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More Mermaid Avenue?


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Unless these are already 'in the can', I can't imagine the boys (especially Jeff) going back to relive the past (and the acrimony) and working with BB.

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Perhaps something has come to pass since 2 years ago when Jeff told The Australian newspaper in an interview that Billy Bragg was "full of shit." ???

 

This is just a snippet of the whole interview, read the whole thing if you want the full perspective.

 

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/wilco-a-sharing-kind-of-band/story-e6frg8qf-1111115761751

 

Wilco was formed from the ashes of Tweedy's previous band, Uncle Tupelo, which fragmented when he fell out with the other songwriter, Jay Farrar, who went on to form Son Volt. Since then Tweedy and Wilco have collaborated with other musicians, most notably and notoriously English folk troubadour Billy Bragg. The Englishman and Wilco recorded two commercially successful albums, Mermaid Avenue and Mermaid Avenue II, that featured previously unrecorded Woody Guthrie lyrics presented to them by Guthrie's daughter, Nora.

 

Friction arose between Bragg and Wilco over various aspects of the recording and, for Tweedy at least, it is clearly still an issue.

 

When Bragg was in Australia in January he told The Australian that there were more recordings still to be released from the Mermaid sessions and that he was hopeful of presenting these as part of a boxed set and of setting up a tour with Wilco, something that never happened because of the acrimony that ensued. Tweedy, however, is fairly clear on this point.

 

"Billy Bragg is so full of shit, man," he says, before pausing for a disturbingly long laugh. "That guy is full of shit," he manages again. "I don't know what he's talking about. If he has more stuff, then that's great, but I don't think there's any chance of us having anything to do with it."

 

More laughter.

 

"The guy's been saying that all over the place and I have no idea what he is talking about because he has never talked to us about it. There are no other songs that we have. Everything that we did was on the records. But I'm serious. He's full of shit. Nothing against Billy. He's just full of shit.

 

"That's just what he's built his whole life on, so that's all right."

 

As long as we're clear.

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Perhaps something has come to pass since 2 years ago when Jeff told The Australian newspaper in an interview that Billy Bragg was "full of shit." ???

 

This is just a snippet of the whole interview, read the whole thing if you want the full perspective.

 

http://www.theaustra...f-1111115761751

 

 

 

Wow. That must have completely slipped my mind. Not very nice things to say. Not at all. :no

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Guest Runaway Jim

I'd love to hear some more MA stuff, but not from Bragg. If there's any Tweedy stuff yet to be released, I hope we get it some day, though it doesn't sound like there is.

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MA2 wasn't as solid as the first (mostly because Bragg's material was weak), I don't know how good the stuff that wasn't good enough to make that record would be...

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MA2 wasn't as solid as the first (mostly because Bragg's material was weak), I don't know how good the stuff that wasn't good enough to make that record would be...

 

Man oh man, I have to respectfully disagree. Opinion only of course, but mine is that MA2 is the superior album. Airline to Heaven, Feed a Man, Remember the Mountain Bed... those are some of my favorite Wilco songs. And I love My Flying Saucer, too.

 

I'm sure that debate has probably been done to death here, so whatever. Just had to stand up in support of a record I love. : )

 

Can anyone summarize what the beef was between Tweedy and Bragg, and why the parting was "acrimonious"?

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Artistic differences?? Maybe the way the album was mixed.

 

Really what is the difference?? If there is more material, it is all to the good as far as I am concerned.

 

As I have said for years...someday we will have the complete Mermaid Avenue sessions box set.

 

LouieB

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Guest Speed Racer

Can anyone summarize what the beef was between Tweedy and Bragg, and why the parting was "acrimonious"?

 

Some people just don't work well together. They had pretty different views of how the sessions would go - Bragg thought he was getting a back-up band, and not much more, out of Wilco, and Wilco wanted a much larger role, obviously.

 

Frankly, I'd pay tickets for a Tweedy v. Bragg charity boxing match, the proceeds of which would benefit the Guthrie foundation.

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Can anyone summarize what the beef was between Tweedy and Bragg, and why the parting was "acrimonious"?

 

You should read the Kot book, and/or watch Man In The Sand.

 

I don't think Jeff would lie.

 

When I first saw this posted, I also thought of the Guthrie songs Jay is working on. It's either that, or Billy is going to do a Volume III by himself.

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Frankly, I'd pay tickets for a Tweedy v. Bragg charity boxing match, the proceeds of which would benefit the Guthrie foundation.

I don't know. Maybe a friendly thing, but in an all out brawl I would put my dough on Bragg...he is much bigger.

 

LouieB

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  • 1 year later...

This site (Nora Guthrie's?) says Mermaid Avenue Deluxe Box Set coming March 2012 on Nonesuch.

 

http://www.woody100....newreleases.htm

 

Maybe old Billy knew something after all.

 

Interesting. Although it might not have unreleased material in it. it could just be the 2 albums, plus "Man in the sand", plus live tracks or the b-sides:

  • My Thirty Thousand - “She Came Along To Me” Australian single, “Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key” single and “Mermaid Avenue Bonus EP” promo CD
  • California Stars (1-14-2000 Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Los Angeles, CA) - “She Came Along To Me” Australian single and “Mermaid Avenue Bonus EP” promo CD
  • At My Window Sad And Lonely (Tweedy solo version) - “She Came Along To Me” Australian single and “Mermaid Avenue Bonus EP” promo CD
  • Bugeye Jim (Just Bill Bragg) - "She Came Along To Me" Australian single, "Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key" single and "Mermaid Avenue Bonus EP" promo CD
  • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (Just Billy Bragg) – New arrangement of “Hoodoo Voodoo” performed by Billy Bragg & the Blokes – "Daddy-O Daddy! Rare Family Songs of Woody Guthrie" compilation CD
  • The Jolly Banker (just Wilco) - not from the Mermaid Ave. Sessions
  • When the Roses Bloom Again - not a Woody Gutherie song but form the Mermaid Ave. sessions - “Chelsea Walls” soundtrack and Oxford American Magazine “Southern Sampler” 2000

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