Billy Bragg | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Finding inspiration in the righteous anger of punk rock and the socially conscious folk tradition of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, Billy Bragg was the leading figure of the anti-folk movement of the 80s. For most of the decade, Bragg bashed out songs alone on his electric guitar, singing about politics and love. While his lyrics were bitingly intelligent and clever, they were also warm and humane, filled with detail and wit. Even though his lyrics were carefully considered, Bragg never neglected to write melodies for songs that were strong and memorable. Throughout the 80s, he managed to chart consistently in Britain, yet he only gathered a cult following in America, which could be due to the fact that he sang about distinctly British subject matter, both politically and socially. Bragg began performing in the late 70s with the punk group Riff Raff, which lasted only a matter of months. He then joined the British Army, yet he quickly bought himself out of his sojourn with £175. After leaving the Army, he began working at a record store; while he was working, he was writing songs that were firmly in the folk and punk protest tradition. Bragg began a British tour, playing whenever he had the chance to perform. Frequently he would open for bands with only a moments notice; soon, he had built a sizable following, as evidenced by his first EP, Lifes a Riot with Spy vs. Spy (1983), hitting number 30 on the U.K. independent charts. Brewing Up with Billy Bragg (1984), his first full-length album, climbed to number 16 in the charts. During 1984, Bragg became a minor celebrity in Britain, as he appeared at leftist political rallies, strikes, and benefits across the country; he also helped form the "Red Wedge," a socialist musicians collective that also featured Paul Weller. In 1985, Kirsty MacColl took one of his songs, "New England," to number seven on the British singles chart. Featuring some subtle instrumental additions of piano and horns, 1986s Talking with the Taxman About Poetry reached the U.K. Top Ten. Braggs version of the Beatles "Shes Leaving Home," taken from the Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father tribute album, became his only number one single in 1988 -- as the double A-side with Wet Wet Wets "With a Little Help from My Friends." That year, he also released the EP Help Save the Youth of America and the full-length Workers Playtime, which was produced by Joe Boyd (Fairport Convention, Nick Drake, R.E.M.). Boyd helped expand Braggs sound, as the singer recorded with a full band for the first time. The following year, Bragg restarted the Utility record label as a way of featuring non-commercial new artists. The Internationale, released in 1990, was a collection of left-wing anthems, including a handful of Bragg originals. On 1991s Dont Try This at Home, he again worked with a full band, recording his most pop-oriented and accessible set of songs; the album featured the hit single, "Sexuality." Bragg took several years off after Dont Try This at Home, choosing to concentrate on fatherhood. He returned in 1996 with William Bloke. In 1998, he teamed with the American alternative country band Wilco to record Mermaid Avenue, a collection of performances based on unreleased songs originally written by Woody Guthrie. Reaching to the Converted, a collection of rarities, followed a year later, and in mid-2000 Bragg and Wilco reunited for a second Mermaid Avenue set. While touring in support of Mermaid Avenue, Vol. 2, Bragg formed the Blokes in 1999 with Small Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan. Lu Edmonds (guitar), Ben Mandelson (lap steel guitar), Martyn Barker (drums), and Simon Edwards (bass) solidified the group while Bragg moved from London to rural Dorset in early 2001. One year later, the Blokes joined Bragg for England, Half English, his first solo effort since William Bloke. In 2004, Bragg collaborated with Less Than Jake for "The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out," a track included on the Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1 compilation. The two-CD Must I Paint You a Picture? The Essential Billy Bragg appeared in 2003 with initial copies featuring a third bonus CD of collectibles and rarities. The Yep Roc label released the box set Volume 1 in 2006. The set included seven CDs and two DVDs of previously unavailable live footage, and the label simultaneously reissued four titles from Braggs early back catalog in expanded editions. Billy Bragg spent the next year recording in London, Devon, and Lincolnshire, and 2008 saw the release of Mr. Love & Justice, his first solo effort in six years. Although the Blokes served as Braggs backing band on the album, a limited-edition package also included a second disc comprised of intimate solo recordings. The bare-bones Woody Guthrie-inspired Tooth & Nail arrived in early 2013 and the following year brought the DVD & CD set, Live at the Union Chapel, which included an encore performance of Lifes a Riot with Spy vs. Spy in its entirety as a bonus feature. In the spring of 2016, Bragg teamed up with American singer, songwriter, and producer Joe Henry to make an album of folk songs inspired by the legacy of the American railroad system. Recorded with a portable recording rig while Bragg and Henry rode an Amtrak line from Chicago to Los Angeles, Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad was released in September 2016, and followed by a joint concert tour. In November 2017, in the wake of the political upheavals brought on by Brexit in the U.K. and the election of Donald Trump in the United States, Bragg released a six-song EP of topical material, Bridges Not Walls. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 34 Title: Life’s a Riot With Spy vs Spy Released: 1983-11 Tracks: 7 Duration: 15:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Milkman of Human Kindness (02:49) 2 To Have and to Have Not (02:33) 3 Richard (02:50) 4 A New England (02:14) 5 The Man in the Iron Mask (02:13) 6 The Busy Girl Buys Beauty (01:57) 7 Lovers Town Revisited (01:19) |
 | Album: 2 of 34 Title: Brewing Up With Billy Bragg Released: 1984-11 Tracks: 11 Duration: 34:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 It Says Here (04:17) 2 Love Gets Dangerous (02:23) 3 The Myth of Trust (02:30) 4 From a Vauxhall Velox (02:53) 5 The Saturday Boy (03:28) 6 Island of No Return (03:34) 7 St Swithin’s Day (03:52) 8 Like Soldiers Do (02:39) 9 This Guitar Says Sorry (02:29) 10 Strange Things Happen (02:38) 11 A Lover Sings (03:58) |
| Brewing Up With Billy Bragg : Allmusic album Review : Braggs first full album delivers another clutch of memorable, clever songs. Here the rudimentary voice and electric guitar arrangements prevalent in Lifes a Riot With Spy Vs. Spy are refined and sweetened by occasional use of overdubbed vocals ("Love Gets Dangerous"), organ ("A Lover Sings"), and trumpet ("The Saturday Boy"); this last selection is a jaunty mid-tempo number about unrequited love that makes reference to the Delfonics "La-La Means I Love You." Occasional 1950s influences surface on this album, most notably Bo Diddley in the jittery "This Guitar Says Sorry" and Chuck Berry in the bouncy "From a Vauxhall Velox" (which has the classic couplet "Some people say love is blind/But I just think that its a bit short-sighted"). In addition to songs about relationships, there are also pointedly critical numbers that deal with social/political issues; examples include "It Says Here" (a ringing gruff tune that lampoons the press) and "Island of No Return" (a gripping and angry antiwar song). This excellent release has been supplanted by Back to Basics, which combines this album with Lifes a Riot and Between the Wars into a single entity. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 34 Title: Lifes a Riot / Between the Wars Released: 1985 Tracks: 11 Duration: 26:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The Milkman of Human Kindness (02:49) 2 To Have and to Have Not (02:33) 3 Richard (02:50) 4 A New England (02:14) 5 The Man in the Iron Mask (02:13) 6 The Busy Girl Buys Beauty (01:57) 7 Lovers Town Revisited (01:19) 8 Between the Wars (02:29) 9 Which Side Are You On (02:34) 10 The World Turned Upside Down (02:35) 11 It Says Here (02:35) |
 | Album: 4 of 34 Title: Talking With the Taxman About Poetry Released: 1986-09 Tracks: 12 Duration: 38:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Greetings to the New Brunette (03:31) 2 Train Train (02:12) 3 The Marriage (02:31) 4 Ideology (03:27) 5 Levi Stubbs’ Tears (03:31) 6 Honey I’m a Big Boy Now (04:06) 7 There Is Power in a Union (02:48) 8 Help Save the Youth of America (02:48) 9 Wishing the Days Away (02:29) 10 The Passion (02:54) 11 The Warmest Room (03:57) 12 The Home Front (04:10) |
| Talking With the Taxman About Poetry : Allmusic album Review : The cover to Billy Braggs Talking with the Taxman About Poetry features the subtitle "the difficult third album," and while its obviously meant as a joke, theres also a certain truth to the statement -- after two EPs and a full album that only rarely featured anything other than Braggs voice and electric guitar, Talking with the Taxman found him and producers John Porter and Kenny Jones trying to add a bit of polish to Braggs stark sound without losing either the charm of his performances or the power of his political statements. While nearly all the tracks on Talking with the Taxman feature Bragg alongside other musicians (among them Johnny Marr and Kirsty MacColl), the arrangements are purposefully spare, and ultimately they sweeten the songs without getting in the way of Braggs homey melodies or passionate lyrics. However, as a songwriter, Billys heart was stronger than his head on this album; while Talking with the Taxman features several of his best love songs (such as "The Marriage," "Greetings to the New Brunette," and "Wishing the Days Away") and some superb character studies ("Levi Stubbs Tears" and "The Passion"), the political numbers are unexpectedly strident and obvious, especially the clumsy "Ideology" and "Help Save the Youth of America." Talking with the Taxman About Poetry proved that Bragg could take his music in a new direction and still hold on to the qualities that made his songs so special; too bad his political instincts were not as keen as his musical ones at the time. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 34 Title: Back to Basics Released: 1987 Tracks: 21 Duration: 58:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Milkman of Human Kindness (02:49) 2 To Have and to Have Not (02:33) 3 Richard (02:49) 4 Lovers Town Revisited (01:17) 5 A New England (02:14) 6 The Man in the Iron Mask (02:13) 7 The Busy Girl Buys Beauty (01:57) 8 It Says Here (04:15) 9 Love Gets Dangerous (02:23) 10 From a Vauxhall Velox (02:30) 11 The Myth of Trust (02:53) 12 The Saturday Boy (03:28) 13 Island of No Return (03:34) 14 This Guitar Says Sorry (02:29) 15 Like Soldiers Do (02:39) 16 St Swithin’s Day (03:52) 17 Strange Things Happen (02:38) 18 A Lover Sings (03:51) 19 Between the Wars (02:27) 20 The World Turned Upside Down (02:35) 21 Which Side Are You On (02:34) |
| Back to Basics : Allmusic album Review : After Elektra signed Billy Bragg to his first major-label deal and released Talking with the Taxman About Poetry in 1986, the label decided to do a clean-up job on his back catalog and compiled Back to Basics, which combined the material from Braggs first three records -- Lifes a Riot with Spy vs Spy, Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, and Between the Wars -- into one two-record set (now available on a single CD). The first seven cuts, from the Lifes a Riot EP, are Billy Bragg at his most basic; recorded in an afternoon with no overdubs, the audio is rough and Billys electric guitar often threatens to drown out his voice, but the performances are game, and Bragg was already writing top-notch songs like "A New England" and "The Milkman of Human Kindness." The next 11 songs were originally released on Braggs first LP, Brewing Up with Billy Bragg; while the sound is still spare and stark, the engineering is a good bit cleaner than on Lifes a Riot, and Billy fleshed out his one-man-with-a-guitar approach to include the occasional vocal and/or guitar overdub, and even guest musicians on two tracks (though the trumpet on "The Saturday Boy" and the organ on "A Lover Sings" hardly count as orchestration). Braggs performances are even stronger, displaying a charm that didnt quite make it through the sloppy sound of his debut, and his love songs resonated more strongly while his political numbers cut deep (especially "It Says Here" and the harrowing "Island of No Return"). Back to Basics closes with three somber political numbers that first surfaced on Braggs Between the Wars EP, released when tensions over trade union strikes in the U.K. were at their height -- one original ("Between the Wars") and two vintage labor anthems. While the tone is downbeat, the performances are strong and compassionate. While Back to Basics fudges a bit with the sequence of the original material, and theres no reason why both of Braggs recordings of "It Says Here" couldnt have been included, its still a strong collection of some of Billy Braggs most engaging work. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 34 Title: The Peel Sessions Released: 1988 Tracks: 6 Duration: 01:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 A New England (01:17) 2 Strange Things Happen (?) 3 This Guitar Says Sorry (?) 4 Love Gets Dangerous (?) 5 Fear Is a Mans Best Friend (?) 6 A13, Trunk Road to the Sea (?) |
 | Album: 7 of 34 Title: Help Save the Youth of America Released: 1988 Tracks: 6 Duration: 19:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Help Save the Youth of America (03:33) 2 Think Again (04:21) 3 Chile Your Waters Run Red Through Soweto (03:09) 4 Days Like These (DC remix) (02:40) 5 To Have and to Have Not (02:47) 6 There Is Power in a Union (03:23) |
 | Album: 8 of 34 Title: Workers Playtime Released: 1988-09 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:24:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 She’s Got a New Spell (03:25) 2 Must I Paint You a Picture? (05:32) 3 Tender Comrade (02:50) 4 The Price I Pay (03:34) 5 Little Time Bomb (02:17) 6 Rotting on Remand (03:39) 7 Valentine’s Day Is Over (04:53) 8 Life With the Lions (03:06) 9 The Only One (03:26) 10 The Short Answer (04:59) 11 Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards (04:34) 1 The Only One (demo) (03:36) 2 The Price I Pay (demo) (04:01) 3 Love Has No Pride (03:35) 4 That’s Entertainment (03:53) 5 She’s Got a New Spell (alt version) (02:44) 6 The Short Answer (alt version) (05:21) 7 Little Time Bomb (alt version) (02:21) 8 Bad Penny (demo) (03:05) 9 Reason to Believe (live) (02:12) 10 Must I Paint You a Picture? (extended version) (07:13) 11 Raglan Road (live) (03:46) |
| Workers Playtime : Allmusic album Review : By the time Billy Bragg began recording Workers Playtime in the fall of 1987, hed gone from a rabble-rousing leftist songwriter and D.I.Y. one-man punk band to a bona fide pop star in the U.K., and had won a sizable cult following (and a major-label recording contract) in the United States. In addition, Bragg had begun expanding the stark sound of his early recordings on his 1986 album Talking with the Taxman About Poetry, and the sessions for Workers Playtime found Bragg and producer Joe Boyd building actual arrangements around his tunes as he struggled to balance a broader and more eclectic musical approach with the small-p politics that were his stock in trade. This struggle is practically audible on Workers Playtime, and this time out Braggs songs about the ups and downs of relationships outnumber (and are more satisfying than) his polemics, and he seems torn between the comfort of the spartan simplicity of numbers like "The Only One," "Valentines Day Is Over," and "Must I Paint You a Picture" and the more expansive approach of the rollicking "Life with the Lions" and the appropriately mysterious "Shes Got a New Spell." Significantly, two of the albums most explicitly political numbers, "Rotting on Remand" and "Tender Comrade," are also the least satisfying tracks here, and the album reaches its finest moment when Bragg musically and lyrically faces the contradictions of this turning point in his career head on with the splendid final number, "Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards." Workers Playtime has a number of pearly moments, but it was also Braggs first genuine disappointment, and was the first step in the uncertain second act of his recording career. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 34 Title: The Internationale Released: 1990-05 Tracks: 7 Duration: 19:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Internationale (03:48) 2 I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night (01:29) 3 The Marching Song of the Covert Battalions (04:02) 4 Blakes Jerusalem (02:32) 5 Nicaragua Nicaraguita (01:09) 6 The Red Flag (03:13) 7 My Youngest Son Came Home Today (03:03) |
 | Album: 10 of 34 Title: The Peel Session Album Released: 1991-07-01 Tracks: 19 Duration: 55:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Lovers Town (03:48) 2 Between the Wars (02:38) 3 Which Side Are You On? (02:28) 4 A Lover Sings (04:04) 5 Days Like These (01:53) 6 The Marriage (02:02) 7 Jeanne (02:28) 8 Greetings to the New Brunette (03:19) 9 Chile Your Waters Run Red (02:44) 10 She’s Got a New Spell (02:42) 11 Valentine’s Day Is Over (04:25) 12 The Short Answer (04:25) 13 Rotting on Remand (03:19) 14 A New England (02:19) 15 Strange Things Happen (02:44) 16 This Guitar Says Sorry (02:33) 17 Love Gets Dangerous (02:19) 18 Fear Is a Man’s Best Friend (02:41) 19 A13 Trunk Road to the Sea (02:23) |
| The Peel Session Album : Allmusic album Review : Because Bragg started his career as a solo act, these live-in-the-studio radio transcriptions dont offer anything you cant find on Back to Basics. But fanatics will enjoy the occasional lyric deviations, and "A13 Trunk Road to the Sea" (a rewrite of "Route 66" with British directions) is a keeper. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 34 Title: Don’t Try This at Home Released: 1991-09-17 Tracks: 16 Duration: 57:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Accident Waiting to Happen (04:00) 2 Moving the Goalposts (02:34) 3 Everywhere (04:58) 4 Cindy of a Thousand Lives (04:14) 5 You Woke Up My Neighbourhood (03:11) 6 Trust (04:11) 7 God’s Footballer (03:03) 8 The Few (03:26) 9 Sexuality (03:47) 10 Mother of the Bride (03:34) 11 Tank Park Salute (03:29) 12 Dolphins (04:19) 13 North Sea Bubble (03:18) 14 Rumours of War (02:49) 15 Wish You Were Her (02:46) 16 Body of Water (03:56) |
| Don’t Try This at Home : Allmusic album Review : After dipping his toes in the notion of using backing musicians on Talking With the Taxman About Poetry, Billy Bragg finally dove in headfirst with Workers Playtime, but Dont Try This at Home was where Bragg first began to sound completely comfortable with the notion of a full band. With Johnny Marr (who helped produce two tracks), Peter Buck, Michael Stipe, and Kirsty MacColl on hand to give the sessions a taste of star power, Dont Try This at Home sounds full but uncluttered; the arrangements (most complete with -- gasp! -- drums) flesh out Braggs melodies, giving them greater strength in the process, and Billys craggy vocals wrap around the melodies with significantly more flexibility than on previous recordings. With the exception of the rabble-rousing "Accident Waiting to Happen" and "North Sea Bubble," and the witty "Sexuality," most of Dont Try This at Home finds Billy Bragg in a contemplative mood; the political tunes are subtle (and dont hector), such as the mournful "Rumours of War," and the songs about love tend to examine the less hopeful side of relationships, like "Mother of the Bride" and the lovely "You Woke Up My Neighborhood." But theres also an understated wit to many of the songs, especially the well-drawn "Gods Footballer," and Bragg approached the work of other songwriters to splendid effect on Fred Neils "Dolphins and Sid Griffins "Everywhere." Dont Try This at Home isnt the sort of album that announces itself loudly, but slip into its understated textures and youll discover one of Braggs warmest and most thoughtful albums. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 34 Title: You Woke Up My Neighbourhood Released: 1991-11-21 Tracks: 5 Duration: 15:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 You Woke Up My Neighbourhood (03:11) 2 Ontario, Quebec and Me (02:42) 3 Bread and Circuses (04:28) 4 Heart Like a Wheel (02:45) 5 Seven & Seven Is (02:15) |
 | Album: 13 of 34 Title: Victim of Geography Released: 1993-11 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:18:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Greetings to the New Brunette (03:31) 2 The Marriage (02:31) 3 Ideology (03:27) 4 Levi Stubbs’ Tears (03:31) 5 Honey I’m a Big Boy Now (04:06) 6 There Is Power in a Union (02:48) 7 Help Save the Youth of America (02:48) 8 Wishing the Days Away (02:29) 9 The Passion (02:54) 10 The Warmest Room (03:57) 11 The Home Front (04:10) 12 She’s Got a New Spell (03:25) 13 Must I Paint You a Picture? (05:32) 14 Tender Comrade (02:50) 15 The Price I Pay (03:34) 16 Little Time Bomb (02:17) 17 Rotting on Remand (03:39) 18 Valentine’s Day Is Over (04:53) 19 Life With the Lions (03:06) 20 The Only One (03:26) 21 The Short Answer (04:59) 22 Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards (04:34) |
 | Album: 14 of 34 Title: William Bloke Released: 1996-09 Tracks: 11 Duration: 41:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 From Red to Blue (03:19) 2 Upfield (04:06) 3 Everybody Loves You Babe (03:09) 4 Sugardaddy (04:37) 5 A Pict Song (04:55) 6 Brickbat (03:14) 7 The Space Race Is Over (04:26) 8 Northern Industrial Town (02:58) 9 The Fourteenth of February (03:26) 10 King James Version (03:21) 11 Goalhanger (03:43) |
| William Bloke : Allmusic album Review : Billy Bragg took a five-year break from recording (and became a parent for the first time) after releasing 1991s Dont Try This at Home, but William Bloke suggests he still wasnt ready to get back to work when he returned to the studio. William Bloke was Braggs sparest and most musically concise album since Talking with the Taxman About Poetry, and beyond the upbeat and horn-fueled "Upfield" and the loopy ska of the set closer, "Goalhanger," most of the songs feature little besides Billys voice and guitar (or in the case of "Everybody Loves You Babe," Billys voice and a piano). More striking, however, is the downbeat tone of the album; from the philosophical uncertainty of "From Red to Blue," the loss of innocence of "The Space Race Is Over," and the crumbling relationship of "Brickbat," William Bloke sounds like the work of a man somewhat overwhelmed by the world around him and not sure what to do about it -- which is not the way Billy Bragg usually sounds. While the piss-and-vinegar adaptation of Rudyard Kiplings "A Pict Song" and the cheerful wrath of "Goalhanger" indicate the old Billy wasnt gone for good, theres a lingering air of defeat and dashed hopes that permeates William Bloke, and the songs lack the generosity and rabble-rousing brio of his best work. Bragg would rally two years later with his excellent adaptation of unpublished Woody Guthrie lyrics, Mermaid Avenue, but William Bloke is the work of a man stuck in a creative rut, and while there are still things worth hearing here, theyre outnumbered by songs that speak more of Braggs personal disappointments than his muse. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 34 Title: Bloke on Bloke Released: 1997-06 Tracks: 7 Duration: 26:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Boy Done Good (03:22) 2 Qualifications (01:49) 3 Sugardaddy (Smokey Gets in Your Ears mix) (04:46) 4 Never Had No One Ever (03:39) 5 Sugardubby (05:14) 6 Rule nor Reason (03:13) 7 Thatcherites (04:13) |
| Bloke on Bloke : Allmusic album Review : The quintessential folk-rocker Billy Bragg once said "the revolution is just a T-shirt away." Hes a comic, hes a poet, and he keeps up with his sharp humor on the seven-song EP, Bloke on Bloke. He teams up once again with ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr on "The Boy Done Good," a brilliant new song mixing football metaphors with nostalgic tales of boy meets girl. "Qualifications" is a bouncy track sifting through the ways of the working class, full with jangly guitars and humming backing vocals. Its a natural. Dipping into 1996s William Bloke, his first record since 1991s Dont Try This at Home, he gets sentimental on "Sugardaddy." This soft lullaby-like tune is dreamy, holding high notes and shimmering with a drum machine. Perhaps he is tapping into his paternal psyche since he became a first parent in 1993 with son, Jack. Its a smooth transition from his signature political nature exuded through rock & roll. "Sugardubby (Smokey Gets in Your Ears Remix)" is a shoegazing and breezy twist from the original version. Doing his own impression of Morrissey, Bragg turns to covering the Smiths "Never Had No One Ever." Howling and brooding like Morrissey always does, this brash track prances with a blazing woodwinds and brass section. He can get down right dirty if he chooses -- hes too much of a class act to ever do so -- but this attempt makes his trudging impression to be a bit naughty. In a similar vein, he samples the traditional song "Ye Jacobites" to complete the harkening notions on "Thatcherites." Assumingly classic, Bloke on Bloke is intelligent and quirky. Its Braggs continuing support for some kind of revolution. Hes trying to figure that one out. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 34 Title: She Came Along to Me Released: 1998 Tracks: 5 Duration: 16:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 She Came Along to Me (LP version) (03:26) 2 California Stars (live) (03:48) 3 My Thirty Thousand (02:40) 4 Bugeye Jim (03:15) 5 At My Window Sad and Lonely (Jeff Tweedy guitar solo version) (03:31) |
 | Album: 17 of 34 Title: Mermaid Avenue Released: 1998-06-23 Tracks: 15 Duration: 49:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Walt Whitman’s Niece (03:53) 2 California Stars (04:58) 3 Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key (04:06) 4 Birds and Ships (02:15) 5 Hoodoo Voodoo (03:12) 6 She Came Along to Me (03:28) 7 At My Window Sad and Lonely (03:27) 8 Ingrid Bergman (01:50) 9 Christ for President (02:42) 10 I Guess I Planted (03:33) 11 One by One (03:25) 12 Eisler on the Go (02:57) 13 Hesitating Beauty (03:05) 14 Another Man’s Done Gone (01:36) 15 The Unwelcome Guest (05:05) |
| Mermaid Avenue : Allmusic album Review : During the spring of 1995, Woody Guthries daughter Nora contacted British urban folk troubadour Billy Bragg about writing music for a selection of completed Guthrie lyrics. This was no minor task -- Guthrie left behind over a thousand sets of complete lyrics written between 1939 and 1967 that had no music other than a vague stylistic notation. Bragg chose a number of songs to finish, as did Jeff Tweedy of the alt-country band Wilco (often with bandmate Jay Bennett). Nora Guthrie impressed a common goal upon them: Rather than recreating Guthrie tunes, they should write as if they were collaborating with Woody, creating new, vital music for the lyrics. Both artists completed more songs than could fit on Mermaid Avenue, which is neatly split between Bragg and Wilco, with Bragg taking lead on eight of the 15 songs. The results are almost entirely a delight, mainly because all involved are faithful to Guthries rowdy spirit -- its a reverent project that knows how to have fun. There are many minor, irresistible gems scattered throughout the album, and most of them come from Bragg. Where Wilcos fine contributions sound inextricably tied to the 90s, both for better and for worse, Braggs music sounds contemporary while capturing Guthries folk traditions. Thats not to say Wilcos contributions are failures -- its just hard to imagine Guthrie singing the plaintive "California Stars" or the plodding "Christ for President," neither of which quite fit the lyrics. Nevertheless, their hearts are in the right place; more often than not, they come close to the target, and their joyous playing invigorates Mermaid Avenue. The blend of Braggs traditionalist sensibility and Wilcos contemporary style ultimately illustrates that Guthries words, ideals, and aesthetics remain alive in the 90s. Its a remarkable record that deserves a sequel. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 34 Title: Man in the Sand Released: 1999-04-26 Tracks: 5 Duration: 14:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Birds & Ships (02:20) 2 She Came Along to Me 02 (02:33) 3 I Guess I Planted (02:44) 4 Eisler on the Go (02:23) 5 The Unwelcome Guest (04:06) |
 | Album: 19 of 34 Title: Reaching to the Converted Released: 1999-08-30 Tracks: 17 Duration: 52:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Shirley (03:35) 2 Sulk (03:48) 3 Accident Waiting to Happen (Red Star version) (03:49) 4 The Boy Done Good (03:22) 5 Heart Like a Wheel (02:47) 6 Bad Penny (02:34) 7 Ontario, Quebec and Me (02:44) 8 Walk Away Renee (version) (02:24) 9 Rule nor Reason (03:13) 10 Days Like These (U.K. version) (02:21) 11 Think Again (03:34) 12 Scholarship Is the Enemy of Romance (02:23) 13 Wishing the Days Away (ballad version) (04:37) 14 The Tatler (03:41) 15 Jeane (02:53) 16 She’s Leaving Home (02:59) 17 I Don’t Need This Pressure Ron (01:57) |
| Reaching to the Converted : Allmusic album Review : This is no ragtag rummage sale of leftovers, castoffs, and third-rate rejects. Having previously purchased the ten singles Reaching is culled from, spanning 1985-1997, one nevertheless revels in the poignant, luxurious breadth of Braggs heart and brain. Like Braggs real LPs, this is a roadmap to the spectrum of feeling, from bliss to misery and every destination in between. One experiences the heart-busting sweetness of "Ontario, Quebec and Me," the contented, bubbling joy of "The Boy Done Good," the knowing shrug of "Bad Penny," the regretful resignation of a revamped (by an inspired Johnny Marr) "Greetings to the New Brunette" called "Shirley," the distasteful, frank frustration of "Sulk," the gentle sadness in a rendition of the Smiths B-side "Jeane," the wrenching melancholy of a ballad-rethink of "Wishing the Days Away," and the dour despair of his piano cover of Brit-folk standard "Heart Like a Wheel." (Or, for those who favor sociopolitics, there is "Days Like These" and a less frenzied re-recording of "Accident Waiting to Happen.") Unfortunately, some of Braggs best B-sides are oddly A.W.O.L. The scathing "Thatcherites" and the Natalie Merchant-sung collaboration "Bread and Circuses" should have replaced the too-sketchy "I Dont Need This Pressure Ron" and "Scholarship Is the Enemy of Romance" -- or simply been added, along with his torch job on Loves "Seven and Seven Is." Likewise, a so-so cover of the Beatles "Shes Leaving Home" probably should have been left on the forgettable charity Sgt. Pepper tribute LP it came from. But, otherwise, this album might be better than William Bloke. If Bragg-faves the Temptations once sang "I Wish it Would Rain," then Reaching is like that songs memorable coda: "Let it rain...." | ||
 | Album: 20 of 34 Title: Mermaid Avenue, Vol. II Released: 2000-05-29 Tracks: 15 Duration: 49:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Airline to Heaven (04:50) 2 My Flying Saucer (01:46) 3 Feed of Man (04:08) 4 Hot Rod Hotel (03:17) 5 I Was Born (01:50) 6 Secret of the Sea (02:42) 7 Stetson Kennedy (02:40) 8 Remember the Mountain Bed (06:26) 9 Blood of the Lamb (04:16) 10 Aginst th’ Law (03:05) 11 All You Fascists (02:43) 12 Joe DiMaggio Done It Again (02:31) 13 Meanest Man (03:46) 14 Black Wind Blowing (03:00) 15 Someday Some Morning Sometime (02:51) |
 | Album: 21 of 34 Title: Going to a Party Way Down South Released: 2002 Tracks: 13 Duration: 40:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 St. Monday (02:49) 2 The Price I Pay (03:17) 3 Everywhere (05:11) 4 The Myth of Trust (03:09) 5 There Is Power in a Union (02:41) 6 The World Turned Upside Down (02:37) 7 St. Swithins Day (03:00) 8 A New England (03:20) 9 At the Dark End of the Street (03:40) 10 Brickbat (03:29) 11 Shes Got a New Spell (02:52) 12 The Man in the Iron Mask (02:09) 13 Little Time Bomb (02:40) |
 | Album: 22 of 34 Title: Must I Paint You a Picture? The Essential Billy Bragg Released: 2003-10-06 Tracks: 50 Duration: 2:47:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 A New England (02:14) 2 The Man in the Iron Mask (02:06) 3 The Milkman of Human Kindness (02:55) 4 To Have and to Have Not (02:33) 5 A Lover Sings (03:53) 6 St Swithins Day (03:55) 7 The Saturday Boy (03:28) 8 Between the Wars (02:29) 9 The World Turned Upside Down (02:35) 10 Levi Stubbs’ Tears (03:31) 11 Walk Away Renee (02:24) 12 Greetings to the New Brunette (03:31) 13 There Is Power in a Union (02:48) 14 Help Save the Youth of America (02:48) 15 The Warmest Room (03:57) 16 Must I Paint You a Picture? (05:32) 17 She’s Got a New Spell (03:25) 18 The Price I Pay (03:34) 19 Valentine’s Day Is Over (04:53) 20 Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards (04:34) 1 Sexuality (03:47) 2 Cindy of 1000 Lives (04:15) 3 Moving the Goalposts (02:34) 4 Tank Park Salute (03:29) 5 You Woke Up My Neighbourhood (03:11) 6 Accident Waiting to Happen (Red Stars version) (03:48) 7 Sulk (03:47) 8 Upfield (04:06) 9 The Fourteenth of February (03:26) 10 Brickbat (03:14) 11 The Space Race Is Over (04:26) 12 The Boy Done Good (03:22) 13 Ingrid Bergman (01:50) 14 Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key (04:08) 15 My Flying Saucer (01:46) 16 All You Fascists Bound to Lose (Blokes version) (04:12) 17 NPWA (05:29) 18 St. Monday (03:02) 19 Some Days I See the Point (04:58) 20 Take Down the Union Jack (Band version) (03:22) 1 A13, Trunk Road to the Sea (02:27) 2 Fear Is a Mans Best Friend (02:32) 3 Cold and Bitter Tears (live) (02:35) 4 Seven and Seven Is (02:12) 5 When Will I See You Again? (03:02) 6 Rule nor Reason (live) (03:33) 7 Debris (04:10) 8 Dry Bed (demo version) (01:48) 9 She Smiled Sweetly (02:52) 10 Take Down the Union Jack (King Normal & The Rug remix) (02:47) |
| Must I Paint You a Picture? The Essential Billy Bragg : Allmusic album Review : In 1983, Billy Bragg was a guy with a cheap electric guitar, a rough but passionate voice, and a knack for writing and singing straight from the heart whether he was discussing leftist political concerns or the mysterious interactions between men and women. The guy has a band and the political issues that have caught his attention are trickier 20 years later, but hes still enchanted and puzzled by love, and hasnt stopped writing worthwhile songs about it. Must I Paint You a Picture? The Essential Billy Bragg is a two-disc, 40-song compilation that does an admirable job of capturing the hills and valleys of Braggs recording career, opening up with "A New England" from his debut EP, Lifes a Riot With Spy vs. Spy, and closing with a cut from 2002s England, Half English. A spin through this set suggests that Braggs best (or at least most affecting) work arrived in the early stages of his career, as disc one (which follows Bragg through Workers Playtime) is a decidedly more solid and absorbing listen than disc two (the material from the disappointing William Bloke in particular weighs down the collections second act), and his love songs have stood the test of time a shade better than his political material (the miners strike may be over, but broken hearts are timeless). But there are plenty of gems to be found throughout this collection, and Must I Paint You a Picture? serves as a potent reminder that in the grand tradition of Bob Dylan, even Braggs lesser albums contain a handful of truly memorable songs worth hearing; if this isnt the ideal Billy Bragg collection, its an excellent introduction, a solid career overview, and a lovely reminder of how much he has to say about the heart and the mind. Initial pressings come with a ten-song bonus disc that adds several hard to find selections, including Braggs Anglophile rewrite of "Route 66," a telling duet with the late Ted Hawkins, and a bootleg remix that merges Bragg with the Hives. | ||
 | Album: 23 of 34 Title: Live at the Barbican Released: 2006-03-21 Tracks: 33 Duration: 1:47:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 A Lover Sings (03:38) 2 Lovers Town Revisited (01:35) 3 Really Sing (Talk) (00:52) 4 No Power Without Accountability (03:36) 5 Newcastle Hen Night (06:22) 6 The Fourteenth of February (03:43) 7 Stag Night (Talk) (00:38) 8 The Saturday Boy (03:28) 9 Little Time Bomb (02:34) 10 Fahrenheit 451 (Talk) (04:04) 11 She Came Along to Me (02:54) 12 Who Are the Terrorists (Talk) (01:20) 13 The Wolf Covers Its Tracks (03:49) 14 Like Soldiers Do (03:44) 15 BNP Is the Enemy (talk) (03:19) 16 Accident Waiting to Happen (03:49) 1 Cindy of a Thousand Lives (04:20) 2 Grants Special Effects (Talk) (00:57) 3 The World Turned Upside Down (02:31) 4 Help Save the Youth of America (02:55) 5 Economic Migrants (Talk) (05:18) 6 Distant Shore (02:37) 7 Levi Stubbs Tears (03:54) 8 Body Surfing (Talk) (02:24) 9 Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards (04:56) 10 Tank Park Salute (03:33) 11 Way Over Yonder in a Minor Key (02:52) 12 Morrisseys Rubber Sheet (Talk) (07:38) 13 Dry Bed (02:42) 14 Rock Out With Yer Cock Out (Talk) (01:34) 15 All the Young Dudes (03:32) 16 Dont Mourn, Organise (Talk) (03:19) 17 There Is Power in a Union (03:06) |
 | Album: 24 of 34 Title: Volume I Released: 2006-10-09 Tracks: 81 Duration: 4:05:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Milkman of Human Kindness (02:49) 2 To Have and to Have Not (02:33) 3 Richard (02:51) 4 A New England (02:14) 5 The Man in the Iron Mask (02:13) 6 The Busy Girl Buys Beauty (01:58) 7 Lovers Town Revisited (01:19) 1 Strange Things Happen (alternative version) (03:19) 2 The Cloth (1) (02:50) 3 Love Lives Here (01:42) 4 Speedway Hero (02:39) 5 Loving You Too Long (02:51) 6 This Guitar Says Sorry (alternative version) (02:14) 7 Love Gets Dangerous (alternative version) (02:32) 8 The Cloth (2) (02:47) 9 The Man in the Iron Mask (alternative version) (02:17) 10 A13, Trunk Road to the Sea (02:27) 11 Fear Is a Mans Best Friend (02:32) 1 It Says Here (04:17) 2 Love Gets Dangerous (02:23) 3 The Myth of Trust (02:30) 4 From a Vauxhall Velox (02:53) 5 The Saturday Boy (03:28) 6 Island of No Return (03:34) 7 St Swithin’s Day (03:52) 8 Like Soldiers Do (02:39) 9 This Guitar Says Sorry (02:29) 10 Strange Things Happen (02:38) 11 A Lover Sings (03:58) 1 It Must Be a River (02:19) 2 Won’t Talk About It (05:06) 3 Talking Wag Club Blues (02:59) 4 You Got the Power (03:10) 5 The Last Time (02:55) 6 Back to the Old House (02:53) 7 A Lover Sings (alternative version) (03:58) 8 Which Side Are You On? (02:34) 9 It Says Here (alternative version) (02:36) 10 Between the Wars (02:30) 11 The World Turned Upside Down (02:35) 1 Greetings to the New Brunette (03:31) 2 Train Train (02:12) 3 The Marriage (02:31) 4 Ideology (03:27) 5 Levi Stubbs’ Tears (03:31) 6 Honey Im a Big Boy Now (04:07) 7 There Is Power in a Union (02:48) 8 Help Save the Youth of America (02:48) 9 Wishing the Days Away (02:29) 10 The Passion (02:54) 11 The Warmest Room (03:57) 12 The Home Front (04:12) 1 Sin City (03:34) 2 Deportees (04:03) 3 There Is Power in a Union (instrumental) (03:16) 4 The Tracks of My Tears (02:56) 5 Wishing the Days Away (alternate version) (02:32) 6 The Clashing of Ideologies (alternate version) (02:52) 7 Greetings to the New Brunette (demo) (03:57) 8 A Nurse’s Life Is Full of Woe (02:48) 9 Only Bad Signs (03:10) 10 Hold the Fort (01:47) 1 The Internationale (03:48) 2 I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night (01:29) 3 The Marching Song of the Covert Battalions (04:00) 4 Blakes Jerusalem (02:31) 5 Nicaragua Nicaraguita (01:08) 6 The Red Flag (03:13) 7 My Youngest Son Came Home Today (03:08) 8 Introduction (live) (00:57) 9 Help Save the Youth of America (live) (02:36) 10 Think Again (live) (04:21) 11 Chile Your Waters Run Red Through Soweto (live) (03:09) 12 Days Like These (DC remix) (02:40) 13 To Have and to Have Not (live) (02:47) 14 There Is Power in a Union (03:27) 15 Joe Hill (08:23) 16 This Land Is Your Land (04:35) 17 Never Cross a Picket Line (03:38) 18 A Change Is Gonna Come (03:58) 19 A Miners Life (03:01) |
 | Album: 25 of 34 Title: Volume II Released: 2006-10-09 Tracks: 100 Duration: 6:04:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 She’s Got a New Spell (03:25) 2 Must I Paint You a Picture? (05:32) 3 Tender Comrade (02:50) 4 The Price I Pay (03:34) 5 Little Time Bomb (02:17) 6 Rotting on Remand (03:39) 7 Valentine’s Day Is Over (04:53) 8 Life With the Lions (03:06) 9 The Only One (03:26) 10 The Short Answer (04:59) 11 Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards (04:34) 1 The Only One (demo) (03:36) 2 The Price I Pay (demo) (04:01) 3 Love Has No Pride (03:35) 4 That’s Entertainment (03:53) 5 She’s Got a New Spell (alt version) (02:44) 6 The Short Answer (alt version) (05:21) 7 Little Time Bomb (alt version) (02:21) 8 Bad Penny (demo) (03:05) 9 Reason to Believe (live) (02:12) 10 Must I Paint You a Picture? (extended version) (07:13) 11 Raglan Road (live) (03:46) 1 Accident Waiting to Happen (04:00) 2 Moving the Goalposts (02:34) 3 Everywhere (04:58) 4 Cindy of a Thousand Lives (04:14) 5 You Woke Up My Neighbourhood (03:11) 6 Trust (04:11) 7 God’s Footballer (03:03) 8 The Few (03:26) 9 Sexuality (03:47) 10 Mother of the Bride (03:34) 11 Tank Park Salute (03:29) 12 Dolphins (04:19) 13 North Sea Bubble (03:18) 14 Rumours of War (02:49) 15 Wish You Were Her (02:46) 16 Body of Water (03:56) 1 Party of God (04:15) 2 North Sea Bubble (demo) (03:29) 3 Sexuality (demo) (03:53) 4 Just One Victory (alt version) (05:30) 5 Everywhere (alt version) (04:42) 6 Trust (demo) (05:42) 7 Bread & Circuses (04:28) 8 Cindy of a Thousand Lives (demo) (03:38) 9 The Few (demo) (03:50) 10 Revolution (01:50) 11 Tighten Up Your Wig (03:17) 12 MBH (02:07) 13 This Gulf Between Us (02:46) 14 Piccadilly Rambler (01:49) 1 From Red to Blue (03:19) 2 Upfield (04:06) 3 Everybody Loves You Babe (03:09) 4 Sugardaddy (04:37) 5 A Pict Song (04:55) 6 Brickbat (03:14) 7 The Space Race Is Over (04:26) 8 Northern Industrial Town (02:58) 9 The Fourteenth of February (03:26) 10 King James Version (03:21) 11 Goalhanger (03:43) 1 As Long as You Hold (demo) (03:25) 2 Whos Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet? (demo) (01:42) 3 Sugar Daddy (demo) (04:07) 4 The Space Race Is Over (demo) (05:09) 5 Goalhanger (demo) (02:42) 6 Upfield (demo) (05:03) 7 The Fourteenth of February (demo) (03:25) 8 Qualifications (01:49) 9 Never Had No One Ever (03:39) 10 Thatcherites (04:13) 11 All Fall Down (03:34) 1 St. Monday (03:02) 2 Jane Allen (03:58) 3 Distant Shore (02:30) 4 England, Half English (02:28) 5 NPWA (05:29) 6 Some Days I See the Point (04:58) 7 Baby Faroukh (03:05) 8 Take Down the Union Jack (03:19) 9 Another Kind of Judy (03:44) 10 Hell Go Down (03:21) 11 Dreadbelly (03:32) 12 Tears of My Tracks (03:53) 1 Billericay Dickie (04:45) 2 Mansion on the Hill (04:20) 3 Glad and Sorry (04:08) 4 Hell Go Down (demo) (03:30) 5 Yarra Song (03:32) 6 You Pulled the Carpet Out (02:38) 7 Mystery Shoes (03:08) 8 Tears of My Tracks (demo) (03:19) 9 Take Down the Union Jack (Band version) (03:22) 10 England, Half English (7" remix) (03:55) 11 1 2 3 4 (02:04) 12 Dry Bed (Band version) (03:18) 13 Danny Rose (02:27) 14 She Smiled Sweetly (02:50) |
| Volume II : Allmusic album Review : The first four years of Billy Braggs recording career (1982 to 1986) were a blur of record releases that established the froggy-voiced "Bard from Barking" as perhaps the most powerful and engaging political songwriter to emerge since the "folk scare" of the 1960s. From 1988 on, however, Bragg had the difficult task of living up to his own legacy, and that proved to be no small task; as he stylistically outgrew the rough electric guitar and vocal textures of Brewing Up with Billy Bragg and Lifes a Riot with Spy vs. Spy, Bragg didnt display the same immediate skill at "proper" record-making and took his time growing comfortable with the craft of the studio, and while he never ran out of things to write and sing about, as the 1980s faded into the 1990s his songs lost a certain amount of the sharp wit and keen focus that was second nature on his early records. (It also became clear the material was coming a lot more slowly, to boot.) This period of Braggs career is documented on Volume 2, the second box set compiled from Braggs back catalog, featuring expanded versions of four albums: 1988s Workers Playtime, 1991s Dont Try This at Home, 1996s William Bloke, and 2002s England, Half English. While none of these albums can be called bad, very little of whats featured on this set matches the consistent quality of the records compiled on the similar Volume 1 box, and even the best of the records featured here (Dont Try This at Home) falls slightly short of the wit and fire of Braggs salad days. That said, while one has to pick and choose to find the pearls on Volume 2, they are certainly there, and Bragg has been generous with the bonus material on this set. Each album is accompanied by a bonus disc of demos, outtakes, single sides, and the like, and each is full of pleasant surprises for the completist (though they never quite equal the quality of the original albums) and offer an interesting look at how these albums came together. Volume 2 also comes with a book featuring song lyrics, credits, and an essay from Braggs longtime manager, Peter Jenner, as well as a DVD that includes a show by Bragg and his band the Red Stars taped for the BBC at Londons Town and Country Club in late 1991, as well as highlights from a spring 2006 gig in Braggs hometown of Barking, Essex, with Bragg joined by former Faces keyboard man Ian McLagan. Each of the expanded albums included in Volume 2 has also been released individually, and some fans may prefer to pick and choose rather than buy the entire set, but as a whole, Volume 2 documents Billy Bragg as he struggles to balance musical and emotional maturity with the passion of his political ideals; the results may not be as engaging as Volume 1, but theres still a fascinating story to be found in this collection. | ||
 | Album: 26 of 34 Title: Mr Love & Justice Released: 2008-03-04 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:17:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 I Keep Faith (04:34) 2 I Almost Killed You (02:38) 3 M for Me (02:43) 4 The Beach Is Free (02:43) 5 Sing Their Souls Back Home (03:28) 6 You Make Me Brave (03:06) 7 Something Happened (02:38) 8 Mr Love & Justice (03:13) 9 If You Ever Leave (03:00) 10 O Freedom (04:04) 11 The Johnny Carcinogenic Show (04:15) 12 Farm Boy (03:37) 1 I Keep Faith (04:45) 2 I Almost Killed You (02:05) 3 M for Me (02:29) 4 The Beach Is Free (03:26) 5 Sing Their Souls Back Home (03:18) 6 You Make Me Brave (02:30) 7 Something Happened (01:56) 8 Mr Love & Justice (03:19) 9 If You Ever Leave (03:21) 10 O Freedom (03:28) 11 The Johnny Carcinogenic Show (03:18) 12 Farm Boy (03:09) |
| Mr Love & Justice : Allmusic album Review : Its both significant and troubling that Billy Braggs best albums since releasing Talking with the Taxman About Poetry in 1986 were the two Mermaid Avenue volumes, in which Bragg set Woody Guthries unpublished lyrics to new music with Wilco serving as his collaborators and backing band, suggesting that this former one-man band suddenly needed plenty of help to communicate with his audience. Bragg sounded confident and all but unbeatable on his first few albums in the 80s, but political and creative uncertainty have dominated much of his work since then. Which is why Mr. Love & Justice is a pleasant and encouraging surprise -- while hardly perfect, its easily Braggs best and most consistent solo effort since Dont Try This at Home, and finds him coming to terms with maturity and the changing face of the world, two bugaboos that have been dogging his muse for some time. Mr. Love & Justice lacks a portion of the piss and vinegar of Braggs earliest sides, but on these recordings hes learned to communicate with a soulful conviction that merges passion with a simple and unforced sincerity, and while Bragg has sung with greater force, hes rarely communicated as well in the studio as he does here. Bragg also sounds more comfortable with his backing band than he has since working with Wilco; having recorded and toured with the Blokes for several years, the musicians have had the opportunity to gain a rapport with one another, and the give and take between Bragg and his partners is warm and easy, and gives the material just the right lift. And while Billy Bragg isnt mounting as many soapboxes on Mr. Love & Justice as you might expect, "Sing Their Souls Back Home" and "Farm Boy" are compassionate and well-crafted meditations on the wake of the Iraq War, "O Freedom" is a powerful tale of vanishing civil liberties, "I Nearly Killed You" and "Something Happened" are the sort of reflections on love that come from years of dealing with the nuts and bolts of human relationships, and "I Keep Faith" is a wary but moving meditation on the courage needed to stand ones ground in an age of personal and political turmoil. (Oddly, the number where Bragg most gets his dander up is the rather obvious "The Johnny Carcinogenic Show" -- Billy, doesnt everyone know tobacco is bad for you by now?) The scope of Mr. Love & Justice is often modest, but it speaks with grace, wisdom, and heart, and finds Billy Bragg a bit older, a bit wiser, and still committed to fighting the good fight; its a return to form, a step forward, and a potent reminder of why Braggs music still matters. | ||
 | Album: 27 of 34 Title: Six Songs From Pressure Drop Released: 2010 Tracks: 6 Duration: 16:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Home (03:23) 2 Same Again (02:07) 3 There Will Be a Reckoning (03:47) 4 All You Fascists 2010 (01:55) 5 Tomorrows Going to Be a Better Day (02:56) 6 The Battle of Barking (02:14) |
 | Album: 28 of 34 Title: Fight Songs Released: 2011-09 Tracks: 11 Duration: 38:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Never Buy the Sun (03:49) 2 Last Flight to Abu Dhabi (02:10) 3 The Battle of Barking (02:24) 4 The Wolf Covers Its Tracks (04:33) 5 The Big Lie (02:09) 6 Bush War Blues (03:45) 7 Constitution Hill (02:35) 8 Old Clash Fan Fight Song (02:38) 9 The Price of Oil (04:55) 10 The Lonesome Death of Rachel Corrie (04:50) 11 Were Following the Wrong Star (04:08) |
 | Album: 29 of 34 Title: Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions Released: 2012-04-21 Tracks: 47 Duration: 2:39:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Walt Whitman’s Niece (03:53) 2 California Stars (04:58) 3 Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key (04:06) 4 Birds and Ships (02:15) 5 Hoodoo Voodoo (03:12) 6 She Came Along to Me (03:28) 7 At My Window Sad and Lonely (03:27) 8 Ingrid Bergman (01:50) 9 Christ for President (02:42) 10 I Guess I Planted (03:33) 11 One by One (03:25) 12 Eisler on the Go (02:57) 13 Hesitating Beauty (03:05) 14 Another Man’s Done Gone (01:36) 15 The Unwelcome Guest (05:05) 1 Airline to Heaven (04:50) 2 My Flying Saucer (01:45) 3 Feed of Man (04:05) 4 Hot Rod Hotel (03:16) 5 I Was Born (01:50) 6 Secret of the Sea (02:39) 7 Stetson Kennedy (02:38) 8 Remember the Mountain Bed (06:26) 9 Blood of the Lamb (04:16) 10 Aginst th’ Law (03:01) 11 All You Fascists (02:43) 12 Joe DiMaggio Done It Again (02:30) 13 Meanest Man (03:44) 14 Black Wind Blowing (02:58) 15 Someday Some Morning Sometime (02:51) 1 Bugeye Jim (03:14) 2 When the Roses Bloom Again (04:07) 3 Gotta Work (02:12) 4 My Thirty Thousand (02:37) 5 Ought to Be Satisfied Now (03:30) 6 Listening to the Wind That Blows (05:03) 7 Go Down to the Water (04:31) 8 Chain of Broken Hearts (03:27) 9 Jailcell Blues (02:23) 10 Don’t You Marry (03:14) 11 Give Me a Nail (01:38) 12 The Jolly Banker (03:26) 13 Union Prayer (04:09) 14 Be Kind to the Boy on the Road (03:42) 15 Ain’ta Gonna Grieve (04:47) 16 Tea Bag Blues (03:59) 17 I’m Out to Get (03:58) |
| Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions : Allmusic album Review : The two volumes of Mermaid Avenue, released in 1998 and 2000 and named after the New York street where legendary folk artist Woody Guthrie lived in the 1940s, were collaborations between cult American alt-country/avant-garde rockers Wilco and revered British protest singer Billy Bragg, on which they set to music previously unreleased lyrics by Guthrie. This exhaustive four-disc set features both releases together with a whole new album of previously unreleased songs and the documentary Man in the Sand, which chronicles the project. | ||
 | Album: 30 of 34 Title: Mermaid Avenue Vol. III Released: 2012-04-21 Tracks: 17 Duration: 59:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Bugeye Jim (03:14) 2 When the Roses Bloom Again (04:07) 3 Gotta Work (02:12) 4 My Thirty Thousand (02:36) 5 Ought to Be Satisfied Now (03:30) 6 Listening to the Wind That Blows (05:03) 7 Go Down to the Water (04:31) 8 Chain of Broken Hearts (03:27) 1 Jailcell Blues (02:23) 2 Dont You Marry (03:14) 3 Give Me a Nail (01:38) 4 The Jolly Banker (03:26) 5 Union Prayer (04:09) 6 Be Kind to the Boy on the Road (03:42) 7 Ain’ta Gonna Grieve (04:47) 8 Tea Bag Blues (03:59) 9 I’m Out to Get (03:58) |
 | Album: 31 of 34 Title: Tooth & Nail Released: 2013-03-18 Tracks: 12 Duration: 42:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 January Song (02:19) 2 No One Knows Nothing Anymore (04:31) 3 Handyman Blues (03:03) 4 I Aint Got No Home (03:33) 5 Swallow My Pride (02:50) 6 Do Unto Others (04:08) 7 Over You (03:15) 8 Goodbye, Goodbye (03:16) 9 There Will Be a Reckoning (03:30) 10 Chasing Rainbows (03:39) 11 Your Name on My Tongue (04:50) 12 Tomorrows Going to Be a Better Day (03:10) |
| Tooth & Nail : Allmusic album Review : "January Song," the bluesy leadoff track from veteran English folkie Billy Braggs first solo outing since 2008s Mr. Love and Justice, begins with the lyric "Im so tightly wound in tension" and ends with "This is how the world ends," signaling a shift from the stalwart political activism of previous outings to a more internalized dialogue that suggests a subtle re-positioning of the magnifying glass. Bragg has always tempered his political leanings with matters of the heart, and the weepy "Chasing Rainbows" and sad and soulful "Your Name on My Tongue" rank as two of his more intimate offerings, suggesting a recent emotional upheaval that needed a basement in Pasadena, California to find catharsis. Bragg and producer Joe Henry, owner of the aforementioned basement where Tooth & Nail was recorded, make for a solid team, allowing their shared love of rural Americana to run wild and each song enough elbow room to get comfy by sticking to a pantry of few seasonings, which makes the occasional Greg Leisz-supplied Dobro, mandolin, and pedal steel, and the Patrick Warren-provided autoharp and pump organ, feel less like window dressing and more like a crucial component. Thats not to say that Tooth & Nail arrives sans boxing gloves, as evidenced by the inclusion of signature Bragg rallying anthems like "Tomorrows Going to Be a Better Day" and the albums most engaging cut, the rough and tumble "No One Knows Nothing Anymore," but it says something when even the requisite Woody Guthrie number, an appropriately wistful reading of "I Aint Got No Home," while still steeped in dustbowl civics, eschews straight up politics for weary soul searching. | ||
 | Album: 32 of 34 Title: Live at the Union Chapel London Released: 2014 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:08:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Ideology (03:48) 2 Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key (03:48) 3 Do Unto Others (03:46) 4 All You Fascists Bound to Lose (03:29) 5 I Ain’t Got No Home (03:56) 6 You Woke Up My Neighborhood (03:08) 7 Never Buy the Sun (03:48) 8 Between the Wars (03:05) 9 There Is Power in a Union (02:37) 10 Goodbye, Goodbye (03:30) 11 My Flying Saucer (01:50) 12 Swallow My Pride (03:02) 13 Over You (03:21) 14 Valentine’s Day Is Over (04:48) 15 There Will Be a Reckoning (03:21) 16 Sexuality (04:35) 17 Handyman Blues (03:04) 18 Tank Park Salute (04:00) 19 Waiting for the Great Leap Forward (05:08) |
 | Album: 33 of 34 Title: Shine a Light: Field Recordings From the Great American Railroad Released: 2016-09-23 Tracks: 13 Duration: 43:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rock Island Line (02:55) 2 The L&N Dont Stop Here Anymore (04:29) 3 The Midnight Special (03:34) 4 Railroad Bill (02:49) 5 Lonesome Whistle (02:53) 6 KC Moan (02:40) 7 Waiting for a Train (02:46) 8 In the Pines (03:31) 9 Gentle on My Mind (03:39) 10 Hobos Lullaby (03:57) 11 Railroading on the Great Divide (03:08) 12 John Henry (02:42) 13 Early Morning Rain (04:13) |
| Shine a Light: Field Recordings From the Great American Railroad : Allmusic album Review : There isnt much that a folkie loves more than a train. The images and lore of an engine rolling down the tracks, taking both ticketed riders and boxcar-hopping hobos to new destinations and grand adventures, are staples of American songwriting, both past and present. So its no great surprise that two accomplished part-time folkies, Billy Bragg and Joe Henry, would cook up a project like Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad. For this album, Bragg and Henry booked a rail trip from Chicago to Los Angeles aboard the Texas Eagle 421 Service, bringing a recording engineer and a portable recording rig with them. At various stops along the way, the duo recorded classic blues, folk, and country songs with railway themes at various train stations and boarding platforms (except for one tune cut at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, where iconic bluesman Robert Johnson recorded some of his best-known recordings in 1936). The notion of two studious folksingers singing train songs in train stations, with the murmur of passengers and arrivals in the background, sounds like it could be meant as a joke, or perhaps a bit that got left out of the movie A Mighty Wind. In practice, Shine a Light doesnt sound like a prank, but it often comes off as a project built around a big gimmick, and one thats only partly successful. From a standpoint of audio or performance quality, it doesnt seem like much was gained by recording these songs on the run, unless youve always wanted to know what these guys would have sounded like as buskers. And while Bragg clearly approaches this material with the utmost seriousness and respect, theres something curious about hearing such hardcore Americana being sung by a man with a thick Essex accent. Henry possesses a clearer and more pleasing voice, though in moments its a touch too sweet for the material, and the chalk-and-cheese blend of Braggs and Henrys voices sometimes works and sometimes doesnt. Theres no arguing that the two men chose material that perfectly suits the theme, but "John Henry," "Hobos Lullaby," and "Rock Island Line" are songs that have been recorded so often over the years by so many artists, theres barely anything left to be discovered in them. Bragg and Henry can sing them with sincerity and respect, but they cant make them sound fresh or surprising, and all the colorful ambience in the world cant change that. Shine a Light is an album of big ideas and lofty intentions, but the truth is this probably would have been better if Bragg and Henry had found a nice concert hall where they could have recorded it in front of an audience that wasnt running to catch a train. | ||
 | Album: 34 of 34 Title: Bridges Not Walls Released: 2017-11-03 Tracks: 6 Duration: 22:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Sleep of Reason (04:31) 2 King Tide and the Sunny Day Flood (02:58) 3 Why We Build the Wall (03:29) 4 Saffiyah Smiles (03:32) 5 Not Everything That Counts Can Be Counted (04:13) 6 Full English Brexit (04:03) |