''The Backyard'' is the second release by the American alternative rock band
Miracle Legion, released in 1984 on Rough Trade Records.
Release
Released on both 12" vinyl and cassette, the six song EP ''The Backyard'' was recorded at Presence Studios and released under Rough Trade Records in 1984. The songs were composed by Mark Mulcahy and Ray Neal.
The eponymous title track "The Backyard" became a staple on college radio charts following its release, and there was a music video for it which received regular rotation on
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
. The lyrics to "The Backyard" focus on Mulcahy's youth.
A tribute album to Mulcahy, ''
Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy'', was released in 2009 by
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
and features a cover of "The Backyard" by alternative rock band
Dinosaur Jr.
Reception
Drawing comparison to
R.E.M., the record received much acclaim. Music critic
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
writing positively on Mulcahy's lyrics says that they are of "dazzled childhood and yearning adolescence," and likens the vocals to
Loudon Wainwright III. The album has been called a "landmark" by ''
Trouser Press'', and calls the title track "sheer brilliance."
Track listing
Personnel
*Joel Potocsky -
bass guitar
*Mark Mulcahy - vocals
*Jeff Wiederschall - drums
*Ray Neal -
guitar
References
Notes
Citations
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Backyard, The
1984 EPs
Miracle Legion albums
Rough Trade Records EPs