A long time ago Moby had a very long and boring night ahead of him and he needed something new to listen to; something new to pass the time and all. For a while back in the day CD’s were ridiculously expensive and Moby could not afford a full priced CD…so he bought a used CD out of a bargain bin for a dollar. It was a CD by this band he had heard of but knew nothing about, not even their style of music. That CD was ‘In My Tribe’ by 10,000 Maniacs…and I guess that album changed my life.
No, really it did. I did not listen to the radio at all, I just listened to CDs or cassettes of the few bands that I knew I liked. The radio pretty much played nothing but crap, you could listen for two hours and spend more time listening to commercials than songs you liked, so why bother?
Then came Natalie Merchant and the 10,000 freaking Maniacs. Hit me like a ton of bricks, I am not even sure where to start. An album, not just a collection of songs. The album aspect itself, the ebb and flow from song to song and the way they all fit together, not just a collection of singles. The songwriting; songs about the neighbors hitting their kids, greed, patriotism and sibling love. I was too used to listening only to Metallica, Bon Jovi, Guns n’ Roses, AC/DC and such.
10,000 Maniacs
This was something different. It could engage the mind and cover more than sex, drugs, and other fun stuff. It was a revelation to me at the time. Back then there was nothing like Pandora to help you find similar artists to the ones you already liked. I played it safe, only spending my time and other resources on music that I knew I would like. Funny thing is I started this post to write about another artist, one I found through Pandora suggesting artists similar to 10,000 Maniacs. But it all started with ‘In My Tribe’, out of a bin for $1. Who says Moby is not a risk taker.
‘In My Tribe’ is a good album, but perhaps not as epic as I am making it out. For me it was, and it was one of the best the Maniacs produced, but still not an epic album. ‘In My Tribe’, ‘Blind Man’s Zoo’, and ‘Our Time in Eden’ are almost like prequels to Natalie Merchant’s solo albums, and are must haves for fans of Natalie’s solo career. So while not epic it did lead me into a whole new world of real music, and also works great as a starting point with Pandora to find even more new stuff. More ‘real music’, but more on those finds later.
“In My Tribe’ peaked at number 37, staying on the charts for 77 weeks and yielding two singles, one of which entered the Top Ten. Released in 1987, the album went Double-Platinum in 1998. Moby recommends taking a chance this week…buy an album for a buck. Any album. Sure, it will probably suck; but it could change your life. Or not. Probably not.
