As I mentioned in my very first post on the band, 10,000 Maniacs, I don't know much about them. Sure, I've got the basics; Natalie Merchant is the singer, and they performed for MTV Unplugged in the 90's. In my write up of their 1989 album, Blind Man's Zoo, I was not too kind about my opinion on them.
The band was formed in 1981 as Still Life by keyboardist Dennis Drew, bassist Steven Gustafson, drummer Chet Cardinale, guitarist Robert Buck, and vocalist Terri Newhouse. Gustafson would extend an invitation to a young Natlie Merchant to provide some vocal work, as well as offer John Lombardo a full-time role in the band as an additional bassist and guitarist. Later that year, Newhouse and Cardinale and would quit, and Merchant would become their lead singer. This was followed by a temporary name change to Burn Victims, before settling on 10,000 Manicas, a name inspired by the horror film, Two Thousand Maniacs.
Several drummers would come and go, but it would be Tim Edborg who would debut with Merchant, Lombardo, Buck, Drew, and Gustafson on Labor Day, September 7, 1981. He'd depart soon thereafter, and Bob "Bob O Matic" Wachter would fill the role for the remainder of the year. He'd eventually be replaced by Jim Foti.
Tired of being a cover band, Merchant and Lombardo would take on the role of main song writers for the band, with Natlie focusing on lyrics, while John arranged music. Alongside Buck, Drew, Gustafson, and Foti, they'd record the 1982 EP, Human Conflict Number Five. The recording would be financed by Drew's mother, and a mere 1,000 copies would be pressed on vinyl by the label, Mark Records.
By 1983, Jerry Augustyniak had joined as their new drummer, and with this revised lineup in place, set to task on recording the tracks that would become their debut studio album, Secrets of the I Ching. Much like their EP, it was pressed in limited quantities of just 500 by Mark Records. The album would garner the attention of UK DJ John Peel, who began playing tracks from it, boosting their popularity around London.
One of the interesting aspects about their debut EP and studio album is that you won't actually find these on a standalone CD. Meaning, you're not going to find a CD titled Human Conflict Number Five or Secrets Of The I Ching. Instead, the band would remix all of these tracks, and compile them together on their 1990 compilation album, Hope Chest: The Fredonia Recordings 1982–1983. It's a convenient, and cheap way to get them both, but at the same time, a bit disappointing that they're not the original versions.
Back in New York, Peter Leak would also take an interest in the band, and upon reaching out would become their manager. It was through his efforts that they'd get signed to Elektra Records, and release their mass distributed The Wishing Chair in 1985. However, for now, I'm getting too far ahead.
I don't know if the album was mixed poorly, or my ears weren't working. I could barely understand Merchant's vocals, to the point that it felt like she was singing either gibberish, or in a foreign language. Another odd aspect was it seemed to be heavy reggae influenced, with her trying to sound like she had a South African accent. The whole thing was just weird, which was also part of its charm. It wasn't bad.
While Grey Victory and Daktari were the standout tracks to me, I can honestly, and surprisingly say, there wasn't anything bad from the album. I actually quite enjoyed it. I imagine hearing it in 1982 would have potentially been system shock for how different it is in comparison to the standard radio fare of that year. It almost seems out of place in comparison.
Bottom line is I'm down with this one and intrigued to jump into their 1985 mainstream follow-up. Further, I'm curious if I was too critical of their 1989 album that I initially listened to last year. Depending on how things go, I may have to revisit that one. We'll see.
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