Thanks so much to Trevor Jones for the interview. The Miracle Mile released one fantastic 7″ in the 80s and then came back in the 90s, with a different lineup to release many great albums that deserve to be more known. It’s time for you all to discover them and if you like them, don’t forget to like them on facebook.
++ Thanks so much Trev for the interview. I didn’t know The Miracle Mile were still going, you were saying you are right now finishing a new album! Care to tell me a bit about this new release?
Sure. âIn Cassidyâs Careâ is the first Miracle Mile CD since Limbo in 2007. In the interim I have recorded 2 solo albums âHopelandâ and âKeepersâ. The new albumâs subtext is interesting; I wrote a short story that then became the songs on the album.
++ I know you thanks to your first release, the “Bless this Ship” 7″ released in 1986. Who were the band back then and how did you know each other?
The band back in 86 was Steve Smith (vocals) Phil Sands (drums) and me on guitar. Old mates from up north, we came down to conquer London (first) and then the world. Things didnât quite pan outâŠThat line up split shortly after the release of Bless This Ship and I carried the name forward; became the singer and went on to eventually record the debut MM album âBicycle Thievesâ in 1997.
++ Were you involved with other bands before The Miracle Mile?
The usual youth club bands⊠hopeful no hopers.
++ And where does the name of the band comes from?
Speaking of âhopeful no hopersâ; the miracle mile is an area near San Francisco. It originates from the old gold rush days when the miners would come back out of the hills with their gold dust. The towns grew up around their wants and needs: there was a bank to change the gold into dollars, there were brothels and bars for the spending of the money, there was a church where the miners could unburden their sins, then there was inevitably the grave yard. All of these along a strip of road that offered hope, sin and retribution: nominally a miracle mileâŠ
++ Who or what would you say inspired you all to make music? And if you would list your five most influential bands, who would they be?
I like my music mournful; you canât beat a sad song. Iâm drawn to unique lyricists who offer poetry; the likes of Tom Waits, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell. I love the voices of David Sylvian, Peter Gabriel and Paul Buchanan. I admire the sultry productions of Daniel Lanois, Joe Henry and Mitchell Froom. Favourite bands? The Blue Nile, Prefab Sprout, The Go Betweens, Elbow.
++ This 7″ came out on your own Miracle Records. Were you three doing the label thing?
It was a self financed thing that I think Iâm still paying for.
++ How did the creative process work for you guys?
In those days it was a live line up so things were pretty collaborative. Since Slow Fade in 2000 I have worked exclusively with Marcus Cliffe. The MM are essentially a duo who use session musicians when needed.
++ So on this 7″ you included two songs, “Bless This Ship” and “Breaking Down the Barriers”. What’s the story behind these two songs?
âBless this ship, it makes me happy when there is love on boardâ is a pretty self explanatory line; the âbâ side carries on that hoary search for the elusive.
++ And from this period, are there any more recordings?
Plenty of demos but they will remain in my dusty attic until my genius is finally recognized 50 years after my deathâŠ
++ What about gigging with this first incarnation of The Miracle Mile? Did you play live a lot? Any particular gigs that you remember? Any fun anecdotes to share?
That original line gigged quite a bit, mainly around Londonâs usual venues for the âup and comingâ. We played The Borderline, The Mean Fiddler, The Marquis CafĂ©. In those days you virtually had to pay to gig, there was so much competition. I loved it but it was a young manâs folly. I donât think I could do it anymore; Iâd need a changing room, a guest list and a rider now.
++ How do you remember London back then? There were many guitar pop bands at the time. Did you like any of them? Was there a sense of a happening scene? What were your favourite venues, places, to see bands?
We seemed to do a lot of shows with Energy Orchard. It was the time of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions; there was some serious jingle jangle blues going on; all dressed up in lumberjack shirts and turned up jeans.
++ And how come you guys split? And why weren’t there other releases made at the time? Was there any interest from majors at all?
We did many showcases for the Majors but never really got a bite; a familiar tale for many. Steve and Phil split to form their own band âMolly and the Moonbeansâ while I kept MM going.
++ After the split you continued with Miracle Mile with Marcus Cliff. Whatever happened to Steve and Phil?
Steve is now living in LA; writes and records as âThe Delta Boyâ. Heâs a great writer; reminds me of Stephen Duffy. Phil retreated to Cornwall where heâs probably skinning up with the surfers as we speak.
++ But it took around 10 years between the 7″ release and the “Bicycle Thieves” album, right? What happened in between those years?
Writing, reimagining, paying off debtsâŠ
++ I was listening to the tracks that are streaming in the Miracle Mile website and they are really good. Great pop, a bit different from the first Miracle Mile, more of orchestrated pop music, baroque pop, you could call it. I noticed you released many records. I was wondering, if I was to start with one record of yours, which one would you recommend? and why?
Iâd say start with the first âBicycle Thievesâ and follow the development of the band through to the forthcoming 8th album. If youâre short on time the easy reference would be âCoffee and Starsâ an oversight of some of the bandâs better moments. Iâll send you a copy with the 7â.
++ And among all the songs you’ve written, which are many, which are your favourites? And among your releases, where does the Miracle Mile first 7″ stand?
Excuse the platitude but my songs are like children to me; some are a bit crossed eyed and smelly but it makes me love them more. Iâd hate to single one out for special attention. âBless this Shipâ was effectively a different band. I remember those days with affection but feel that my musical progression renders that stuff as nowt but nostalgia.
++ And are you still playing gigs? I would love to check out the Miracle Mile next time I visit London!
There may be something to promote the new album. Iâll keep you posted.
++ Do tell me about London, I visit quite often but I can always do with suggestions, what are your favourite places in town? best restaurant? best pub? best sight for a tourist like me?
Anywhere in Soho is a blast; itâs dirty, smelly, vibrant. My favourite walk is to cross Westminster Bridge going south and turn left, walking eastwards on the southbank. Youâll get the immensity of the City across the Thames and you will pass the London Eye, The Tate Modern, You can cross âthe wobbly bridgeâ to St Pauls, then back on to the South bank to Southwark Cathedral and towards Borough Market, one of the great world food markets. The original band used to rehearse in Clink Street around that area, one of the great historical parts of London, where the old bear pits were.
++ And aside from making music, what other things do you like doing? Any hobbies?
We have a house in Corsica; I like to retreat there to write, read and listen to music. Travel is good for the soul. I play squash to keep fit. Music is still my main passion. Listening, searching for that magical moment. And of course writing. I still believe my next song will be my bestâŠ
++ Let’s wrap it here, I promise I will discover the rest of the Miracle Mile music, I really like what I’m hearing. Do tell me though, as I’ve seen many musicians from the 80s move to electronic and the like, how come you always stayed making fantastic pop music? What do you love so much about it?
Itâs funny, Miracle Mile are always referred to as a âpop bandâ. Iâve never thought of us as such. âPopâ suggests something fleeting, transient. Iâve always hoped our music would be regarded as more substantial and enduring. Still, as Noel Coward famously said, âthereâs nothing quite as potent as cheap musicâ.
++ Thanks again Trev, anything else you’d like to add?
Maybe just this biog; a bit long winded but it might offer you some insightâŠ
MIRACLE MILE BIOGRAPHY
In the mid 90’s, singer-songwriter Trevor Jones began working with producer Steve Davis on material that was to become Miracle Mileâs debut album ‘Bicycle Thieves’.
“Meticulously orchestrated, careful and complex, this is canny songwriting leavened by bona fide humanity.”
Q ****
TJ: âSteve and I developed the recording band into a live unit, adding Les Nemes (bass) and Phil Smith (sax/keyboards) plus Trevor Smith on drums. After the release of ‘Bicycle Thieves’ in 1997, Mark Hornby joined the fold for gigs and the recording of the follow up ‘Candids’.â
“A little gem, loaded with nagging guitar hooks and dynamic vocal interplay. Intellectually as well as emotionally engaging.”
MOJO
TJ: âAfter âCandidsâ was released in 1998 I took the decision to stop doing live shows, as I wasnât sure that the direction of my writing was in line with the gusto and spirit of that live band.â
The songs kept coming and in 1999 Steve and Trevor started work on new material for the third album, ‘Slow Fade’. These recordings were more intimate, less orchestrated with the accent on the songs and the singer. Marcus Cliffe was brought in on Upright Bass, Trevor Smith remained on the drum stool, and theâš legend that is BJ Cole was draughted in to add some pedal steel magic.
TJ: âSteve and I parted company mid-stream. Not the usual “musical differences”, just an honest admission from Steve that, with family and a day job to attend to, he simply didn’t have the time. I was blessed with Marcus. Having already struck up a friendship we decided to complete the album together as co-producers and musical partners.â
Cliffe had played with many fine folk (Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois, Mark Knopfler) a pedigree apparent in the musical backdrops with which he furnished the songs. Slow Fade received ecstatic reviews and saw the further development of a more intimate direction.
“Gorgeous! A lovely, low key collection of sensitive, enchanting songs.” THE TIMES ****
In the summer of 2001 MM started work on ‘Alaska’ at Marcusâs âNorbury Brookâ studio. At the time Jones was asked about the lyrical content of âAlaskaâ:
TJ: âThese are hardly original ideas. The grass is always greener. The human condition is invariably in a state of disappointment. Is âdifferentâ better? When habit and convention demoralizes and casts us adrift, how do we reset our course? Change? The thought of real change is intimidating; it could save us, yet we fear it, and remain content with cold compromise. Dissatisfied, we crave happiness and, when denied, we look elsewhere for a quick fix. As consumers, weâre so used to instant gratification, that we can only be disappointed. We want to be âof substanceââ, yet we deny the process that makes the fabric hardy – life. We focus on the horizon, rather than on the small dramas in front of us. We desire to be âanywhere but hereâ, the possibilities of the âother lifeâ making us resent our real lives even more. Traditionally these âother livesâ were just vague unobtainable pipedreams, seen in fuzzy black and white. Now, digital clarity presents a focused and immediate reality that we demand, without investment or preparation. Thus, even if we make the dream reality, weâre unable to appreciate or recognise the gravity of itâs arrival; we just use it and move on to something else; easy come, easy go, there goes Mexico, or Alaska, or Sidcup, or Oz⊠or God. A lot of these songs focus on the tricks that we use, the games that we play, and the skills we develop, to stop ourselves from becoming unglued.â
MC: âThe recording of âAlaskaâ was a difficult time for us both. I was having problems with my family life, Trev had just lost his sister to suicide. I wouldnât say that it made for a darker album, but there was an emotional edge that gave it a certain grain.â
âAlaskaâ was released in 2002 to overwhelming acclaim:
“Gentle enchantment. The loveliest melodies you’ve ever heard.”
UNCUT
In 2003 Cliffe was due to tour with Mark Knopfler for the bulk of that year. Unfortunately Knopfler was knocked from his motorcycle on the morning of the first rehearsal, badly breaking his shoulder. The tour was cancelled, and Marcus had time on his hands:
MC: âI didnât want to twiddle my thumbs, so I spoke with Trev. After clearing the emotional decks with âAlaskaâ he had songs coming out of his ears! We started in on the recordings that would become âStories We Could Tellâ.â
For this album, the duo continued with their ambient use of pedal steel, profiling the differing styles of BJ Cole and Melvin Duffy, but they also coloured the sound with woodwind, brass and other instruments not usually associated with their style of music. Lyrically the album attempted to highlight what Jones called â…the profundity of the mundane. Itâs interesting how common our âuniqueâ experiences are. However we choose to present ourselves to the world, weâre all made of the same stuff. Iâm intrigued by how distance converts experience into memory, and ultimately, into the stories we tell.â
âMiracle Mileâs obscurity remains unfathomable. Perfect adult pop.â THE SUNDAY TIMES ****
Again, a Miracle Mile release that inspired the critics and a small but dedicated following, but met with commercial indifference. Was this due to a stubborn indifference to what makes music âcommercialâ, or a difficulty to place them in the market?
TJ: âAh, pigeonholes! As the songs became more and more personal, the focus shifted to me and I became more increasingly referred to as a ‘singer songwriter’. If that lends more substance to what we do then it’s OK, but labels can be a misleading, and I donât think that label does justice to Marcusâs input. We are a musical partnership. Beyond recognizing that my words are personal, I think that defining our roles is pointless; the focus should be on the end product; the song. I guess that we are bloody minded in the pursuit of that perfect song!â
MC: âWe always said that we would make the records we wanted to make, and refuse to manicure our sound for a marketplace; we please ourselves. With our music, self-control is everything. Owning my own studio has allowed us to develop our sound without interference or financial constraint. The danger is that you can over indulge, be too particular. The joy is, that while weâre both emotional and instinctive, I think we remain disciplined and focused on the crux of the music; the song stays centre stage.â
Recording for the next album âGlowâ started in November of 2004.
TJ: âThe ïŹrst day of recording is always a happy time for me. Thereâs
nothing more exciting than a blank piece of paper, the possibilities are endless. I get to articulate all the stuïŹ that Iâve been storing up.â
Recordings were completed by May of 2005 and on release Trevor offered:
“Whether half remembered or best forgotten, memories are filtered, the haze of a childhood that can never be reclaimed is where we all start and end.”
This gives a fair impression of the lyrical scope and compelling, emotive power of the songwriting. Added to that were Marcus Cliffe’s excellent playing and multi-instrumental skills, plus his ear for sublime arrangements; âGlowâ was an album to cherish.
MC: ‘Sonically it blends traditional elements; acoustic guitar, piano, double bass, with the ambient pedal steel of BJ Cole and Melvin Duffy. These, mixed with some unlikely woodwind and brass arrangements, make for (we hope) a quietly beguiling concoction’.
It’s almost impossible to explain how such simple, natural song craft can weave such a complex web of feelings, lingering images and possibilities, but weave it does. Once you’re caught up there is no getting away either. This is a record to last the rest of your life.
Praise for âGlowâ:
âGorgeous melodies, hooks galore, intelligent lyrics that demand and repay careful listening, beautifully produced instrumentation, and an overall effect that combines poignancy and joy in equal measure. The result is as close to a pop masterpiece as youâre likely to hear this or indeed any other year. âGlowâ is one of those rare albums where music and words come together in a state as close to perfection as makes no difference, and leaves you with a delicious ache that makes you hug yourself with the sheer overwhelming joy of hearing such wonderful music. An indispensable album.â
Americana UK 9/10
ââMM are popâs most consistently excellent cottage industryâ
The Sunday Times ****
âA little oasis illuminated by musical creativity, glimpsed like a lovely mirage. Intelligent tunefulness that doesnât kowtow to passing trends has always been as rare as fish fingernails, but itâs here.â Mojo ****
âLittle miracles of pop perfectionâ Rockstar ****
âThis British duoâs hazy, cerebral sixth release is an acoustic pop gem. Records like âGlowâ will never grow old, which is a good thing indeed.â Minor 7th
âHow to write âPerfect Popâ and still remain unknown. They are magic, charming, almost naĂŻve in their perception of beautyâ
La Repubblica (Italy) ****
âThe intimate songs on this album are like a necklace hung with precious jewels. With deceptively fine melodic structures, this is music to exercise your temporal lobes and promote thought upon the minutiae of life. Discover their back catalogue for even more treasuresâ
69 Magazine *****
âA treat from start to finish. One day large numbers will look back and call this a lost classic.â
Back on the Tracks ****
In January of 2006 Trevor and Marcus began the recordings for what would become âLimboâ.
TJ: âI really believed that the ‘Glow’ sessions would be the last time we recorded at Norbury Brook, so this comes as a happy bonus; amazing what you can come to take for granted; people and places. Same cracked mugs, same mad cat, one new guitar (a battered but lovely old Gibson) and Marcus (also battered but lovely) burning incense rather than spraying that inner nose stripping air freshener! He’ll be wearing a kaftan next…look our for a sitar solo!
We always look for a working title. I’m struck by the word ‘Limbo’ for 3 reasons: firstly it kind of sums up the Miracle Mile’s position in the music world, secondly it relates to Marcus’s emotional and domestic circumstance, and thirdly because Iâve just driven past some orange boxes with âLimbo’ written on the side! Friday the 13th seems a fateful date to start our recordings; maybe it’ll bring us luck…so there’s a title; ‘Lucky Limbo’?
When recording was completed in the autumn of 2006 Trevor was asked to introduce the album:
âWe all rest where compromise leaves us. We could try to be elsewhere, but that wouldnât have produced this album. Itâs the best we could do, for where we were. âLimboâ? It’s sorrow’s way; like the unravelling of a lost kite, a gentle rise or fall towards oblivion. We say, âdon’t be afraid to forget.â You will not. It will become the palest thought, and one day, when your gaze has drifted, the sadness will buck and buckle and be gone.
Meanwhile, abandoned and liberated, silence stands as failure and threatens everything. So we fill it with music and search for the perfect song. How do you live the perfect life? How do you write the perfect joke? Start with the punch line and work backwards.
Weâre all connected by our unravellings. We donât always feel the tug, but as the line tightens, leaves a mark, then relaxes, you realise that things can never come to rest and you learn to trust the rhythm of chance.
And the perfect joke? A man falling from a great height whispering âso far, so good.â
Limbo was released to critical acclaim with The Sunday Times nominating it their âCD of the Weekâ
âClassic pop songwriting, gorgeously realisedâ
Indeed, âLights of Homeâ went on to be named a Sunday Times âSong of the Yearâ 2007:
âTrevor Jones finds the poetry in real life; Marcus Cliffe anchors it in the sweetest pop. Gorgeous as ever. You may cryâ
During a lull in new recording, in 2008 MM released âCoffee and Starsâ a compilation of songs taken from their 7 albums.
TJ: ââCoffee and Starsâ seems an appropriate title, as caffeine and wonderment have been our prime stimulants for the past decade, during which these songs were written and recorded. Choosing the tracks for this collection was challenging. Marcus and I had different favorites and, like children I guess, we seemed to favour the slightly wonky, cross-eyed ones. Weâve included a couple of those here (can you see them?) alongside the more obvious favourites that aunty always kisses first.
So, this is like a family photo, with most of the family still locked in the attic. Letâs hope that âCoffee and Starsâ compels you to visit those neglected children in situ, on their original albums. We hope, like us, that youâll come to love them all.â
The liner notes to âCoffee and Starsâ were written by a much respected music journalist, Johnny Black. Maybe they are the perfect words to conclude this particular part of the Miracle Mile story:
âFor the truly creative artist, perfection can never be achieved for more than a fleeting moment. Painting the ultimate landscape or writing the definitive song inevitably redefines perfection, pushes the standard of what might be possible next time a little higher, a little closer to what was once considered impossible.
Every Miracle Mile album since their debut offering, âBicycle Thievesâ in 1997, has included songs, which, at the time, redefined the limits of what the perfect song might be. This compilation includes eighteen of them.
The cuts were selected not so much to provide a simple âBest Ofâ, as to create a sustained listening experience in which each track flows naturally into the next. It would be easy to quibble with the ommisions, but only a fool would deny that the tracks chosen fit together like pieces of a much-loved jigsaw, depicting an aspect of Miracle Mile that none of the seven individual albums could hope to deliver.
On most Miracle Mile songs, the primary elements â melody and lyrics – are provided by songwriter and singer Trevor Jones. For the past seven years, however, Jones has worked so closely with multi-instrumentalist and co-composer Marcus Cliffe that his contributions have become integral to the sound and shape of the music they make. Whether itâs the yearning regret of âYuriâs Dreamâ, or the playful lyricism of âSunburst Finishâ, the Jones-Cliffe partnership transforms each song into much more than the sum of its parts. When Jones captures the bottled lightning of everyday existence with a beautiful turn of phrase like, âPaper planes and pony tails lead me back to youâ, Cliffe colours in the word pictures with unfailingly apposite textures and melodic filigrees.
Best of all though, Miracle Mile will never sink a fang into the jugular when they can plant a whisper of a kiss on that sensitive spot at the nape of the neck and set off a tiny ripple that will, in the fullness of time, explode in the heart.â
Johnny Black
Spring, 2008
Trevor Jones has since gone on to produce two critically acclaimed solo albums âHopelandâ and âKeepersâ.
Praise for âHopelandâ:
âMoves you to tears and refreshes the soul. Scintillating.â
***** Maverick
âThe beauty on offer here is enough to make you weep. It did me.â
9/10 Americana UK
âThe title track must simply be the most beautiful ballad anyone has written this year.â **** SUNDAY TIMES
Praise for âKeepersâ:
âA tender sadness. Songs that have universal resonance.â
Netrhythms
âA lush swoon of gorgeous pop. Genuinely life enhancing and life changingâ 9/10 Americana Uk
âA melancholic ocean of poetry and sublime song-craft.
Life is indeed worth living and all the richer for hearing this.â
Properganda âAlbum of the Weekâ
âTrevor Jones has produced a gorgeous pop album that few will hear â unless thereâs justice in the world.â The Wall Street Journal
âJones has compiled possibly the finest catalogue of adult pop. Gently beautiful and genuinely movingâ
The Sunday Times ****
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Listen
The Miracle Mile – Breaking the Barriers
