If you were a product of a upbringing similar to myself, you probably watched a fair amount of television. There's also a good chance that you were witness to the birth and coming-of-age of a young cable network known as Nickelodeon. Along with that comes wondrous memories of the network's original programming, harking back to the days of shows like You Can't Do That On Television and later output like Ren & Stimpy, etc etc etc.
And while this remains a music blog and not 'Brian's House of Nostalgia', I bring up the topic of this cable network to touch on one particular item. A song that, at the time, seemed too quirky and boring to arouse the attention of my young, ignorant ears. However, for whatever reason, that song stayed with me for years. And judging from my conversations with fellow members of my generation, the track stuck with many others as well. Of course I am referring to the theme from The Adventures of Pete & Pete, entitled "Hey Sandy".
The band responsible for this 56 second burst of indie rock is one of those questions that your wise-ass friend thinks only they know the answer to. As though you forgot the band name, Polaris, so prominently seen on the kick drum during the opening credits' sonic climax (see the video below at about 38 seconds in). But oh, dear friend, you are incorrect. Polaris was merely the pseudonym for New Haven's own indie rock darlings, Miracle Legion.
Miracle Legion began in 1984 and established themselves as a New Haven mainstay, quickly releasing their first EP, 1984's A Simple Thing on the local Incas Records label. After then releasing a series of albums through Rough Trade (1987's Glad featuring an appearance by none other than Pere Ubu), the band was signed to Morgan Creek in the early 1990's. It was shortly after this move, however, that legal problems with the label began, keeping the band (and more so the band's name) in limbo. Also, at about the same time, two fans of the band were starting production on a new show for Nickelodeon and wanted the band to perform original music for the show. Stories vary, but supposedly original guitarist Ray Neal, discouraged by the whole ordeal with Morgan Creek, declined the offer (another story states that Neal was merely spending a semester abroad and was unavailable to record at the time). The remainder of the band decided to press on and record under the pseudonym Polaris for the sake of the show. Neal eventually returned the band and they released their final full length album Portrait Of A Damaged Family in 1996.
Miracle Legion's material was fairly consistent over the course of their existence, bearing great similarity to their famous 56 second clip (the actual track "Hey Sandy" clocks in at about 2:36). REM worship notwithstanding, Miracle Legion played indie rock that contained both a strong pop sensibility as well as a strong melancholy side as well. While you might be more inclined to relive some memories by replaying the video for the theme from The Adventures of Pete & Pete over and over, I have also included Miracle Legion's excellent 1984 EP, The Backyard (their first on Rough Trade) for your listening enjoyment as well.
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