Billy Brag & Wilco – Mermaid Avenue, The Complete Sessions (08/06/2012)
When the daughter of American folk legend Woody Guthrie found his boxes of thousands of lyrics which had never been set to music, she knew she they had to be put out there for the world to hear. So she roped in Billy Bragg and Wilco to write the songs and from that the Mermaid Avenue Complete Sessions were born. Featuring 47 songs, the two previously released and one brand new album, are a celebration of how simple and powerful Guthrie’s song writing was.
The opening track on the Mermaid Avenue (the first CD), Walt Whitman’s Niece, is a meek tune about a seaman and his two girls, meanwhile California Stars features a wonderful slide guitar. At My Window Sad and Lonely, a depressingly honest song is sung with such passion and emotion by Brag, that you would think he wrote the lyrics himself. A real highlight of this CD comes from the rousing I Guess I Planted a song about the union with its “na na na” sing-along chorus. It finishes with the soothing ballad of The Unwelcome Guest.
Volume II begins with the foot-tapping country gem of Airline to Heaven, which has now become a live favourite at Wilco shows. The Secret of the Sea is another gem which is a straightforward rock song with some fantastic vocals from Bragg about the mysteries of the sea. There is a bluesy swag on Stetson Kennedy about the election in the 1950’s. The yell-out-loud vocals and minor key organ on Meanest Man are a breath of fresh air, just as this disc seemed to be following a predictable route. Bragg’s solo effort on Black Wind Blowing is a triumph, and the simplicity and sincere delivery makes it one of the best songs of the collection.
Volume III contains 17 previously unreleased tracks and contains some of the best work of Bragg/Wilco yet. Gotta Work is a real blues track performed by Corey Harris with the lyrics taken from as far back as 1940. Listening to the Wind That Blows is a magical tune with an uplifting chorus performed by Wilco. Give Me a Nail is one minute and 38 seconds of pure brilliant lyrics and vocal delivery. The final song of I’m Out to Get is a slight letdown with the song being too repetitive and becoming a bit of a drag.
Nonetheless, The Mermaid Sessions are a real success from Bragg and Wilco, brilliantly showcasing some of the world’s best previously unseen lyrics in a way which has become a touching tribute. Let us hope that some more of the countless lyrics make their way into more songs for us to enjoy in future years.
Sebastian Betten
The opening track on the Mermaid Avenue (the first CD), Walt Whitman’s Niece, is a meek tune about a seaman and his two girls, meanwhile California Stars features a wonderful slide guitar. At My Window Sad and Lonely, a depressingly honest song is sung with such passion and emotion by Brag, that you would think he wrote the lyrics himself. A real highlight of this CD comes from the rousing I Guess I Planted a song about the union with its “na na na” sing-along chorus. It finishes with the soothing ballad of The Unwelcome Guest.
Volume II begins with the foot-tapping country gem of Airline to Heaven, which has now become a live favourite at Wilco shows. The Secret of the Sea is another gem which is a straightforward rock song with some fantastic vocals from Bragg about the mysteries of the sea. There is a bluesy swag on Stetson Kennedy about the election in the 1950’s. The yell-out-loud vocals and minor key organ on Meanest Man are a breath of fresh air, just as this disc seemed to be following a predictable route. Bragg’s solo effort on Black Wind Blowing is a triumph, and the simplicity and sincere delivery makes it one of the best songs of the collection.
Volume III contains 17 previously unreleased tracks and contains some of the best work of Bragg/Wilco yet. Gotta Work is a real blues track performed by Corey Harris with the lyrics taken from as far back as 1940. Listening to the Wind That Blows is a magical tune with an uplifting chorus performed by Wilco. Give Me a Nail is one minute and 38 seconds of pure brilliant lyrics and vocal delivery. The final song of I’m Out to Get is a slight letdown with the song being too repetitive and becoming a bit of a drag.
Nonetheless, The Mermaid Sessions are a real success from Bragg and Wilco, brilliantly showcasing some of the world’s best previously unseen lyrics in a way which has become a touching tribute. Let us hope that some more of the countless lyrics make their way into more songs for us to enjoy in future years.
Sebastian Betten