When The Roses Bloom Again was also on the Oxford American Southern Sampler (2000) cd. I still have it. I recall I bought the magazine just to get that cd with the song on it.
Oh, if Jeff only sings lead on 5 songs, then it makes sense to do one of those per day, or just cover them all in one day.
I heard Roses years before Vol III. It was in a compilation that came with a magazine at the time (American Songwriter maybe?). Then it was played on the Wilco Podcast (maybe Mikael’s episode?). Finally I got around to picking up the 2002 Chelsea Walls soundtrack and it’s there too. Also, I hear the vocal similarities between this and Blood of the Lamb, but they are different beasts. Been a while since I played either on guitar, but Roses is in a major key, while Blood is minor. Both have the slow stomp to them. My preference is for Blood, to the point that I once played it in church. Far more interesting than “contemporary worship music”. I imagine when Woody wrote it, though, it was intended to be more like an old time gospel hymn, like those Cash profiles on My Mother’s Hymn Book. I love this dark musical take and the integration of human equality into the outcome of spiritual cleansing.
Per below, it was released in 2002 so Jay was still alive. The “arranged by Wilco” thing is on the Laura Cantrell 2002 lp, too. “When the Roses Bloom Again" (Cobb/Edwards,[2] arranged by Wilco) – 4:05”
Well said and I’ve often wondered this too. John really does seem to be that steady hand, yet he barely gets a mention in Jeff’s memoir. Looking forward to it!
I look forward also to the “Roses” discussion. It seems natural for some of us to do it here as it was an early Mermaid tune, and one of the best!
As you and @Fortuleo say, in 2002, the Chelsea Walls credit reads, "Traditional; arranged by Wilco," and the Cantrell record also just gives an arranging credit to the band, which didn't include Jay, anymore. Jay was denied a credit, but evidently nobody got a songwriting royalty. (Jeff also took full credit for "Promising," a song that debuted in a Jeff Tweedy & Jay Bennett show at Lounge Ax in 1994; maybe he felt more confident about asserting that was his own work.) In 2012, after Jay had died, Jeff claimed the music credit for himself. Why do you suppose that was?
I see. Yeah, the date of registration is important. I can’t see that info on the BMI or ASCAP sites. It should say “1997” or “1999” or whatever. Jay was pretty assertive about that sort of thing so am surprised if he didn’t pay attention.
Jeff and Jay played a show together in 1994? I didn't think they even knew each other at that point. Wilco had only just been formed late in that year.
According to the Wilcobase, the 1994-12-29 show where "Promising" debuted was a Jeff & Jay show, and they appeared as a duo again for 7 more shows from 1995-99. The first Wilco performance of "Promising" was on 1995-05-26 at Let It Be Records in Minneapolis, the month after Jeff & Jay evidently appeared together at McCabe's Guitar Shop. I found the 1994-12-29 recording at the Wilco Archive. The info file says that it was Jeff's first "acoustic" show at Lounge Ax, and also refers to it as his first "solo" show. However, the credits also say that Jay Bennett played electric guitar and harmonica, and added vocals. I haven't listened to find out how much Jay played, but anyway he was there on stage.
Regarding Mermaid Avenue, Vol. 3: We will just have a day of discussion for it here at the end of Vol. 2. I want to include it here as this is when the tracks were recorded, but not spend a lot of time on it. After that day, we will move on to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot... For today: All You Fascists Okay, so this rocks. This is just a straight-up rock song that blends punk with roots rock in a very appealing way. Jay wails away on the harmonica, Coomer is pounding away in the back and Billy Bragg is really on fire in the vocals. This lyric obviously riled him up (for good reason) and he turns in a performance of real grit and intensity. This isn't the most complex song on the album, but I think it really belongs and it captures the angry side of Guthrie--something that was kind of missing from the first volume. I know Jeff wasn't really interested in Woody's political stuff, but I actually see now that I'm glad that Billy Bragg was interested because it was a real part of Guthrie and this song is like an inferno blazing through the album. Good.
And secondly... Joe DiMaggio Done It Again An interesting moment on the album as Bragg wrote the music, but Jeff Tweedy sings it. According to Billy, "One about Joe DiMaggio that I wrote that Wilco wouldn't let me sing 'cause I didn't know nothing about baseball." Indeed, baseball doesn't seem to mean anything to the English but it's as 'American as apple pie.' The band gives this one kind of a hoedown country flavor with banjo, fiddle from Eliza Carthy and Ken Coomer getting credited for his "holler" at the beginning. It's a fun song. I like baseball quite a bit, especially going to the ballpark to see it in person. Baseball also seems to have really meant a tremendous amount to people in the first half of the 20th century. I've always loved how much Paul Simon loves it, for instance (and he referenced Joltin' Joe on 'Mrs. Robinson' of course). This pairs well with 'All You Fascists' today to give two very different flavors of Mr. Guthrie. Going track by track is really reinforcing how many great, enjoyable tracks are on this album for me. I think Volume II is a really successful sequel.
All You Fascists: Billy Bragg A burn-down-the-barn, in your face punk stomp with Bragg spitting out the lyrics, “All of you fascists bound to lose, you’re bound to lose...bound to lose.” It’s probably my favorite Bragg song on the album. Jay’s wailing away on the harmonica and the band is thrashing in full force.
Joe Dimaggio Done It Again: Bragg Vocals by Jeff Tweedy on this Bragg novelty tune that I don’t find that interesting (other than the corny lyrics). “Grandmaw’s home by the radio, on the telleyvizzion awatchin’ Joe. She jerks the beard offa grandpaw’s chin; Joe Deemaggyoe’s done it again!” Lyrics date from 1949 so I looked up whether baseball was being broadcast on television at that time. Yes, it was. “Soon, Major League Baseball would realize the potential of the medium, and by 1947, most games were broadcast on television. That year, the World Series was broadcast for the first time. Those games were carried by NBC on WNBT Channel 4, which later became WNBC. The 1947 World Series had a total viewership of 3.9 million, with most of those coming from public places, like bars, where people gathered to watch.”
Per wiki: A.M. was recorded: Recorded June–August 1994 —end paste— So it seems like it could easily fit the timeline. That’s very interesting.
I absolutely love All You Fascists - it may be my favorite song on the album. I love the lyrics and the message, which is as relevant today as it was decades ago. I love the aggressive sound and melody. I love the way Bragg sings it - he makes the word "fascists" an insult and a curse, just brilliant. It's an incredible track that I'd love to play at an impossibly loud volume so everyone can hear it. Joe Dimmagio is another fine track, old-timey and great fun, and a perfect way to lighten the mood after the last few heavy songs. What a sequence of songs we've just experienced. Yes, Mermaid Avenue Volume 2 is a worthwhile sequel to the first volume!
Oh, too bad ! When the Roses Bloom Again, Chain of Broken Hearts, Ain-ta Gonna Grieve, Listening to the Wind That Blows ? I think those 4 tracks (not the Jolly Banker, which belongs to another era) are all very much worthy of their day under the bright sun of this thread ! I'm as anxious to get to YHF as the next guy, but I also enjoy this thread so much that I will always vote for a few additional days, whenever the question arises !
As for today's songs. All You Fascists is ok, I guess, I like the punk-ish guitar work and the deliberate spite and insult in Bragg’s performance, but I don’t know, it doesn’t really sound like a Mermaid Avenue song to me. This is the moment where the “we can do all the styles we want, we’re that good” attitude makes Volume 2 a less cohesive record than the first. Truth is, in my opinion, the album never fully recovers from the Remember the Mountain Bed triumph. As track 8, the Mountain stands tall exactly in the middle of a 15 songs track-list, but everything after it sounds a bit like an afterthought to me. Bragg’s songs especially are more misses than hits, and I care mostly for the Wilco tracks (especially the closer). But I’m happy to say I consider Joe Di Maggio Did it Again one of those Wilco songs. This is Christ for President, only much much better. The music may be Bragg’s but he doesn’t appear on it and Tweedy delivers it with great gusto. It is a lightweight but really charming track, good natured like an Old Crow Medicine Show early tune. The band's take on old-time music is full of joyful energy, and Jeff sounds like he’s having as much fun singing it as we do listening and dancing (and drinking !!) to it.
This song is on fire. It reminds me of this guy: I love that guitar/amp/speaker backpack rig he’s got going. It was a photo like that which I had in my mind’s eye when I heard Billy Bragg would be involved in a Woody Guthrie project. Next I wanna go listen to Sonic Youth’s “Youth Against Fascism” after hearing this.
Hot take: I like Vol. II even more than Volume I. I think they’d played it a little safe with the first one, which I love, but I think they got a little more “out there” with some of the selections for Vol. II and it is actually a more enjoyable front to back listening experience for me. I’ll grant that the issue with “When The Roses Bloom Again” being held back is a mark against it but I didn’t even know that when I formed my opinion.
Haven't listened to today's Bragg song in quite a while, so I will pass on it "Joe DiMaggio ..." - it's kinda fun and silly. I agree it's in the vein of "Christ For President", though I like that one better
