10,000 Maniacs - The Whishing Chair

10,000 Maniacs' The Wishing Chair (1985) is widely praised as a standout early album, showcasing Natalie Merchant's captivating voice and the band's distinctive blend of jangly folk-pop, folk, new wave, and world music influences, featuring memorable tracks like "Can't Ignore the Train" and "Grey Victory," solidifying their unique sound before their mainstream breakthrough with In My Tribe. Reviewers highlight its timeless "old-world charm," rich instrumentation (strings, horns, Hammond B3), and Merchant's confident vocals, making it a favorite for fans of folk and melodic rock. 

Most consider the 1987 album In My Tribe as magnum opus album for the 10,000 Maniacs. In my ‘humble’, but ultimately correct opinion, this undoubtedly makes ‘most’ wrong, for The Wishing Chair is undoubtedly their finest in that it appeals from so many different musical angles.
Initially there is a definitive old world charm to it that drags us back well beyond it’s natural 1980’s home, to an old world place that sees tracks such as Back O’ The Moon, Arbor Day and Just as the Tide was Flowing hinting at the old world jangly folk pop direction that the band would predominantly adopt in the 1990’s. 
Such tracks have a beguiling reliance on what appears to be a whole plethora of old 19th century instruments, which I would love to identify if could just be bothered to trawl through untold live Decemberists performances to complete the task.
This album is also undoubtedly their finest for those with a need to satiate a jangle-pop soul. The wonderful Maddox Table the opening Can’t Ignore the Train and Everyone a Puzzle Lover are perhaps their finest examples of the light and airy jangle-pop sound they band utilized as a conduit to accentuate the beauty of the Natalie Merchant vocal range. All beautiful, they are unsurpassed on their other albums. 
Finally the release also excels as it has some of their most muscular bass oriented tracks on it, that include the true album stand out of Scorpio Rising, My Mother the War and Colonel Wing. 
These tracks have a rumbling, grumbling quality that eptomises what the best bands of the college rock era (R.E.M / Miracle Legion etc) were doing at the time and with the beautiful intensity and strength of the Merchant vocals and her politically agitated lyrics, these tracks sit extremely comfortably in such exalted company.
Where others may see the increased level of beauty seen on In My Tribe as the reason why such an album should be considered as the 10,000 Maniacs defining moment, the seemingly natural, but the nonetheless extravagant fluctuations in musical stylistics, makes The Wishing Chair their most interesting and beguiling for those who have no need to accommodate a luscious listen.

10,000 Maniacs - Secrets Of The I Ching

Recorded at SUNY Fredonia in 1983, ‘Secrets Of The I Ching’ was the first full length album from 10,000 Maniacs released on the Christian Burial label. The production values are good for an independently released debut which gives the album something of a DIY feel to it, more in line with early Punk and New Wave. The songs though were unusual for the time, Blending Folk, Jazz, New Wave and Jam Rock. This was music that predicted the late 80's and early 90's. True, these New Wave, Jazz folkies didn't sound like anybody else, including their kissing cousins in R.E.M. The first reason is Robert Buck on "principal guitars devices," all delightful space effects and airily elliptical hooks. The second reason however is Natalie Merchant and her equally airy "voice." Not only does Natalie inflect the English language as if she grew up speaking some Polynesian tongue, but she writes lyrics to match. Many of the best songs from ‘Secrets Of The I Ching’, such as “Grey Victory”, “Daktari” and “My Mother The War” were successfully rerecorded for their major label release ‘The Wishing Chair’. The latter versions while benefiting from higher production values still remain true to the originals. Overall, ‘Secrets Of The I Ching’ is interesting for what it signals more than what it is. It’s a late 80's/early 90's album in the guise of an early 80's album. ‘Secrets Of The I Ching’ also shows the formative moments of a band and lead singer, Natalie Merchant, who would become stars.

10,000 Maniacs - My Mother The War 12" and The Beloved - A Hundred Words 12"

A low-budget horror film from the 1960s, called 2,000 Maniacs is where 10,000 Maniacs took their name from. The original line-up featured Robert Buck (guitar), Dennis Drew (keyboards), Steven Gustafson (bass), Natalie Merchant (vocals) and John Lombardo (guitar). They emerged from the small town of Jamestown, NY, making areas like Buffalo and Rochester, NY and Cleveland, OH their strongest initial markets. At the beginning of 1983, Jerry Augustyniak joined the band as their permanent drummer. The Maniacs met Augustyniak when they played in Buffalo, New York, where he was in a punk band called The Stains. Between March and July, the band recorded songs for a second record, ‘’Secrets Of The I Ching’’ their debut full-length album, which was pressed by Mark Records for the band's own label Christian Burial Music. The record was well received by critics and caught the attention of respected BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel in London. One song, ‘’My Mother The War’’ remixed and released on 12” in February 1984 turned out to be a minor hit in the United Kingdom and entered the independent singles chart. The song is probably about the Vietnam War as it talks about three year tours and how everyone was initially supportive but it ended in grief and dismay for millions.

It’s not too difficult to understand why The Beloved try hard (way too hard) to mimic their idols from Manchester. The group's role models aren't difficult to guess; after all, they spend much of the time using New Order's "Dreams Never End" as a blueprint. "A Hundred Words," gives it away: a sinister bassline and icy vocals propel a cold, mechanical beat. However, at least "A Hundred Words" has hooks; the band suffers from the same problem that plagues most imitators of New Order and their earlier incarnation, Joy Division; plenty of atmosphere but no memorable songs. The Joy Division guitar drone and Jon Marsh's depressed singing can't sustain interest for much longer than say, 3 minutes. It's was always easy to compare the Beloved to other artists because their influences are so obvious. Despite this "A Hundred Words" sports the kind of descending hook that made Johnny Marr a god in the mid-eighties. As Smith-y and Cure-y as this single is, it just radiates with indie-pop joy. Forget its debts and wallow in all its cardigan-inspired glory.