Nearly three decades after Billy Bragg and Wilco first came together to give voice to a remarkable collection of previously unheard Woody Guthrie lyrics, their landmark Mermaid Avenue project returns in its most expansive form yet. On December 11, Craft Recordings will release Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions, bringing together all three volumes of the acclaimed series alongside a wealth of rare and previously unreleased recordings.
Available as a 7-LP + 7″ box set, 4-CD box set and digitally, The Complete Sessions adds 16 previously unreleased recordings from the original sessions, including rare demos, alternate versions and live recordings. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl, the 7-LP set is housed in a deluxe slipcase with a booklet and includes a single-sided 7″ featuring a newly discovered 1951 home recording of Guthrie performing “Hesitating Beauty,” while the 4-CD set is presented in a 5.5-inch portfolio book. Both box sets feature new liner notes by acclaimed author and journalist Bob Mehr.
Available to pre-order and pre-save now, the collection is previewed by “Aginst Th’ Law (Alternate Version),” a previously unreleased recording from the sessions, alongside perennial favorite “California Stars” both streaming now. The three original volumes—Mermaid Avenue, Mermaid Avenue Vol. II and Mermaid Avenue Vol. III—will also be available individually as 2-LP sets on 180-gram vinyl. Limited-edition pressings include all three volumes on Eco White vinyl at independent record stores and Mermaid Avenue on Green vinyl at Barnes & Noble, while CraftRecordings.com will exclusively offer Mermaid Avenue on Red, Vol. II on Yellow and Vol. III on Salmon Pink.
Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions 4-CD & Digital Tracklist
Disc 1 – Mermaid Avenue
1. Walt Whitman’s Niece
2. California Stars
3. Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key
4. Birds and Ships
5. Hoodoo Voodoo
6. She Came Along to Me
7. At My Window Sad and Lonely
8. Ingrid Bergman
9. Christ for President
10. I Guess I Planted
11. One by One
12. Eisler on the Go
13. Hesitating Beauty
14. Another Man’s Done Gone
15. The Unwelcome Guest
Disc 2 – Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
1. Airline to Heaven
2. My Flying Saucer
3. Feed of Man
4. Hot Rod Hotel
5. I Was Born
6. Secret of the Sea
7. Stetson Kennedy
8. Remember the Mountain Bed
9. Blood of the Lamb
10. Aginst Th’ Law
11. All You Fascists
12. Joe DiMaggio Done It Again
13. Meanest Man
14. Black Wind Blowing
15. Someday Some Morning Sometime
Disc 3 – Mermaid Avenue Vol. III
1. Bugeye Jim
2. When the Roses Bloom Again
3. Gotta Work
4. My Thirty Thousand
5. Ought to Be Satisfied Now
6. Listening to the Wind That Blows
7. Go Down to the Water
8. Chain of Broken Hearts
9. Jailcell Blues
10. Don’t You Marry
11. Give Me a Nail
12. The Jolly Banker
13. Union Prayer
14. Be Kind to the Boy on the Road
15. Ain’ta Gonna Grieve
16. Tea Bag Blues
17. I’m Out to Get
Disc 4 – Alternates & Demos
1. California Stars (Live)
2. Aginst Th’ Law (Alternate Version)*
3. All You Fascists (Alternate Version)*
4. I Guess I Planted (Alternate Version)*
5. She Came Along To Me (Alternate Version)*
6. Hesitating Beauty (Solo Version)*
7. Joe DiMaggio Done It Again (Demo)*
8. Psalm (Demo)*
9. Hot Rod Hotel (Demo)*
10. Christ For President (Solo Version)*
11. Give Me A Nail (Demo)*
12. Long & Hard (Demo)*
13. I Was Born (Demo)*
14. At My Window Sad And Lonely (Solo Version)
15. Birds And Ships (Demo)*
16. The Unwelcome Guest (Demo)*
17. Airline To Heaven (Solo Version)*
18. Hesitating Beauty (Woody’s Home Tape)*
*Previously unreleased.
Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions 7-LP + 7″ Tracklist
Side A – Mermaid Avenue
1. Walt Whitman’s Niece
2. California Stars
3. Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key
Side B – Mermaid Avenue
1. Birds and Ships
2. Hoodoo Voodoo
3. She Came Along to Me
4. At My Window Sad and Lonely
Side C – Mermaid Avenue
1. Ingrid Bergman
2. Christ for President
3. I Guess I Planted
4. One by One
Side D – Mermaid Avenue
1. Eisler on the Go
2. Hesitating Beauty
3. Another Man’s Done Gone
4. The Unwelcome Guest
Side E – Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
1. Airline to Heaven
2. My Flying Saucer
3. Feed of Man
Side F – Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
1. Hot Rod Hotel
2. I Was Born
3. Secret of the Sea
4. Stetson Kennedy
Side G – Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
1. Remember the Mountain Bed
2. Blood of the Lamb
3. Aginst Th’ Law
Side H – Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
1. All You Fascists
2. Joe DiMaggio Done It Again
3. Meanest Man
4. Black Wind Blowing
5. Someday Some Morning Sometime
Side I – Mermaid Avenue Vol. III
1. Bugeye Jim
2. When the Roses Bloom Again
3. Gotta Work
4. My Thirty Thousand
Side J – Mermaid Avenue Vol. III
1. Ought to Be Satisfied Now
2. Listening to the Wind That Blows
3. Go Down to the Water
4. Chain of Broken Hearts
Side K – Mermaid Avenue Vol. III
1. Jailcell Blues
2. Don’t You Marry
3. Give Me a Nail
4. The Jolly Banker
5. Union Prayer
Side L – Mermaid Avenue Vol. III
1. Be Kind to the Boy on the Road
2. Ain’ta Gonna Grieve
3. Tea Bag Blues
4. I’m Out to Get
Side M – Alternates & Demos
1. California Stars (Live)
2. Aginst Th’ Law (Alternate Version)*
3. All You Fascists (Alternate Version)*
4. I Guess I Planted (Alternate Version)*
5. She Came Along To Me (Alternate Version)*
6. Hesitating Beauty (Solo Version)*
7. Joe DiMaggio Done It Again (Demo)*
8. Psalm (Demo)*
Side N – Alternates & Demos
1. Hot Rod Hotel (Demo)*
2. Christ For President (Solo Version)*
3. Give Me A Nail (Demo)*
4. Long & Hard (Demo)*
5. I Was Born (Demo)*
6. At My Window Sad And Lonely (Solo Version)
7. Birds And Ships (Demo)*
8. The Unwelcome Guest (Demo)*
9. Airline To Heaven (Solo Version)*
Bonus 7” (Single-Sided):
1. Hesitating Beauty (Woody’s Home Tape)*
Photo Credit: Alyssa Fried
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