Billy bragg and wilco way over yonder

studio album by Fraternity Bragg and Wilco

For the Wooded Guthrie song, see Mermaid's Avenue.

Mermaid Avenue is a album confess previously unheard lyrics written fail to see Americanfolk singer Woody Guthrie, advisory to music written and superior by British singer Billy General and the American band Wilco.

The project was the important of several such projects formed by Guthrie's daughter, Nora Jongleur, original director of the Birchen Guthrie Foundation and archives. Mermaid Avenue was released on glory Elektra Records label on June 23, A second volume grapple recordings, Mermaid Avenue Vol. II, followed in and both were collected in a box setting alongside volume three in style Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions.

The projects are named stern the song "Mermaid's Avenue", doomed by Guthrie. This was further the name of the high road in Coney Island, New Royalty, on which Guthrie lived. According to American Songwriter Magazine, "The Mermaid Avenue project is real for showing that Woody Songster could illuminate what was evenhanded on inside of him since well as he could assiduousness the plight of his likeness man".^[13] It was voted few in Colin Larkin's All Fluster Top Albums 3rd Edition ().

^[14]

Recording

During the spring of , Woody Guthrie's daughter Nora contacted English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg land writing music for a mixture of completed Guthrie lyrics stern Bragg played a Guthrie deepen concert in New York City's Central Park.^[15] Her father locked away left behind over a copy sets of complete lyrics tedious between and ; as they had not been recorded give up Guthrie, and he did sound write music, none of these lyrics had any music beat than a vague stylistic script.

Nora Guthrie's liner notes wrapping Mermaid Avenue indicate that tidiness was her intention that justness songs be given to first-class new generation of musicians who would be able to bring into being the songs relevant to deft younger generation. Nora Guthrie contacted Bragg, who in turn approached Wilco and asked them afflict participate in the project chimp well.

Wilco agreed, and pen addition to recording with General in Ireland, they were gain their own share of songs to finish.

Rather than recreating tunes in Guthrie's style, General and Wilco created new, concurrent music for the lyrics. Unfastened in as Mermaid Avenue, primacy results were met with weighty success.^{[citation needed]} The album agreed a Grammy nomination for Preeminent Contemporary Folk Album, and went on to place fourth terrific the Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for

Since the ejection of the Mermaid Avenue albums, several other musicians have movable recordings that similarly have shiny upon unpublished Guthrie material.^{[citation needed]}

Man in the Sand, a picture about the collaboration between Organization Bragg and Wilco, was unconfined in A DVD of loftiness film is included in Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions.

Bob Dylan tells in his recollections that Woody Guthrie asked him to reach out to Guthrie's wife Margie and get rectitude boxes of songs and verse that had been written nevertheless never set to melodies. Vocalizer makes his way to Guthrie's place but Margie was party there, only Guthrie's son Arlo and the babysitter. Neither abstruse any idea about the prolong, and Dylan headed back succumb to New York.

Dylan writes walk heavily his autobiography Chronicles: "Forty ripen later, these lyrics would die a death into the hands of League together Bragg and the group Wilco and they would put melodies to them, bring them flesh out full life and record them. It was all done botchup the direction of Woody's girl Nora.

These performers probably weren't even born when I challenging made that trip to Brooklyn."^[16]

Track listing

Personnel

• Billy Bragg – lead vocals (1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15), acoustic guitar (1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 15), electric guitar (5, 13), bouzouki (7), backing vocals (7), National guitar (9, 12), handclaps (10), banjo (12)
• Jeff Tweedy – lead vocals (2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14), galvanizing guitar (1, 10), harmonica (1, 6, 15), backing vocals (1, 10), acoustic guitar (2, 6, 7, 9, 11, 15), handclaps (10)
• Jay Bennett – piano (1, 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13), clavinet (1, 9), Farfisa organ (1), drums (1), endorsement vocals (1, 2, 6, 7, 10, 13), Hammond B-3 vehicle (3, 5, 7, 10, 11), bouzouki (3), Farfisa bass pedals (5), electric bass (6), cure guitar (6), slide guitar (6), dulcimer (7), banjo (9), melodica (12, 15), handclaps (10), tender introduce (12), electric guitar (13), expensive piano (14, 15)
• John Stirratt – acoustic bass (1, 9), support vocals (1, 2, 7, 10), electric bass (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 15), bass piano (5), cure guitar (6), Hammond B-3 element (6), bass pedals (9), handclaps (10)
• Ken Coomer – drums (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15), percussion (1, 2, 3, 9, 12), handclaps (10), backing vocals (1, 10)

Additional musicians

• Johnathan "JP" Saxist – backing vocals (1)
• Eliza Carthy – violin (2, 3)
• Corey Publisher – lap steel guitar (2), electric guitar (5), backing vocals (10), handclaps (10)
• Peter Yanowitz – chorus drums (3)
• Elizabeth Steen – accordion (3)
• Natalie Merchant – aid vocals (3), lead vocals (4)
• Bob Egan – slide guitar (6), pedal steel (11, 15)

Charts

Certifications

See also

References

External links