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10,000 Maniacs In My Tribe (1987) 8 What's the Matter Here?/Hey Jack Kerouac/Like the Weather/Cherry Tree/The Painted Desert/Don't Talk/Peace Train/Gun Shy/My Sister Rose/A Campfire Song/City of Angels/Verdi Cries “In My Tribe” is the 10,000 Maniacs 2nd and best known album and pretty much the one that catapulted them into the spotlight. They had had a certain amount of success prior to this, but “In My Tribe” really seemed to grab people’s attention. Maybe it’s the strong and sometimes controversial themes that run through the album. Each song tackles a particular issue including child abuse, adult illiteracy, war, and racism. It seems a bit unlikely, but somehow this strange mix of hot social issues make for great pop songs! Who would have thought it! Or maybe it’s more to do with the fact that most of the time it’s difficult to discern what Merchant is actually singing about due to her unique singing style that belts out the lyrics whilst blurring the words into each other. Merchant’s voice is definitely the focal point of all the songs, and definitely the defining characteristic of the 10,000 Maniacs. It’s one of those love it or hate it sort of voices, and I just happen to love it! One of the high points of the album for me is Hey Jack Kerouac, a great song about the famous American beat poet, whom Merchant is obviously a fan of, and the song is a good tribute to him and a great song in itself. Like the Weather appears to be a song about seasonal affected disorder, or at the very least, about someone who doesn’t want to get out of bed when it’s raining, which is sort of the same thing really! But it’s impossible not to sing along to. That’s the thing about these songs – the themes and topics addressed are so serious and dark, yet the music is so cheery and catchy you can’t help but smile as you sing along about children being abused and teenage boys being killed in war! In their Hay Day 10,000 Maniacs were extremely popular and well respected amongst other musician’s, something that can be testified to by the appearance of REM’s Michael Stipe on guest vocals on Campfire Song. He only sings a couple of lines and this always made me wonder why they hadn’t put him to better use, but the couple of lines that he does sing are very good! Included on ‘In My Tribe’ is a cover of the Cat Stevens classic ‘Peace Train’, a song that fits very well with the social commentary theme of the album, and one that works very well with Merchant’s voice. The album ends on a very soft and tender note with the beautiful Verdi Cries, a minimalistic song with just Merchants vocals accompanied by a piano. It’s a very effective and emotive song that ends the album strongly. Overall, this is a really good album, and definitely the 10,000 Maniacs at their very best. All the songs are very likeable and there are very little weak moments on here. All in all, it’s definitely an album that’s worth checking out. Send A Comment |
