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 11th, 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.
The newly expanded Complete Sessions opens the archive further with a complete Alternates & Demos disc with previously unreleased alternate versions of “Aginst Th’ Law,” “All You Fascists,” “I Guess I Planted” and “She Came Along To Me,” alongside solo versions and demos of songs including “Hesitating Beauty,” “Joe DiMaggio Done It Again,” “Hot Rod Hotel,” “Birds And Ships” and “The Unwelcome Guest.” Also newly unearthed is Guthrie’s own 1951 home recording of “Hesitating Beauty,” bringing his voice directly into a collection devoted to the extraordinary afterlife of his unpublished words.
The collection also follows a long-awaited reunion this summer, when Bragg and Wilco came together at the band’s Solid Sound Festival for their first full-length concert devoted to Mermaid Avenue. Joined by Natalie Merchant, Nora Guthrie and members of the extended Guthrie family, the June performance drew from all three volumes. Taking the stage with Bragg and Tweedy, Nora told the crowd she had “been waiting 28 years” to stand there “with Billy on one arm, and Jeff on the other”—bringing the collaboration full circle.
Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions arrives December 11, 2026.
