Not so much the last 5 years, but up til then my wife and I would play the 2 Mermaid albums regularly as a kind of joint interest, a type of music where our tastes came together
Never realized Revolutionary Mind was a Guthrie lyric. Sadly, that’s the song that sticks out like a sore thumb when I listen to that album. I find the lyrics cringe-worthy. Although if I read them in Guthrie’s voice and context, less so.
This is my experience exactly! I knew of Wilco when Being There and then Summerteeth were getting alt-rock buzz. My first listen was Summerteeth. Then my fiancé picked up Mermaid Ave, which she heard through CBC radio (Canada’s NPR). It was a good middle ground record. I then started back with AM, slowly becoming a big fan. Fast forward 20 years... my wife still has little interest in Wilco, but Mermaid 1 and 2 are almost daily plays. My six year old daughter knows Vol 1 by heart, especially California Stars. But let’s just say she doesn’t request Misunderstood or Bull Black Nova in the car! In that light, I think Mermaid is a flawless album. So many great songs. And Wilco experimenting with a different sort of Americana. But I love it in a way different than my favourite “Real Wilco” albums. Walt is a funny, dirty ditty. A good way to start the album, letting you know Guthrie isn’t all you thought he was.
Just a head's up that Jeff and Spencer Tweedy (with some extra drumming by Glenn Kotche) did the score for ESPN's latest 30 for 30 episode "Long Gone Summer" that premiered tonight covering the MLB HR race of 1998. Completely forgot this was on so only caught the last five minutes (credits). If you have ESPN I imagine it'll be on demand / replayed soon.. Here's the trailer for those interested: Seriously doubting there'll be a soundtrack for this but the snippets sound intriguing from the trailer at least...
Today, probably the 'big one' on this album: California Stars California Stars certainly jumps out immediately when listening to Mermaid Avenue. It is one of those songs that is obviously great the very first time you hear it. It has been a live staple for years and probably the song from this album with the longest legs. I've seen many Wilco fans list this as their favorite Wilco track, or among them. The contrarian part of me wants to rebel against that just a little bit because I do think this song has somewhat overshadowed many other beautiful songs on this album, but that's a really small part of me. Most of me knows this is simply a glorious piece of songwriting in every sense and everyone involved should be hugely proud of it. It's one of my favorite Wilco songs too! I've never quite understood why Nora Guthrie and Billy Bragg seemed a bit dismissive of this set of words from Woody and didn't think they were anything special until Jeff and Jay set them to music. I think the lyrics are absolutely gorgeous. Jump up from my star bed Make another day Underneath my California stars They hang like grapes On vines that shine And warm the lovers' glass Like friendly wine A beautiful sentiment that makes even me long for California (and I've only been there twice and didn't like it much either time!) If any song on this album is Steinbeckian, it's this one. This could easily be the soundtrack to Tortilla Flat, a wonderful novel about a bunch of friends getting merrily drunk on wine. The melody is absolutely enchanting, the arrangement is flawless (oh, that weeping guitar) and Jeff wraps the whole thing up in his warm voice, evocative of times and friends lost and big bright stars shining overhead. This is honestly a masterpiece. A++
California Stars: Jay Bennett’s Wilco-era songwriting debut (written at his girlfriend’s kitchen table) and it’s a stunner, an out of the park home run. Jeff’s warm (and lilting?) vocals are the perfect fit.
I agree this is a masterpiece. I've always thought of this as the 'happy' and 'optimistic' sibling to Kate Wolf''s "Here in California." In "California Stars," stars hang like grapes on vines, and the the days are wine (and roses). In Kate's: Here in California fruit hangs heavy on the vines There's no gold I thought I'd warn you And the hills turn brown in the summertime... And yes, this is my not too subtle plug to check out the great Kate Wolf if you are unfamiliar. Music makes my mind leap and I tend to cross-associate frequently.
Yes, California Stars is a highlight of the Wilco catalog. It just rolls along in simple beauty. Again the instrumentation is perfect, and the melody is one of their best. It's just about perfect.
Very pretty song from Kat Wolf. Thank you for sharing that! And yes, it does feel like a sibling to California Stars.
The feel of California Stars is so good. It just floats along on a cloud. I used to play this for Steph, when we were waiting for the immigration stuff to get sorted out.... I used to give her private little Skype concerts lol.... fond memories of strange but more simple times.... so this song will always be part of some weird little special personal thing.
What's so stunning is the timelessness of this song. It's a tune that Wilco would not have been able to create without the Guthrie Lyrics, yet they didn't have to get in a "woody guthrie set of mind" nor did they try to recreate their own 1940's music approximation (even within the constraint of the three chords harmonic structure). It sounds like they just flowed with the lyrics, with no intellectual agenda whatsoever, except to let go of all intellectual agendas. And in the end, you get this timeless classic!
Last week I've heard this for the first time. Since then I’ve often listened to it. It’s a very irresistible and catchy song. At times I got a bit sick of it, because of overexposure. It has such a beautiful open sound, such a comforting groove. Drums far left in the soundstage often is against the rules of good sound, but IMO is appropriate for this music. Thinking he is yearning to the promised land of California, to the moment he’ll sleep under it’s starry sky (in the open air). About people who are trying to make a better livin’. As a child I saws The Grapes Of Wrath on TV. It did affect me a lot. The bed in the lyrics didn’t fit in quite well, but I took it for granted. Later on I read at YouTube that California Stars is a quilt. A bit of a blow for my images and emotion, it became much more down to earth. Maybe it’s just a simple love song. Of course CS quilt is probably symbolic and it’s a powerful image, but I do like the stars in the sky better. There are a lot of live performance of CS at YouTube. It seems they are playing it in recent times more than ever, with guests like Jason Isbell, Richard Thompson, Bob Weir, Buddy Miller, Calexico and of course Billy Braggs. It has probably become Wilco’s most well-known song. This is my favorite live version at the moment. Maybe not so sophisticated as later versions, but it has such a fine backup singing by John and we can enjoy the great guitar playing by Jay.
Nothing to add about what has been said about this song. Its marvelous. Amazingly, "Wilcopedia" says that this song was recorded in two takes. That just boggles my mind.
I think your calculations are spot on. I see one track where Leroy Bach is playing piano, so it fits your timeline scenario.
California Stars is wonderful. As many of the best songs do, it evokes blended emotions. I feel sad, nostalgic, hopeful, romantic, and serene all at once. For that reason, it's one of those songs you can 'live in'.
Spot on. Excellent example of music and lyrics making each other stronger. Just to think that's these lyrics have been 'lying in a drawer' for such a long time, waiting for music to come to give them a podium. The lyrics of Walt Whitman's Niece were already such a joy.
That's interesting. Is it from one of the Wilco books? I'm planning to read them after I have listened more to their records.
Another post that I found myself mulling over. I had no idea about Stirratt’s ‘Revolutionary Mind.’ Jim James, as you say, recorded with Jay Farrar (and Anders Parker and Will Johnson) as New Multitudes and, of all things wrote the music (and sang lead on) ‘My Revolutionary Mind.’ I wonder if it’s the same set of Guthrie lyrics that Stirratt taps into? The deluxe version includes a second disc that is all Farrar/Parker. A marvelous release that was my album of the year for 2012. Sorry for the sidetrack.
Kot book: p. 146. Jeff sped things up and worked his magic in his vocal delivery. You’ll see the credits as Bennett/Tweedy (in that order). Later on you’ll find a Tweedy/Bennett song in the album so the order means something. I’m guessing that Jay was thrilled to be accepted as a writing partner with Jeff. (Cars Can’t Escape and My Darling are two others that are all Bennett. As are two more Guthrie-lyric songs released on Jay’s first post-Wilco album: No Church Tonite and Little White Cottage.)
California Stars is the apex of early Wilco. It’s got a rootsy Americana vibe. But it’s also the most accessible, poppy tune they’ve ever written. Somehow it never gets too saccharine either. This was one of the first songs my daughter could sing too, so it’s got sentimental attachment for me. Am I burnt out on it? Of course. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a perfect tune, the ideal entry drug for Wilco, and a live ritual.
"California Stars"- Great lyrics that Wilco knocks out of the park. I have spent many evenings camping under the California stars and playing this song on an acoustic guitar. A simple, but beautiful song that seems to resonate with so many people. I would say it is one of Wilco's most loved and recognized songs. It's a bit overplayed at this point, and it's not my favorite song on the album, but there is no getting around the fact that this is a classic. 5/5
