| PRODUCT DETAILS | | Mermaid Avenue |  | |
Mermaid Avenue
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
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
Price: $8.50
 Mermaid Avenue
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| User Reviews |  | Woody Guthrie comes back to life
rating: 5
I feel that Billy Bragg & Wilco's music captures the passion of Woody Guthrie's lyrics. "California Stars" is inspired!
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simply charming
rating: 5
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.
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A masterful collaboration...
rating: 5
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.
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Maybe my favourite record
rating: 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.
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Thanks Nora! Great Idea
rating: 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.
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Mermaid Avenue
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