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Mermaid Avenue
Billy Bragg & Wilco
Retail Price (not our price): $13.98
Release Date: 1998-06-23
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1

Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...

Disc 1

Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) 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

2) 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 (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1) Maybe my favourite record   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
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.

2) Thanks Nora! Great Idea   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
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.

3) Walt Whitman previously unrecorded   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
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.

4) An incredibly productive colloboration....   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
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.

5) There are some real jewels here   [Rating: 3 out of 5]
"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.