Mermaid Avenue

Not for me, I'd have preferred to hear Woody Guthrie's versions, but interesting enough I guess. The catchiest song is probably Ingrid Bergman (the prototype for that Barbara Streisand song), but the one I liked best was probably Christ for president.

I'm sure there's much more to this than I was getting but just couldn't enjoy it

A little too country for me, especially in the vocals department. It's fun and lighthearted though. The track with Natalie Merchant singing is gorgeous.

I like Billy Bragg. I like Wilco. I love Woody Guthries lyrics.

And yet, this album does not feel like it's the sum of its parts. It's a good album, don't get me wrong, but I do think the album start dragging a bit after the first couple of songs.

Parempi kuin edellinen. Sanat ilmeisesti hyviä kun useampi harkinnut kyseisen levyn tekemistä, mutta enpä paljon tällä kertaa niistä kuullut. 3/5

It's mostly low-key and nice and inoffensive. It doesn't get me going.

Me he aburrido bastante, me gustan Wilco y Billy Bragg así que no sé que ha podido salir mal. Aunque no es malo y se queda en 2 estrellas y por supuesto no es imprescindible más allá de unir a estos músicos.

This was a nice surprise.! I'm familiar with both artists separately but had no idea they had collaborated before. I definitely preferred the first half of the album and found it tailed off a bit towards the end, bit then the last song was quite good. Overall an enjoyable album, I might check out the others in the series.

Wilco is always good, some of the collaborations work well, some not as much. Not my favorite Wilco endeavor but still very good.

Teriffic melding of styles between Billy Braggs and Wilco. In a few songs it felt like putting the words to music seemed almost forced and unpolished, but overall a fantastic album, and a great memorial to the words of Woody Guthrie

Favourite songs: Christ for President, Birds and Ships (Natalie Merchant's voice on this track is beautiful), Hesitating Beauty, The Unwelcome Guest, Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key

Least Favourite Songs: Hoodoo Voodoo, Walt Whitman's Neice, Eisler on the Go, Ingrid Bergman

4/5

nice wilco

Woody Guthrie connection is interesting, but this album didn't capture me (on the day I listened). Maybe one for when I'm in a more mellow mood. 2.5

Great album. Really enjoy the concept and the execution is a lot of fun. 5/5

one of my favorite albums of all time - one by one close to a perfect song

California Stars!

Lyrics by Woodie Guthrie, music by Billy Bragg, with Wilco as the backing band. What a wacky idea. Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key has a familiar melody and is a great song. Birds And Ships is great. The compression on Hoodoo Voodoo basically sucks the life right out of it. She Came Along To Me has a knock at the facists. Thanks for that Woodie, kind of crazy how of all the things coming back into fashion, thats one of them. Eisler On The Go, Hesitating Beauty. Lots of great songs on this record.

Billy Bragg was definitely the right choice for this project. And Wilco is an interesting backing band for him. Billy Bragg's voice has the right amount of weight and range to capture the spirit of Woody Guthrie, especially on Way Over Yonder with Natalie Merchant backing him. Wilco manage to make the songs their own, especially California Stars. I think I'd prefer a 2 disc affair with all the Billy Bragg led tracks on a disc and all the Wilco led tracks on another. Overall I think I lean towards preferring the Billy Bragg tracks. An interesting experimental cocktail but one I wouldn't come back to repeatedly (and I should know cause I own this one on CD).