Wikipedia
Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
Mermaid Avenue Vol. II is a 2000 album of previously unheard lyrics written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, put to music written and performed by British singer Billy Bragg and American band Wilco. It continues the project originally conceived by Guthrie's daughter, Nora Guthrie which resulted in the release of Mermaid Avenue in 1998. Both volumes were collected in a 2012 box set along with volume three as Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions.
| Mermaid Avenue Vol. II | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Billy Bragg and Wilco | ||||
| Released | 30 May 2000 | |||
| Recorded | Boston, Chicago, and Dublin | |||
| Genre | Folk rock[1] | |||
| Length | 49:47 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Producer | Wilco, Billy Bragg, Grant Showbiz | |||
| Billy Bragg chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Wilco chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Billy Bragg & Wilco chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [3] |
| Chicago Sun-Times | [4] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide | A−[5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[1] |
| The Guardian | [6] |
| Pitchfork | 6.3/10[7] |
| Q | [8] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
| Spin | 7/10[11] |
Track 9 "Blood of the Lamb" is Woody's overhaul of an 1878 gospel music standard "Are You Washed in the Blood?" written by Elisha A. Hoffman.[12]
Man in the Sand, a documentary about the collaboration between Bragg and Wilco, was released in 1999.
Track listing edit
All lyrics are written by Woody Guthrie
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Airline to Heaven" (Words: 1939; Music: 1997) | Jay Bennett/Jeff Tweedy | 4:50 |
| 2. | "My Flying Saucer" (Words: 1950; Music: 1995) | Billy Bragg | 1:45 |
| 3. | "Feed of Man" (Music: 1998) | Tweedy | 4:08 |
| 4. | "Hot Rod Hotel" (Words: 1949; Music: 1996) | Bragg | 3:17 |
| 5. | "I Was Born" (Words: 1950; Music: 1996) | Bragg | 1:50 |
| 6. | "Secret of the Sea" (Words: 1939; Music: 1999) | Bennett/Tweedy | 2:42 |
| 7. | "Stetson Kennedy" (Words: 1950; Music: 1997) | Bragg | 2:39 |
| 8. | "Remember the Mountain Bed" (Words: 1944; Music: 1999) | Tweedy/Bennett | 6:26 |
| 9. | "Blood of the Lamb" (Words: 1955; Music: 1997) | Bennett/Tweedy | 4:16 |
| 10. | "Aginst th' Law" (Words: 1947; Music: 1995) | Bragg | 3:03 |
| 11. | "All You Fascists" (Words: 1942; Music: 1997) | Bragg | 2:43 |
| 12. | "Joe DiMaggio Done It Again" (Words: 1949; Music: 1995) | Bragg | 2:31 |
| 13. | "Meanest Man" (Words: 1945; Music: 1997) | Bragg | 3:46 |
| 14. | "Black Wind Blowing" (Music: 1997) | Bragg | 3:00 |
| 15. | "Someday Some Morning Sometime" (Words: 1948; Music: 2000) | Tweedy | 2:53 |
Personnel edit
- Billy Bragg – vocal, guitar, resonator guitar
- Jay Bennett – guitar, backing vocal, slide guitar, shaker, saw, 12 string guitar, B3 organ, Leslie pedals, Farfisa organ, mandolin, piano, tambourine, electric sitar, soloing, nylon string guitar, banjo, harmonica, drums, upright bass, Delayaphone, bells
- Ken Coomer – drums, tape box, tambourine, percussion, backing vocal, hollering, kick drum, gas heater
- John Stirratt – bass, backing vocal, claps, upright bass, baritone guitar
- Jeff Tweedy – vocal, guitar, clapping, Mellotron, cabasa, 12 string guitar, slide guitar, mandolin, Wurlitzer
Additional musicians
- Mike Henry – backing vocal on "My Flying Saucer"
- Natalie Merchant – guest lead vocal on "I Was Born"
- Leroy Bach – piano on "Remember The Mountain Bed"
- Corey Harris – guest lead vocal and acoustic guitar on "Against Th' Law"
- Eliza Carthy – violin on "Joe DiMaggio Has Done It Again"
Charts edit
See also edit
- Woody Guthrie Foundation
- Mermaid Avenue (1998)
- Man in the Sand (1999)
- Wonder Wheel (2006)
- The Works (2008)
- Woody Guthrie's Happy Joyous Hanukkah (2006)
- New Multitudes (2012)
- Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions (2012)
References edit
- ^ a b Hermes, Will (2 June 2000). "Mermaid Avenue Volume 2". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ "Reviews for Mermaid Avenue Vol. II by Billy Bragg & Wilco". Metacritic. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Mermaid Avenue, Vol. 2 – Billy Bragg / Wilco". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ Wisser, Jeff (4 June 2000). . Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 14 September 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Billy Bragg & Wilco: Mermaid Avenue II". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
- ^ Denselow, Robin (26 May 2000). "Billy Bragg and Wilco: Mermaid Avenue Vol 2 (Warner East West)". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ Kearney, Ryan (30 June 2000). "Billy Bragg / Wilco: Mermaid Avenue, Vol. II". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ "Billy Bragg and Wilco: Mermaid Avenue Vol. II". Q (166): 112. July 2000.
- ^ Kot, Greg (22 June 2000). "Mermaid Avenue, Vol. II". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ Kot, Greg (2004). "Wilco". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 873–74. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Gehr, Richard (July 2000). "Billy Bragg & Wilco: Mermaid Avenue Volume 2". Spin. 16 (7): 159–60. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ "Are You Washed in the Blood? > Lyrics | Elisha A. Hoffman". library.timelesstruths.org. Retrieved 16 August 2022.[title missing]
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Billy Bragg & Wilco – Mermaid Avenue Vol. II". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ "Wilco Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
External links edit
- Nora Guthrie interview 24 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- Mermaid Avenue Vol. II at Metacritic