Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions

Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions is a 2012 box set album featuring the lyrics of American folk musician Woody Guthrie set to music by English folk rock guitarist Billy Bragg and American alternative rock band Wilco. The set contains all the tracks from the previously released Mermaid Avenue (1998) and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II (2000) as well as a third disc of outtakes from the original album sessions.

Nonesuch Records released the album for Record Store Day to commemorate Guthrie's 100th birthday. In addition to the three albums, the box set includes the documentary Man in the Sand about the making of the Mermaid Avenue project.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]
American Songwriter	^[2]
The A.V. Club	A−^[3]
Consequence of Sound	^[4]
Drowned in Sound	(9/10)^[5]
The Phoenix	^[6]
Pitchfork Media	(8.1/10)^[7]
PopMatters	^[8]
Rolling Stone	^[9]
Uncut	(7/10)^[10]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 85, based on 12 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".^[11]

The A.V. Club gave the box set an A−.^[3]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Woody Guthrie. Music by Billy Bragg and Wilco.

Volume 1

"Walt Whitman's Niece" (Bragg) – 3:53
"California Stars" (Tweedy / Bennett) – 4:57
"Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key" (Bragg) – 4:06
"Birds and Ships" ft Natalie Merchant (Tweedy) – 2:13
"Hoodoo Voodoo" (Tweedy / Bennett / Bragg / John Stirratt / Ken Coomer / Harris) – 3:12
"She Came Along to Me" (Bragg / Tweedy / Bennett) – 3:26
"At My Window Sad and Lonely" (Tweedy) – 3:27
"Ingrid Bergman" (Bragg) – 1:50
"Christ for President" (Bragg) – 2:39
"I Guess I Planted" (Bragg) – 3:32
"One by One" (Tweedy) – 3:22
"Eisler on the Go" (Bragg) – 2:56
"Hesitating Beauty" (Tweedy) – 3:04
"Another Man's Done Gone" (Tweedy) – 1:34
"The Unwelcome Guest" (Bragg) – 5:09

Volume 2

"Airline to Heaven" – 4:50
- Words: Woody Guthrie 1939. Music: Jay Bennett and Jeff Tweedy 1997.
"My Flying Saucer" – 1:45
- Words: Guthrie 1950. Music: Billy Bragg 1995.
"Feed of Man" – 4:08
- Words: Guthrie. Music: Tweedy 1998
"Hot Rod Hotel" – 3:17
- Words: Guthrie 1949. Music: Bragg 1996.
"I Was Born" – 1:50
- Words: Guthrie 1950. Music: Bragg 1996.
"Secret of the Sea" – 2:42
- Words: Guthrie 1939. Music: Bennett/Tweedy 1999.
"Stetson Kennedy" – 2:39
- Words: Guthrie 1950. Music: Bragg 1997.
"Remember the Mountain Bed" – 6:26
- Words: Guthrie 1944. Music: Tweedy/Bennett 1999.
"Blood of the Lamb" – 4:16
- Words: Guthrie 1955. Music: Tweedy/Bennett 1999.
"Aginst th' Law" – 3:03
- Words: Guthrie 1947. Music: Bragg 1995.
"All You Fascists" – 2:43
- Words: Guthrie 1942. Music: Bragg 1997.
"Joe DiMaggio Done It Again" – 2:31
- Words: Guthrie 1949. Music: Bragg 1995.
"Meanest Man" – 3:46
- Words: Guthrie 1945. Music: Bragg 1997.
"Black Wind Blowing" – 3:00
- Words: Guthrie. Music: Bragg 1997.
"Someday Some Morning Sometime" – 2:53
- Words: Guthrie 1948. Music: Tweedy 2000.

Volume 3

"Bugeye Jim" – 3:18
"When the Roses Bloom Again" – 4:11
"Gotta Work" – 2:16
"My Thirty Thousand" – 2:40
"Ought to Be Satisfied Now" – 3:34
"Listening to the Wind That Blows" – 5:07
"Go Down to the Water" – 4:36
"Chain of Broken Hearts" – 3:31
"Jailcell Blues" – 2:28
"Don't You Marry" – 3:18
"Give Me a Nail" – 1:42
"The Jolly Banker" – 3:31
"Union Prayer" – 4:12
"Be Kind to the Boy on the Road" – 3:46
"Ain'ta Gonna Grieve" – 4:52
"Tea Bag Blues" – 4:03
"I'm Out to Get" – 3:58

Volume 4

Man in the Sand documentary

Personnel

Billy Bragg – guitar, vocals
Jay Bennett – organ, bouzouki, clavinet, piano, drums, background vocals
Ken Coomer – percussion, drums
Bob Egan – slide guitar
John Stirratt – piano, bass, background vocals
Jeff Tweedy – guitar, harmonica, vocals

Additional musicians

Corey Harris – guitar, lap steel guitar, vocals
Natalie Merchant – vocals
Peter Yanowitz – drums
Eliza Carthy – violin

References

↑ Allmusic link
↑ Beviglia, Jim (2012-04-19). "Billy Bragg & Wilco: Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
1 2 Hyden, Steven (2012-04-17). "Billy Bragg and Wilco: Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions | Music | Music Review | The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
↑ Gerber, Justin (2012-04-27). "Album Review: Billy Bragg & Wilco – Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
↑ Lucas, Dan (2013-04-23). "Billy Bragg & Wilco – Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
↑ Lundy, Zeth (2012-05-01). "Billy Bragg + Wilco: Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions". The Phoenix. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
↑ Deusner, Stephen M. (2012-04-27). "Billy Bragg / Wilco: Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
↑ Franco, Michael (2012-04-27). "Billy Bragg and Wilco: Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions". PopMatters. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
↑ Hermes, Will (2012-04-24). "Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
↑ McKay, Alistair (2012). "Billy Bragg & Wilco – Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions". Uncut. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
↑ "Critic Reviews for Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions". Metacritic. Retrieved on 2012-09-20.

External links

Billy Bragg

Studio albums	Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy Brewing Up with Billy Bragg Talking with the Taxman About Poetry Workers Playtime The Internationale Don't Try This at Home William Bloke Mermaid Avenue (with Wilco) Mermaid Avenue Vol. II (with Wilco) England, Half-English Mr Love & Justice Mermaid Avenue Vol. III (with Wilco) Tooth & Nail

Compilations, and boxsets	Back to Basics The Peel Sessions Album Victim of Geography Life's a Riot Between the Wars Bloke on Bloke Reaching to the Converted Must I Paint You a Picture? The Essential Billy Bragg Volume 1 Volume 2 Fight Songs Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions (with Wilco)

Singles and EPs	"Between the Wars EP" "Days Like These" "Levi Stubbs' Tears" "Greetings to the New Brunette" "She's Leaving Home" "Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards" "She's Got a New Spell" "Won't Talk About It" "Sexuality" "You Woke Up My Neighbourhood" "Accident Waiting to Happen EP" "Upfield" "The Boy Done Good" / "Sugardaddy" "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key" (with Wilco) "She Came Along to Me EP" (with Wilco) "England Half English" / "St Monday" (with The Blokes) "Take Down the Union Jack" (with The Blokes) "We Laughed" (Rosetta Life feat. Billy Bragg) "I Keep Faith" "The Beach Is Free" / "I Almost Killed You" "Never Buy The Sun"

Live albums	"Help Save the Youth of America" "No Pop, No Style, Strictly Roots" "Mermaid Avenue Tour" "Going to a Party Way Down South" "Live at the Barbican"

Related articles	Wilco Discography Red Wedge "A New England"

Wilco

Nels Cline Mikael Jorgensen Glenn Kotche Pat Sansone John Stirratt Jeff Tweedy Leroy Bach Jay Bennett Ken Coomer Bob Egan Brian Henneman Max Johnston Jim O'Rourke

Studio albums	A.M. Being There Summerteeth Yankee Hotel Foxtrot A Ghost Is Born Sky Blue Sky Wilco (The Album) The Whole Love Star Wars

Live albums	Kicking Television: Live in Chicago

Mermaid Avenue	Mermaid Avenue Mermaid Avenue Vol. II Mermaid Avenue Vol. III Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions

EPs	More Like the Moon

Singles	"Box Full of Letters" "Outtasite (Outta Mind)" "Can't Stand It" "A Shot in the Arm" "War on War"

DVDs	Man in the Sand I Am Trying to Break Your Heart Wilco Live: Ashes of American Flags

Related articles	Discography Billy Bragg Down with Wilco At the Organ Golden Smog Jeff Tweedy discography Loose Fur Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest Uncle Tupelo The Wilco Book Wilco: Learning How to Die Record Club

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