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Track Listings
| 1. Walt Whitman's Niece |
| 2. California Stars |
| 3. Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key |
| 4. Birds And Ships |
| 5. Hoodoo Voodoo |
| 6. She Came Along To Me |
| 7. At My Window Sad And Lonely |
| 8. Ingrid Bergman |
| 9. Christ For President |
| 10. I Guess I Planted |
| 11. One By One |
| 12. Eisler On The Go |
| 13. Hesitating Beauty |
| 14. Another Man's Done Gone |
| 15. The Unwelcome Guest |
Product Description
Amazon.ca
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
Review
Walking Guthrie's WWII-era lyrics into our century's rock & roll half, Bragg and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy take turns on lead vocals, and the entire group collaborates on a sound that draws upon folk- and country-rock, from Dylan and the Band to Gram Parsons and Uncle Tupelo. The results are nearly flawless. -- USA Today
With [Billy] Bragg ... and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy each singing seven songs and guest Natalie Merchant taking one, Mermaid Avenue can initially seem disjointed and unfocused, but ultimately its ramshackle approach proves to be the perfect channel for Guthrie's raucous and irrepressible spirit. -- The Los Angeles Times
[The collaborators] succeed to wondrous effect, inventing enough lilting melodies and vocal arrangements to make Guthrie's songs sound like sing-along classics. -- People
With [Billy] Bragg ... and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy each singing seven songs and guest Natalie Merchant taking one, Mermaid Avenue can initially seem disjointed and unfocused, but ultimately its ramshackle approach proves to be the perfect channel for Guthrie's raucous and irrepressible spirit. -- The Los Angeles Times
[The collaborators] succeed to wondrous effect, inventing enough lilting melodies and vocal arrangements to make Guthrie's songs sound like sing-along classics. -- People
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Format: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.
By .
Format: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.
By Paul Allaer
Format: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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4.7 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'll try to be brief, for a change
. . . If you are a Wilco fan and you don't have this album (and Vol. II), you should feel very silly, and buy this right now. It is absolutely sublime.
Published on May 3 2004 by Big J.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Every year we waste enough to feed the ones who starve...
This collection of songs highlights what a visionary Woody Guthrie really was. With a set of lyrics that are both far ahead of their time and deeply perceptive into the human... Read more
Published on Jan 23 2004 by "howlinw"
5.0 out of 5 stars
great
this is great music! i have always liked woody guthrie, and this album presents him as an intelligent writer. bragg and wilco did an oustanding job in bring his lyrics to life.
Published on July 9 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
...
This album can be sumed up in two words, pure beauty. With a colection of emotional tracks like "California Stars" and "Another Man's Done Gone" and then the... Read more
Published on Feb 23 2003 by "emo_samus_aran"
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Tribute to the Great Woody Guthrie
Have you ever woke up one morning feeling terrible. Your hairs messed up, you're still have asleep, and you found out that you're dog took a crap last night incidently by stepping... Read more
Published on Oct 18 2002 by Buford M. Bell
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOOO! Grab some friends and sing along!
Recently, my local watering hole put this CD, which I had never heard, in their jukebox. I said "here goes" and selected the entire CD. Read more
Published on Oct 12 2002 by Babytoxie
3.0 out of 5 stars
Wilco Fans Should Save Their Cash
Wilco fans may be tempted to pick up this disc after hearing the beautiful radio single "California Stars. Read more
Published on July 16 2002 by Steven R. Seim
5.0 out of 5 stars
Is he getting soft?
I know what the haters out there are thinking..."He's moved out to Jersey and now the big metal fan is getting soft. He's even listening to alt-country! Read more
Published on Mar 7 2002 by James F. Colobus
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing to add but agreement
Billy Bragg and Wilco have done an excellent job with this CD, and Natalie Merchant makes nice contributions as well. It is truly beautiful. Read more
Published on Jan 24 2002 by Wyote
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Woody...but Darn Close
"California Stars" is the kind of song that Woody would have written. I don't mean like he might have written it; I mean, it's as if he'd written it-note for note. Read more
Published on Jan 11 2002 by mark munger
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