Meanest Man I largely agree with @Parachute Woman's take on this one. This is the first cut on the album that I find dull. The lyric is very intriguing - I feel like this is Guthrie commenting on the human need for community and love to save us from our worst individual impulses. It's a very Christian perspective, actually, despite the rather extreme examples of bad behavior he cites throughout. Again, I don't think this is a bad song at all, but it just isn't one that I personally enjoy listening to that much. I'm not sure that Bragg's vocal style here really fits the song (in sharp contrast to "All You Fascists"). Black Wind Blowing Extraordinary! Yes, a literal Dust Bowl ballad. The lyrical imagery is vivid and powerful and this song needed to be very stripped down. This might be Bragg's stand out on this album. This is one I can imagine Jay Farrar singing - there's something about Bragg's English accent that clashes here, and Farrar has always been able to vocally channel a 1930s farmer with his singing. Still, this is exquisite.
"Stetson Kennedy" Bragg's slightly hollow sounding vocal gives this song an old-timey atmosphere. It adds an interesting element here, but I kind of wish he sang it without the effect, although I see where they were going with it. Jay's little solo is alright, but seems out of place. Another curious track which ultimately doesn't stand out for me. "Remember The Mountain Bed" In contrast to the previous tune, this one has a clearer, open sound that highlights Jeff's vocal. Along with a simple but clean arrangement the results draw you into the song and the performance. I like how all of this the gives the lyric prominence, which of course is the star. One of Vol. II's stellar tracks.
"Blood Of The Lamb" I think I'm getting a certain impression for the reasoning why particular tracks didn't make it on the original Mermaid Avenue release. There is an off-kilter undertone to this one which I can't help feel doesn't quite capture the spirit of the Guthrie lyric. It seems more an exercise of arrangement than simply a platform for presenting Guthrie's work in a fresh but relevant way. Simply put, for me the music and lyrics just don't seem to be a good match. "Aginst Th' Law" A bit of a change up on this, with an upbeat, easygoing tune and a cheerful vocal by Corey Harris. A breath of fresh air after the somewhat downbeat flavor of the previous few tracks. Everything here works, and the band's performance is offered in complimentary spirit.
"All You Fascists" More in the spirit of Bragg than Guthrie I suppose, though this track comes across as an outlier from these sessions as an out-and-out rocker, I just think that it's a pretty good tune on its own. Again, not something that would have neatly fit onto Vol. I, but I do like it for what it is. "Joe DiMaggio Done It Again" An interesting combo of Bragg's music contribution and Wilco's execution. The band plays great here and the spirit of the song really comes through. A likeable track all around.
"Meanest Man" Throw another one onto the "Experiment That Didn't Quite work" pile. Billy Bragg does worst Tom Waits impersonation ever. Actually, I don't mind this one too much. I can appreciate where Bragg was going with this, but the whole vibe seems out of place, which could explain why it found its way onto Vol. II. Nice try, but came in a bit short. "Black Wind Blowing" One of my favourite songs from these sessions. It's just Bragg, a guitar, a wondrous set of lyrics, and poignant melody. Sometimes that's all you need.
I sincerely doubt that Guthrie had rock 'n' roll in mind (in the musical sense) when he wrote those lyrics in 1942. Point is, not only do the lyrics reflect Bragg's own sensibilities, but he also brings in a personal, modern take to the music. So all I'm saying, essentially, is that Bragg's version is a strong representation of his own style, and in some sense makes it his own.
Thread guide Introduction and Uncle Tupelo Mar 1995 AM I Must Be High Casino Queen Box Full Of Letters Shouldn't Be Ashamed Pick Up The Change I Thought I Held You That's Not The Issue It's Just That Simple - live Should've Been In Love - live 1995 Passenger Side - live 1996 Dash 7 - live 2010 Blue Eyed Soul Too Far Apart Outtakes Oct 1996 Being There Misunderstood Far Far Away Monday Outtasite (outta mind) Forget The Flowers Red Eyed and Blue I Got You What's The World Got In Store Hotel Arizona Say You Miss Me Sunken Treasure Someday Soon Outta Mind (Outtasite) Someone Else's Song Kingpin (Was I) In Your Dreams Why Would You Wanna Live The Lonely 1 Dreamer In My Dreams Blasting Fonda (outtake?) Live 1996 - televised version Snow Job 97 June 1998 Mermaid Ave (with Billy Bragg) California Stars Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key Birds And Ships Hoodoo Voodoo She Came Along to Me At My Window Sad And Lonely Ingrid Bergman Christ For President I Guess I Planted One By One Eisler On The Go Hesitating Beauty Another Man's Done Gone The Unwelcome Guest March 1999 Summerteeth I Can't Stand It She's A Jar A Shot In The Arm We're Just Friends I'm Always In Love Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (Again) Pieholden Suite How To Fight Lonliness Via Chicago ELT My Darling When You Wake Up Feeling Old Summer Teeth In A Future Age Candyfloss Interview 1999 May 2000 Mermaid Ave vol 2 Airline To Heaven My Flying Saucer Feed Of Man Hot Rod Hotel I Was Born Secret Of The Sea Stetson Kennedy Remembering the Mountain Bed Blood Of The Lamb Against Th' Law All You Fascists Joe Dimaggio Done It Again Meanest Man Black Wind Blowing
We close the album today with the final song on Mermaid Avenue Vol. II: Someday Some Morning Sometime Jeff called this song "a piece of the puzzle that led to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot." It does have a shimmering percussive soundscape that reminds one of some of the sounds that will be appearing on the next album. This song is only Jeff (Wurlitzer, vocals, acoustic guitar) and Jay (drums, upright bass, bells, Delayaphone). Some digging online informed me of what a Delayaphone is--it is an instrument Wilco invented. From this article, "On “Someday,” Bennett got to use the Delayaphone, an instrument Wilco invented, for an offbeat, echoey effect. It consists of a little set of vibes sent through a Roland Space Echo, which has a sound-on-sound tape loop feature that keeps going around and recording everything on top of what’s already there. “It’s a good way of adding an unpredictable atmosphere to a song, because you don’t know when what you recorded will come back around. We goofed around with the delay, and then I played it, miked it up, and Jeff messed with the knobs on the delay and he did all this tape distortion in delay and we did a couple of tracks of that,” explains Bennett. The result is an airy, atmosphere track that doesn't have much in common with the songs that came before it on the album but is definitely a harbinger of things to come (sort of like Tomorrow Never Knows...) Guthrie's lyrics are very minimalist, which perhaps allowed Jeff and Jay to play around and come up with something that doesn't really have a "Woody Guthrie" feeling at all. Jeff uses his soft, smoky voice again and it is spine-shivering. It's a lovely piece to end the album on and one I enjoy very much. I'll be back later this morning to share my overall thoughts on this album and rank the tracks!
Kot, rather dramatically, writes, “(Tweedy) knew the next Wilco album would be vastly different. ‘Someday Some Morning Sometime’ held the key...” (and then what you quoted above). The only trouble is, the very next sentence, as written in the next chapter, speaks of Tweedy stepping onstage with “the two people who would most influence his music for the next four years.” And then goes into the Loose Fur/noise thing. I was about to write that the two sentences were in direct conflict...but realize that as ‘a piece’ of the puzzle...okay, I can accept it.
I’ve always cherished this song, like a secret treasure, but even more than a personal favorite, a very important moment in Wilco’s development. I was not aware of Jeff’s comments, but It’s definitely another step towards Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, even if it’s apparently much simpler and calmer than what is to come. When we look back to the Beach Boys’ path to Pet Sounds, we can draw a line starting with the second side of Today, the Guess I’m Dumb production for Glen Campbell, a couple of songs on Summer Days (and Summer Nights), The Little Girl I Once Knew single… With Wilco, there's the same feeling of a band gradually coming into its own, a thread starting with Misunderstood, then Via Chicago, In a Future Age, then this wonderful track, the last Wilco song before the Loose Fur sessions. It’s almost a haiku type of song, a few words, a very simple idea and sentiment. The melody has the same “profound simplicity” to it as the lyrics, just a few notes, a quiet wonder. All the while, the instrumental backing manages to modulate and to give a feeling of uncertainty to the words (thanks for the delayaphone explanation, by the way!). The singer would like to get to some kind of peace, some kind of domestic bliss, he is sincere, but the images in his head are set in a hypothetical future that will likely never happen. It’s always beautiful, when the music manages to add depth and layers to the words. The singer means what he’s saying, but maybe he’s drunk, or just melancholic, or in some kind of stupor. Maybe he’s thinking too far ahead or maybe he’s just not the home-made loving kind, and realizes he won’t be able to be true to his words. What he sings is certainly not a promise of any kind, but a longing or a reverie. It’s a dream that’s already slipping away. And sure enough, it dissolves, disappearing into ether during the last measures of the song.
I’m assuming this is still the agenda order? Throw all Vol. III/outtakes stuff into the conversational stew tomorrow?
Yes. Tomorrow will be a discussion day for Vol. III. I guess I should listen to it today... I'm gonna be honest. I've played it two times in my life. I know some folks wanted a day for Loose Fur also. Is that true? If so, we could do Loose Fur on Monday and then start YHF on Tuesday. My Mermaid Avenue Vol. II wrap up thoughts I like this record. I stand by my opinion that it isn't as good as the first volume, but I think there is a lot to enjoy on this sequel and it was well worth releasing. I do think that on this album it is really my love of Wilco that shines. I was surprised and delighted by the contributions of Billy Bragg on the first volume and thought his stuff was great (I've listened to a few of his solo albums and just don't personally dig them). On the second volume, his stuff is a lot less interesting to me and more samey. It is really Jeff, Jay and the boys who come through on Volume II and put together another set of great songs for Mr. Guthrie's words. My top 6 on the album are all the Wilco songs. If this were just a Wilco EP, I'd love this thing. It is the Bragg stuff I'm less enthused about. I'm going to put this album into the listening rotation more frequently than I have been, though. The highs are very high. Track ranking: 1. Remember the Mountain Bed (A+) 2. Secret of the Sea (A+) 3. Someday Some Morning Sometime (A) 4. Blood of the Lamb (A-) 5. Airline to Heaven (B+) 6. Feed of Man (B) 7. All You Fascists (B) 8. Black Wind Blowing (B) 9. My Flying Saucer (B) 10. Joe Dimaggio Done It Again (B) 11. I Was Born (B-) 12. Against th' Law (C+) 13. Meanest Man (C+) 14. Stetson Kennedy (C) 15. Hot Rod Hotel (C)
Your top-end track ranking matches mine, this go-round. Your top 4 are what I’ve placed on my playlist.
I have a proposal: make the best possible 10-14 song (or so) Woody Guthrie album out of all the Jeff Tweedy vocal tracks on all three Mermaid Avenue albums and alt. version Bsides that have been released. No fair just listing ALL of them. I’ll try to do the same and maybe folks can post their own. All three volumes of this project are great and stand together as a fantastic “Billy Bragg & Wilco project with occasional guest vocals” but if you were to just pick only Jeff Tweedy vocals and put the best of the best in a playlist with all your Wilco albums then what tracks would make the cut? I’ll post mine tomorrow.
"Someday Some Morning Sometime"- What a great way to end these albums! After a mediocre second half, they at least close it out with a beauty. This song sounds like it could be on any Wilco album since. It does lead the way into Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but also wouldn't sound out of place on Ode to Joy. I enjoyed going through this album, and realized I like it more than I thought. I'd say there is a really strong 10 song album here. This time around all my favorites are with Jeff singing. Billy has a few numbers I enjoy, but they just don't live up to his brilliant songs on the first volume. My five favorite songs on this album would be: Feed of Man 5/5 Remember The Mountain Bed 5/5 Someday Some Morning Sometime 5/5 Blood of the Lamb 4.5/5 Airline To Heaven 4/5 I have only listened all the way through Volume 3 a few times. I listened through yesterday and will listen again today. I will share all those thoughts tomorrow. I like that Loose Fur album, but haven't heard it in years. The only song I am very familiar with is "Laminated Cat" and I love that song!
When I’m deep into a band, I usually explore their side projects. As the lustre of the main band wears off, I find I generally never have interest in those side projects again. Loose Fur is the exception to the rule. If you love Yankee and Ghost, then Loose Fur really is essential listening. On Monday (thanks for adding one day for Loose Fur), we should compare the Loose Fur and Wilco versions of Laminated Cat/Not for the Season. A great song in and of itself but the two approaches explain so much of Yankee and where Jeff would go with the rest of his career. The Jeff/Glenn instrumentals on Chelsea Walls, in contrast, are interesting but a bit academic, much like the Wilco Book tracks. Interesting, but not really music I’m likely to revisit. To return to today’s agenda, Someday is the best. A beautiful coda to the Mermaid project, but also a sign of where Wilco was going to go. In many ways, the Americana kitchen sink of Vol II now feels a bit like Jeff getting all of that out of his system... gospel stomp, banjo romp, and any other old school style he could want... and now he’s ready to move in. AM through Mermaid was a great run. Now it’s time to close that book and do something new.
I would say Summerteeth already closed the book. Then Vol. II opened it up for a brief glance. (Though it’s probably a stretch to go full I Am Trying To Break Your Heart with Woody Guthrie lyrics, especially when Nora Guthrie can’t be entirely ignored).
To get further into the weeds...my order would be Mountain Bed/Blood Of The Lamb, shared stars of the album.
I’ll try to get in on it as I have time, though that will be a little limited until Monday. I know the album pretty well and like it in general ...
"Someday Some Morning Sometime" Yeah, when I was listening to it the other day, and again yesterday, I couldn't help but think that this song was representative of the post-Summerteeth Wilco, like it was a step in that direction. It caught me off guard because I hadn't listened to this album in a while, and it may be the first time that I was able hear it from the perspective of someone with more familiarity of pre-YHF Wilco. This was different, and I have to wonder if this was considered a kind of discovery for them, a realization of a new sound. ___________________________ I have to admit that it's a bit of a shock to be reminded that it has been 20 years since the Mermaid Avenue recordings were released. Listening to them again now I realize that my general impressions haven't changed very much. As I've mentioned previously, I came into them as a Billy Bragg fan. I still find Vol. I to be a stellar record and well deserving of its recognition. For me, Vol. II was an interesting addition, but didn't quite hit the same heights as the previous release. I find the songs on Vol. II to be a little more uneven; some great tunes, but also more songs that didn't quite work, whereas Vol. I was largely strong start to finish. The big difference between now and then is that I have a better appreciation of the Wilco centric material. One thing I'd like to point out is that going into these albums originally, I had neither any preconceptions about Wilco, nor any knowledge of their history, nor any understanding of the dynamics behind the band and its members. On top of that, only recently did I become familiar with the early years of the band, up to Summerteeth. In that respect, listening to this early material, I realize that I don't have the same investment in the band as those who were listening to them right from the beginning. Throughout this thread it became evident that various fans seem to have particular loyalties to either certain aspects of the band's music, or to particular band members. As a result it's made for an interesting discussion, as well as a curious look into my own perspectives towards the band and their music.
