Victory Gardens is the debut album by the American musical duo John & Mary, released in 1991 by Rykodisc.[2][3] John Lombardo, former member of 10,000 Maniacs and responsible for much of their early music, brought elements of the early Maniacs sound; Mary Ramsey added a blend of folk and classical influences.
| Victory Gardens | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Recorded | June 18 – July 22, 1990 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock[1] | |||
| Length | 38:40 | |||
| Label | Rykodisc | |||
| Producer | John Lombardo | |||
| John & Mary chronology | ||||
| ||||
Victory Gardens was produced by Lombardo and recorded at Mitch Easter's Chapel Hill Drive-In Studio in Winston-Salem, NC. The album features 10,000 Maniacs members Robert Buck and Jerome Augustyniak as well as special guests Ronnie Lane (Small Faces), Joey Molland (Badfinger)[1] and Augie Meyers (Sir Douglas Quintet, Texas Tornados).
The song "Red Wooden Beads" was included on Steal This Disc Vol. 3, part of a series of compact discs released by Rykodisc in 1991. "Rags of Flowers" was included on Troubadours of Folk Vol. 5: Singer-Songwriters of the '80s, part of a five volume series of compact discs released by Rhino Records in 1992.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [4] |
Trouser Press called the album "a seductive, low-key delight".[5] The Vancouver Sun opined that "Ramsey's voice is a little thin to be carrying the weight that these songs demand."[6]
Track listing
editAll tracks composed by John Lombardo and Mary Ramsey except where indicated
- "Red Wooden Beads" – 2:53
- "The Azalea Festival" – 4:28
- "Piles of Dead Leaves" – 4:14
- "We Have Nothing" (John Lombardo) - 3:47
- "Rags of Flowers" – 3:20
- "I Became Alone" – 3:33
- "The Open Window" – 3:45
- "July 6th" (John Lombardo) – 4:39
- "Pram" (John Lombardo) – 3:21
- "Un Canadien Errant" (Public Domain, arranged by Mary Ramsey) – 4:40
Personnel
edit- John & Mary
- John Lombardo – 6 and 12 string guitar, bass, vocal, producer
- Mary Ramsey – vocal, viola, violin, piano, organ
- Additional musicians
- Robert Buck – lead guitar, mandolin
- Jerome Augustyniak – drums, vocal (background - "We Have Nothing")
- Armand John Petri – percussion ("Un Canadien Errant"), engineer, mixing
- Ronnie Lane – vocal ("We Have Nothing")
- Joey Molland – vocal, guitar, guitar solo ("I Became Alone")
- Augie Meyers – accordion ("Un Canadien Errant")
- Technical staff
- Stuart Sullivan – engineer
- Joe Barbaria – mixing
- Mitch Easter – engineer
- Toby Mountain – mastering
- Shannon Carr – mixing
- Dan Griffin – production
Singles
editIn 1991 Rykodisc released a 7-inch vinyl promotional-only single
- "Red Wooden Beads" – 2:53
- "The Azalea Festival" (live version) – 3:10
References
edit- ^ a b Bream, Jon (June 7, 1991). "Nightlife". Star Tribune. p. 11E.
- ^ Okamoto, David (Mar 15, 1991). "'Victory Gardens'". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. D9.
- ^ Puterbaugh, Parke (Jun 1991). "Victory Gardens by John Lombardo and Mary Ramsey". Stereo Review. Vol. 56, no. 6. p. 82.
- ^ "Victory Gardens John & Mary". AllMusic. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
- ^ "10,000 Maniacs". Trouser Press. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ Barrett, Tom (Apr 18, 1991). "Rock/Pop". The Vancouver Sun. p. F20.