Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
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Free Music Notes for Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
Free Music Review: Woody Would Be Proud!
Hit: 5 Stars
For those of you who had doubts as to whether Billy and Wilco could match the greatness of "Mermaid Avenue 1," you can put those doubts aside. Wilco puts in a series of stellar performances, from the Dylan-tinged opener "Airline to Heaven" to the Petty-ish "Secret of the Sea," to "Blood of the Lamb" which could have been penned and produced by Tom Waits. Billy Bragg, likewise, contributes consistently top-notch performances throughout the album, the highlights being "Black Wind Blowing" (which echoes "Eisler on the Go" from "Mermaid Avenue 1"), the train chugging "My Flying Saucer" and "Stetson Kennedy." Sure, Bragg favors the political and Wilco focuses on the romantic, but that should be no surprise to fans of either or both. In fact, that's the beauty of this album: There's a balance of ideas and sentiments, but an avoidance of didacticism and sentimentality. And it's all cemented together with loose, folky, rocking grooves. If you liked the first collection, you'll like this. If you're unfamiliar with "Mermaid Avenue," go buy it after you buy this one. You won't be disappointed.Free Music Review: 5 stars for remeber the mountain bed
Hit: 5 Stars
Im writing this because i beleive one song REMEBER THE MOUNTAIN BED is one,if not the most meaningful,sublime, peices of poetry,prose,songwiting i have ever heard..this song has sat with me since i first heard it..actually i only have to think of it and im moved...the depth of understanding of the human condition,love, lose,the earth,the elements, love,humanity,the insights into the purpose of lifeand mandkind, etc etc is so utterly compeling and mind numbing.the greatest love song ever written .i get obssessed about this song, i find myself disolving into another place, void of all thats around me.....how did woody guthrie find himself of such composure,empathy and understanding to reach inside of himself and outside of himself to write one of the most perfect peices of art...and then there is WILCO and JEFF TWEEDY...honoring these words so beautifully..jeff tweedys vocals and the bands sympathetic arrangment make this one of music,c highest benchmarks..as great as anything..by anyone..at anytime..ever recorded
oh the other WILCO stuff here is also fantastic..i havent really sat thru the billy bragg..but i will....buy this for REMEMBER THE MOUNTAIN BED alone..wow id love to know what you think
Free Music Review: Wilco's done it AGAIN!
Hit: 5 Stars
Wow. This band is on an amazing winning streak. Mermaid Avenue is Wilco's fourth outstanding album in a row. While none of its songs rises to the level of the best songs on Vol. 1, Vol. 2 works much better as a whole than its predecessor. With Bragg picking mostly heavy-handed political songs and Wilco sticking to love songs and other assorted nonsense., Vol. 1 sounded more like a really good mix of two albums. On volume 2, there's a much more equitable division of the wealth, but Wilco still shines brighter than Bragg, singing the best tracks: "Someday Some Morning Somewhere," "Remember the Mountain Bed," and the stunning opener, "Airline to Heaven." Bragg, however, sounds a lot better than he did on vol. 1, where he tended to get too precious, too heavy-handed...too Billy Bragg. He's loosened up in a big way on vol. 2, his songs ranging from the bouncing "My Flying Saucer," to the dark "Hot Rod Hotel," to the hard-rocking "All You Fascists."My expectations for the next proper Wilco album were already pretty high, but after this outstanding album, I can't even imagine what they've got in store.
Free Music Review: I stumbled upon a gem...
Hit: 5 Stars
I was born and bred on rock and roll, but lately I've been more interested in jazz, world music and classical. I'm not really enthusiastic about folk music, but I listen to it from time to time. When I pulled this album from the bin at the library, it was because I had heard some Billy Bragg before and thought it was interesting. I knew nothing of Jeff Tweedy and Wilco. This disk blew me away- ecclectic, original, different yet familiar, I think every track is a winner, even though I like some better than others. Certainly if you are sick of listening to the same old stuff, this is a great mixture of rock, blues, bluegrass, folk, and musical styles that should just be filed under "other." I enjoyed this sequqal much more than the first "Mermaid Avenue" disk- but judging from the other reviews this is an issue of personal taste. Then again, isn't music like that to begin with? I appreciate Woody Guthrie a whole lot more now, and I think it's tremendous what modern independant musicians have done with material from a previous generation. Definately check this disk out- I think it belongs in any serious music lover's collection.Free Music Review: a posthumous release you'll be proud to own
Hit: 5 Stars
Posthumous releases usually reek of shoody workmanship, but this inter-generational collaboration between Woody's words and Billy Bragg & Wilco's music is one-of-a-kind.Perhaps the greatest aspect of this album are the featured singers. Billy Bragg has made good with his connections. Wilco, one-half of the estranged Uncle Tupelo (the band that single-handedly jump-started the roots rock movement) makes for an exceptional back-up band, and Jeff Tweedy pushes some of the better songs, such as "Secrets of the Sea."
Corey Harris, emerging as the new king of the Delta blues, takes it home with "Against the Law". Natalie Merchant adds a song Woody probably sang for his kids, sweet and simple.
The gorgeous thing about this album (and Vol. I) is its beautiful simplicity. The best songs are stripped down. Bragg isn't afraid to use a banjo, mandolin, or anything else deemed "outdated" by modern music. It's classic without being pretentious. When Bragg wails "All you facists are bound to lose," it might as well be Woody singing it.