Reviews (page 4 of 8)
This is fine, not really my cup of tea, but there are some nice moments. A few songs really bothered me ("Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key" was distressing in its repitition), but overall pleasant enough. I'm not much for lyrics, which are clearly the star of the show here, so without much in the way of musical interest, it's hard for me to get excited about this. Sonically speaking, pretty monotonous.
Eu gostei bastante, apesar de não fazer meu estilo, eu amei.
I like Wilco, but this collaboration falls on the weaker side for me. Trying to create music in another artist's style seems to have dampened the creativity Wilco and Bragg somewhat. It's not a terrible album, but it could have been a lot more. Favorite track: "California Stars"
Well, this is nice enough (I do like some of Billy Bragg's albums), but really I don't see this as being especially influential as it's mostly about resurrecting Woody Guthrie's unused lyrics. Good Lord, Qobuz cued up the full 47 track boxed set! That's too much for me.
I’ve tried liking Wilco for a while now, but aside from a few tracks here and there, they’ve always felt a bit too “hipster.” I found this album a lot more relatable for some reason. Is it Billy Bragg? Woody Guthrie’s lyrics? Or am I getting more hipster in my old age?
Wow! Top grade for taking Guthrie’s lyrics and creating a sound that is both his and accessible. The union/political songs are really good!
This is pretty good. Much of it is country without the affectation of a drawl. Feels more heartfelt and a lot less formulaic. 3.5* rounding up.
I thought this was nice enough in places but I got pretty bored too, a lot of nice lines clearly as the whole album is based on Guthries lyrics but rockabilly isn’t really my thing and I lost interest a lot can’t say I agree this should make the 1001 albums personally…
A cool story behind how this album came to pass, but when you start to get into the music it’s clear that it’s a pretty nothing album, and that’s all I really have to say on it
Like woodie guthrie, didn't like this, sorry billy.
This record is a strong Alt Country showing. Folks who are into that style of music will probably connect to it much more than I did, and I wouldn't argue with a four or even five-star ratings for those who are into this genre. It has some excellent moments, but I don't plan to listen to it again. Three stars.
This was a pleasurable album to listen to not because it was revolutionary, but just solid songs, great production, and emotional fluctuations that keep the listener active. It was Americana at its best. One of the things I appreciated about it was the variation, including songs by Wilco and throwing a little Natalie Merchant in there as well. I could definitely come back to Mermaid Avenue. It’s a perfect chill kind of day.
* "And maybe we'll have all of the fascists out of the way by then" - I'm so sorry Woody. We're still working on it. * California Stars is one of the best songs and is one I've seen Wilco perform many times. Just an excellent song that is well done. * This was one of the first Wilco albums that I heard. However, it's not really a Wilco album even though they regularly play a few of the songs. * I dig these pick up old songs from famous songwriters (like the New Basement Tapes). These songwriters (woody and Dylan) left so much good stuff on the cutting floor. *This is pure Americana even if Billy Bragg is British.
Woody Guthrie's vision came to life by the right people. California Stars is a classic by now,a favourite of mine, Way over Yonder In The Minor Key is one of my favourites as well,very beautiful, Stellar performance of Natalie Merchand i think in Birds And Ships, Hoodoo Voodoo is absolutely fantastic, She Came Along To Me,another great song,thank god for Wilco(again), At My Window Sad And Lonely,the lyrics shine here so bright,divine badjo arp strokes,fantastic, Ingrid Bergman,a starstruck little love song, I Guess I Planted,another song i really enjoyed, One By One,fading in with me longing,i knew from the start this one will be on repeat,my top favourite song,i never wanted it t end, Eisler On The Go is like a very beautiful poem,delivered with sensitivity, Another Man's Done Gone is a short piano ballad,a very emotional piece. I will give it a 4/5 cause this project was definately a challenge and it gave justice to Woody Guthrie's vision.That was way more interesting than i thought!
Favorites: Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key. Birds and Ships Ingrid Bergman I Guess I Planted One By One The Unwelcome Guest
i dunno man. Sometimes I get tired. Im open minded but this tested me. Im not a wilco fan I like some of Billy's stuff but i didnt enjoy this one bit.
The only time my ears perked up was for Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key. Otherwise this just washed over me.
4.75
A little long - but some good folk tunes throughout
I fell asleep.
One of the leads sounds OK, the other sounds like the times at a concert during the 2nd encore when the drummer takes a verse and everyone is amazed. Doesn't work well for a lead singer. That said, I enjoyed the upbeat songs. 3.4.
AMAZING. I need to listen to the next two. Personal enjoyment: 5/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5
Americana folk, nothing else really to say.
I was wildly surprised by Bragg's "Talking with the Taxman About Poetry", an album from this list that's really stuck with me. This one didn't do it for me. What I’ve heard from Wilco has never done it for me, just a personal preference thing. What carries this album is its charm, like the line about maybe having all the fascists gone in the future in “She Came Along To Me”, or the whole idea of the song “Christ For President”. Still, I don’t feel impacted by much of what I hear, specifically sonically and compositionally. Strong 2/5
Really great musicality, singing, song choice& magnificent performances. California Stars is amazing — you can hear Woodie singing the lyrics as he wrote them. A four that might become a 5 after another play or two. A 4 (for now). Edit: ok, I listened again. Now it’s a 5.
Ok I had no idea Billy Bragg and Wilco did a Woody Guthrie album? And my main takeaway from it is that Bragg and Merchant > Wilco. Bragg makes perfect sense for the album but Wilco just doesn't fit here, they make the songs they sing on sound goofy. Maybe this album deserves even a 3/5 but something about Wilco pisses me off so, lower rating 2/5
I like the concept behind this album to celebrate a great like Woody Guthrie. Haven’t checked the list but this is perhaps the only way to get Woody on the list and who can’t argue that he should be on a list? The same can be said to a lesser extent about Billy Bragg (who does have an another album on the list) and Wilco. Unfortunately that’s as far as I can go in praising this album. The style and substance of it does not resonate with me at all. Billy and Wilco seem to be having a fab time singing these songs so good luck to them and all who like this type of music but it’s not for me. 2/5 12/10/25
Dragged a bit by the end, but a couple of good tracks near the start
Enjoyed this a lot! Really liked the collab with Wilco, and the general concept of the album. Better than Braggs previous album on the list. Probably because he’s not chatting any of that commie shit. Simpsons: No
Drifted in and out of sleep whilst listening to this, but it was very nice.
Billy Bragg and Woody Guthrie? Yes please! This album is definitely going to grow on me but I’m already loving it.
Such a great idea for an album. I remember the pairing of Bragg and Wilco seeming odd, but it really works. Both are excellent songwriters.
Jeg er veldig glad i Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, men dette gidder jeg ikke. Etter å ha trykket skip på 11/15 låter er jeg fortsatt litt glad i Wilco (Jeff sang på alle jeg endte opp med å høre) men ikke noe glad i Billy Bragg.
På et tidspunkt på videregående satt jeg på denne plata og stoppa ved "California Stars". Den har jeg til gjengjeld hørt veldig mye på, og hatt med i utallige lister. Jeg er fortsatt svak for den, og syns det er en av de beste forsøkene på å bringe Woody Guthrie inn i vår tid. Bragg og Wilco gjør generelt en god jobb med å være tro mot Guthrie samtidig som de tilfører noe nytt. Jeg tenkte et øyeblikk at "Hoodoo Voodoo" skrenset litt langt unna, men så kom jeg på at "Car Song" eksisterer. Det er ikke en plate som finner opp kruttet på nytt. Men de pakker sammen noen fine fyrverkeri av gammelt krutt. Det er Billy Bragg & Wilco som låner stemmen til Woody Guthrie. Plata kunne godt fått 5, og det som holder det unna toppen er kanskje bare at jeg også må holde den opp mot andre plater i katalogen til Bragg og Wilco. En sidenote som jeg husker fra Bob Dylans memoarer er at han beskrev at han snakket med Guthrie om en eske med en haug av upubliserte låter som han ville Dylan skulle ha. Han dro for å snakke med kona hans, men hun var ikke hjemme, så han dro hjem. Det hadde selvfølgelig vært interessant å høre hva Dylan hadde gjort med disse tekstene, men jeg tenker han også hadde rotet bort mye av det. Så jeg er glad for at Billy Bragg og Wilco fikk gi låtene liv.
Fint!
это то как я шентиз представляю) но вообще довольно эклектично и не поняла кто их них Билли а кто Вилко, когда женщины поют
It's more folk than country, but the country influences are too strong for me. No thanks
I very much enjoyed it. Great songwriter with some awesome musical collaborations. Superbly produced.
It was alright I guess
Really enjoyed this. Great mix of tunes and vocals. Always a joy to hear Natalie Merchant’s voice
This is the sort of thing I love discovering through this project. An album I don’t suppose I’d have ever listened to otherwise which would have been a real shame as I really liked a lot of it. Think Wilco probably edged it for me but I liked the alternative, different styles between them and Billy. California Stars is a great track.
An odd mix of folk, country and rock. Have to admit to liking some of it whilst most of it was passable. Better than I expected.
What a strange concept for an album. Give a bunch of unrecorded song lyrics of a revered folk singer to professional whingebag Billy Bragg and dullsters Wilco to write some songs with. What do you get, hey presto, you get a middle of the road Country tinged Billy Bragg and Wilco album. The only song I liked was the Ingrid Bergman one, and that’s probably because it was delivered in a Woodie Guthrie style. Which I think is telling in itself. Do we think Woodie Guthrie fans are listening to this album thinking, wow, this is what he’d sound like if he were recording now. I very much doubt it. What a weird idea, they’d have been better off giving the lyrics to some older folk artists to honour his style.
What a cool project! Guthrie was a legend and I love seeing his work brought to life in a more modern way, while still preserving the spirit of his music. I like the Bragg tracks much more than the Wilco tracks, but it's all good nonetheless.
The Wilco songs are great. Wasn’t as much of a fan of the Billy Bragg stuff.
I find this album fascinating after learning of it's creation. It's honestly a very interesting collaboration between Billy Bragg, Wilco and Woody Guthrie. I don't find all of the songs engaging, but I like the concept of tying contemporary (at the time) music to old lyrics and ideas. Best Songs: California Stars, I Guess I Planted, Another Man's Done Gone Worst Songs: Hoodoo Voodoo
I’ve listened to this album a million times, and when it came up this morning I got a smile on my face because I was about to listen to it again. Mermaid Avenue volumes one and two may have been when alt-country peaked. Maybe not the best alt-country albums of all time (I already claimed that for Car Wheels on a Gravel Road), but the moment when the genre jumped the shark by doing something so crazy and mind-blowing that it could never be topped. I’m almost loathe to review this album because some things are magic because every part of them is magic and I don’t want to poke at something and make it not work any more. Billy Bragg, Wilco (before Jay Bennett died, so real Wilco), Natalie Merchant, Woody Guthrie. All parts that were great in their own ways and to their own extents, but they came together and for no reason that I can put my finger on created something incredible. This is one of those “important” albums. Not to the history of music, maybe, but to me and in my life. A tentpole album for me. The Mermaid Avenue albums are two of the ingredients that make me who I am. Not big ingredients like my parents or where I’m from or the people who I’ve spent my life with, but ingredients nonetheless. And I’m glad of that. Steal from the rich, elect Jesus president, sing beautifully, be kind to animals, join a union, marry your true love, kill fascists. These are words to live by.
an album full of woody guthrie lyrics performed with alt-country stalwarts wilco… what’s not to like?
Not a fan of Wilco, but boy do I like Tweedy’s non-Wilco stuff.
Not in the mood for this one
Country music automatic no stars.
Nice but never set my world on fire
What a bitter suprise this album was. I have heard 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' before, and I hope I'm not remembering it wrong, but it sounds way different than this album. From what I can recall, the country aspects of that album weren't even that palpable, and I thought this record was going to be similar. It seems I stand corrected, because this project bleeds from country influence. First of all, I found Billy Braggs singing to be incredibly tedious. Nine out of ten times I dislike country twangs, and Billy Braggs' is no exception. Thankfully, half of the songs are sang by him and the other by the singer of Wilco, which I found to be a lot more pleasent, even though his voice sounds very aphonic in the song 'Hoodoo Voodoo' to the point of even feeling painful to the listener. When it comes to the instrumentation, I have to said that this is what I liked about the album the most as it is what adds the variety it needed to not be just plain country. I also want to mention that I appreciated the political driven lyrics in the songs 'She Came Along to Me', 'I Guess I Planted' and 'The Unwelcome Guest', even though I didn't like at all their musicality. I guess I'll give 3 stars thanks to the instrumenation, which carried the whole album, but it is very close to be 2 stars.
Jeg var virkelig glad for både det sidste Billy Bragg og det sidste Wilco album vi havde, men synes umiddelbart de er bedre hver for sig. Lyder stadig godt!
Overrasket over lidt gimmicky det var. Konceptet lyder gimmicky, men pladen lyder bare som lækker indie country.
This sounded great - their voices and styles are really good together.
Completely missed the existence of this album. Much better than expected.
Umrijet ću od dosade. 1/5, 1/10
A couple of good songs but nothing to write home about. Most of them, although not bad, are forgettable. Overall, this album sounds pretty pleasant. I enjoyed it but can’t say much more. 7/10
Over this scene
Wilco is cool and this is an interesting concept for an album. What's not to love?
love it, always forever
3.5
Better than I thought it would be
I think this could have gone up to 4 if it had been a little bit tighter. Felt it dragged a bit.
the vibes are giving 3 not really any good song but no real bad song either
Flops between terrible and mid. This is the straw that broke the camel's back for me on folk. Favourite Song: Hoodoo Voodoo
its not bad but i just found it so difficult to get through. could just be not what im wanting to hear rn, might have to come back and give it another chance
It's an interesting concept. I like the idea of having two very different musical points of view crafting vehicles for the lyrics. But I don't get any cohesion from the final product.The first two songs are each great. There are other moments, but they're too few and scattered too widely among a collection of forgettable tracks. No knock on either Billy or Jeff; writing 7-8 good songs from someone else's lyrics is a helluva challenge. By Unwelcome Guest I was pretty eager to move on with my day.
mellow
A strange selection. This is ostensibly a collaboration between Billy Bragg and Wilco, but it doesn't much sound like one. Rather, it is a bunch of Billy Bragg tunes and a bunch of Wilco tunes jammed together onto a single record, giving it a disconnected and weirdly uneven feel. The songs themselves are fine - sometimes quite strong as with Wilco's "California Stars" and Bragg's "Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key." But, on the whole, it amounts to a mediocre Wilco album randomly mashed with a mediocre Bragg album - each of these two artists has produced much better work. I imagine part of the appeal is the fact that these songs were built around discarded ideas from Woody Guthrie's archive. This makes it a bit more interesting, but one can't help wondering if the constraints of this format are part of the problem with the album.
5/10
I listened to this album probably four or five times. At first, I didn't get it. The second time I moved more into the musical space and liked it a lot more, but I still didn't really get it. Listening to it as an isolated set of streaming files stripped the work of all its context. OK, I'm vaguely aware of Billy Bragg and applaud his political stances. Many of the tunes here recalled Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, the Carter Family and others. They sounded then, at least as far as I knew of Billy Bragg, that they were likely written by him. BUT I didn't learn they were all previously unrecorded Woody Guthrie lyrics reimagined by the musical contributors because any indication of the music that Woody intended for them had been lost--until I found a PHYSICAL CD copy. The actual recording object, not just the files containing the sound information, is crucial for a fuller appreciation of the context of this artistic work. Context matters. If folks answering this challenge just go to their streaming service to listen to this and other recordings, they are not going to get the full picture.
Refreshingly original. Pretty good, dragged out a bit but overall ok
Smooth chill album. Started off with the fun Walt Whitman's Niece. California Stars and Way Over In The Minor Key were nice and chill. Hoodoo Voodoo was pretty fun. Great harmonica playing in She Came Along To Me. Christ For President was funny. Some more chill songs with One By One and Eisler On The Go. Hesitating Beauty was solid. And a nice chill ending with The Unwelcome Guest. A couple misses, but otherwise solid. Best song: Walt Whitman's Niece
There’s some nice songs.
Jag tror att det här är vad Gandalf lyssnade på när han var påväg till Fylke. Tror man behöver en flaska moonshine för att kunna uppskatta det på rätt sätt, men lite mys ändå
No thanks. It's got Hoodoo Voodoo which is a fun song, the rest are meh at best.
Meh. I liked a couple songs but nothing really grabbed me
Sick start but it falls off for me quickly. Nothing wrong with anything after the 2nd song but its just not that memorable at that point. Still good music but I just have no connection. Just some good old indie folk type stuff. Worth a listen cause maybe you get more than me.
Not much to brag about
California Stars is perfect, the rest of the songs are not
Teehee… seaman. Really cool idea and a good way to keep Woody Guthrie’s legacy alive. The two styles don’t mesh the best, and in general the Wilco stuff is better than the Billy Bragg stuff, but on principle this album is great.
I’d listened to this album a good while ago when I was looking through Wilco’s discography and didn’t honestly think much of it off of that one listen. Holy frickin air ball. I mean combining the genius of Wilco, Billy Bragg, AND the folk legend Woodie Guthrie, of which all these songs are covers of his, you are guaranteed to make a legendary album. I don’t know how I missed so hard on that before, but wow this time through it just blew me away. In the usual fashion of these three musical geniuses, some moments hit real close to home, it is wild how relevant to today these Guthrie lyrics remain, the political and social commentary is just elite. Beyond just that though, these songs hit way too close to home on even a personal level as well making this album both really meaningful and emotional to me. Amazing album I’m so glad I got a second try on today.
Has that east coast feeling to the whole album. But, definitely has a good old school country twang in there. Liked some of the songs in the album. But, not enough to listen to it front to back consistently. I would have to say my favourite song was, “Christ for president”.
Cool album. I liked the variety in singers and styles. I would definitely listen to this again
There ain't nobody that can sing like me. I liked the variety in the songs amd pacing. This was pretty great for an album compossed of unwritten songs. I have no idea what the original artist sounded like, but these songs were sure written well.
Cool to hear Wilco like this. Woody Guthrie wrote some good songs it seems. Billy Bragg is good too I guess. Honestly I think I most enjoyed the Jeff Tweedy performances on here. Maybe I should just listen to a regular Wilco album.
Ah verdomme, Wilco... De band met een naam die zo mogelijk nog saaier klinkt dan dat ze zijn En geloof me, dit is een saaie band hoor, dus het is werkelijk waar een godswonder dat ze deze naam hebben gekozen. Maar goed, er is nu een andere zanger bij, dat helpt al wel een beetje! Mwah, dit is voor mij een typisch Wilco album - het ene oor in, het andere oor uit. Nooit vervelend, maar zo spannend als een glas water. Het helpt wel echt dat er een andere zanger op staan. Billy voegt wel echt iets toe aan deze muziek, maar nog altijd is er geen moment waarop ik echt blij ben dat ik naar een Wilco album aan het luisteren ben. Ik kom uit op 2 sterren, ik had nog een ander nummer dat ik wel leuk vond, maar kwam er achter dat ik het gewoon niet meer wist nadat het was afgelopen. Dat is denk ik de Wilco kwaliteitsstempel. ALlemaal prima, nooit echt iets bijzonders. FAVO: Way over yonder in the minor key,
Country isn’t bad but the album felt samey and just wasn’t up my alley.
First song, i hate it. Im just not gonna listen to the rest.
Pretty good, but got boring at some point
chillig, konnt man sich anhören. Hatte n schönen Klang
Irgendwie schwer zu bewerten. Fand es ganz angenehm zu hören, zwischen 3 und 4 Sternen.
Love
I enjoyed this. Never heard Bragg before but these songs were jaunty.
Kind of surprised at how earnestly rootsy this seems. Wilco has a kind of indie cool factor, and (as far as I'm aware) Billy Bragg was mostly a folk punk poet type character before this. But, united perhaps by their love of Woody Guthrie (which I must infer) they basically lay down 50 minutes of really wonderful Americana on Mermaid Avenue. I'm not sure that I am confident in my ability to review this one, there's like 15 songs here, from showstoppers to little vignettes, and I think they all deserve a little time that I probably can't give. But, I can talk favorites. Walt Whitman's Niece is a fantastic opener, it's earnestly Americana, but it certainly has something wry and clever, and almost a little weird about it: great song. California Stars is one of the more popular cuts here, and I think it deserves it, this is a song for driving through the great plains region of the United States, which is a type of song I have a sort of affinity for. Birds And Ships is another more popular cut, and it also pulls it's weight with Natalie Merchant providing beautiful guest vocals. I think I like Hoodoo Voodoo, but regardless, it's hard to not talk at least a little about. Christ For President has a *particularly* rootsy folk stomp that I enjoy quite a bit. One of my absolute favorites is Eisler On The Go, which is banjo driven and particularly sad. We end with Another Man's Done Gone and The Unwelcome Guest, which are both worthwhile slow jams. Everything else here is at least decent, but there are a couple of more forgettable songs. But, all in all, the experience of Mermaid Avenue is really great, and the seemingly unlikely mixture of Wilco and Billy Bragg is really natural and potent: cool stuff if you like Americana.
A little m'eh for me personally. You might like it though.
Not really my cup of tea. No hate to those who enjoy it though.
These albums are amazing. They rock you out, touch your heart, and mobilize you as an activist. The different sounds of Wilco and Billy Bragg flow well together and there is even some bonus Natalie Merchant. One for the ages.
Tiresome
This list has made me dislike country more than ever before.
Me das un poco de ruido que parece campestre y a mí ya me gusta que quieren que les diga loco, me gustó la voz del tipo para el estilo que hace.
No retuve nada del disco
It's interesting to hear some of Woody Guthrie's previously unrecorded songs in such a different style. I can't say I loved the album, but will listen again.
A cool idea here, resurrecting Woodie Guthrie songs and giving them to new artists. The trouble is in the execution. Part of the problem here is that I don't really like Wilco. Billy Bragg is alright, but most of these songs just don't hit me. 2/5
Enjoying this a lot so far, will definitely be seeking it out again
interesting but not for me
Folk/S-S/Country? Hörenswert.
No thank you
I've never been that keen on Billy Bragg, and the last Wilco album I received from the project got two stars, so I wasn't expecting much from this offering. Fortunately I got a nice surprise, because I really enjoyed listening to it, and will be adding it to my Tidal library.
Day596 - the combo of wilco and billy bragg works great. california stars has been one of my favorite songs for many years.
Super fun
Misma nota que con Libertines. Qué tiene de especial ésto? Osea todo suena fantástico pero donde está lo que lo catapulta a ésta lista? Nota: 2.7 Nota: 2
8/10 pretty good! I had fun :)
6.5/10 Didn’t know that this was an album of unrecorded Woodie Guthrie lyrics until after, so judged it purely on the tunes. They were decent - vibes and execution good, album got a little samey at points. Might have liked it more if it was 10 mins shorter. Best: Ingrid Bergman
I know many people who are big Wilco fans, but I've never been a big fan of Country-Alternative Rock, so they never really did anything for me. Can't say I had ever listened to Billy Bragg before. This album didn't win me over for either of them. It's pretty boring and monotonous, if I'm being honest.
Decent album. California Stars is a little gem.
Ideale timing, want ik ben momenteel bezig met de volledige discografie van Wilco door te gaan. Ik moet zeggen dat dit nu niet echt top was. Het was oké, maar het voelde wat sec aan. Misschien is Billy Bragg niet echt mijn ding. 2.5
Zzzz
I honestly don’t have much to say about this album, because the more I hear from Billy Bragg, the more I realize he’s just not really my kind of folk singer. As for Wilco, they’ve been pretty hit or miss for me depending on the album, and this one didn’t change that. Overall, this felt like a very middle of the road album. A couple of good tracks stood out, but there were also a few that I found pretty rough. Definitely not a favorite, but I can see why some people might connect with it more than I did.
A great way to honor Woody's legacy! Great album!
passed by without making an impression - nothing to see here
I only knew California stars going into this, but this was a good listen. Fascinated more by the story behind the album, but I will probably throw this album into more regular listening.
Where dad and I diverged on Wilco. If A Ghost is Born is not on this list the whole thing is a crock. Music was fine. Billy Bragg just doesnt do it for me. It's protest music for liberals who still believe in 'the power of art' and think their witty rhymes on signs are gonna stop a fucking genocide.
Thank God Bob Dylan didn't get hold of these texts! Billy Bragg rendered them intimate and beautifully, especially the opening track and the Minor Key song. Some of the songs didn't work for me - e.g. She Came Along to Me had touching lyrics but the singing is mechanical. Also it's a bit front loaded and the 2nd half of the album were lost on me.
I enjoyed this one a lot. I had never heard of it before. It is really helpful to read up on Woody Guthrie a bit before listening - the style and lyrics make a lot more sense in context.
Not sure why I need to hear this
As a project, it is interesting. Billy Bragg and Wilco were hand-picked to give life to Guthrie's words, and they did a good job. I just didn't particularly enjoy it.
Nice album i like most of the instrumentals
This album had a strange feel to it, I think it’s because I’ve heard Yankee foxtrot hotel from Wilco already and so going from indie rock into this was a bit unexpected and strange even though this actually came out 4 years before. The actual album itself was decent but nothing special for me, sounded like pretty generic country folk songs with a bit of a more modern twist, most notably on Wilco’s half of the songs, Billy Bragg makes it sound more like what Woody would have done if he made them. I do like the ideas of the album though, to bring more of his work to light from his vault of like a thousand songs or whatever. The lyrics were good and political as to be expected and had good meaning behind some songs, others were about generic “yearning for my lover” type storylines. Favourites: she came along to me and I guess I planted. I’m actually going to add a least favourite aswell which is hoodoo voodoo which had a good instrumental but the vocals actually hurt to listen to because he kept cracking his voice for some reason. Overall, 5/10.
This was essentially tailor made for me to enjoy it
Don't know about Wilco but it's a fun album and even more fun knowing that it was all lyric from the great woody guthrie. California stars is a great song. will be listening to more of their disco
Billy Bragg's Back to Basics tape saved my life on an extended family vacation in my teens and Wilco was my new favorite band when this emerged. I don't know how much of an actual collaboration this was - the documentary portrayed this more as two factions in detente - but it is a beautiful, heartfelt album filled with great songs.
Love the backstory, concept and execution. Billy Bragg is an heir apparent to Woody Guthrie’s socially conscious folk, while in Wilco the project finds a rootsy, musically adventurous band and arranger. A few songs are less successful than others, but I’m glad these boxes of unsung lyrics finally saw the light of day. Put the carpenter in!
Whoa. I'm not a Wilco fan (I'm a bit of a hater if I'm gonna be real), but I loved this.
I love Billy Bragg, am indifferent to Wilco. I wanted to like this but some lyrics stay unmade into songs for a reason.
I first heard this while working at my first large, post-college workplace back when CDs were still a thing and we'd all be constantly trading with each other from amongst the stacks of CDs piled on our desks. I miss those days. At the time I was still somewhat musically naive so had no real knowledge of Wilco outside of their first album and really didn't know Billy Bragg at all. This not only became one of my favorite albums of all time, but my wife even fell in love with it (a rarity as our musical tastes don't overlap a whole lot). And then this became one of the CDs-in-rotation for our kids' night-time-music-to-fall-asleep-too. So it ended up being a album firmly embedded in our entire family's psyche. I've since developed a broader appreciation for Wilco and have many of their albums. But they never topped this and likely never will. It's an absolutely perfect album. I've probably heard this album many hundreds of times in my life (due to the aforementioned bedtime routine) and still enjoy it as much as the first time I heard it. This album still makes me happy, still gives me hope, and still makes me feel that the world isn't entirely bad. Which seems to be an increasingly more difficult challenge as the years pass by. Woody Guthrie would have been more than proud of how Wilco, Billy (and Natalie!) set his prose to song. Keep killing those fascists, Woody.
Nice album
4.6 - This is very much my sort of music
Quite liked this. Felt like music that would be sung in a pub. 3.6/5
Never been too crazy for Wilco but this is probably my favorite I’ve heard from them, and I’ll probably have to check out Bragg as well since I can’t tell the difference from their contributions here.
Decepcionante. Me gusta el Wilco rockero, no este Wilco folk adyacente al country, probablemente el género más sobrerepresentado aparte del rock británico.
This is magical.
Great concept that I didn't know existed - a great tribute to Woody Guthrie. I think i liked the Wilco songs more than the Bragg songs, but overall this was an enjoyable experience! Liked Songs Added: California Stars Hoodoo Voodoo At My Window Sad And Lonely One By One Hesitating Beauty
Cool idea of setting unreleased Woodie Guthrie songs to new music. Always a tricky one to pull off as you wonder if the orginal songwriter would be happy or were they never finished for a reason. Deserves to be here as an interesting artefact
Like it 3/5
Good album.
Did not like at all 😭.
Nice
Rating: 7.5/10 First three songs are amazing, then it slowly starts to get less and less interesting as it progresses. Still very enjoyable, the country style meshes with Wilco quite well.
Gotta say I expected more from this one. I’ve listened to Wilco here and there for a while now, and I listened to my first of Billy Bragg during this project a couple months ago. For both artists, I really liked what I already heard, so I figured it’d be a great combination. To me, it kinda fell flat. Bit too much country for my taste. The songs themselves were well produced, but I just wasn’t a fan of most of them.
Gooed meandering background music, has an occasional uptake in tempo and atmosphere
A thoughtful and musically solid tribute to Woody Guthrie’s lost lyrics, 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘈𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 brings together the warmth of Americana with Guthrie’s poetic fragments. Wilco’s arrangements are rich and understated, while Billy Bragg brings a grounded, folk sensibility to the mix. And yet, despite the craftsmanship, little of it truly sticks with me. The songs are pleasant, even moving at times — but they rarely take root. Part of me can’t help but wonder: what would these words have sounded like in Woody’s own voice? Would they have carried more grit, more urgency, more soul? As it stands, 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘈𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 is a respectful and admirable project — but not a revelatory one.
Inoffensive but I'm not much of a country music or country-like music fan
This was cool. Billy Bragg & Wilco made a cool country album, this one will probably get some more listens from me.
01) Walt Whitman's Niece - 7,0 02) California Stars - 7,5 03) Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key - 7,0 04) Birds and Ships - 6,5 05) Hoodoo Voodoo - 7,0 06) She Came Along to Me - 7,0 07) At My Window Sad and Lonely - 6,5 08) Ingrid Bergman - 6,5 09) Christ for President - 7,5 10) I Guess I Planted - 7,0 11) One by One - 6,5 12) Eisler on the Go - 6,0 13) Hesitating Beauty - 7,0 14) Another Man's Done Gone - 6,5 15) The Unwelcome Guest - 6,5 TOTAL: 6,80 (68/100) Current ranking: 404/616
It was pretty decent, but felt a little scattered
A really meh Wilco album, or an ok Billy Bragg album. You decide. 6/10
An album I’d never heard of but enjoyed
Hard to rate this one. I loved some of the songs and hated some others. My stand outs were Birds and Ships and Hoodoo Voodoo.
It’s too hot to think. This album from one of England’s finest troubadours and the American roots-rock Wilco turns Woody Guthrie’s writings into lovely and memorable songs. Here’s a better-written history: https://albumism.com/features/billy-bragg-and-wilco-mermaid-avenue-album-anniversary
Good album, I used to love the songs that were sung by Jeff Tweedy and skip the ones with Billy Bragg singing, I like almost all of the songs on this album now and the back story is interesting. Jay Bennet deserves a lot of credit for making California Stars into an absolute classic. I love one by one too.
A wonderfully unique project. 4/5
there are a couple clunkers but overall i like this album quite a bit. makes me feel good
This album is something. Woody Guthrie lyrics, Wilco playing and Bragg singing. It's not bad, it's not good, but it's not bad. It's a lot though. Kinda messy in my ears. This is one of those albums that you later listen to because it's one that just goes for it.
It makes you realise how good Dr Feelgood were
I liked it quite a bit. Doesn't feel super essential, but well worth a couple listens.
i cannot be arsed with all these wank folk rock albums anymore
Soulful, significant and spirit-raising, all at the same time.
don't you DARE say the word 'kissle' in my ears again.
I love this album and it’s been a while since I heard it. California stars takes me back. Way over yonder is a song I hum to myself all the time.
Not really sure what to say about this. Some catchy tunes, reminds me of a folk album from the early sixties and sounds like it was recorded in someone's basement. Maybe this place on Mermaid Ave. Definitely a roots rock, vibe a la The Band. I guess a cool side project collab with these two bands. Never really understood the Wilco fascination, myself, but that's neither here nor there.
Very surprised by how much I like this one.
It's Woodie Guthrie's lyrics, sung by Bragg, music by Bragg and Wilco. Even Guthrie's half finished cast offs are pretty good, and Bragg and Wilco do a good job with a modern recording that is still rooted in early folk. Brgg was a great choice for this, but I'm not familiar enough with Wilco to know how much of them is in this. All in all, it's good for what it is, and I'll probably give this more credit if I give it another listen.
Probably a hot take to say this is better than any Billy Bragg or Wilco album, but F it, we cookin
Heard a little Billy Bragg and zero Wilco but really loved both the music and the concept. Parts were genuinely joyous.
# Playlist Track - Hoodoo Voodoo # Notes - Found the ballad-y tracks (especially "Birds and Ships") to be boring. - The tail end of the album just drags on forever. - An OK listen, but not one I'm dying to do again soon.
Good old folk, quite pleasant to listen to, not ground breaking though
2/5
Funny timing, hearing Billy Bragg two days in a row. This one was a surprise. Pairing him up with Wilco to breathe new life into Woody Guthrie’s unused lyrics is such a cool concept, and they actually pulled it off. It doesn’t feel like some museum piece or forced tribute either. The songs sound natural and fresh, like they were written last week instead of decades ago. Bragg’s grit and Wilco’s laid-back alt-country vibe balance each other out in a way that works way better than I expected. It’s got heart, it’s got soul, and it somehow manages to connect three generations of music without sounding like a history lesson. Solid album with a cool story behind it.
I really liked Walt Whitmas Niece and Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key. I got into it whenever Billy Bragg was singing, cause his cockney knees up style is instantly fun. When the others took over singing it was a lot less interesting.
I love Woody Guthrie, and this is a great concept for an album. "Walt Whitman's Niece" is a fun song. I love spoken word story-telling vocals over some foot tapping folk music. I also love the harmonizing. It sounds like a bunch of friends making some music together. "Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key" was a funny song. The vocals were great. Nobody did sing like you Woody. I'm not hearing a lot of Wilco influence on the track. Natalie Merchant has a beautiful voice. "Birds And Ships" is a nice relaxing slow song. "Hoodoo Voodoo" is a jam. This song is kickstarting my morning. "Chris For President" is a funny song. Woody Guthrie would be just as on-point today. "The Unwelcome Guest" goes so hard. The song is about a Robin Hood type, riding his horse and robbing the wealthy to give to the poor. Not every song was a banger, but many were really good. They didn't feel so much like a fusion of Wilco and Billy Bragg, but rather like one or the other. I love Woody Guthrie, and we need another one of him today. 8/10
I appreciated this album more after reading about it. Was iffy at first, but these guys took a 50s country western singers poetry of unreleased songs, and crafted something modern from setting the lyrics to music. An interesting endeavor, and the music was good
A for me rather boring Country Album. Sorry!
Better than I thought it would be. I thought it would be too folky protest songy but I enjlyed it.
This album was good! There were good songs and there were “meh” songs if I’m being honest. But, I can safely say that I didn’t hate this record, but I didn’t love it. That’s why the score is right in the middle.
It was fine.
It was fine. I’m tired of Wilco.
When I get albums like this I feel sort of like my mom telling me to eat my vegetables because it's good for me, I don't have to like it but I do have to eat it. And eat it I did... it didn't make me sick, at least. Well, the <stomp/clap> stuff kind of did, as did the couple of silly sexual innuendos - okay BREAKING NEWS - THIS JUST IN all lyrics are written by Woodie Guthrie. Bragg and Wilco put these to music. A brave move but it takes this down another notch. Just like there's a reason you don't watch the Director's cut of a movie, or listen to the ultra-mega-super-digital remaster extended version of an album (unless you're a HUGE fan, and even then it's iffy). There's a reason Guthrie didn't release this during his life, and that reason is because they're not great! Well, ok, Jesus for President is pretty good. Leave well enough alone, let sleeping dogs lie, there are plenty of old sayings that directly address doing this as a bad idea.
WILCO! omfg this is so funny, Nick LOVES Wilco and I know he's talked about this exact album before but I couldn't tell you which of these songs I've heard. JK I've DEFINITELY heard California Stars lol. It'll be really interesting to rate this one because it's not my usual taste in music but it reminds me of Nick so that makes me love it more. It's not bad at all, it's actually very good. Especially the melodies, they're so catchy. And I am partial to country so this has more than enough twang for me. I loveeee Natalie Merchant's voice. These are like traditional folk songs!! Nick has never played me the songs that I feel like I'm loving the most. I can't believe that this came out in 1998. It's a very very good album but I don't think it's a 5 for me personally. I love it for other reasons besides just what it sounds like.
Trying a bit hard with the folky sing alongs. Ok in places
Nice but derivative this is more like a 2/3
After a rock-heavy few weeks, I'm enjoying getting some different genre exposure. With two old country albums and now something more folky, it feels like a palate cleanser of sorts. Luckily, I've also enjoyed the suggestions themselves. This was essentially an updated folk album, taking unused Woodie Guthrie lyrics and putting them over modern music compositions. The artists doing the music writing were a British folk singer and an American indie/folk rock band. Perhaps the most surprising thing about it is how seamlessly the project worked. Nothing seemed out of place or forced. Some tracks kept a strong folk feel, while others came across much more indie rock-like. Despite that, it was a little tedious. The album ran close to 50 minutes, which isn't overly long. But there wasn't a whole lot there to keep it engaging and distinct the whole way through. I realized I was zoning out a lot more for the second half than I did on the first, for whatever that's worth. This is another album I consider good and enjoyable, but didn't necessarily find better than that. Not sure it's something I'll listen to again in whole. I would revisit some of the songs, though. Overall: 3.25/5
Oh boy, two artists that I don't really care for that much, together at last! This is neither my first Billy Bragg experience nor is it my first Wilco experience. Starting with Billy, I remember being conflicted with his album on the list. I liked the messaging and instrumentation at points, but I really wasn't vibing with Bragg's singing. In hindsight, his vocals really aren't as goofy as I had once claimed them to be. Do I need to revisit Talking with the Taxman About Poetry? It has been like a year and a half. I haven't revisited it though, but now I'm considering it. You know what I did revisit? Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Yeah, me giving that album a 3 was kind of dumb considering I really didn't have any specific complaints. Do I still think the album's overrated? Yes. It is not the 10/10 masterpiece others have called it. But it's pretty good! Being There is okay. As a whole though, I never found myself super invested in either of these artists. I wasn't really expecting to be super invested in a collab album between them either. Was I right in this assumption? Kind of. I do think Mermaid Avenue is a good album. It's just not really my thing. I do have praise to give it though. The balance between the two features artists is good. They have lead vocals split roughly even which is nice. As stated earlier, I was way too harsh on Billy Bragg's vocals in the past. They're fine here. I don't love them, but I don't find them as goofy as I once had. Jeff Tweedy's still kind of just doing his thing. You know what? Good for him. The instrumentation here is solid. Kind of folky. The writing is pretty good, but it belongs to neither Billy Bragg nor Wilco. This ties into perhaps the most interesting thing about this album, that being the story behind it. These songs were actually written by folk legend and hater of fascists Woody Guthrie. So, is this just a cover album? Well, kind of. You see, none of these songs had been released or even recorded during Guthrie's life. All there were was words left to his family. So, for some reason, Guthrie's daughter Nora decided to get Billy Bragg and Wilco involved in an album to bring some of these lost words to life. That's kind of cool! I respect this album. It's good. Admittedly, there are plenty of other albums that I like more, but there's no denying that Mermaid Avenue's got things to like. Solid 3/5.
One of the more generic albums we've had here on this list. Feels like something geared towards Americans with it's country-light sound. Sounded pretty weak at times, so that mixed with it being quite boring brings it to 2 for me.
This was an ok light country album. I have a few Wilco songs saved from before but I’m not a big fan, I mostly like their covers. I thought the lyrics in this was quite good and it had some fun songs. Maybe the lyrics were good since Woodie Guthrie wrote some (all?) of it. My absolute favourite was “Way over Yonder in the Minor Key” with the great female vocals, too bad she didn’t return more. I also liked “Chirst for President” and “Ingrid Bergman”. I think Billy Braggs vocals in those 2 tracks shine and it feels like Guthrie wrote the lyrics in his typical style. It felt pretty generic late 90s indie country but had some good songs in it. It grew on me the more I listened to it. 3 stars.
*Folk rock, which I normally like, but this was mostly pretty boring. *Natalie Merchant made an appearance! But only for a short 2 min song… *Fave track - way over yonder. *Pleasant, good background music. Just not very compelling. RATING - 6/10
This was just okay. Not sure it’s something I need to hear before I die. I do like this better than Wilco, generally, and that’s probably because it’s technically Billy Bragg. I didn’t love this, though, and there were parts where the lyrics were laughably bad. I’d give this a 2.5 if I could, but I have to round down.
Mermaid Avenue was a shockingly solid album. Apparently this album contains lyrics written by an old folk singer named Woody Guthrie but repurposed into actual songs by Billy Bragg and Wilco and i must say, they did a pretty good job here when it came to replicating that folkish feel that Guthrie appeared to be going for. Even without all that cool history, it's still a solid album. Most of the songs had a very relaxing feel to them which are perfect for just lounging around. Furthermore, the production was pretty great with the album sounding quite expensive. Even as a guy who isn't the biggest fan of folk or country music, i still found a fair bit to like here. Best Song: Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key Worst Song: California Stars
Seems a lot of people here really like this. I don't, don't hate it either to me it is just mostly meh. At least it ended on a relative high-note as I failed to like "The Unwelcome Guest" by just the tiniest margin.
One of my favorite albums of all time!!!
Country? Folk? Takie bezpłciowe
Wilco is one my favourites.
I could totally see this being a five star for some people
A nice folksy sound but nothing that shook my tree.
Not a fan, but someone probably is.
2.5 Didn’t enjoy the Billy Bragg half, liked the Wilco half okay. I didn’t find that these two halves worked together, so it was jarring for the songs to go back and forth. Although both artists are guitar based folk, the comparisons stop there. The way their music sounds is fundamentally different. I didn’t like that. And beyond all that, as someone who enjoys Wilco, 3 albums of theirs on this list is a bit much, wouldn’t you say?
Thoughts before listening: Wilco is one of my favorites, but I never really paid all that much attention to this album outside of "California Stars" which has become a staple of the band's live shows. What's the theme here? 80s British folk revivalist teams up with 90s/00s alt-country indie rockers to record Woody Guthrie songs....something like that? Seems like it should be up my alley. Review: So the songs on this album appear to be split between Wilco and Billy as to who takes the lead. In general, my preference is to the Wilco songs which makes sense....I'm a 20+ year Wilco fan while with Billy Bragg I have only listened through this project. He is fine, but his folky style doesn't immediately grab me like Wilco does. My favorite songs here are "California Stars", "One By One", and "Hesitating Beauty", all of which I recognize because of Wilco. This is 3-stars.
I can't tell you if Woody Guthrie would have liked this, but I’ll tell you I did not. I appreciate the project at hand, but don’t love the execution. I think this may have worked better if every track was a full collaboration, instead of sending two musicians off to each work on 1/2 an album. Some tracks are better than others, but I'm hard pressed to pick a standout. If anything, "Birds and Ships" (Track 4, featuring Natalie Merchant) felt like the low point. There is no connective tissue in how the first side of this album is laid out and it feels like they're throwing everything at the wall to see if something would stick. "Hoodoo Voodoo" continues the disparate trend and it's not until "She Came Along to Me" that they start cycling through approaches again and things feel more familiar. They never bring in another guest vocalist though, so Natalie holds the honor of being the only cameo on the whole album. The only track I noticed in the back half was "Eisler On The Go", where the haunting vocal performance forced me out of my malaise for a few minutes. Sadly, it goes straight into the upbeat "Hesitating Beauty" and quickly forgets the mood it just created (again). The album finally closes with "The Unwelcome Guest" which certainly lives up to its name. The harmonies (I use the word loosely) will encourage you to leave as soon as possible and make sure you think twice about coming back. I guess someone liked this enough to bring everyone back to do it two more times. I’ll never know if those sessions went better.
An interesting departure for Wilco. Almost a country album, but in a good way, similar to classic folk
Yeah, thats not for me
Liked California Stars and Hoodoo Voodoo but the others were not my cup of tea
Lyrics understandably disjointed
Ihan menevää albumia hyvää kokonaisuutta
love woody guthries lyrics love the music love the voice. cant believe i havent heard this album before
Terrible. Don't even know why he's considered classic.
California Stars At the Window Sad and Lonely One by One The Unwelcome Guest
Aspiring to describe a mythical land some time past this feels laconic and dull. All of it making up Alternative Country.
Lo encontré medio fomeque
Quelques bons arrangements, mais sinon la vibe country moderne sur Woody Guthrie, pas ouf.
Chill. Easy, driving to the beach music.
05/06/2025 It was okay at parts, boring at others.
Just folksy enough without being too goddamn country. If you’re gonna make a song called “Christ for President” at least make it musically interesting. And dammit, they did.
Non capisco tutto questo entusiasmo
Well produced and performed but just not feeling it I suppose
Ugh, another Billy Bragg album. I hate bagging on the guy because I would like to be in solidarity with union folks, but seriously cannot stand that dude's voice. The only tracks I liked on this album were always more heavy on the Jeff Tweedy / Wilco side. Those are the only reason this didn't score less
This collaboration (and all the subsequent ones) are awesome!
This is a pretty good folk-rock record. It is worth a second listen.
Sure, nothing wrong with this. Nothing earth shattering (though California Stars is a great song) but an enjoyable listen. 5.5/10 (2.75/5)
Folky twaddle.
This could easily have been a Them and Us album. Bill Vs Wilco. Instead it sounds seamless as they chop and change, sharing duties. Behind the scenes and apparently all was not well. But that doesn't stop both sides pulling off a tough ask. Woody would have approved.
Had a good time with this enjoyed the contrast between the Bragg songs and Wilco songs a pleasant surprise
On my first listen (about two years ago at time of typing), I felt that the album's concept was a good idea on paper which falls flat with its execution. Today- a week after pulling Billy Bragg's Talking to the Taxman About Poetry (solid folk punk album by the way)- I return to Mermaid Avenue. My second listen: it's fine. Opinion stars the same. I like Wilco. I appreciate Woodie Guthrie and Billy Bragg. All three write great music separately. Overall: 4/10
Meh
60/100
Just seeing the name Billy Bragg is enough to put me off.
More country-ish than expected based on the artists. Had some good moments, but too twangy for my taste. 3* Highlights: california stars, birds and ships
we need another Woody Guthrie
If you listen to this as merely a split album between Billy Bragg and Wilco, it would be a pretty good album on its own. But the story behind it makes it a lot more interesting. Bragg was selected by Woody Guthrie's daughter to go through thousands of pages of unused lyrics to bring them to life. Wisely, she sought out Bragg because she wanted a folk artist with a modern edge to them, rather than trying to explicitly sound like her father. It was too much for Bragg to do on this own, so he enlisted Wilco to record half of the songs. The result is that Guthrie's voice got new life many decades after he died. Given the continued state of the world, Woody Guthrie continues to feel relevant. The experience was apparently meaningful enough to the artists that they went back to two sequels. The albums are a very cool blend of history and modern music. Guthrie isn't features in this challenge because he was never really an album artist. I'm glad to know that he could still fit in in some way though.
Vibes. Some hits. Some misses for me but overall enjoyable
Didn't really listen to closely to it, but what I heard, I liked.
3/5 folkish
not in love with folk music still
Fantastic concept and execution. Inspired.
Album is great, but California Stars is an all-timer.
Just cant get into these guys. Nothing sets them apart
A surprisingly good album. Seems like it could easily slip into a mess of different styles. The Natalie Merchant song is great.
i don't mind some alternative country! billy bragg and wilco collaborated together to make music based on the lyrics of late american folk singer woody guthrie. many tracks are about political commentary and personal reflections. the album is breezy, and nostalgic. the kind of music that a man would play sitting on his front porch with a guitar in hand and a dog by his side. the album doesn't try to mimic guthrie's music, having a much softer and more modern take on the lyrical content. it's a pleasant listen. it's like the band is casually flipping through guthrie's diary.
I didn’t know it beforehand, but as I was listening I had the thought “hmmm, this sounds like it came from another era, like Woody Guthrie or something” which it is. Apparently it’s a number of unreleased songs, and like many unreleased stuff, it’s often unreleased for a reason. A few songs stood out based on the pathos and harmonies, but I can’t say I loved it.
Weird all over the place sorta album, but it's got some bangers
Some decent songs in which is essentially a covers album
mjög gott. blanda af bresku fólki og bandaríska alt-köntríinu kemur vel út. skipta lögum til helminga. 4.
Not particularly memorable, but fine to listen to.
No charm to this at all. I'd rather listen to Woody Guthrie.
the first song was kinda painful, while most of the others were not really my sort of thing? Though at the same time i respect the style. The Unwelcome Guest was fairly powerful.
3,2/5
I like Billy Bragg and I was unsure about Wilco- but this record actually plays beautifully - understated good songs throughout with a tasteful alt country take to Bragg. On the second listen I found myself already warm to quite a few of the songs and while it’s a little too long for my taste it’s a strong record.
I remember being introduced to Billy Bragg through some album that got a lot of attention in, maybe, the 90s. I hated that album and didnt understand the hype. I stayed away from Billy Bragg ever since. Therefore, I expected to hate this album, but I definitely liked it. It really didn't sound anything like I remember the other one being. The other felt like a lot of yelling. This was enjoyable.
listened to again great album, bumped up from last listen
1998. Kind of a chill country sounding album. Wilco featured on every song of this album as well.
California Stars is a standout but I like it overall
Previously unheard lyrics written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, put to music written and performed by British singer Billy Bragg and the American band Wilco. Singer songwriter folk rock. Old-fashioned and simple.
As a longtime Billy Bragg fan, I’ll admit this review comes with a bit of bias—but I was thrilled to see one of his albums included in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Well deserved, Billy! Before today, I didn’t realize that this album was built around previously unreleased lyrics by the legendary Woody Guthrie. That alone makes the project remarkable. The album itself is a joy. It offers a little bit of everything—heart, grit, warmth, and soul. Natalie Merchant’s guest vocals are a standout, adding a beautiful texture and depth that complement the material perfectly. “California Stars” is an all-time classic—dreamy, wistful, and unforgettable. “Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key” is another gem, rich in melody and storytelling. Honestly, there’s not a bad track here. Favourite Songs: “California Stars,” “Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key” Least Favourite: None—every track brings something worthwhile. Album Artwork: A great cover that fits the timeless, rootsy feel of the music.
Meh
3.5?
Really enjoyed that
If you were flipping through a box of albums it would be easy to pass by this one, nothing catchy about the cover, but if you stop to look you realize its depth. Old buildings usually have a fascinating history. One reviewer describes Billy Bragg as a British urban folk troubadour, I normally reserve titles like that as an intro for fighters or wrestlers, but if you're gonna have one this is as good as any.
This was a solid folksy album. I could easily mistake this for something from Corb Lund, but maybe it's the reverse - I could mistake Corb Lund for Billy Bragg. The only song from here I've heard before is "California Stars".
Great idea from the Guthrie archive. Billy Bragg is a great choice. Wilco was so-so. Five for Billy’s songs. Three for Wilco’s
Interesting story behind it and makes you think about the lyrics more. First couple of songs are really nice, then a mixed bag.
4 - great album. Loved the folksy country sound
Ended up really enjoying this one, despite the folky-ness of it. Definitely will listen again! Solid 3.5 - will round down.
It’s like moving through mud
This was pretty enjoyable. Easy listening and nice. Reminded me of Coney Island too which was nice.
BORING
Very nice album. I really enjoy Birds and Ships a lot!
Not bad. A little sleepy at times. I think I would prefer Wilco minus Billy Bragg. 3/5 52/1001
So much good stuff here! The lyrics written by Woody Guthrie are at times beautiful and at times tragic and at times goofy, and it’s all very charming in the end. The songs crafted by Billy and Wilco around the lyrics are fantastic as well. 9/10
Pretty cool
Way Over Yonder in The Minor Key is ok. And I like Natalie Merchant’s vocal on Birds and Ships. But too much of this is plodding, b-grade alt folk or featureless Americana or Keir Starmer country. Background music for eating a rack o’ribs at a mid-price smokehouse chain. I remember seeing Billy Bragg performing To Have and to Have Not on The Tube (the TV show not the underground railway) back in the day and he was so angry he could barely get the lyrics out. Yeah, we’re all older now but that’s no excuse for mid-Atlantic twanging.
Not for me at all but clearly good for what it is.
This album evokes memories of experiences that feel familiar but that I have never had (and maybe neither has Billy Bragg), including being in a crowded dive bar in Minnesota or heading on a sunny road trip in a cream coloured 1981 Buick Estate. A lifting, easy listening album that provides good vibes on an early summer afternoon.
This was an album of two halves - a great half and the fillers. First the great - I loved the loose call-response of Walt Whitman’s Niece, the laconic and hopeful California Stars (which I saw Wilco perform live at Moseley Folk to singalong impact) the tender Birds and Ships sung by Natalie Merchant, Bragg’s rendition of Way over Yonder…with Merchant was lovely and I replayed Wilco’s inspired One by One over and over. But too much was plodding and dull folk rock. I’m not convinced the man who wrote This Land is Your Land really meant for so many of his discarded poems/lyrics to be turned into songs - the nice if predictable lyric of At my window sad and lonely has been turned into a boring song when it might have been better left on the page; I didn’t like Hoodoo Voodoo at all, hated Christ for President, and Eisler on the Go was totally forgettable. I really didn’t enjoy Ingrid Bergman though have since read gushing reviews. I relistened as a result and still don’t get the love. On the plus side the vinyl cover is evocative and I might buy it just for that.
I liked this album. I could get into these guys. I feel regret I did not when I was younger.
There's no questioning Woody Guthrie's lyrical genius and they've pulled it off pretty well here.
The world did not need this album
A bit of a snooze fest although I’ve heard Woodie Guthrie’s poetry is top tier
4.01. Love good folk and lyrics
Not a bad album, it has an old vibe to it, even though it's from 1998. Nothing too exciting, but it was alright having in the background while I was doing stuff.
Three great artists together, and it works great.
No more than fine
= the Beatles
Not what I thought or expected
I liked it, especially birds and ships with Natalie Merchant. For people who like folk music.
Apparently, California Stars became a big deal. Not sure why. Hoped for much more from a Guthrie/Bragg work. Bored. Very bored. Favourite tracks: Birds And Ships, gave up
I dont remember much sorry must have not been amazing then
Det är typ tillräckligt för att jag skulle nicka med om någon satte på det men idk jag var kanske bara inte så taggad. Jag respekterar politiken dock.
I really liked this but then again, I like Wilco a lot, and my main issue with Billy Bragg has been with his songwriting, so having a recording where he's featured but didn't write anything, that's kind of perfect.
Enjoyable!