MTV Unplugged (10,000 Maniacs album) explained

MTV Unplugged
Type:	live
Artist:	10,000 Maniacs
Cover:	10,000 Maniacs - MTV Unplugged.jpg
Alt:	Natalie Merchant sitting on a stool and singing into a microphone
Recorded:	April 21, 1993
Venue:	Sony Music, New York City
Genre:	Alternative rock, folk rock, soft rock
Language:	English
Label:	Elektra
Producer:	Paul Fox
Prev Title:	Our Time in Eden
Prev Year:	1992
Next Title:	Love Among the Ruins
Next Year:	1997

MTV Unplugged is a 1993 live album and video by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs, recorded for the MTV Unplugged series. The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and spawned the hit single "Because the Night", a cover of the song written by Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen. Between the recording and release of the album, vocalist Natalie Merchant left the band to pursue a solo career.

Outtakes

Many songs were recorded during the performance that were not included on the album. These included four takes of "How You've Grown" and a brief take of "Puff the Magic Dragon". In addition, three songs were performed with David Byrne as a guest singer: two takes of "Let the Mystery Be" (one of which was released as a B-side to "Few and Far Between" and reissued on ), Dolly Parton's "Jolene" and "Dallas".

Reissue from Rhino

MTV Unplugged will be released on CD (digipak) and vinyl (double LP, first time on vinyl) on September 6, 2024. This version includes remastered versions of the songs from the original album, and three bonus tracks featuring David Byrne (described above). The bonus tracks are: "Let the Mystery Be", "Jolene", and "Dallas".

Reception

The album debuted at its No. 13 peak and spent 45 weeks on the Billboard charts.^[1] In December 1997, it was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA.^[2]

The single release "Because the Night" reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,^[3] two positions higher than Patti Smith's original version in 1978.^[4] 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.^{[5] [6] [7]}

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

Year-end charts

Notes and References

1. Billboard 200 for week ending 13 November 1993. Billboard. June 15, 2016.
2. Web site: RIAA – Searchable Database: 10,000 Maniacs. Recording Industry Association of America. June 15, 2016.
3. 10,000 Maniacs. Billboard.
4. Patti Smith. Billboard.
5. http://nataliemerchantcompendium.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/gold-rush-brides-among-americans.html Annie's Natalie Merchant Compendium Blog: Gold Rush Brides / Among the Americans
6. Web site: Artist for Literacy . February 17, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140222170317/http://www.artistsforliteracy.org/index.php/projects/famoussibls.html?sid=55%3ASONGS . February 22, 2014 . dead .
7. http://www.thepeaches.com/music/reviews/tracks/699/699GoldRushBrides.htm Review & Lyrics
8. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994. Billboard. August 24, 2021.