IΓÇÖm not a communist, but I've been in the red all my life. -Woody Guthrie
Just because I dress like this, doesn't mean I'm a Communist. -Billy Bragg (To Have And Have Not)
Billy Bragg and Wilco are releasing a second album of songs to follow up their critically acclaimed, Grammy nominated 1998 album Mermaid Avenue. That project, which sold more than a quarter of a million copies and landed on most criticsΓÇÖ "yearΓÇÖs best" list, joined Bragg and Wilco in a unique collaborative effort featuring never before recorded lyrics written by Woody Guthrie.
Bragg (cut from similar protest singer/songwriter cloth as Guthrie) and Wilco (often referred to as the quintessential American rock band) assure the new album, Mermaid Avenue, Volume 2, is not a tribute to Guthrie, but a fuller realization of the triumvirate that infuse these songs with meaning. "ItΓÇÖs very different from the first album," says Bragg. Even though ΓÇö as WilcoΓÇÖs lead singer/songwriter Jeff Tweedy points out - the majority of songs are culled from the original Dublin-ΓÇÖ98 sessions where Mermaid Avenue was recorded. "We didnΓÇÖt have as much stuff left over from those tracking sessions as Billy did because he had been working on the project long before we joined him. We brought some demos we did in Chicago. But things really clicked once we got there. We did a tremendous amount of work. Then, much later we went back and recorded a few more songs in our Chicago studio."
Bragg seconds the notion that the collaborative juices between artists overflowed during the Dublin sessions, creating the possibility for another disc. "Basically when we were going to record a track, it was like ΓÇÿwho has another one ready?ΓÇÖ We thought we might have more material than for just one album because we had more lyrics and songs worth writing." Nora Guthrie, WoodyΓÇÖs daughter, and keeper of the Woody Guthrie Archives in New York, City even traveled to Dublin herself to deliver more lyrics. "She really wanted us to bring this alive, but also bring our own influences on board," says Bragg. "I think one of the main reasons for the success of the project is that we could be who we wanted to be, Billy Bragg and Wilco. ItΓÇÖs not WoodyΓÇÖs record, and itΓÇÖs not our record."
WilcoΓÇÖs Jay Bennett, who also co-wrote some of the songs, recalls that it was during the process of assembling tracks for the first album that everyone became aware of the necessity for a follow-up. "We had the material already. We knew weΓÇÖd need another shake when we put the tracks together for ΓÇÿMermaid Avenue.ΓÇÖ We even chose songs for the first record based on that. The first album gave a broad view of Woody. It was intended to draw people in. This album is less folky."
"And maybe cooler," adds Tweedy. "These songs are more challenging musically, but in an unconscious kind of way." "You could also say this album is harder edged," says Bragg. Some of the songs included on the new collection include "My flying Saucer," "Blood Of The Lamb," "Stetson Kennedy," "Airline To Heaven," and "All You Fascists Bound To Lose." The latter song was quickly recorded in Chicago by Wilco and brought to Dublin. "We made some improvements on it with Billy once we got there," says Bennett. "WhatΓÇÖs interesting about these songs is that some partner or echo songs from the first album, and some do not."
Billy Bragg and Wilco also plan to tour in support of Mermaid Avenue Volume 2, performing songs from the Guthrie sessions, and others. "IΓÇÖm looking forward to it," says Billy. "I think a key to the whole project was seeing these songs through the eyes of Wilco. So that it wasnΓÇÖt just my version of Woody Guthrie, and so that it wasnΓÇÖt cornering a certain type of Woody Guthrie song. There is so much stuff that we were able to hone in on lyrics that we liked. Sometimes when weΓÇÖve played, the audience canΓÇÖt tell if itΓÇÖs a Billy Bragg song or a Wilco song or a Woody Guthrie song."
