Three great studio albums from some of music's biggest-ever stars, all packaged together in a beautiful slipcase for the price of one album!. Rocket.2006
Three great studio albums from some of music's biggest-ever stars, all packaged together in a beautiful slipcase for the price of one album!. Rocket.2006
"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."
Amazing
Mike | Seattle | 06/08/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."
Passionate, beautiful, important music
Daniel Jolley | Shelby, North Carolina USA | 01/30/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."
Five Stars is not enough
Philip F. Attinger | Winter Haven, FL | 05/04/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"At age 17, I had an old blue VW Beetle with a tape deck, an invitation to visit my older brothers at the University of Alabama, a 2 1/2-hour drive, and this album on tape - recorded from an album. I listened to it all the way down and all the way back, and the stereo at the party that weekend played these tunes.
Now, 16 years later, I still have the tape - worn, cutting out in places. My sister pushed REC by mistake in the middle of "Don't Talk" and now her gasp is stuck in the middle of it - but I still listen. My favorites have to be "Cherry Tree," "Campfire Song," "Like the Weather" (of course), and "City of Angels."
It's the perfect soundtrack to a weekend or a life."
"What a gem In My Tribe still is to me! The best thing my high school boyfriend ever did for me was introduce me to the Maniacs more than 10 years ago...and I still love them. This recording marked a crossroads for the group as its first major release...but they shun any categorization with this collection of lyrically strong and beautifully crafted songs, each one a treasure in its own right. This album is still a regular listen for me...even if you own and enjoy the MTV Unplugged performance by this group, which features several In My Tribe songs, you should still own this cd as a body of work. It has its own cool vibe...and you're not going to be able to rock to " Sister Rose" on any other of their cds! What's the Matter Here, Don't Talk, Hey Jack Kerouac and Verdi Cries...this cd is packed with songs that are still my all-time favorites. A soundtrack from the last decade of my life."