Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
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Free Music Notes for Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
Free Music Review: Even better than Volume 1
Hit: 5 Stars
If like me you bought Mermaid Avenue Volume 1 and liked it, but wondered if there was enough to go around for second CD - don't worry, there is. Of course there is enough Guthrie to go around for at least a second album. Now that I have been enjoying this one I wonder how I could have ever doubted.Free Music Review: You know what you're getting into
Hit: 4 Stars
Really, this CD calls for only the shortest of reviews: if you liked Mermaid Avenue 1, you'll like this one as well, albeit maybe not quite as much. The overall vibe is the same, although some of the songs feature weirdly treated vocals (Wilco's new love of studio gloss showing through?) and, in general, the songs don't melt together quite as well as on the first one. A couple of the songs probably have cooler titles than they should... when I saw "Joe Dimaggio Done it Again," I was expecting something like "Christ for President" on the first one, and, well, it's not (although it's still good). The same with "Stetson Kennedy." On the other hand, "All You Fascists" is every bit as cool as you expect it to be.For people coming to this from the Wilco camp, it's a little strange hearing songs that sound a little bit more like Being There (or, duh, Mermaid Avenue 1) than Summerteeth. You don't get too many mega-layered pop pieces on this one, so brand-new Wilco converts beware (of course, the same shock is waiting for you the second you buy anything else in Wilco's back catalog). I'm not much of a Braggologist, so I don't know if this is a sound departure for him, but, well, his stuff sounds a lot like it did on MA1.
All of this is a little bit beside the point. Is it a good CD? Yes, but not quite on the level of its august predacessor (this is the pick of the leftovers from those sessions, after all). I don't know Billy Bragg's back catalog too well, but this disc overall falls into the middle of Wilco's work...
Free Music Review: worthy, if slightly inferior, follow-up
Hit: 4 Stars
Volume II moves a little further away from the spirit of Woody Guthrie's music, but is still a damn fine follow-up to 1998's "Mermaid Avenue." Considering that these are basically out-takes from that album, Vol. II works surprisingly well and is only a little less successful. There's nothing here as jaw-droppingly gorgeous as "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key," "Eisler on the Go," or "The Unwelcome Guest," or as neat as "California Stars" from the first one, but it's a consistent effort. Some songs seem to have drifted a bit too far from the way Woody Guthrie would have even dreamed of performing them (Bragg's "Meanest Man" just made me think of Guthrie's sensational "Mean Talking Blues" and suffers from the comparison) but it's still good music. If this helps anyone get more interested in Bragg, Wilco or, more importantly, Guthrie's great music, all the better. (Anyone looking to sample Guthrie's music for the first time should try The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1 and Vol. 3, on Smithsonian Folkways).Free Music Review: Woody's great, but Bragg and Wilco need to get it together.
Hit: 4 Stars
In "Blood of the Lamb" Woody writes: "Have you learnt to love your neighbors? Of all colors, creeds and kinds? Are you washed in the blood of the lamb? I've learnt to love my peoples of all colors, creeds and kinds. I'm all washed in the blood of that lamb."Apparently, Bragg and Wilco can't say the same even though they sing the lyrics. The hard feelings they developed during the cut of the first alblum can be heard on this alblum. Most of these songs are the out-takes from the first session that they fought over including on the first alblum. This taints and limits the CD in my mind.
On Woody's deathbed (just before succumbing to Huntington's Disease) he was asked what religion he was. Guthrie replied "all." When told he couldn't answer that way, Woody said "all or none." Bragg and Wilco would do well to practice the message that Woody wrote and sang about all his life.
Free Music Review: Interesting concept
Hit: 4 Stars
When I first heard the concept behind this album, I became very intrigued--writing new, original music to old Woody Guthrie lyrics. Upon the first listen of this album, I was pulled in by the very first track, "Airline to Heaven" However, as I got deeper into the album, the more amazed I became. There are so many different themes and genres of music. "Remember the Mountain Bed" is THE romantic anthem...the lyrics are beautiful, yet unimaginably melancholy. This album is well worth the money if you are into folk-rock and so much more.