John & Mary albums

Victory Gardens was recorded in June-July/1990 and released in 1991. It has John Lombardo (rhythm guitar ) and Mary Ramsey (vocals, viola, piano and violin) writing the lyrics and music of the songs. In some tracks they're joined by well known guests like Small Faces' Ronnie Lane, Badfinger's Joey Molland and 10,000 Maniacs' Jerry Augustyniak on drums and Rob Buck on guitar. The folk atmosphere of their music stands out, as well as Mary's voice , the viola accompaniment and good songs, some of them, "Red Wooden Beads", "The Azalea festival", "We Have nothing", "The Open Window" are really great. "Red Wooden Beads" was released as a single with a live version of "The Azalea festival" as b-side and also had a video clip broadcasted on television . An extraordinary album .
The name of the album came from what happened in England during the World War II ,where the lack of food did not depress the english people.In many cities they replaced the flower gardens in the backyards and squares by vegetables , later called "Victory Gardens".

Lyrics

Victory Gardens
"Victory Gardens weds Lombardo's haunting left-field folk songs with Ramsey's
sensual melodies." -- MUSICIAN

John& Mary are John Lombardo -- a founding member of 10,000 Maniacs -- and Mary Ramsey. Their debut album together is a melodic tapestry, propelled by John's ringing 12-string guitar and Mary's haunting voice and viola. VICTORY GARDENS marks the first commercial release for John Lombardo since he left his former band in 1986 after THE WISHING CHAIR album. His trademark guitar sound will ring true to fans of the Maniacs, mixing with Mary's blend of folk and classical influences. The duo's debut was produced by Lombardo and recorded by Mitch Easter at his Chapel Hill Drive-In studio in the summer of 1990. The album features lead guitarist Robert Buck and drummer Jerry Augustyniak of 10,000 Maniacs with John and Mary handling just about everything else. Special guests on the album include Ronnie Lane, formerly of the Small Faces, who contributes vocals on "We Have Nothing." Badfinger lead guitarist Joey Molland sings and plays on "I Became Alone," and Augie Meyers of the Texas Tornados and the Sir Douglas Quintet squeezes accordion on "Un Canadien Errant." John and Mary's first tour, a fall 1990 support spot for 10,000 Maniacs, was a huge success with the fans. After their opening set each night, the two joined the Maniacs onstage for several numbers, including a stunning "Verdi Cries" duet by Ramsey with Natalie Merchant. The tour culminated in a string of gigs at London's famous Town and Country Club where they so impressed Billy Bragg that he invited Ramsey to join him in the studio. A second album, THE WEEDKILLERS' DAUGHTER, followed before both Lombardo and Ramsey joined the 1995 edition of 10,000 Maniacs.

The second album 'The Weedkiller's Daughter' was released in 1993. Again 10,000 Maniacs ' Rob Buck and Jerry Augustyniak play in some tracks. The album has a well balanced set of folk , folk rock and pop songs and is as fantastic as the first one.. Some songs, like Two Worlds Parted, ( written about the fall of the Berlin Wall ), Angels of Stone, Clare's Scarf, Cemetery Ridge, Nightfall, I Wanted You, One Step Backwards and Fly Me to the North are outstanding. A really must have.

Lyrics

The Weedkiller's Daughter
"It would take a feat of monumental cynicism not to be enchanted by the
life-affirming wonder that John & Mary infuse you with." -- MELODY MAKER

Whatever the source of the tune -- ancient songbooks or fresh imaginings --John&Mary's music confounds music-biz trends. Their second album continues weaving intricate textures out of voice, viola, guitars and wistfully searing messages. THE WEEDKILLER'S DAUGHTER was recorded in the duo's homebase of Buffalo, New York, with John Lombardo co-producing with Armand John Petri. In addition to Lombardo's guitar and bass work and Ramsey's vocals, violin, and viola, the album features guest appearances from 10,000 Maniacs members Robert Buck (guitar) and Jerome Augustyniak (drums), along with legendary English folk guitarist Martin Simpson. Other guests include American cult legend Alex Chilton, acclaimed Canadian artist Mary Margaret O'Hara, Game Theory/Loud Family leader Scott Miller, and former Blue Rodeo member Bob Wiseman. "This album has a lot more variety than the first one, and a lot more confidence," Ramsey comments. "The first album was my first real experience with recording, and John and I hadn't been working together for long when we made it. Since then, we've done a lot of touring and worked a lot in the studio, and it's grown into a very comfortable, organic collaboration." "Our backgrounds are polar opposites," Lombardo says of the partnership. "Mary comes from a structured, academic musical background, whereas I'm completely untrained and approach it instinctively. I think that this album combines the best of those two approaches. I think it's got a sort of sad, tragic quality to it, a sense of melancholy. A lot of the people who influenced me -- people like Gram Parsons and Ronnie Lane and Ray Davies and Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson and Robbie Robertson and Joe Strummer -- put across the same kind of feeling in their work, and that's what we were shooting for."