Release Date:June 23, 1998 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days Shipping:International shipping available Condition:All items ship from australia
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:
Woody Guthrie comes back to lifeNovember 18, 2008 Ruhama(Houston) I feel that Billy Bragg & Wilco's music captures the passion of Woody Guthrie's lyrics. "California Stars" is inspired!
simply charmingNovember 17, 2008 splanky57(New Joisey) It's hard to believe the music for these lyrics was written many years after Guthrie died. What a wonderful collaboration. Everything works so well together on this album - from the lyrics and music to the instrumentation, the band, the vocals, and the production. Jeff Tweedy's voice is wonderful for this recording. This is the perfect blend of rock and folk feel, kinda like Neil Young. Thank God someone is still making albums like this.
A masterful collaboration...September 21, 2008 freereign(Ocean of Corn, MN) Better than the sum of its contributors, the 2nd song "California Stars" knocks this one out of the park. A true campfire song for the ages. If this record is a bit uneven due to the stylistic differences between Wilco and Billy Bragg, it is only a temporary feeling that a song shuffling to your taste will fix. Repeated listenings belie the depth of talent stretching from the writer to the musicians. Worth the effort to listen a bunch of times. "Way Over Yonder In A Minor Key" features unique harmony vocals from Natalie Merchant, "Hoodoo Voodoo" is as Wilco as they were. "The Unwelcome Guest" is a nice mix of all of 'em, ending the album on a somber, if powerful, note.
Maybe my favourite recordJune 1, 2007 Olah Imre Peter(Hungary) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
Thanks Nora! Great IdeaMay 19, 2007 K. Drelicharz(Omaha, Ne United States) 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
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.
