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.
Found this circling the interweb in glossy MP3 @ 320kbps. The unusually rare album was ripped, I believe, from the semi authorised 1988 reissue. This version contains all 10 tracks whereas the original 1983 UK version only had 9.
10,000 Maniacs; Secrets Of The I Ching
A1. Grey Victory
A2. Pour De Chirico
A3. Death Of Manolette
A4. Tension
A5. Daktari
B1. Pit Viper
B2. Katrina’s Fair
B3. The Latin One
B4. National Education Week
B5. My Mother The War
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