Skip to main content

In My Tribe

Of the couple of hundred albums I bought on cassette between the ages of 18 and 21, some I've been glad to re-acquire on vinyl and others I've been content not to revisit. In the latter category are the likes of Licensed to Ill, The Best Of The Doors and Lou Reed's Berlin; in the former, Purple Rain, Fisherman's Blues and In My Tribe by 10,000 Maniacs.

It's a record that, if it were made today, might be characterized as "woke" (in the UK of the late '80s, "right-on" would perhaps have been the equivalent designation). It includes socially-conscious songs touching on child abuse ('What's The Matter Here'); illiteracy ('Cherry Tree'); alcohol abuse ('Don't Talk'); militarism ('Gun Shy'); and environmentalism ('A Campfire Song'). And Natalie Merchant was ahead of her time in taking an acutely critical look at "The Beat Generation" authors in 'Hey Jack Kerouac' - in those days they were much oftener put on a lofty pedestal. Fortunately, she largely avoids coming across as preachy or didactic - 'Gun Shy', for me, being an exception.

Merchant's lyrics and distinctive singing are only part of the picture: the whole band sound in fine form here, with their beguiling arrangements admirably well-captured by producer Peter Asher. I'm especially partial to Dennis Drew's contributions on the keyboards. It's a record I still enjoy now as much as I ever did.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All Wrapped Up

Here's another of the compilation cassettes I bought this summer, having taken home a Denon twin-deck hi-fi cassette player from the local charity shop. All Wrapped Up is a 1983 compilation of singles by The Undertones, with Side One filled with A-sides, and B-sides on Side Two. A cassette must be the least desirable medium for such an arrangement, with a long rewind required if one just wants to hear the hits repeatedly. The Undertones were unapologetically provincial and anti-fashionable, with their songs sharply-written slices of life that pointedly avoided any mention of politics, or of the then-continuing violence in their native Derry. My favourite tracks are the obvious choices: 'Teenage Kicks', 'Jimmy Jimmy', 'Here Comes the Summer', 'My Perfect Cousin' & 'Wednesday Week'. Their later singles showed increased sophistication but lack the some of the straightforward charm of their earlier work. The B-sides, not unexpectedly, are mo...
Post a Comment
Read more

In Heat

Having acquired the soubriquet "the walrus of love", Barry White thereafter became something of a figure of fun, something that misled me (and presumably others) into disregarding his music. Only within the last few years have I begun to pay it more attention. After picking up a copy of his '74 album Can't Get Enough last summer, which I loved, I sought out some of the music by his protegés Love Unlimited. From a Discogs seller I ordered well-used copies of Under the Influence of... ('73) and In Heat ('74) for only £6.25. The only unappealing thing about In Heat is its awful title. The songs and the singing are strong; the arrangements rich & warmly enveloping. As one would expect from White, the thematic focus is firmly fixed on amatory matters. The opening number 'Move Me No Mountain' (the only one on the record not written by White) offers a refreshing rebuttal to the kind of lyrical hyperbole in songs like 'Ain't No Mountain High E...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bananas Are Not Created Equal

I knew Jay Berliner's name from his contributions to Van Morrison's Astral Weeks and Charles Mingus' The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady , so when I saw this curiously-titled LP at the local charity shop I was intrigued, and bought it even though I had no idea what kind of music it might contain. This was after the days when one could still buy records there for a pound apiece, but I don't think I paid more than a fiver for it. The music turned out to be an all-instrumental blend of funk, soul & jazz. Berliner's virtuoso lead guitar is only one of many attractions here. The band of first-rate session musicians behind him are all uniformly excellent too, and, crucially, sound like they're having a blast. Cornell Dupree's supporting guitar work, while less showy than Berliner's, is beautifully-judged, and the rhythm section is terrific. Arranger/conductor Wade Marcus was no slouch either, judging from the way everything comes together. Two of the funk...
Post a Comment
Read more