Basement Tapes and Mermaid Avenue

I finished Sid Griffin's book "million dollar bash" this weekend, and so listened to The Basement Tapes on the way over to Clarksburg Monday. Listening with a fresh ear, after his thorough coverage of the recording sessions, who was playing what instruments, who was singing harmonies, The Band songs re-recorded later, etc. I listened to both disks on the trip; then switched to Mermaid Avenue (Vol 1)- shifting gears to July, and Woody Guthrie's birthday month. Wilco and Billy Bragg did an amazing job of putting these lyrics to music. The lyrics are so intriguingly "old" yet timeless, and so much silliness, and yet turn around and there is a poignant human observation.