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Blind Man's Zoo by ReleasedMay 16, 1989RecordedNovember 1988 – March 1989, Dreamland Recording Studio, , , Length43:14 chronology
(1987)Blind Man's Zoo
(1989)
(1990)

Blind Man's Zoo is ' fourth studio album, released in 1989. The album contains songs addressing social issues and current events prior to and during the production of the album. The song "Trouble Me", the album's first single to be released, was written as dedication to the lead singer 's father. The song charted in the United States and the United Kingdom and became a minor hit. "Eat for Two", a song about , also hit the music charts. The album has received mixed reception. It reached number thirteen in the  chart and number eighteen in the .

Production and songs

The title of the album Blind Man's Zoo was inspired by a fictional game from a children's book. The album was recorded in Dreamland Recording Studio, converted from a rustic church in .

A ballad "Trouble Me", co-written by  and , was the first released single of the album. The song was written for Merchant's father who was hospitalized at the time. Gospel singer  provided the background vocals for the song. The music video of "Trouble Me" was produced, containing outdoor scenes. Merchant caught a  during the filming.

Other songs were inspired by social issues and events before the album was produced, despite Merchant's limited knowledge on politics. "Eat for Two" tackles  and centers on a teenage girl who is five months pregnant. Merchant did not intend the song to be a "" message as the song does not address . For the song,  played the guitar; , . The song and "You Happy Puppet" were commercially released as singles.

"The Big Parade" concerns a  and the  in Washington, D. C. "Please Forgive Us" concerns the  on , especially the . "Hateful Hate" concerns the European  and racial tensions between the European descendants and native Africans. A song "Jubilee", tackling , concerns a racist who burns down a dance hall where he witnesses an interracial relationship of a young black man and a white woman. "Dust Bowl" concerns the working class. "Poison in the Well" concerns a neighborhood suffering from effects of  and refers to involvement of the  from  with the chemical waste site , which resulted in multiple cases of cancer and infertilities.

Merchant said about most of the album:

The theme that I keep returning to with every song is betrayal[.] "Eat for Two" is self-betrayal. "The Big Parade" is a nation betraying its citizens. "Please Forgive Us" is a nation betraying another nation. "Hateful Hate" is a race betraying another race. "Jubilee" is, first, a man who's betrayed by nature or God[...] "Poison in the Well" is the question of corporate culpability when there's a toxic-waste dump that suddenly is seeping into the main water supply of a neighborhood. That corporation has betrayed those people.

Music videos of "Eat for Two," "Trouble Me," "You Happy Puppet," "Dust Bowl," and "Hateful Hate" were featured in the VHS release, 10,000 Maniacs: Time Capsule, Filmed 1982–1990, which was re-released on DVD as 10,000 Maniacs: Time Capsule, Filmed 1982–1993, featuring bonus music videos from the band's  live concert.

Reception

Music critic  said that the track "Trouble Me" was "the most uplifting" and "the antidote" to the remainder of the album, which DeCurtis considered "a starkly pessimistic statement."  journalist  called the album the band's "best release". Another Spin journalist Jonathan Van Meter considered the lyrics "concerned, self-righteous, [and] at times pretentious yet thoroughly engaging."  praised the music, including Rob Buck's guitar performance, but found it "monotonous". It also found the track "Jubilee" "a major downer."

 reviewer Chris Woodstra rated the album three and a half out of five stars, considering it inferior to its predecessor  and writing that despite "all of its earnestness and good-intentioned teachings, [the album] ultimately fails in its heavy-handed and generally uninteresting approach."  rated it three and a half out of four. One  reviewer rated it four out of five. Another Rolling Stone reviewer rated it three out of five and wrote that the album "isn't quite as cheerful, but despite its issue-oriented focus, Merchant and her bandmates [] never turn their songs into a ."  graded it "B−".

Chart performance

In the United States, the album reached number thirteen in the  chart on the week ending July 29, 1989. In the United Kingdom, it debuted and peaked at number eighteen in the  on the week ending May 27, 1989.

In the Billboard charts, "Trouble Me" reached number twenty in the  on the week ending July 8, 1989; number three in the  on the week ending June 10; number 44 in the  on the week ending August 12; and number seven in the  on the week ending August 19, 1989. "Trouble Me" reached number 77 in the  on the week ending June 17, 1989.

"Eat for Two" reached number twelve in the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart on the week ending August 12, 1989, and number 93 in the UK Singles Chart on the week ending November 11.

Track listing

All songs written by  except as noted.

Side one

"Eat for Two" – 3:26 "Please Forgive Us" (, Merchant) – 3:22 "The Big Parade" (, Merchant) – 4:00 "Trouble Me" (, Merchant) – 3:08 "You Happy Puppet" (Buck, Merchant) – 3:35 "Headstrong" – 4:13

Side two

"Poison in the Well" (Drew, Merchant) – 3:05 "Dust Bowl" (Buck, Merchant) – 4:11 "The Lion's Share" (Drew, Merchant) – 3:00 "Hateful Hate" – 4:28 "Jubilee" – 6:07