In My Tribe

10,000 Maniacs

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: July 7, 1987
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000002H4S
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Mini-Disc  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,087 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
In My Tribe was 10,000 Maniacs' second (and best) album and the record that made the band collegiate favorites and singer/songwriter Natalie Merchant a star. Producer Peter Asher's rich balance of acoustic and electric instruments gave muscle to the group's folk-rock. "Hey Jack Kerouac" found Merchant musing on the literary beats of the 1950s, but the song's musical hook was the rich bed of rhythm guitars laid atop the solid drums. "Don't Talk" offered a similarly propulsive rock sound, with lyrics that advised troubled lovers to keep it to themselves. R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe offered hipster credibility by guesting on "A Campfire Song," while a cover of Cat Stevens's "Peace Train" offered listeners a familiar port of entry. However, when Muslim convert Stevens announced his support of Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini's call for the execution of Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie, the band rereleased the album without "Peace Train." --John Milward

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Folk Rock Album, July 20, 2002

By	Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In addition to being the band that launched Natalie Merchant's career, 10,000 Maniacs were among the best of the late 1980s college rock groups that gained popularity in the wake of R.E.M.'s success. "In My Tribe" was the Merchant and Company's best album, containing the ace single "Like the Weather," and accompanying material that is just as strong. Other highlights are the child abuse take "What's the Matter Here," the tribute "Hey Jack Kerouac," and the catchy "Don't Talk." Unfortunately, the band pulled their wonderful cover version of Cat Stevens's "Peace Train" off of subsequent pressings of this album after Stevens's coversion to radical Islam and his support of Ayatolah Khomeni's call for Muslims to kill author Salmon Rushdie for publishing "The Satanic Verses." While I support the band's thinking, it robs the album of one of its best performances.

Overall, an excellent record that sounds as fresh today as when it was released in 1987.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, June 8, 2000

By	Mike (Seattle) - See all my reviews

I first saw and heard 10,000 Maniacs when they opened for R.E.M on their "Document" tour. The very next day I found someone in my dorm (I was a freshman in college) with a CD so I could make a copy. I wore out the tape and replaced it with a CD. "Verdi Cries" is my second favorite on the album, but the song that is my favorite (and not mentioned by other reviewers) is "Cherry Tree." This simple song about illiteracy is beautiful and touching - it still is fresh well over ten years after release. This is the Maniacs' best album...a musical treasure.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Passionate, beautiful, important music, January 30, 2003

By	Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This really is an amazingly good album, filled with depth and passion and shaped by one of music's most distinct, compelling voices (Natalie Merchant). I actually bought this album long ago, before I had even heard any 10,000 Maniacs music. The name of the group had a certain appeal to me, and there is something about the cover and its enticing shade of purple that drew me to it. Of course, what matters here is really the music, and I think this album reveals the very heart and soul of Natalie Merchant and the Maniacs. Not yet superstars, all of the musicians poured copious amounts of passion into each and every song, making this music both incredibly enchanting to the ears and compelling to the heart and mind. Merchant's unique voice is a beacon of soul-seeking enlightenment examining themes most artists (as well as most people) often shy away from. For example, What's the Matter Here? focuses on child abuse, Don't Talk addresses a struggling alcoholic, and Gun Shy is a plaintive lament for a world in which soldiers are needed. Cherry Tree, my favorite, is a song about the personal shame illiteracy can engender in a person, and it expresses such passion and joy in the prospect of learning that it could well serve as the de facto theme song for any adult literacy program. Verdi Cries is, quite simply, hauntingly beautiful. It is unfortunate (yet understandable) that the group's cover of Cat Stevens' Peace Train was removed from later releases of the album because I quite enjoy it-it's certainly much better than the original.

About the Weather is really the only song I remember ever getting playing time on the radio, but there are at least half a dozen songs on here that I find even more enjoyable. R.E.M. fans might be interested to know that Michael Stipe lends his voice (albeit rather briefly) to A Campfire Song. I can't get very excited about My Sister Rose, but every other song on the album is simply fabulous. Merchant's devotion to the music is beyond question, considering the fact that she essentially collapsed from exhaustion during the tour that followed this impeccable album's release. It's almost impossible to get tired of any of these songs, no matter how many times you listen to them.