Zack: I have absolutely no experience with the music
of either Billy Bragg or Woody Guthrie (whose lyrics are being sung here). But
I’ve now listened to enough Wilco that people just assume I’m middle age due to
my exposure to Dad rock. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, as has been documented here, was
an eye-opening album for me on what I had been missing. Since then, I’ve moved
through several more of their albums and enjoyed them (although certainly
nothing has compared to the brilliance of I Am Trying to Break Your Heart).
Anyway, Jeff Tweedy’s presence here was enough of a sell for me to move all in
on this album before I even pressed play. I rated my excitement at a 9 out of
10, which is pretty damn good for any album that I haven’t seen ranked on a
“Top 10 Albums That Will Make You Weep Openly and Without Shame” list. Mermaid
Avenue definitely lived up to that hype too. It had the folksy appeal that
Wikipedia tells me I should cherish from Guthrie, but there was more complexity
to the actual music to match the insightfulness of the lyrics. Because of the
nature of this album, I don’t really know who to attribute my enjoyment of it
too, so I’ll just say a hearty thank you to all parties involved that brought
Mermaid Avenue Volume 1 (and the subsequent Volume 2 which I plan on listening to
post-haste) into existence.
Favorite Tracks: California Stars; At My Window Sad and
Lonely; Eisler on the Go
Emily: What I loved about this album was just how it came together. You see, Woody Guthrie left behind more than 1000 unrecorded songs upon his death, and Guthrie's daughter approached Billy Bragg to see if he was interested in recording some of them. The catch is, however, that Guthrie didn't write any music for the songs, just lyrics with very limited musical notation. It was essentially a giant catalog of poems, but instead of publishing them in a posthumous anthology, Guthrie's daughter thought it would be best to carry out the music in her late father's folk tradition. Bragg, recruiting Wilco along the way, was tasked with turning unfinished folk poems into folk songs, all while keeping the spirit of Woody Guthrie alive in the recordings. It was a tall order indeed, and it was accomplished beautifully in Mermaid Avenue. Without this background knowledge, it would be impossible to tell that the music and lyrics of these songs were separately developed decades apart by men who probably never even met each other. I think Guthrie would be pleased with how Bragg and Wilco melded their own musical senses and spirits with the spirit of his lyrics. Each song takes the emotional tone of the lyrics and reflects it in the music, as if the two were always meant to be together.
Favorite Tracks: California Stars; Hoodoo Voodoo; Birds and Ships
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