Fathering

Mark Mulcahy | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 6, 1999)
• Original Release Date: March 25, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mezzotint Label
• ASIN: B00000IJ0N
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #366,421 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Hey Self Defeater

2. Hurry, Please Hurry

3. I Woke up in the Mayflower

4. Tempted

5. In the Afternoon

6. Jason

7. Cioa My Shinning Star

8. Apartment Murders

9. Bill Jocko

10. Fathering

11. Bonus Track 1

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unexpectedly stunning & emotional tour-de-force., May 27, 1999

By 

Tim Millin (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fathering (Audio CD)

I had seen Miracle Legion a few times (including their first ever UK gig, where they were so excited that they took pictures of the audience!) and had always been a fan of the records; then just last year I saw Mark play solo in a tiny club in London and he was great, but NOTHING had prepared me for this. 'Fathering' is an unexpected marvel, a stunning emotional tour-de-force with an intensity and ambition to which most other records do not even aspire. For the unwary listener I can only suggest the vaguest comparisons: the vocal pyrotechnics of Jeff Buckley or the keening tone of Radiohead's Thom Yorke (a huge fan,as I understand it) perhaps; and clearly this record is in the great tradition of any of the classic singer-songwriters that you could care to name, but in the final result this album really stands alone. It's desperately poignant, and it will quite possibly bring you to tears in places, but in common with only the greatest records it has a rapturous sense of the wonder and healing power of humanity. I can only hope that word of mouth carries this strange and beautiful record into peoples hearts.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seasoned and brilliant songwriting., March 7, 2000

By 

Thomas A Chace (Seattle, Wa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fathering (Audio CD)

I had the pleasure of working with Mark through Miracle Legion and Polaris and have to say that it was a high point of my musical career. Mark plays all the instruments on his album creating a unique element of control for these songs. Yet, it doesn't sound "controlled." Mark's craft shines on this project and I can honestly say that his song-writing ability is on par with the likes of Billy Bragg, or Jeff Buckley. His voice unintentionally echos Dylan, Jagger, Lou Reed and even some legendary blues artists. His simplistic yet profound lyrics and melody offer an escape for the listener to "the porch, in a wicker chair." I've found myself unable to continue through the record without repeating a certain track a second and third time. This quiet record has drawn me in, perhaps like no other. By the way, I have to pay due respect to T. Buck, perhaps one of the most understated engineers in the business who allowed this record to breathe. My hat is off.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Musical and Emotional Touchstone, November 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fathering (Audio CD)

I came into knowing Miracle Legion and Mark Mulcahy late in the game. A roommate and very good friend of mine introduced me to this CD on accident. He would always play it at night when we were sitting around chatting. After about 7 listens, I asked him what he was always playing. He pointed out the CD, and I locked its cover into my memory. Often when he was gone, I would listen to Fathering, and I became more and more entranced with the album. Mark soon was in town on tour, and we went to see him, leaving strangely satisfied and emotionally charged before the "main" act. I now have few of the Miracle Legion CD's (that are left in this world, as they are so hard to find) and two copies of Fathering. One for work and one for home. Sometimes I give listening to it a break, but often when I come back to it, I am reminded of how I feel when I first heard it. It is altogether heartbreaking, haunting, emotionally intense, and a ray of hope. It is a man and his guitar. Fathering is a tear slipping down your cheek, while a smile brews on your lips as your thoughts remind you of things that are pure and good.