In 1998, between their first masterpiece Being There and their next masterpiece Summerteeth, Wilco teamed up with the English folksinger Billy Bragg to release Mermaid Avenue, a batch of newly written songs built from old unused Woody Guthrie lyrics. It's where Wilco got "California Stars," a perennial live staple, and they followed it up in 2000 with Mermaid Ave. The original album came back in the spotlight in June, when Wilco and Bragg performed it in full for the first time at Wilco's Solid Sound festival.
Now the Mermaid Avenue renaissance continues with a new box set. Back in 2012, Wilco and Bragg released Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions, which combined Vol. II, and 17 previously unreleased recordings packaged together as Vol.
In December, an even more complete version of The Complete Sessions will see release. This new set comprises seven LPs plus a 7". It adds 18 more tracks: 17 alternate takes and demos, and a Woody Guthrie "home tape" of "Hesitating Beauty." Wilco and Bragg played these songs together for the first time at Solid Sound.
Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions is out 12/11 on Craft Recordings.
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