Victory Gardens
{{other uses|Victory Garden (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Victory Gardens
| type = Album
| artist = John & Mary
| cover = John-Mary-VictoryGardens.jpg
| alt =
| released = 1991
| recorded = June 18 – July 22, 1990
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Folk rock
| length = 38:40
| label = Rykodisc
| producer = John Lombardo
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = The Weedkiller's Daughter
| next_year = 1993
}}
Victory Gardens is the debut album by the American musical duo John & Mary, released in 1991 by Rykodisc.{{cite news |last1=Okamoto |first1=David |title='Victory Gardens' |work=Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph |date=Mar 15, 1991 |page=D9}}{{cite magazine |last1=Puterbaugh |first1=Parke |title=Victory Gardens by John Lombardo and Mary Ramsey |magazine=Stereo Review |date=Jun 1991 |volume=56 |issue=6 |page=82}} 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 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){{cite news |last1=Bream |first1=Jon |title=Nightlife |work=Star Tribune |date=June 7, 1991 |page=11E}} 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
{{Album ratings
|rev1= AllMusic
|rev1Score={{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web|url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/victory-gardens-mw0000314187|title=Victory Gardens John & Mary|website=AllMusic|access-date=May 14, 2015}}
}}
Trouser Press called the album "a seductive, low-key delight".{{cite web |title=10,000 Maniacs |url=https://trouserpress.com/reviews/10000-maniacs/ |website=Trouser Press |access-date=20 July 2024}} The Vancouver Sun opined that "Ramsey's voice is a little thin to be carrying the weight that these songs demand."{{cite news |last1=Barrett |first1=Tom |title=Rock/Pop |work=The Vancouver Sun |date=Apr 18, 1991 |page=F20}}
Track listing
All 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
;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
In 1991 Rykodisc released a 7-inch vinyl promotional-only single
- "Red Wooden Beads" – 2:53
- "The Azalea Festival" (live version) – 3:10
References
{{reflist}}
{{John & Mary}}
{{Authority control}}