Mermaid Avenue

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com's Best of 1998
A ghost, a band, a troubadour. Easily the strangest co-op project ever, and easily one of the finest and most evocative albums of the year. British socialist and folkie Billy Bragg was given unprecedented access to Woody Guthrie's unrecorded lyrics. Teaming up with alt-country band Wilco and quoting from more than 50 years of country, folk, and rock music, Billy and company bring Guthrie's politics, poetry, and morality to the end of the century and prove he's as necessary now as ever. --Tod Nelson --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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... read more --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Mermaid Avenue

Mermaid Avenue, Music, Billy Bragg & Wilco, Alternative Pop/Rock, Folk-Rock, Pop, Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Urban Folk
Mermaid Avenue
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Maybe my favourite record
  • Thanks Nora! Great Idea
  • Walt Whitman previously unrecorded
  • An incredibly productive colloboration....
  • There are some real jewels here
 Mermaid Avenue
Billy Bragg & Wilco
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
BritpopBritpop | British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Urban FolkUrban Folk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Alt-Country & AmericanaAlt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music
British FolkBritish Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
Alternative FolkAlternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
Singer-SongwritersSinger-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Adult AlternativeAdult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music
Folk RockFolk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
HeroesHeroes | Warner Brothers Records | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
  2. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
  3. Summerteeth
  4. Being There
  5. A.M.

ASIN: B000007NC0
Release Date: 1998-06-23

Tracks:

  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

Amazon.com's Best of 1998

A ghost, a band, a troubadour. Easily the strangest co-op project ever, and easily one of the finest and most evocative albums of the year. British socialist and folkie Billy Bragg was given unprecedented access to Woody Guthrie's unrecorded lyrics. Teaming up with alt-country band Wilco and quoting from more than 50 years of country, folk, and rock music, Billy and company bring Guthrie's politics, poetry, and morality to the end of the century and prove he's as necessary now as ever. --Tod Nelson

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

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Maybe my favourite record.......2007-06-01

I think everything has been said already in the previous reviews so there's not much - or rather nothing - I can add.

All I wanted to say is that this is a very special record for me. I listen to a lot of music and own several hundred CDs but this one is really outstanding. I think that this record is really emotional but in a pleasent kind of way. A lot of songs on the album bring tears to my eyes everytime I hear them. The whole project was a great idea and one can feel that the participators put all their heart and love into it.

In short: Mermaid Avenue is one of the records that makes live worth living for me.

I'm a fan of Wilco but I love this one better than any of their studio-albums.

5 out of 5 stars Thanks Nora! Great Idea.......2007-05-19

We should all thank Nora Gutherie for selecting Billy Bragg and Wilco to put this album together. What a fantastic combination. There are several wonderful songs on this cd. My favorite is "Hesitating Beauty". I was lucky enough to see Wilco perform this on Prairie Home Comapanion last week. It caused me to revisit this album and I'm glad I did.

5 out of 5 stars Walt Whitman previously unrecorded.......2007-04-24

Billy Bragg and Wilco (what a combo!) team up on previously unrecorded Walt Whitman writings and the result is increcible. This is still one of my favorite albums, and, although my husband and I play a wide variety of music, this is an album that everyone likes. For me, it's perfect for a Sunday afternoon.

5 out of 5 stars An incredibly productive colloboration...........2007-04-08

This is one of my all time favorite albums. It is a great colloboration between Wilco, who is one of the greatest bands to come out of the 1990's. I think Jeff Tweedy may be the greatest songwriter working today. For all the talk of the 90's being the grunge, "ironic" decade, there were a few real artists working under the radar, and Wilco/Tweedy was one of them. Billy Bragg is very good here as well. The songs are absolutely wonderful, with the first 5 songs absolutely perfect. Walt Whitman's Niece is a rousing opening number, and California Stars is ethereral and delicate, one of the most beautiful songs ever. Christ for President is really good, along with the raucous I Guess I Planted. Sadly, there will more than likely no more Mermaid Avenue albums, as Bragg and Tweedy weren't seeing eye to eye on a lot of things. Bragg is a political activist, and really wanted to concentrate strictly on Guthrie's political writings. Tweedy wanted to do more of the personal lyrics, and wanted to stay away from the political stuff. Regardless, this album is a masterpiece, and I'm glad that Nora Guthrie instigated this project, and gave it to two passionate, immensely talented people to interpret her late father's lyrics.

3 out of 5 stars There are some real jewels here.......2007-03-01

"California Stars" is as beautiful a song as I have ever heard, all the credit in the world to Wilco for really bringing those lyrics to life. I think Woody Guthrie would have been more than thrilled with the rendition. Moreover, Bragg does a nice job with "Way Over Yander.." I think these are the two clearly outstanding songs on the album. My problem with this album is that some of the other songs are a tad weak, especially the ones that tend to be Bragg numbers. I think Wilco does carry their weight for the most part, but if you are expecting "Summerteeth" or "Yankee Hotel.." you will be very letdown.
Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 stars for remeber the mountain bed
  • Continues winning homage but feels less memorable
  • One of my most treasured albums
  • Good, but disappointing...3 1/2 stars
  • What did you expect, it's a sequel!
 Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
Billy Bragg & Wilco
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
BritpopBritpop | British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Urban FolkUrban Folk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Alt-Country & AmericanaAlt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music
British FolkBritish Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
Alternative FolkAlternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
Singer-SongwritersSinger-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Adult AlternativeAdult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music
Folk RockFolk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
HeroesHeroes | Warner Brothers Records | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Mermaid Avenue
  2. A.M.
  3. Being There
  4. Summerteeth
  5. A Ghost Is Born

ASIN: B00004TBES
Release Date: 2000-05-30

Tracks:

  1. Airline To Heaven
  2. My Flying Saucer
  3. Feed Of Man
  4. Hot Rod Hotel
  5. I Was Born
  6. Secrets Of The Sea
  7. Stetson Kennedy
  8. Remember The Mountain Bed
  9. Blood Of The Lamb
  10. Against The Law
  11. All You Fascists Are Bound To Lose
  12. Joe DiMaggio Done It Again
  13. Meanest Man
  14. Black Wind Blowing
  15. Someday, Some Morning, Sometime

Amazon.com's Best of 2000

Mermaid Avenue, Vol. II finds Billy Bragg & Wilco setting Woody Guthrie's words to their own music a second time. The result is more sonically diverse than the first installment, but just as rewarding. With guests Natalie Merchant and bluesman Corey Harris lending their voices to this new-century hootenanny, this 15-song disc manages to capture the collective spirit of both IWW and the WTO times. Woody would've been proud of the initial collection; he'd be prouder still of this one. --Steven Stolder

Amazon.com

Who knew that after the undeniable, sometimes shimmering, sometimes rustic magic of Mermaid Avenue that there was enough quality material for a second volume? By setting their own music to Woody Guthrie's lyrics, Billy Bragg and Wilco once again offer a 50-minute testament to Guthrie's long, dynamic shadow. This sophomore meeting is as balanced between the up-tempo and the down-tempo as was the first Mermaid. Jeff Tweedy's rasp gives all the Wilco-driven tunes a certain grit, and the songs Bragg takes on have a luminescent, frank earnestness that intensifies the delivery of Guthrie's lyrical social critiques. "Hot Rod Hotel," with Bragg on the mic, melds the two approaches best, and "Secret of the Sea" is the CD's poppiest centerpiece--aptly aimed at radio airplay like the first Mermaid's "California Stars." Natalie Merchant's playful "I Was Born" is brief but sweet, just as bluesman Corey Harris's "Against the Law" is an uplift, with his passionate vocal wail mirroring the political gist of Guthrie's words. The moody closers "Black Wind Blowing" and "Someday, Some Morning, Sometime" end Volume 2 with a pair of sweetly sad gems, one a Bragg-sung folk blues that mourns the loss of cotton crops in the American dustbowl era, the other a Tweedy-sung paean to lost love. At the dawn of a new millennium, with labor and the distribution of wealth as pressing historical issues that disrupt every International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization soiree, the time is right for Woody. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars 5 stars for remeber the mountain bed.......2007-05-17

Im writing this because i beleive one song REMEBER THE MOUNTAIN BED is one,if not the most meaningful,sublime, peices of poetry,prose,songwiting i have ever heard..this song has sat with me since i first heard it..actually i only have to think of it and im moved...the depth of understanding of the human condition,love, lose,the earth,the elements, love,humanity,the insights into the purpose of lifeand mandkind, etc etc is so utterly compeling and mind numbing.the greatest love song ever written .i get obssessed about this song, i find myself disolving into another place, void of all thats around me.....how did woody guthrie find himself of such composure,empathy and understanding to reach inside of himself and outside of himself to write one of the most perfect peices of art...and then there is WILCO and JEFF TWEEDY...honoring these words so beautifully..jeff tweedys vocals and the bands sympathetic arrangment make this one of music,c highest benchmarks..as great as anything..by anyone..at anytime..ever recorded
oh the other WILCO stuff here is also fantastic..i havent really sat thru the billy bragg..but i will....buy this for REMEMBER THE MOUNTAIN BED alone..wow id love to know what you think

3 out of 5 stars Continues winning homage but feels less memorable .......2007-05-01

3 1/2


Admirable collaboration paying tribute to folk hero Guthrie is a serviceable update to an epic legacy, a hard enough feat in itself that garnered much praise. But after this second volume appeared a few years later, perhaps the conceptual accomplishments gave way to seeing some unimpressive songwriting for what it was. The production and attitude is all there to pull it off, especially well for fans of folk rock (mixed of course with the country sounds of Wilco), but to say this would be necessary to anyone who has the first volume and is not absolutely in love with it would be untrue. Having said that, the band continued to present a polished relevance to Guthrie's legacy in the authentic synergy Bragg and Wilco have. Some gems underneath the generic sounding majority may beckon the devoted to purchase this and spin a great mix from the two volumes.

5 out of 5 stars One of my most treasured albums.......2006-06-15

I got this as a present from a friend. I still don't quite like Wilco, but I learned to like Bragg after this. His sarcasm & reticence combines nicely with Guthrie's lyrics. Great songs to shout along to in the car, especially Joe DiMaggio. Black Wind Blowing is sad but well suited to being played very loud.

3 out of 5 stars Good, but disappointing...3 1/2 stars.......2005-10-11

My younger brother made a good point, I thought, when he told me this album should never have been made. Instead, he said, Woody Guthrie's daughter should have found two other artists--another singer, and another band, even--and had THEM do volume two. Hayden and The Flaming Lips. Soltero and Yo La Tengo. Daniel Johnston and Neutral Milk Hotel. Morrissey and The Postal Service. It could have still used Woody Guthrie's lyrics, but it would have been something fresh...not this...and that format could have gone on indefinitely for any number of albums.
This, however, is a rehash of volume one.
Thankfully, Wilco went back into the studio to record some new songs--this album's best songs--but all we have from Billy Bragg are the outtakes from the first album, and Natalie Merchant's song on this volume...well...to put it nicely...sucks.
"Airline To Heaven" by Wilco is an outstanding song, using Bible verses in its lyrics and an exciting build. "Secrets Of The Sea" is a good one as well, as is "Someday, Some Morning, Sometime," but overall this album should never have happened. Volume one was good, and they should have left it alone.
I saw Billy Bragg on tour for this album--the show was awful, and most of the songs he played were bad covers of the songs Wilco had written--and he hinted there might be a volume three.
Please God, no. Spare us, please. Spare us all. Let these artists put their talents to use in some way better. Let Billy Bragg return to "Workers Playtime," and keep him away from Wilco. They're doing fine without him.

3 out of 5 stars What did you expect, it's a sequel!.......2005-07-08

Of course it's not as good as the first. They took the best material they had and used it on Volume 1. Well, mostly. Somehow they left behind "Remember the Mountain Bed," a wistful song with a fairy-tale quality; "Joe Dimaggio's Done It Again," a rollicking period piece; and "Feed Of Man," which I'm still a little puzzled by, but in a good way. I just noticed that the three songs I've mentioned are all sung by Jeff Tweedy. That may be a coincidence, but he does seem to take the reins of this project over from Billy Bragg. Bragg fans needn't worry, though; it's all about the lyrics, and the legacy of the greatest folksinger ever.
Oregon Festival of American Music Presents William Grant Still
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Phenomenal
  • Worth it for the "Lyric Quartet" alone
 Oregon Festival of American Music Presents William Grant Still

Manufacturer: Koch Int'l Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

QuartetsQuartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by StillAll Works by Still | Still, William Grant | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
ViolinViolin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. William Grant Still: Afro-American Symphony; In Memoriam; Africa (Symphonic Poem)
  2. Works By William Grant Still

ASIN: B000063DHC
Release Date: 2002-04-23

Tracks:

  1. Lyric Quartet: The Sentimental One
  2. Lyric Quartet: The Quiet One
  3. Lyric Quartet: The Jovial One
  4. Danzas De Panama: Tamborito
  5. Danzas De Panama: Mejorana
  6. Danzas De Panama: Punto
  7. Danzas De Panama: Cumbia Y Congo
  8. Prince And The Mermaid Suite: Song Of The Sea
  9. Prince And The Mermaid Suite: Waltz
  10. Prince And The Mermaid Suite: Minuet
  11. Prince And The Mermaid Suite: Scherzo
  12. Summerland
  13. Selections From The Little Folk Suites: Los Indios
  14. Selections From The Little Folk Suites: Wade In The Water
  15. Selections From The Little Folk Suites: Salangadou
  16. Selections From The Little Folk Suites: Aurore Pradere And Tant Sirop Est Doux
  17. Selections From The Little Folk Suites: Pastorela
  18. Selections From The Little Folk Suites: Blues
  19. Selections From The Little Folk Suites: Quit Dat Fool'nish

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Phenomenal.......2007-01-04

One of the best composers of the 20th century, this rendition of W.G.S's music is moving and well recorded.

4 out of 5 stars Worth it for the "Lyric Quartet" alone.......2006-05-31

The first half of this album contains some of the most beautiful, breathtaking music for strings ever written, played and recorded. Very sentimental and heartfelt, quite accessible for those unfamiliar with Grant's works. I give this cd 4 stars for this 3 movement piece alone.
The same liveliness is also evident in the three works which follow, Danzaz De Panama", "Prince and the Mermaid Suite" and "Summerland".
But toward the end one will have realized that they've already heard the best that this album has to offer, as it tends to grow stale and even wearisome and transform into audio wallpaper.
The first half - fantastic.****
The second half - yawn.
But "Lyric Suite" is a tough act to follow.





Mermaid Avenue Tour
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Mermaid Avenue Tour

    Manufacturer: BillyBragg.co.uk
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD
    ASIN: B000E13DFY

    Product Description

    The second official bootleg - Billy Bragg and The Blokes Mermaid Avenue Tour This official Billy Bragg live bootleg contains almost 50 minutes of live music recorded during the Mermaid Avenue Tour. Somewhere between a live tape and a Peel Session, the album contains 12 songs recorded in performance and in the studio in October/November 1998. They are: I Guess I Planted - My Flying Saucer - Eisler On The Go - The Milkman of Human Kindness - She Came Along To Me - All You Fascists Bound To Lose - Must I Paint You A Picture - Christ For President - California Stars - A New England - Hoodoo Ska Voodoo - Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key. Hear for yourself the feast of musical dexterity on offer when Billy and The Blokes take those Mermaid Avenue songs out on the road featuring MARTYN BARKER on drums and vocals, LU EDMONDS on cumbus, saz, electric guitar and vocals, SIMON EDWARDS on bass, BEN MANDELSON on bouzouki and bugeleiser, IAN McLAGAN on piano and Hammond organ. Guaranteed free of rambling raps.
    Mermaid Avenue VOL. II
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Mermaid Avenue VOL. II
      Billy Bragg
      Manufacturer: Electra
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
      BritpopBritpop | British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
      Urban FolkUrban Folk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
      British FolkBritish Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
      Alternative FolkAlternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B000LYEKYC

      Music:

      1. Miserable Failure [Explicit Lyrics]
      2. My Father My King [CD-single]
      3. No Protection [Import]
      4. Nu-Clear Sounds [Import]
      5. Nuclear [CD-single] [Import]
      6. One [CD-single] [Import]
      7. One Louder [CD-single] [Import]
      8. Otherside [CD-single] [Import]
      9. Pack of Squares [Explicit Lyrics]
      10. Papillon [Import] [Limited Edition]

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      Secrets & White Lies

      Antonin Dvorák: Piano Concerto, Op. 33/Overture "Karneval"

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      Artie Shaw - Greatest Hits

      Afterglow [Import]

      20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Platters [Original recording remastered]

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      A Classical Concert

      You Should Have Known Me Then

      Y Seguimos con Duranguense [Enhanced]

      Who Is It [CD-single] [Import]

      Yuan

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      The Early Years

      Chillicious