Mermaid Avenue

OK, so this is the Billy Bragg album with Wilco. It's been so long since I've listened to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, so I can't really remember what it sounded like, but I don't remember it sounding like this.

That said, this is a really good slice of alt-country. Interesting that all the lyrics are Woody Guthrie written. Love the bounce of Christ for President.

Might not be something I'd go back to. Really good, but not really for me I don't think. We'll see if I ever do revisit it in the future though.

pior que eh bem forte
acho que wilco ajudou nesse aqui, mas o billy bragg tbm eh bom de serviço. ótimas canções, apesar de terem umas 3 bem chatas no meio. ainda eh bem bacana e vale a pena ouvir!!!!

Eh, I really don't like country sounds. Interesting project with the lyrics being old and writing these later, but still didn't land with me.

So great but oddly not as spectacular as I remembered. Still 5.

A bit of country, a bit of pop rock, a bit of other stuff I don't remember. I had too little sleep. But I remember it was quite mid, but not bad. So 3 stars it is.

I want to like WILCO more than I do. They are raw and simple musically while still being good. They are honest but almost overly so and feels sometimes like it's ironic. 3.

I can't help but feel like this is on the list to make sure Woody Guthrie was included somewhere. I do think it's a shame his "Dust Bowl Ballads" isn't placed here. He is, without a doubt, one of the most important folk songwriters, whose body of work would influence the political folk singer-songwriters of the sixties. His lyrics are what stand out on this album—the music itself is fine, but nothing to write home about. As a preservation of lyrics that would have otherwise been forgotten in his archives, it's a worthwhile venture, and I don't regret hearing it. As a work of art, I wasn't particularly impressed.

Pretty alright, but Way Over Yonder is enough to pull it up to a 4 for me. Love that song.

more about concept than music. I mean there's an awkward, cover-band feel here but the listener provides grace because of the nature of the endeavor: putting Woody's lyrics to music.

This album warms the lover’s glass like a friendly wine. One of the easiest fives in the whole list.

I was really hopeful after California Stars, but it kinda gets a little flat towards the end. Was a 4 for the most part, but overall it's a 3 for me.

Billy is blijkbaar ongelooflijk based, als we zijn wikipedia pagina mogen geloven.

Los daarvan: Deze plaat is interessant maar helaas niet heel boeiend. Liedjes uit de jaren 40 en 50, in een moderne jas gestoken door Billy en Wilco. Luisterbaar is het zeker, maar het is weinig spannend.

This is a great record. I think Bragg's political sensibility made him a good match for Guthrie, and while most of these songs aren't political, still, it feels right. And though I don't really know Wilco much though I appreciate them, I like Billy Bragg, with his political British punk/folk work.

Of course I'm sure part of what I'm enjoying about it this morning is nostalgia for listening to it all the time when it first came out. I was listening to less noisy music in the late 90s, lots of British and Scandinavian folk and world music kind of stuff. And "California Stars" is still one of my favorite songs; it makes me cry for some reason.

4/5

In my book, Billy Bragg is AOK, Wilco is great, and Woody Guthrie, whose lyrics are covered here? Love him. But here is the thing, all of these artists are known for their lovingly lo-fi approach to songwriting. This just sounded like bad pub rock, except for Way Over Wonder in the Minor Key (thanks to Natalie Merchant for backing vocals). I find it interesting that Dylan tried to get these lyrics in the 50s but the relevant people were “not at home” when he visited. He later commented on Mermaid Avenue “These performers probably weren't even born when I had made that trip to Brooklyn." Disappointed much? Well I sure was.

An interesting concept to the album, well executed. Would I listen again? Probably not but I can see why it's on the list.

Favorite track(s): California Stars, Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key, Christ for President

Well this kicked ass. Billy Bragg’s voice has gotten a lot better with age I guess. I listened to one of his early solo albums for this list and I couldn’t stand him but I liked him on here. I’m also a Wilco fan so the Tweedy sung songs I very much enjoyed. Usually I save my fives for absolutely perfect albums but this one is close enough so a five it is.

Me hearing every Wilco song: 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘
Me hearing every Billy Bragg song: 😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠

So basically not that good.

It was Ok, but forgettable.

Eh. I enjoy Wilco but this just wasn’t my cup of tea.