TL;DR
Get audio and creator gear delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Wilco and Billy Bragg’s Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions will receive an expanded seven-LP box set with a 7-inch single, due Dec. 11 from Craft Recordings. It adds 18 tracks to the 2012 collection: 17 alternate takes and demos, plus Woody Guthrie’s home tape of “Hesitating Beauty.”
Wilco and Billy Bragg are expanding their collection of songs built from unused Woody Guthrie lyrics with a new edition of Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions, due Dec. 11 through Craft Recordings. The seven-LP set, which also includes a 7-inch single, adds 18 recordings to the 2012 collection, among them alternate takes, demos and a Guthrie home tape.
The new box set includes the material from the earlier Complete Sessions release, which brought together Mermaid Avenue, Mermaid Ave. Vol. II and 17 previously unreleased recordings issued as Vol. III. The expanded edition adds 17 alternate takes and demos, along with Guthrie’s home tape of “Hesitating Beauty,” according to the announcement reported by Stereogum.
The collection’s Dec. 11 release is being issued by Craft Recordings. The source report identifies the format as seven LPs plus a 7-inch, but does not provide details about the single’s contents, pricing, or whether the set will also be available digitally or on CD.
The announcement follows a renewed public focus on the project: Wilco and Bragg performed the original Mermaid Avenue album in full for the first time at Wilco’s Solid Sound festival in June, the report says. The newly announced set adds archival recordings to a collaboration whose songs have continued to feature in Wilco’s live repertoire.
New Takes Expand Guthrie Collaboration
The release gives listeners access to 18 additional recordings from a project that paired Guthrie’s unfinished words with music by Bragg and Wilco. Alternate takes and demos can show how the finished songs developed, while the home tape of “Hesitating Beauty” adds a recording of Guthrie himself to a set centered on lyrics he left behind.
The box also extends the available record of a collaboration with a notable place in Wilco’s catalog. “California Stars,” one of the songs from the first Mermaid Avenue album, became a recurring live song for the band. The June performance of the album in full and this archival expansion bring attention back to both the finished work and the material around it.
For buyers, the announcement signals a substantial physical release rather than a new studio album: the confirmed format is seven LPs and a 7-inch. The practical details collectors may need, including price and ordering information, have not been supplied in the source material.
Popular right now
Roborock F25 GT Set Cordless Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner and Mop with 2 Brushes
Dyson Car+Boat Cordless Handheld Vacuum
Vitamix 5200 Professional-Grade Blender, 64 oz. Container, Black
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From Unused Lyrics to Three Volumes
Mermaid Avenue began as a collaboration between Wilco and English folk singer-songwriter Billy Bragg. Released in 1998, it set previously unused lyrics by American songwriter Woody Guthrie to newly written music. The source report places its release between Wilco albums Being There and Summerteeth.
The project continued with Mermaid Ave. Vol. II in 2000. In 2012, Wilco and Bragg issued The Complete Sessions, gathering the first two volumes with 17 previously unreleased recordings presented as Vol. III. The coming edition builds on that collection rather than replacing the original albums with a newly recorded project.
One song from the original album, “California Stars,” became a familiar part of Wilco’s concerts. In June, the band and Bragg performed the album in full at Solid Sound, the festival organized by Wilco. The new box set follows that performance and adds further archival material, though the report does not say whether the newly added tracks were previously available in any other format.
Release Details Still Missing
The available announcement confirms the Dec. 11 date, format and 18 added tracks, but it does not specify the box set’s price, track-by-track contents, availability by territory, or ordering arrangements. It also does not say whether the 7-inch contains new or previously released material.
The source report describes 17 additions as alternate takes and demos and identifies the remaining track as Guthrie’s home tape of “Hesitating Beauty.” It does not provide further information about the tape’s recording date, provenance, sound quality, or whether the home recording is complete. Those details should not be assumed from the announcement alone.
Watch for Track and Ordering Details
The next confirmed milestone is the box set’s scheduled Dec. 11 release from Craft Recordings. Further information about the complete track list, price, formats beyond vinyl, and sales channels would clarify what listeners can expect and how they can obtain the collection.
Until those details are announced, the confirmed description remains a seven-LP set with a 7-inch that adds 17 alternate takes and demos and Guthrie’s home tape of “Hesitating Beauty” to the material assembled for the 2012 Complete Sessions. The source does not report any further performances or related events after the June Solid Sound appearance.
Key Questions
When does the expanded Mermaid Avenue box set come out?
Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions is scheduled for release on Dec. 11, according to the source report.
What is included in the new box set?
The announced format is seven LPs plus a 7-inch single. It adds 18 recordings to the 2012 collection: 17 alternate takes and demos, and Woody Guthrie’s home tape of “Hesitating Beauty.”
How does this differ from the 2012 Complete Sessions?
The 2012 release combined Mermaid Avenue, Mermaid Ave. Vol. II and 17 previously unreleased recordings issued as Vol. III. The new edition adds 18 more tracks to that collection.
Who is involved in the Mermaid Avenue project?
Wilco and Billy Bragg wrote music for lyrics left unused by American songwriter Woody Guthrie. Guthrie’s words underpin the songs, and the expanded set also includes a home tape of him performing “Hesitating Beauty.”
Has the set’s price or full track list been announced?
The source report does not give a price, full track-by-track listing, or ordering details. It confirms the format, release date and broad description of the added recordings.
Source: rss
