In My Tribe is the third studio album from the American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. Released on July 27, 1987, by Elektra Records, it was their second major-label album and their first to achieve large-scale success. John Lombardo, Natalie Merchant's songwriting partner on previous albums, had left the band in 1986, and In My Tribe saw Merchant begin to collaborate with the other members of the band, most notably with Rob Buck.
Artwork
The front cover of the CD edition, designed by Kosh, is a black-and-white photograph of children with bows and arrows in an archery class, a theme used by record and cassette editions with different covers.
Reception
In a contemporary review, Rolling Stones J. D. Considine wrote that "with In My Tribe, the group has finally come into maturity. It isn't simply that the songs are richer and more resonant this time around; the band itself seems to have grown." In 1989, Rolling Stone ranked the album number sixty-five on their list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s, summing it up as "a poetic, heartfelt message about social concerns such as alcoholism, child abuse and illiteracy." Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times largely praised the album, in particular Peter Asher's production, which he felt made the band "more forceful and accessible" and brought Merchant's vocals to the foreground. While he also felt the band were recycling musical ideas from departed guitarist John Lombardo, he stated that "the advances in Merchant's singing and lyrics—both are more intimate and assured—help offset the problems of over-familiarity."
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Singles
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Single
!Chart
!Position
|-
|align="center"|1988
|"Like the Weather"
|Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks
|align="center"|37
|-
|align="center"|1988
|"Like the Weather"
|Billboard Hot 100
|align="center"|68
|-
|align="center"|1988
|"What's the Matter Here?"
|Billboard Hot 100
|align="center"|80
|-
|align="center"|1988
|"What's the Matter Here?"
|Billboard Modern Rock Tracks
|align="center"|9
|}