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Mermaid Avenue
 
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Mermaid Avenue

Billy Bragg & Wilco (Artist) | Format: Audio CD
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (118 customer reviews)
Price: CDN$ 12.87 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 25. Details
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Customers buy this album with Mermaid Avenue Volume 2 ~ Billy Bragg & Wilco Audio CD CDN$ 14.76

Mermaid Avenue + Mermaid Avenue Volume 2
Price For Both: CDN$ 27.63

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  • This item: Mermaid Avenue ~ Billy Bragg & Wilco Audio CD

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  • Mermaid Avenue Volume 2 ~ Billy Bragg & Wilco Audio CD

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Product Description

From Amazon.co.uk

When you first heard that Billy Bragg and Wilco were teaming up to set some Woody Guthrie lyrics to music, you knew it'd be an interesting project. But did anyone realistically think Mermaid Avenue would also wind up being one of 1998's finest albums? That's exactly what it is, a distinction it pulls off by simultaneously honouring Guthrie and blasting away any folksy expectations we might have of his music. Walking Guthrie's World War II-era lyrics into the 20th century's second, rock & roll half, Bragg and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy take turns on lead vocals, and the entire group collaborates on a sound that draws on folk- and country-rock, from Bob Dylan and the Band to Gram Parsons and Uncle Tupelo. The results are nearly flawless, ranging from yearning laments and playful children's rockers to horny ballads and brave protest songs that are not merely political but also profoundly moral. Like all of Guthrie's work, Mermaid Avenue is music to live better by. --David Cantwell

Amazon.com essential recording

When you first heard that Billy Bragg and Wilco were teaming up to set some Woody Guthrie lyrics to music, you knew it'd be an interesting project. But did anyone realistically think Mermaid Avenue would also wind up being one of 1998's finest albums? That's exactly what it is, a distinction it pulls off by simultaneously honoring Guthrie and blasting away any folksy expectations we might have of his music. Walking Guthrie's World War II-era lyrics into the 20th century's second, rock & roll half, Bragg and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy take turns on lead vocals, and the entire group collaborates on a sound that draws on folk- and country-rock, from Bob Dylan and the Band to Gram Parsons and Uncle Tupelo. The results are nearly flawless, ranging from yearning laments and playful children's rockers to horny ballads and brave protest songs that are not merely political but also profoundly moral. Like all of Guthrie's work, Mermaid Avenue is music to live better by. --David Cantwell
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Customer Reviews

118 Reviews
5 star:
 (89)
4 star:
 (20)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (118 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than a Tribute... And Only Gets Better With Time, Feb 4 2005
By 
Brent Wittmeier "bwittmeier" (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Mermaid Avenue (Audio CD)
This is an unlikely collaboration: a brazenly political British folksinger, a difficult-to-categorize-band-from-the-Midwest, and a stack of lyrics from a long deceased singer. It's surprising how well it works: Bragg revives old "protest" ballads with utopian flare while Wilco resurrects love songs and Guthrie's jarring religious imagery. Woody Guthrie stretches both artists: Bragg's anger and self-righteousness is tempered by a dose of good humour while Wilco is unusually joyful and lucid.

I nearly wore this CD out when I bought it a few years ago. The album works so well as a whole: the songs are varied stylistically and the lyrics are simple yet mature. I've recently re-discovered it, and it sounds fresher than anything I've bought since. I find that the Wilco tracks tend to stand out more with time (probably due to the dual songwriting contributions of Jay Bennett and Jeff Tweedy -- two is better than one). They breathe with an easiness that tends to elude the more didactic Bragg.

One final note: Mermaid Avenue II is a worthwhile companion album. It may even be stronger in places, but be warned: it is not as consistently good.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Remember; this is not Woody's music., Jun 16 2004
By 
. (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Mermaid Avenue (Audio CD)
This cd at least makes me wonder how Woody would've done it. I think the vocals would be edgier, and clearer,easier to understand and remember, even after one listening, as I can when listening to actual Guthrie recordings. Perhaps some of the sappier melodies here might have been a little harder, a little more manly, for lack of a better term. As for the choice of Bragg; I'd sooner have some digitalizing freak collect all of the appropriate Woody syllables, and put them back together into the 'new' material. Second choice, Dylan. Third choice, somebody who's not Billy Bragg.
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4.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 Stars.... Masterful Mix of Guthrie Lyrics and New Music, May 10 2004
By 
Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Mermaid Avenue (Audio CD)
Nora Guthrie, Woody's daughter, thought it might be fun to have new music set to Woody's "lost songs" (lyrics to which Woody had music set in his head, but he never published the music). Billy Bragg and Wilco may make a curious, or at least not a very obvious, choice for the task, but boy, are they up for it!

"Mermaid Avenue" (15 tracks, 49 min.) is a true collaboration between the artists. Some songs find Wilco's Jeff Tweedy at lead vocal, Bragg on others. Music on some tracks is written by Bragg, others by Tweedy/Bennett, yet others by Bragg/Wilco. While I'm a huge Wilco fan, I must admit that the Bragg-written songs are more coherent within the Guthrie legacy. Check out for example the sparse "Eisler On the Go", and "Another Man's Done Done" (with Tweedy on lead vocal). The best is "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key" (with Natalie Merchant on back vocals). Natalie also sings lead on "Birds and Ships". (So you really shouldn't be surprised by Natalie's fab collection of folk tunes "The House Carpenter's Daugther", issued independently last year).

In all, this is a terrific collection, which deservedly received a second volume as well. Recommended for fans of Billy Bragg, Wilco, Woddy Guthrie, and of course Bob Dylan.

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