The Witching Hour Sessions – 06/02/2018

10,000 Maniacs

An acclaimed, multi-platinum selling American alternative rock outfit whose blend of jangle pop and folk-rock helped to define college rock scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s, 10,000 Maniacs were formed in Jamestown, New York, in 1981 by singer Natalie Merchant and guitarist John Lombardo.

Tonight’s listening:

1 – In My Tribe (1987)

10,000 Maniacs’s breakthrough album and creative high point, ‘In My Tribe’ offers a survey of social concerns, all tackled subtly and tastefully without too much preaching or pretension and in believable, real-life situations. ‘In My Tribe’ was required listening on college campuses in the late ’80s.

2 – Blind Man’s Zoo (1989)

It’s a fine album where the band have perfected their sound, and in many cases, the songs are catchier this time out. An album well worth adding to your collection.

3 – Our Time in Eden (1992)

10,000 Maniacs offer up a baker’s dozen of wonderful folk-pop songs with hard-hitting messages, nearly matching the brilliance of ‘In My Tribe’, their major-label debut. The prophetically titled ‘Our Time in Eden’ spawned modest hits with ‘These Are Days’ and ‘Candy Everybody Wants’, but the album turned out to be the final chapter for this maniacal five-some, as Merchant departed the band shortly after touring in support of the album. A finer swan song has seldom been heard.