''The Backyard'' is the second release by the American alternative rock band

Miracle Legion Miracle Legion was an American college rock band formed in 1983 in New Haven, Connecticut. They earned modest renown, especially in their native New England region, but also in the UK, where they were feted by music media such as ''NME'' and ''M ...

, 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 (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

. 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, LLC, doing business as Shout! Studios (formerly doing business as Shout! Factory, its current legal name), is an American home video and music distributor founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases, issued i ...

and features a cover of "The Backyard" by alternative rock band

Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984. Originally called Dinosaur, the band was forced to change their name because of legal issues. The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter) ...

Reception

Drawing comparison to

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

, 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 influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

writing positively on Mulcahy's lyrics says that they are of "dazzled childhood and yearning adolescence," and likens the vocals to

Loudon Wainwright III Loudon Snowden Wainwright III (born September 5, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actor. He has released twenty-six studio albums, four live albums, and six compilations. Some of his best-known songs include "The Swimmin ...

. The album has been called a "landmark" by ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'', and calls the title track "sheer brilliance."

Track listing

Personnel

*Joel Potocsky -

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

*Mark Mulcahy - vocals *Jeff Wiederschall - drums *Ray Neal -

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * *

Online sources

* * * * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Backyard, The 1984 EPs Miracle Legion albums Rough Trade Records EPs