Deville-Knopfler Collaboration Works Well
Edward Goss | The Nutmeg State, USA | 03/09/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For long-time Willy Deville fans, any new album is cause for celebration. With the release of "Miracle", Willy hoped to please a larger segment of the populace. By collaborating with Dire Straits' mainman Mark Knopfler, Willy expanded the bounds of his previous vocal efforts and added some serious musicality and near-audiophile quality to his song selection. Tracks 2 through 4 - From "Could You, Would You" to "Spanish Jack" might be the highlight reel of Willy's career. "Storybook Love" is from Knopfler's score to the movie "The Princess Bride". The songs "Southern Politician" and "Angel Eyes" match anything Mink Deville ever recorded. A must for Willy completists, "Miracle" should also please all fans of a well presented rock song or ballad. One of the best voices in rock, Willy Deville really shines on "Miracle"."
Forgotten 1987 Classic & An Audiophile's Wet Dream!
Mark Barry at Reckless Records, Lon | UK | 09/09/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Willy DeVille's "Miracle" was released in 1987 in the UK on Polydor (LP - POLH 39, CD - 833669-2). It was produced by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits and featured his distinctive and beautiful guitar work across all 10 of its tracks. The album has contributions from Jeff Pocaro on drums from Toto, Chet Atkins on guitar gracing the gorgeous "Heart & Soul" and backing vocals provided by the lovely Margo Buchanan and Vikki Brown on 4 of the tracks. All tracks are written by DeVille except "Could You Would You" which is a Van Morrison cover (off the 2nd Them album from 1966, "Them Again") and a co-write with Knopfler on one track "Spanish Jack".
The album was a Full Digital Recording carrying the then desirable DDD code on the back of the sleeve - and was of course an audiophile's dream. Beautifully produced by Knopfler and played sweetly by all, the album gave vent to DeVille's New Orleans street romanticism - a style and a way about him that has captured his fans since his stunning "Cabretta" debut on Capitol in 1977. I've been a fan ever since then and have bought his albums with a sense of glee every time!
"Miracle" received good reviews at the time, and with a heavy-hitter like Knopfler on board, it should have garnished better sales and exposure, but for some reason it failed to break into the top 50 here in the UK. It's worth mentioning that it officially spurned 2 singles here in the UK which had 3 formats each (7"/12" and CD Single). The 1st was "Miracle" (CD single Polydor POCD 891) 1. Miracle. 2 I Call Your Name 3. Could You Would You. You'll no doubt notice that "I Call Your Name" is a NON-ALBUM track and is an absolute sweetie. A real shame Raven didn't use it as a bonus track here where it would have matched the release. The 2nd single was "Assassin Of Love" (CD single Polydor POCD 904) 1. Assassin Of Love Extended Version. 2. Spanish Jack. 3. Spanish Stroll (Live) 4. Desperate Days (Live). The extended version of "Assassin" was a 12" mix and a bit of a mess - ruined the stunning slinky menace the original track has. The two live tracks are previously unreleased and are great (I'm fairly sure they're unavailable anywhere else). "Storybook Love" was also featured in "The Princess Bride" movie from 1987 and was Oscar nominated - there was a CD single of it here in the UK but it contained nothing new or unreleased. All 3 CD singles came in card sleeves and are very hard to find today.
The 4 bonus tracks provided on the Raven 1994 re-issue are 11. "Heat Of The Moment" 12. "Pullin' My String" 13. "It's So Easy" 14. 1987 Willy DeVille Interview. Tracks 11-13 are from the 1980 soundtrack "Cruising" and are rare - unavailable anywhere else except here to my knowledge. The interview is interesting, but not something you're going to play a second time. It's also worth noting that the 'front' artwork on this Raven issue is different to the original release and not nearly as good in my opinion (the back artwork is the same as the original). Having A/B'd the sound - there's no difference between the Raven issue and the original Polydor DDD release - no re-mastering has been done, but then again, there's no need to - the sound is sweet and full.
"Miracle" used to go for money on vinyl or CD because of the quality of the production and at least 75% of the tunes are superb into the bargain. I think it may been the awful opener "(Due To) Gun Control" that put people off - "I Call Your Name" would have been far more appropriate and announced properly the albums overall romantic feel.
Still, "Miracle" is something of a lost classic from the 80's and I recommend it to both DeVille and Dire Straits fans alike - a lovely meeting of like-minds producing great music that stands up still. It has a 20th Anniversary this year and is ripe for rediscovery I reckon."
Knopfler's Assassin
R. Simmons | Shreveport | 11/02/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Willy Deville? Who is this guy? Well, for me it begins at a websight devoted to Mark Knopfler. He played this guitar and used this amp on this Willy Deville song. So I had to check out this "Miracle" CD. I bought it. Willy Deville is so captivating I forget Mark Knopfler is part of every song - Which is like an Elvis fan forgeting "the king" is part of an albumn! Lord have mercy! This Willy Deville is good...
"
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1