In just three days more, I'd have just about learned the entire score

The first one I properly know...

In My Tribe (1987)

This was the first 10,000 Maniacs album I listened to - I'd seen it many times in the Our Price bargain bin but was never quite sure about it because their name scared me off. But in the end I went for it and it was the start of a beautiful friendship, so I should warn you that's it's possible I might go on about some of these tracks!

Side One

1. What's The Matter Here?
And finally we've got to the "intelligent lyrics that you can actually understand" phase! And it's such a cheery start, being about a woman witnessing a neighbouring family abusing their child, but not knowing what to do about it. "I'm tired the excuses everybody uses - he's your kid, I stay out of it. But who gave you the right to do this?". It's got a nice jaunty tune though, so everything's good, right?

2. Hey Jack Kerouac
Most of the songs on this album are pretty clear about their subject matter, but I've never been entirely sure that this is actually about Jack Kerouac. Funnily enough, the internet says I'm an idiot for not knowing it was because it includes all sorts of references to him, Allen Ginsburg and William Burroughs - silly me, eh? It's a fine song, but not the best on the album

3. Like The Weather
This is another jaunty song about a serious matter - the melody absolutely dances along as the narrator describes her serious, crippling depression and the juxtaposition is done well because the lyrics are so clear that you can't miss them.

4. Cherry Tree
Another serious subject (adult literacy) but at least this one has a positive note, with the narrator desperately wanting to address the situation and recognising what's holding her back - "all those lines and circles - to me, a mystery. Eve pull down the apple and give a taste to me - if she would it would be wonderful, but my pride's in the way". And it ends on a nicely optimistic note -"and when I pick myself up, so slowly I'll devour every one of those books in the Tower of Knowledge". This is one of my favourite tracks on the album.

5. The Painted Desert
I've no idea what this is about - and the internet doesn't seem certain either! I quite like it because it's got more variety than most of the tracks on the album, but it's not one of my absolute favourites.

6. Don't Talk
We're back to being serious again about the partner of an alcoholic just not being in the mood to put up with their shit with some lyrics that feel they'd hit the mark with a lot of people. "I know that if you think of it, both long enough and hard - the drink you drown your troubles in, is the trouble you're in now" and "you need somewhere to put the blame for how you feel inside - you'll look for a close and easy mark and you'll see me as fair game" both make you think Natalie is writing from experience here.

Side Two

1. Peace Train
This is an odd one - it's a reasonably straightforward and completely unnecessary cover version of a Cat Stevens song. The most interesting thing about it is that it was dropped from later versions of the album (and doesn't appear on the streamable versions) after Cat/Yusuf made some somewhat ill-advised comments about the fatwa on Salman Rushdie - don't mess with them Maniacs.

2. Gun Shy
I do like a song with a nice twist in the final line and this fits the bill nicely. The whole song is actually finely balanced, being about Natalie's younger brother who went off to join the Army - "by the 1/4 inch cut of your hair and the Army issue green, for the past eight weeks I can tell where you've been". And it's fair to say she has mixed feelings on the matter - "I don't mean to argue, they've made a decent boy of you - I don't mean to spoil your homecoming, but baby brother you should expect me to". I really like this track.

3. My Sister Rose
This is another bittersweet song with a killer final line about a family member being changed by external influences - in this case, the narrator's sister is getting married. And she is happy for her, but at the same time isn't entirely convinced it's not a load of outdated patriarchal nonsense aimed at female subjugation. However, when all is said and done, she admits that probably the most important point is that "you're my sister Rose the same". I'm pretty certain I included this on both of the CDs I cut for my sisters weddings, so it's fair to say I'm a fan of the underlying sentiment.

4. A Campfire Song
Another serious song, this time about our wastefulness of the Earth's natural resources - it also features a somewhat surprising cameo from Michael Stipe, singing in a remarkably straightforward manner (being straightforward wasn't really his thing around this time). This is another one I like. 

5. City Of Angels
I'd never really thought about what this one was about, but when I actually listened to the words it's pretty obvious it's about the homeless in Los Angeles - and probably extends out to relate to the general loss of the American Dream. But one of the reasons I've never really thought about it is that this is probably the track I like least on the album.

6. Verdi Cries
Having ended the last album with a most peculiar track, on this album they start a mini-trend of ending their albums with a slower number tempo - and there's a strong argument this is the best of any of them. It's a simple piano and strings backing with some beautiful poetic lyrics about the power of memory. Just lovely.

I really like this album - it's not perfect with some of the production in particular being a bit tinny, but there's a lot to love about it for me. Looking at tracks for the playlist, I'm going for "Like The Weather", "Cherry Tree", "Gun Shy" and "Verdi Cries" but "What's The Matter Here", "My Sister Rose" and "A Campfire Song" can consider themselves unlucky - which just gives you an idea as to the overall quality bar. 

Wikipedia tells us this is their third album and the first after the departure of Natalie's main songwriting partner John Lombardo, so she had to work with others, mostly Rob Buck. The only other fact of "interest" we're given is that the album cover is a picture of some children doing archery, which possibly isn't a surprise to many. The critics were much nicer about it than their previous efforts but Robert Christgau was still having a go at Natalie's "nasal art-folk drawl" but he did admit she was "deprivatizing her metaphors" - and who can ask for more than that? Commercially, it didn't do anything here but got to #37 in the US - allegedly it's sold 2 million copies over there, but I'm not 100% sure I believe that...

"Customers also listened to" Spiral Stairs, Edie Brickell, Indigo Girls and R.E.M. - I've never heard any Indigo Girls stuff but I suspect I might like them. I very much like this though and if you're looking to investigate 10,000 Maniacs this would be where I'd start - I'm not sure it's their "best" album (whatever that means) but it's their first high quality steps on their journey for me.

The Wishing Chair - they're getting there!
Blind Man's Zoo - another step on the journey