon
  • David Byrne – guest vocals, guitar (video)

Technical

  • Paul Fox – producer
  • Ed Thacker – engineer, mixing
  • Jay Vicari – engineer
  • Mike Scott – engineer
  • Chris Laidlaw – mixing assistant
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering (audio)
  • Ebet Roberts – photography
  • Frank Olinsky – package design (audio)
  • Natalie Merchant – package design
  • Barbara Lambert – package design (video)
  • George Reisz – digital remastering (video)
  • Francis Milano – digital remastering (video)

For MTV

  • Alex Coletti – producer
  • Milton Lage – director
  • John Vesey – editor

Charts

Weekly charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (1993–94)

! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position

|-

|-

|-

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (2024)

! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position

|-

! scope="row"| Croatian International Albums (HDU)

| 12

|-

! scope="row"| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)

| 11

|}

Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (1994)

! scope="col"| Position

|-

! scope="row"| US Billboard 200

| 47

|}

References