10,000 MANIACS In My Tribe WHITE LABEL PROMO 1987 Elektra 60738 DOUG SAX Master

$

80

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Elektra white promotional labels "PROMOTION COPY NOT FOR SALE"

"SP" suffix on label matrices and "SRC" stamp in runouts (see photo)
MASTERED BY DOUG SAX at The Mastering Lab. Elektra 9 60738-1
Media Excellent Sleeve Excellent saw cut top left See photos as they are integral part of listing.
A1 What's The Matter Here 4:51 A2 Hey Jack Kerouac 3:26 A3 Like The Weather 3:57 A4 Cherry Tree 3:14 A5 The Painted Desert 3:39 A6 Don't Talk 5:04 B1 Peace Train Written-By – Cat Stevens 3:27 B2 Gun Shy 4:12 B3 My Sister Rose 3:13 B4 A Campfire Song Backing Vocals – Michael Stipe 3:15 B5 City Of Angels 4:17 B6 Verdi Cries Arranged By [Strings] – David Campbell Cello – Dennis Karmazyn Double Bass – Bob Magnusson Piano – Don Grolnick Viola – Novi* 4:21

In My Tribe was the second and best major-label album by this American folk rock group. The bell-like voice and song writing talents of Natalie Merchant were their main assets from 1982-93, after which she pursued a solo career. And even if there's nothing quite as immediate as ''Back O' The Moon'' the highlight of their previous album, The Wishing Chair, this is a more mature, consistent set, overall.

Though much has been made of the fact that their accessible, mostly mid-tempo songs often dealt with serious themes (such as child abuse on the opening ''What's The Matter Here'', they're hardly the only pop act to do so before or since. Their real legacy probably lies in the undeniable hummability of tunes such as the aforementioned, ''Hey Jack Kerouac'' and the catchy, stumbling rhythm and nursery rhyme simplicity of ''Like The Weather''.

''A Campfire Song'' features an unmistakeable vocal cameo from celebrity fan Michael Stipe of REM, and the chamber-folk calm of the closing ''Verdi Cries'' makes it clear Merchant herself was a fan of Kate Bush. Not everything else is essential or memorable, and it's a shame Robert Buck’s ringing mandolin isn't higher in the mix. The only song that hasn't dated well is ''My Sister Rose'', which over-indulges the band?s occasional penchant for Afro/Latin world music flavours and now sounds rather clunky and dated.

John Lombardo, Merchant’s main writing partner up to this point, left the 10,000 Maniacs in 1986. This doesn’t hurt their output, with Rob Buck and Dennis Drew contributing material and Merchant writing key tracks like ‘Verdi Cries’ and ‘Like the Weather’ alone. It was a cover of Cat Stevens’ ‘Peace Train’, however, that helped bring the group wider attention. ‘Peace Train’ was removed from subsequent pressings of the album after Stevens declared a fatwa on author Salman Rushdie. Peter Asher, who produced James Taylor’s Sweet Baby James back in 1970, helps the band toward a more mainstream pop/rock sound.

Merchant’s socially conscious lyrics are front and centre here- the record opens with ‘What’s The Matter Here?’, addressing child abuse, while ‘Gun Shy’ takes on gun control. Rob Buck’s guitar jangle is appealing on songs like ‘What’s The Matter Here?’ and ‘Hey Jack Kerouac’, while R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe contributes vocals on ‘A Campfire Song’. The concluding guitar solo on ‘Don’t Talk’ is the band’s most memorable instrumental moment. The last pair of songs, ‘City of Angels’ and ‘Verdi Cries’, slow down the pace and they’re both terrific – ‘Verdi Cries’ was apparently inspired by Merchant’s neighbour playing opera loudly all day.

In My Tribe was a breakthrough for the 10,000 Maniacs – it was easily their strongest record yet. The jangly and tuneful sound suited an era when other indie bands like R.E.M. were starting to crossover to the mainstream.