Thank you! That's kind of you. I'm having a lot of fun. Today's tracks: Blood of the Lamb The entry for this song in Wilcopedia is quite interesting. Let me quote: "It has been speculated that Bennett and Tweedy re-appropriated the melody used in 'When the Roses Bloom Again,' which was cut from the project when it was discovered that the lyrics weren't by Guthrie, for Blood of the Lamb. The two songs do indeed sound extremely similar, but as Stephen M. Deusner would note for Pitchfork, Blood of the Lamb has a 'somber doom folk' feel to it that gives it a darker shading than its doppelganger." It is further noted that the Guthrie lyrics are based on Revelations 7:14: "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Musically, it really is a unique piece on the album. Jay contributes Farfisa, Leslie piano, and Hammond organ, and the song has a sinister kind of oompa feel to it. This is a case where I can imagine that this isn't the sound Woody Guthrie had in mind when he wrote the words! It's got a really dark feeling to it--appropriate enough for a song based on Revelation, and fitting for a song about sin and redemption. I'm still not quite sure if the band is doing an ironic take on the lyrics, or if they are playing it straight. I'm a Christian, so I tend to listen to take the song at face value regardless of Tweedy and Bennett's intent (I have to assume that Guthrie was being sincere). I like both the sound of this track and the words and I think it is another winner on Volume II. I also like how it is sequenced after the gorgeous Mountain Bed, immediately coloring things with a much darker tone. Here is 'When the Roses Bloom Again' for you to compare and decide whether they reused the music. This song was eventually released on Vol. 3 in the Complete Sessions box. A copy of the words were among Guthrie's notes so it was assumed they were his, until it was discovered this was an older song written by Will D. Cobb and Gus Edwards.
And this outlier... Against th' Law Featuring guest vocals by Corey Harris, this one sort of sticks out in the same way that the Natalie Merchant song does (I thought she blended more easily on the first volume). These tracks don't disrupt or ruin the album to me, but they do kind of break up a sustained mood. And, hey, our old friend Bob Egan also appears on this track playing resonator slide guitar! Bennett on banjo, Tweedy on mandolin...the result is a track that mixes country with soul in a fairly interesting way. That being said, it's not a track I like that much or seek out. I have nothing against Corey Harris and I actually like his enthusiasm, but...I'd just rather listen to Tweedy or Bragg sing. In fact, Bragg did record demo versions of this song with himself on vocals. Here's his version. I like it better than the version on the album. It suits his voice and I think it would have fit better on the album. Others may disagree with me of course. The lyrics are still relevant today.
Blood Of The Lamb: Bennett/Tweedy This is from ‘97 and is one of my favorites off of Vol. II. A steady cadence held down by Ken Coomer and John Stirratt (on upright bass), organ swirling about. Jeff Tweedy plays the baritone guitar. Nothing flamboyant, maybe even trance inducing as Jeff sings (and, as usual, he does it so well) the Guthrie-penned gospel lyrics that embrace people of all creeds and colors. I love it.
I had no idea. And I love When the Roses Bloom Again, too. I just checked my trusty Jay Bennett Songwriting Credits notes and find it isn’t listed under ASCAP. He’s the primary writer of the music for Blood Of The Lamb...so, ...intriguing. I will investigate! Edit: Tweedy gets the sole credit on BMI (for the music). Guthrie is still credited for the lyrics.
I love Blood of the Lamb. The old-time lyrics are exquisite, the melody is fantastic, and the instrumentation and arrangement fit perfectly. It's one of my favorites, and I was excited when it was played at the incredible 2008 Pikes Peak Center show. Aginst Th' Law is another great track that works so well on this album, and like Parachute Woman said, speaks well to the times we live in. It's another memorable melody, and I could say how well the instrumentation fits, but I'm becoming a broken record. I think the guest vocalist is perfect for the song.
When I first bought MA 2, Blood of the Lamb was an immediate favorite of mine. At that point in the LP, I was almost ecstatic, the two punches Bed/Lamb just floored me, one in the old americana idiom, the other in a more dark pop, keyboards driven Summerteeth style, but still retaining a bit of gothic country sound. But soon after, I read a comment by John Stirratt talking about a mysterious track that was « his favorite Wilco recording. » He was upset they had to let go of it and cut it from Mermaid Avenue, because it was unclear if it was a genuine Woody Guthrie lyric after all. Of course, he was talking about When the Roses Bloom Again, the melody of which was indeed lifted to create Blood of the Lamb, with a few changes in the chord progression. So in 2001, I bought the Chelsea Walls soundtrack and discovered all of this was true: as good as Lamb is, Roses is much much better, more organic and natural, almost rivaling Remember the Mountain Bed for its timelessness and tastefulness (almost…). I could never really recover from that discovery. Time went on, and I cannot listen to Blood of the Lamb anymore without feeling the shadow of When the Roses Bloom Again looming over it. It’s like hearing Jay and Jeff struggle to force a melody upon those words, a melody that don’t belong there. There’s a magic at play in the whole Mermaid Avenue project : it never sounds like people putting music to pre-existing words. On most of the best songs (California Stars, Another Man’s Done Gone, At My Window Sad and Lonely, Way over Yonder, Mountain Bed etc.), it sounds like long lost words miraculously finding the music they were always meant to find, music that they were calling for. In the case of Blood of the Lamb, as good as the song is, that illusion is broken, it’s not magic anymore, but brilliant craftsmanship.
My head is spinning on When The Roses Bloom Again. I’m listening at this very moment to Laura Cantrell sing it, streaming on Apple, and the date of her record is 2002. It’s credited to Tweedy and Guthrie. If Wilco pulled it from the Guthrie project because it wasn’t written by Woody...you’d (at least I would) think she wouldn’t blithely credit the lyrics to Woody Guthrie. Unless Apple just draws that info from BMI. Edit; just under 30 minutes, phew. Wiki discography for Cantrell album says: "When the Roses Bloom Again" (Cobb/Edwards,[2] arranged by Wilco) – 4:05
I've seen two shows with The Total Pro Horns and both times they played "Blood of the Lamb." The first show was in Charleston. For some reason I totally forgot that this was a Mermaid Avenue track/song and both my wife and I were totally convinced that this was a cover of an old spiritual/hymn until we got back home and I realized from Setlist.fm that it was off that record. It has such a timeless quality to it. I know its a Guthrie song but it sounds very much like a old time hymn to me. Love it.
"Blood of the Lamb" doesn't do much for me compared to most of the Mermaid stuff, but "When the Roses Bloom Again", man that one is one of my favorites! Talk about timeless, otherworld stuff ...
In 2001/2002, Jeff forcefully denied that they used the same melody for Roses and Lamb. It sounded like denial to me, as if he was perfectly aware that acknowledging it wouldn’t do any service to Blood of the Lamb and that it was very important to maintain an aura of magic and immanence behind this whole Mermaid Avenue venture.
I see. When did you (or other fans) first hear the song? Vol. III didn’t come out until 2012 but I’m assuming (based on what you said upthread about what Stirratt said) that Roses had been recorded while Jay was still a happy Wilcoite and that he plays on the recording. It sounds like at least someone had heard the recording if they questioned Jeff about it. I wonder if Tweedy’s vehement denial may have had something to do with the Bennett axing? (Or maybe I’m wildly off base?) Wiki’s Vol. III entry does not give the in-depth personnel (or even writing credits) details. And I didn’t buy that one so I can’t look to see what the liner notes say. I’m still curious as to how Jay can be credited 30/20 (Tweedy) on Blood of the Lamb and zilch on Roses. (I’ve got an idea but it’s just idle speculation).
"Blood of the Lamb"- I never made the connection between this song and "When the Roses Bloom Again". Listening to both this morning and there are definite similarities in the melody. However, they each have a totally different vibe and tone. Both are equally great. One light and one dark. I really love the production on "Blood of the Lamb". It sounds like creepy and sinister carnival music. Reminds me of something Nick Cave might sing. One of my favorites on the album. 4.5/5 "Against Th' Law"- This is my first time hearing the Billy version. I agree that his version would have fit the album much better, even though I prefer Corey Harris on vocals. It just feels like I am listening to a different album when it comes on. This song is very Taj Mahal in vocal and the music. I love Taj Mahal! I don't know much about Corey Harris, but I looked him up last night and sure enough one of the first YouTube clips I found was him playing with Taj Mahal. It's a good song, but it sounds out of place on this record. 4/5
Wilco first performed “Roses” on NYE 1997, and either Jeff or Wilco played it about a dozen more times in ‘98-99 before it went into regular rotation in 2002. This is sort of cold, but I’d guess that Jay gets no writing credit for “Roses” because he was dead when Vol. III came out.
Totally agree with this. And watching interviews from the time and afterwards, I think you can see an arc with Jeff’s development and the role of Jay. In his memoir, Jeff talks about how Jay really helped him realize his ambitions to deconstruct things after AM. Jay was phenomenally talented not only as a musician but also with all the tools of a studio. I never really understood comments I had read about how the final version of Yankee was more stripped back compared to the early mixes with Jay, but now I’m beginning to see it. The fur coat and double neck guitar on the letterman appearance symbolize what Jay was about. He was a “more is more good” kind of guy. And for Jeff getting out of the shadow of Uncle Tupelo Americana that was a good thing. But Jeff is also a “less is more” kind of guy. So you have Being There as a first foray into deconstruction. Mermaid I as careful arranging. And Summerteeth as “let’s see how far we can take this” - the two of them locked up in a studio on pills and protools going mad. But now with Mermaid II, Jeff is learning to balance the kitchen sink arrangements. Sadly, the conflict will really come to a head before long. But going through these albums slowly has helped me see how the shift played out, as well as see both sides of Jay’s ultimate (blindsided) exit. Sad in many ways, but also understandable as you dig into their personalities.
What are your plans about this ? Should we do a quick run-through of volume 3 before getting to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot ? If John Stiratt is to be believed, they knew they touched something really special and timeless with When the Roses Bloom Again (which was recorded for the first volume, if my memory serves me well). And I suspect it somehow paved the way to Remember the Mountain Bed, by allowing them to dream big dreams and to shoot for that kind of mythical simplicity. The song appeared on the soundtrack of Ethan Hawkes's movie Chelsea Walls, released in 2002. I seem to remember that it was then cryptically credited to "Traditional, arranged by Wilco"… Go figure.
I don't know. Do you guys have a preference? I don't think I want to go song by song on it, as it is essentially outtakes. And I know folks are excited to get to Yankee (I am too!). Maybe just a day to talk about Volume 3 in general and share favorite tracks?
I like this plan. As for "When the Roses Bloom Again", I first heard it as a track taken from the Chelsea Walls soundtrack. There was also another fair Tweedy acoustic song, "Promising".
Slotting it in after The Whole Love, continuing the discussion in order of release, would work fine for me.
I agree. One day is all it needs. There are 17 songs and only 5 that feature Jeff on lead vocal. This was really scraping the barrel and most of it was never meant to be released.
"Blood of the Lamb" is the first song on the album that doesn't work very well for me. Perhaps it's just the hangover from the previous track, but this one has never resonated very strongly with me. I think it's mostly the plodding, dirgey quality of the music. The lyrics are fine but I'm not sure I fully get what Guthrie was intending. Was he putting on a mantle of spiritual righteousness himself? Was he mocking those who do so while behaving in decidedly non-Christian ways? Maybe both? Unclear. I never made the connection with the other song, which I had known since buying the Chelsea Walls soundtrack album in 2002. Anyway, I certainly don't dislike "Blood of the Lamb", but I can't muster the same enthusiasm for it as with most of the other songs on the album that we've discussed so far. "Aginst th' Law", on the other hand, has always been a favorite. I like Corey Harris on this - he's done some good work on his own (very much in the Taj Mahal mode as somebody pointed out upthread). I think having an African-American male sing this song was decision taken with purposeful intent by Bragg and Wilco. These lyrics take on a deeper contextual level of significance coming from someone who, in the modern world, is the most likely to be a victim of the types of harassment described by Guthrie. I like the bouncy melody and the way the song begins with just Harris' voice.
What's never really discussed in this scenario: what were the other guys in the band thinking? First you had a very good drummer let go, seemingly because Jeff had found another drummer he was really taken with. The remarks Jay made in the YHF documentary imply that no one felt on sure footing at that time, implying that John Stirratt's most recent album with Autumn Defense put him in much better staid than he was. (I can't imagine the band without him as he seems a talented, steady force.) A friend of Jay's, Leroy Bach, starts as a sideman and becomes a member. What were these guys thinking while they witnessed Jeff and Jay get intertwined in this thorny mix of production, songwriting and prescription meds? You get the sense a whole lot of eye-rolling was going on in the studio while Jay puttered around, but you can also hear the positive results. It's clear how they respond to Jeff, but I never had any feeling with how the rest of the band responded to Jay (or vice versa). Then you have the weird X factor of these two Mermaid Avenue albums thrown in the mix in short order. You can't say Jay fell out of the mix until well into the YHF process as he had a strong hand in most of the tracks (including some great outtakes). It sounds like there was a strange balancing act going on there that was probably starting to become more apparent during Mermaid Vol. 2.
