Album of the Day

Formed in 1981 in Jamestown, New York, 10,000 Maniacs graduated from college rock heroes to mainstream hitmakers with a little help from MTV and the dulcet tones of Natalie Merchant. The band's Elektra Records tenure with the singer-lyricist is neatly distilled into CAMPFIRE SONGS: THE POPULAR, OBSCURE AND UNKNOWN RECORDINGS OF 10,000 MANIACS. The first of the collection's two discs serves as a 17-track greatest hits set, including such favorites as “Trouble Me,” “These Are Days” and “Candy Everybody Wants,” while the second volume offers an eclectic selection of covers, demos and outtakes. Thoughtful, passionate and beautifully performed, these CAMPFIRE SONGS are the ideal birthday salute to Merchant, who was born on this day in 1963.