Me & Mr. Ray

Miracle Legion | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Label: Rough Trade
• ASIN: B00005NJGY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #419,204 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Tracks: 1. The ladies from town 2. And then? 3. Old and new 4. Sailors and animals 5. If she could cry 6. Pull the wagon 7. You're the one lee 8. Even better 9. Cold shoulder balcony 10. Gigantic transatlantic trunk call

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best of miracle legion?, February 20, 2004

By 

race_of_doom (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Me & Mr. Ray (Audio CD)

I can't say really. I love "Surprise Surprise Surprise" just as much (maybe even more). I have a history with this band; a deep connection inside emotionally. Everytime I listen to anything from Miracle Legion, I get lost. Lost in this wonderful, interesting place unlike no other.

I don't know what it exactly is that appeals to me so much in Miracle Legion's music. Of course, the music is simply great, but there's something incredibly vague about it all.

Specifically, I love Miracle Legion because of Mark Mulcahy, the best vocalist/songwriter/solo artist on the planet. I love Miracle Legion because of Ray Neal; his lovely guitar sounds are what primarily make up Miracle Legion. I love Miracle Legion because I feel like I'm... home when I listen to it. It may sound a bit weird, but it's totally true.

When I listen to "Me & Mr. Ray," for example, I don't feel so alone in this world anymore. I feel like Mark and Mr. Ray are right above me, watching every step I make, always seemingly there. And, believe me, the world is a much better place with them in it.

I can't tell you how much Miracle Legion is underrated. You go to allmusic.com, and you'll see a Miracle Legion discography with misspelled names, odd low-star reviews (what the heck?), and no tracklistings. There's one functional fansite out there (as of this writing), and it hasn't been updated since sometime in the mid-nineties. Amazon, this otherwise terrific online store, places a picture of a cardboard puzzle instead of the actual CD cover for ML's somewhat spotty "Portrait Of A Damaged Family."

However, there is a following. Albeit small. You just have to look in the right place to be a part of it (Mezzotint's offical website has a wonderful mailing list). It makes the situation a little better, admittedly, to talk to people about your favorite Miracle Legion song or how great Mark Mulcahy's "Fathering" was.

I've only known of this band for approximately two years, yet I feel like I've known them my whole life. Once you let this music sink in, it'll never completely come out -- and you'll want it there forever. Songs like "Sailors and Animals," "You're The One Lee" and "Gigantic Transatlantic Trunk Call" are beautiful, moving, and above all, perfect.

I don't know what it is with this band. Okay, I'm rambling now, and I'll try my best to stop it, but I really don't know what it is with this band. No other band has stayed with me for so long. I've had so many phases in my music tastes; jangle pop (which early Miracle Legion is firmly rooted in) to post-punk, post-punk to lo-fi, lo-fi to indie rock, and back again -- all through out this, Miracle Legion has always remained my favorite band, no matter how much it contrasted with my other current music tastes.

Personally, I think I like "Surprise Surprise Surprise" a little more than this album, for nostalgic reasons mostly. But "Me & Mr. Ray" is still one of my favorite albums, ever, and (sorry for sounding like an egotistical idiot) I've listened to quite a lot of music.

There's so much more to say, so many more stories to tell, so much more concerning Miracle Legion. If I could, I would tell you everything... but it might make for a rather boring read (this review probably already is). Just give Miracle Legion a chance. With this record, Mark and Mr. Ray are always there, waiting for you. Listening to each song is like having a great conversation with them.

And, as odd and incredibly stupid as this sounds, they're my best friends.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A triumph that's gathering dust..., March 13, 2005

By 

Jonathan K. Perkins (Harbor City, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Me & Mr. Ray (Audio CD)

This is Miracle Legion's best recording, and that's saying something. Every track on the album is excellent--I can't even try to pick a favorite. It's sad that neither Mulcahy nor Miracle Legion were able to put out another recording thus far that can match the brilliance of "Me and Mr. Ray."

Sadder still is the fact that the album is out of print, and the masters are probably gathering dust in a storage space of warehouse somewhere. If there is ever justice, these masters will be returned to Mulcahy and Neal, remastered, and re-released to a new generation of thoughtful music fans.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Track listing, March 8, 2009

By 

Interzone_Records (Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Me & Mr. Ray (Audio CD)

The track listing for this release is:

1. The ladies from town
2. And then?
3. Old and new
4. Sailors and animals
5. If she could cry
6. Pull the wagon
7. You're the one lee
8. Even better
9. Cold shoulder balcony
10. Gigantic transatlantic trunk call