Airline To Heaven (alt. version) from Jesus’ Son soundtrack, compiled on Alpha Mike Foxtrot: The full band version on Vol. II is one of my top tracks from the entire project but this version, while very different, is also quite excellent. Including these two Wilco outtakes on Vol. III would have evened things out a bit. Instead, it is very Bragg-centric as constructed. Enterprising readers of this thread might want to include them into the Vol. III playlist if they have Alpha Mike Foxtrot handy.
From discogs: The Jolly Banker Acoustic Guitar, Vocals – Jeff Tweedy Bass Guitar – John Stirratt Drums, Percussion [Jim Scott's Cash And Garden Tools] – Glenn Kotchke Harpsichord– Patrick Sansone Lap Steel Guitar – Nels Cline Organ [Hammond B3], Sounds [Leslie Cab] – Mikael Jorgensen Percussion [A Garden Tool] – Leslie Feist Recorded By [Additional Recording] – Jason Tobias Recorded By, Mixed By – Jim Scott Words By, Music By – Woody Guthrie "The Jolly Banker" Recorded and Mixed in 2009 by Jim Scott at The Loft, Chicago, IL Additional Recording by Jason Tobias I wonder what they story is on this? Why was this one track and nothing else done in 2009? As noted, Wilco doesn’t even get a “written by” credit for the music.
Too late to edit my earlier post. This is what The Austin Chronicle (May 31, 2002) said about No Church Tonight: “Also of interest is "No Church Tonight," a glistening snippet of psychedelia left over from the Billy Bragg/Wilco Mermaid Avenue sessions, which incorporates Woody Guthrie's lyrics with Bennett's trippy, everything-and-the-kitchen-sink production style.”
yep! (I think they recorded it in reaction to the subprime crisis and the way it was handled by the authorities)
I think Someday Some Morning Sometime is a perfect closing track for the project, and I can definitely see it leaning towards YHF. It's also a great song to start Sunday morning with. I haven't heard Volume 3 so I'll stay out of that discussion.
Jolly Banker is a wonderful tune that is timeless in it's message. Is a live version floating around out there?
I love Vol II but Vol III is definitely a step down. I’ll be brief with the Bragg tunes in saying that they largely feel like leftovers and his falsetto is embarrassing. There’s a second Corey Harris song that was rightly omitted as, fine as it is, it’s a solo number by a guest artist. His vocal on Vol II made sense on top of Wilco’s music, adding another layer of meaning. This sounds like what I would expect his own music to sound like. Then the Wilco songs... Jolly Banker was a web only charity single after the 2008 financial crisis. Doesn’t belong here! When the Roses Bloom Again isn’t a Guthrie lyric and was released on the Chelsea Walls soundtrack. Doesn’t belong here! Listening to the Wind... probably the only song on the album I really like. It feels a bit demo-like still, but it’s gorgeous. The unfussy, piano and Hammond arrangement makes it feel like a Sky Blue Sky outtake. And I didn’t know the solo was Jeff, which totally makes sense. These two factors might explain why it wasn’t so much or a Jeff/Jay song and got left behind. The Mermaid production feels very much like Jay’s baby, and this one had a different feel. The off-kilter three bars of four and one bar of two is very Lennon-esque and will be used again by Tweedy on the future. The other Wilco tunes are definitely second tier to me and we’re rightfully left off. Ain’t Gonna Grieve in particular has an arrangement that I don’t think fits the lyric. Airline and Blood of the Lamb were much better interpretations of Guthrie’s spiritual side. Where Woody seems to be earthy and sincere in his spiritual longings, this one comes off mawkish and ironic.
I believe the final song of this era would be a cover of Steely Dan’s Any Major Dude for the Me, Myself and Irene soundtrack. John would release his first album as the Autumn Defense (with future Wilco member Pat Sansone) that year, and the 70s am feel of this cover fits both that influence and the Summerteeth vibe. Just another example of the masterful musical chameleons Wilco can be.
A few of the Billy Bragg outtakes could've improved Vol. II, but I'll single out "Union Prayer." The violin & viola parts by Eliza Carthy & Ben Ivitsky, respectively, are just fantastic, mesmerizing to me. And it's a good set of lyrics from the point of view of a man who has been brought up to have faith in God, and he wants to do whatever he has to do, but experience has brought him to doubt the practical effectiveness of prayer. I think it's one of the best tracks in the whole project. I have no idea why nobody insisted that it should replace "Meanest Man" or "Hot Rod Hotel." I like both of the Corey Harris songs here, but particularly "Tea Bag Blues." A charming song (with some of Woody's innuendo) that genuinely sounds like an old blues record. I notice that Harris wrote the music for both of his features in the outtakes, too. I also would have added this one to Vol. II, replacing one of Bragg's weaker tracks if necessary. Apart from "Roses," my favorite Wilco track on Vol. III is "Jolly Banker," even if it isn't a real outtake and my wife points out that the melody is lifted from "Molly Malone." The lyrics are a pointed satire, still relevant now, but not too heavy, and the band seems to be having a good time with the tune.
“The Jolly Banker” was recorded and released as a one off to show support for the Occupy Wall Street protests. It’s a straight cover of a Guthrie song. I suppose it was later scooped up and included on the complete MA release because it generally fit and it was a place to give the song a home.
That’s reasonable. I appreciate that and it makes sense to me now why Jolly Banker sounded qualitatively different than the other recordings on Vol. III
Volume 3- I have listened to this more the last few days than I ever have. At this point I am suffering from Billy Bragg fatigue. I don't think he has much to offer here. His best attempts are "Give Me a Nail" and "Union Prayer". Both of which I think could have found their way on the first two albums. All of the Jeff songs are decent. I'm not crazy about "Jolly Banker" (I do love the Woody version, thanks for sharing!). It just sounds like a different Wilco and you can tell in Jeff's vocal that it is a more recent recording. My favorites are the excellent "When The Roses Bloom Again" and "Chain of Broken Hearts". The latter has an early Wilco A.M. or Uncle Tupelo vibe. It recalls another song, but I can't quite place it. "Listening To The Wind That Blows" is another good one, although I'm not as enamored with it as some of you. "Ain'ta Gonna Grieve" is a lost gem. It goes on a bit too long, but it's definitely strong enough to have been considered a viable candidate for the first two albums. All in all I enjoy 6 songs from this collection. They came up 9 songs short to produce another superb entry of Mermaid Avenue. Not too shabby! I'm glad they released everything. Thanks to this thread for getting me to finally spend some time with this third volume! "When the Roses Bloom Again"- 5/5 "Chain of Broken Hearts"- 4.5/5 "Ain'ta Gonna Grieve"- 4/5 "Listening to the Wind That Blows"- 3.5/5 "The Jolly Banker"- 3/5 "Give Me A Nail"- 4/5 "Union Prayer"- 4/5
Okay, the extra songs included on Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions in 2012: Bugeye Jim - originally released as a b-side in 1998, I've always liked this one. Nice melody, strong vocal from Bragg, intriguing (if somewhat nightmarish) lyrics. When The Roses Bloom Again - originally released in a couple of places around 2000-2002, this has long been a favorite. A beautiful wartime lament, wonderfully played by Wilco and sung by Tweedy. The Hammond organ is a highlight. Gotta Work - the first previously unreleased cut on offer is a Corey Harris performance. It's very much in line with his own work, even though Billy Bragg wrote the music. As nice as this is, it doesn't really fit the overall aesthetic of the MA project so I can see why it was left out initially. Glad to have it though. The lyrics are cut from the same cloth as "Meanest Man" - the community and human connection provided by work keeps us from our worst selves. My Thirty Thousand - originally released as a b-side in 1998, this tribute to Paul Robeson and his KKK-busting activism is lyrically stirring. The music doesn't fully drive home the import of the lyric for me, however. Bringing an Irish folk feel here doesn't work for me. I think something more American blues-orientated would have been more successful. Ought to be Satisfied Now - a rather bitter litany of complaint directed at some unknown party, this is one that feels like a demo that was intended to be fleshed out by Wilco but never got to that stage of consideration. I can see why. Listening to the Wind That Blows - the real standout of this "Volume III" disc for me, both lyrically and musically. This is a lovely Guthrie lyric with some of the same universal themes as "Remember the Mountain Bed". Again, using natural imagery to describe a timeless state of existence, before and after physical death. Wilco treats the lyric with the tenderness it deserves. The melody isn't instantly engaging (certainly not as much so as most of the other Wilco songs on the two original albums), but it all works quite well regardless. Go Down To the Water - an interesting lyric with potent images but not altogether clear in its meaning to me. Bragg gives it a good vocal and the banjo with strings backing works to create an atmosphere of unease and sadness. I like this one, even if it's not melodically unique - in fact, it sounds similar to the melody of the Irish folk classic "She Moved Through The Fair", with which it shares a similarly ghostly theme. Chain of Broken Hearts - an appealing Wilco folk shuffle works well with Guthrie's lyric, which again addresses the healing power of community and solidarity. Not a standout, but nice nonetheless. Jailcell Blues - probably my least favorite here, this one doesn't do anything for me lyrically or musically. Sounds like a scratch one-off vocal. Don't You Marry - this one is okay but would have benefitted from the addition of Wilco; it's too spartan as a solo recording. Good lyric but a rather undistinguished melody. Give Me A Nail - I'd have included this one on either of the original albums - it's an uptempo, optimistic ode to action. I like this one a lot - the Byrdsian Rickenbacker solo at the end makes this a winner! The Jolly Banker - as already discussed, this one is not a leftover from the MA project but was specifically recorded in 2009 by Wilco and released as a one-off single to support/sympathize with Occupy Wall Street protests. This one is a song that Guthrie himself recorded. Even so, this is a stellar cover with witty lyrics that lightly mask a deeper message. Union Prayer - thoughtful lyric that highlights the essential overlap of Christian belief and social justice advocacy. Again, the simplistic musical backing doesn't adequately serve the lyric, in my opinion. This could have been a highlight if given a more urgent band arrangement, I think. Excellent vocal by Bragg here. Be Kind to the Boy on the Road - I love this lyric! This one I could also have seen on one of the original albums. The only weakness is Bragg's vocal, which doesn't work too well. I actually think that this is one that Tweedy should have sung. I like the music on the verses but think the chorus could have been redone. This one shows promise but needed more work to really be successful, I think. Ain'ta Gonna Grieve - here's Wilco in Dylan shuffle mode. Something about Tweedy's vocal on this one is off-putting, as if he's taking the piss somewhat. I don't think the music fits this lyric at all, actually, and the song just drags on and on. Tea Bag Blues - I love these lyrics (if only for "if you'll ooze on over") and Corey Harris does a decent job with them. Overall, however, I don't really find the melody engaging and this one also tends to drag. I'm Out to Get - an engaging folk rocker with righteously angry lyrics, this is one of the better Bragg contributions beyond those that appeared on the first album. This is a good one to go out on. Overall, this "Volume III" bonus disc is clearly of inferior quality to the two original albums, but I'm still glad we have the remaining fruits of the sessions. I agree that it would have been nice to have Wilco's alternate takes of "Airline to Heaven" and "At My Window Sad and Lonely" here, but at least they were scooped up on the Alpha Mike Foxtrot box set. I won't rank these songs or rate this album in the overall context of Wilco's output since it was never originally conceived as an album.
I always thought this was an odd choice of cover. But it kind of went with the Summerteeth vibe. I liked it!
I love this cover and I am not a fan of Steely Dan at all. Well, I guess I like one Steely Dan song! Jeff delivers a spot on Jerry Garcia style vocal.
Just a reminder to everyone that tomorrow we'll be taking a brief detour to Loose Fur's 2003 self-titled album (recorded in 2000). This was at the request of thread participants. I'm running the thread, but I'm definitely not the biggest Wilco expert here! I am listening to Loose Fur for the very first time right now. I can see immediately why folks wanted to discuss this before Yankee... We'll start YHF on Tuesday.
I will admit, I don’t own Mermaid 3 and don’t know any of the songs except “When the Roses Bloom Again”, which is grade A top notch for Wilco all time
Loose Fur was basically just Tweedy, Kotche and Jim O’Rourke. I’m a big Sonic Youth fan and loved O’Rourke’s involvement there too, but he apparently disappeared to Japan or something they actually did a second excellent album later in like 2006 that has several good songs
I picked up Vol. III after letting it sit in the bins at the local shop for ages. This might be the second time I've ever spun it. It's not bad by any means, but yeah, it pales in comparison to the first two volumes, and "When the Roses Bloom Again" and "Listen to That Lonesome Wind That Blows" are the obvious highlights. I wonder where I've heard that melody to "Lonesome Wind" before; it sounds so familiar.
I'll say more about Loose Fur tomorrow, but Jim O'Rourke was instrumental to YHF and AGIB as well--literally instrumental to the latter, as he plays on it. Yep, he moved to Japan and has continued to record and release music from there. Loose Fur reportedly has a third album mostly in the can--Jeff has spoken about it several times--but they never get around to finishing or releasing it, presumably because of O'Rourke's distance and general unavailability.
Early on in the shutdown Glen did a live chat on Facebook. When asked about current projects of his, he again confirmed the third Loose Fur album. Sounded like it’s actually done, they just need to get coordinated and put it out.
Loose Fur The background: Jeff Tweedy bought a copy of Jim O'Rourke's album Bad Timing in 1999 and he loved it immediately. He was asked to perform at the 2000 Noise Pop Festival in Chicago with a collaborator of his choice. He chose O'Rourke. They met up together and apparently spent all night listening to music together (T. Rex, Roy Harper and Phil Niblock according to Wiki) and agreed to meet at the Loft to record some stuff. It was O'Rourke who invited drummer Glenn Kotche to come along. They recorded this six-song album in the summer of 2000, but it was not released until 2003 because Jeff was busy with Wilco. The music was experimental and marked by a lot of empty space, complex rhythms and beats, guitar playing inspired by free jazz and lyrics that again used the cut-up method to juxtapose words in interesting ways. While this isn't a Wilco album, it is crucially important to understanding the sonic journey of Wilco. We've been tracing the band's evolution and you can't quite jump from Summerteeth/Mermaid Avenue Vol. II straight to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot without first listening to Loose Fur. You can hear the sounds and textures that were fascinating to Jeff Tweedy at the time and would ultimately change the sound of Wilco in a huge way. This was also the introduction of two important new collaborators. Jim O'Rourke would have a big hand in both of the next two Wilco albums (playing on and mixing Yankee; playing on and producing A Ghost is Born) and his interests in experimental music, improv, and noise were massively influential on Jeff Tweedy at this time. Jeff also "fell in love with the drummer" and was so impressed by Glenn Kotche's drumming (and so frustrated by Ken Coomer) that Coomer was fired from the band and replaced by Kotche--who remains the band's drummer to this very day and has been another exceptional ingredient in the Wilco sound evolution. I'm not going to say that I'm any kind of an expert on Loose Fur. I just listened to this album for the first time yesterday. But I immediately found it compelling and musically rich. If anyone else in the thread hasn't checked out Loose Fur (especially if you are a huge fan of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot/A Ghost is Born like I am!) then I highly recommend giving this album a listen and seeing what you think. This is really the missing link to get Wilco to the fractured Americana sound they would explore in the early 2000s. Here is the opening track 'Laminated Cat': The use of space, droning and repetition, percussion and somnambulist vocals are all clear precursors to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born. I've heard Jeff's solo version of this song on Together at Last and WOW is this different. I will also note that I really love Glenn Kotche. He's one of my favorite drummers and definitely the best drummer working today (for me). He's experimental while still always playing for the song and not being too show-offy/wackadoo. Three tracks on this album (Laminated Cat, You Were Wrong and Chinese Apple) feature lyrics by Jeff Tweedy. Two (Elegant Transaction and So Long) feature lyrics by Jim O'Rourke. One (Liquidation Totale) is an instrumental. I'm interested to hear the thoughts of others in this thread--especially those of you who have been listening to Loose Fur for longer than one day! (Today is for Loose Fur in total--we aren't going track-by-track on this. Share your thoughts on the album as a whole. We continue with Wilco tomorrow).
