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Billy Bragg

Started by A Passing Turk Slipper, July 24, 2005, 01:47:06 AM

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A Passing Turk Slipper

Anyone a fan of Mr Bragg? I thought I'd start a thead, I don't know much about him or his albums but there are a load of songs he's done that I've been really impressed by. Firstly, To Have and To Have Not has got to be one of my favourite ever songs. It's just one of those songs you can't help but love even after the first listen. I love a few of his other songs as well, Milkman of Human Kindness is great, a nice riff to play along to. I like the great acoustic version of the Guthrie song, All You Fascists, that he did on the Glastonbury coverage but it was totally different to the studio version which I don't really like that much. I love Greetings to the New Brunnette as well, that's a great song, as is Between the Wars, and Saturday Boy, and, well, most of what I've heard. His Peel sessions are great, well what I've heard is anyway.
So is anyone a fan? (I sense Jemble Fred might be) Also, anyone got an mp3 of his acoustic All You Fascists, which is far superior and almost a different song?

I have all his stuff up to Mermaid Avenue including the unlistenable The Internationale. I have just checked out his discography and didn't realise I'd missed so much of his later stuff. I must make an effort to catch up. As far as favourite albums go, it changes with my mood but is usually a toss up between Talking With The Tax Man About Poetry (has there ever been a greater album name?), Brewing Up With BB and (if it is possible to have a toss up between 3 choices?) Workers Playtime.
If you ask  people what they thoughts are about BB  then my guess would be that most would mention that he makes political music, but for me, it is his love songs that mark him out as being one of the greatest lyricist. Workers Playtime must have been wrote at a particularly hard time for him, an album that was released when I was a love struck teenager.
Brewing Up has quite a hard political edge to it but also contains my all time favourite song, the afore mentioned Saturday Boy, listening to it now instantly takes me back to 1987 as a love struck 15 year old. Infact that was the first song that truly moved me.

There have been many fine versions of Fred Neil's Dolphins, but the finest, most moving, is Billy Bragg's version.


It's on his Don't Try This At Home record, and follows Tank Park Salute, a quite beautiful and heartbreaking song written about his Dad.

Always annoys me when people zero in on his political side because he is quite wondeful about talking about love, rejection, heartache and all that shit. One of the best.

Mister Cairo

Yes I quite like Bragg, though I dislike strongly Sexuality. I feel it is a patronizing song which seems to play down homophobia at some points.
His newish song "The Oil Man" about the Iraq War, whether you feel the conflict was related to oil or not, is worth a listen.

Almost Yearly

In the unlikely event anyone's not heard it, a quick mention for Bill Bailey's chipshop song, whatever it's called, oppressive chipshop regime ... a-and, it's no longer on his site for me to link to.

Ciarán2

Yes, he's a top chap that Billy Bragg.  "Cindy Of a Thousand Lives" is my favourite thing he's done, so many highlights in his back catalogue - I'd be here all day listing them all.

chand

Quote from: "Almost Yearly"In the unlikely event anyone's not heard it, a quick mention for Bill Bailey's chipshop song, whatever it's called, oppressive chipshop regime ... a-and, it's no longer on his site for me to link to.

I think it's called 'Unisex Chip Shop'. I've got on my server anyway, right here.

A Passing Turk Slipper

Ooh, good man chand. I've been meaning to check that out. Thanks.

Jemble Fred

I'm currently trying to master 'A Lover Sings', 'She's Got A New Spell' and 'To Have & Have Not' on the ukulele. 'Rumours of War' was a piece of piss.

Kenneth Trousers – does that mean you've yet to grab 'England Half English'? I'd fix that situation now, if just for 'Tears of My Tracks' – one of the best Bragg songs what he's ever done ever.

ThePreface

I love Billy Bragg a lot. Easily one of my favourite musicians, by far. I love the lyrics he writes, the sound of his voice, and the way he plays his guitar. I also love his politics. The man is one of my idols, definitely. It's the way he can gel politics with love songs, and it's so down to earth.

Jemble Fred

Thanks to Mr Sherringford Hovis, I done just downloaded this: http://www.yeproc.com/news.php?articleId=2961 and will listen to it asap with ears open.

It's not a new single or indeed any major campaign for folk to moan about because they feel they're being lectured, but a spur-of-the-moment recording. Bill likes those.

EDIT: Well that was simplistic (even calling Blair a poodle), but I think that was rather the point. If he wasn't so pissed off, I guess you could call it 'a bit of fun'.

Pretty impressive raw performance anyway. A nice little rarity for us Bragg maniacs, nowt more.

Ciarán2

Well, I bought the box set last week - it's just tremendous. i love The south Bank Show feature - I hadn't seen any of that before. there's a great clip of Billy with his jet-pack on, walking about in HMV or somewhere playing his songs and at the same time, pausing to chat with customers and flick through the records on sale. and at the end of one song, just as he's finished, he goes up to the counter to buy a record. Well, I find it funny anyway.

Jemble Fred

Shit, what box set? What South Bank Show feature? Time to do my research...

Heh, straight to http://www.billybragg.co.uk/ and it leaps out at you – how much did you pay for it Ciaran? I think I may have to save up.

I also think I need to go to another Bragg gig and soon – it's been a few years now...

Ciarán2

I'm going to see him in June in Dublin. The box set cost me €49.99, so I suppose that's about £30? They've rereleased all his albums from the 80s except "Worker's Playtime", I think. anyway, they're all double discs - the "the Internationale" re-issue comes with an extra DVD and if you get the box set version - which works out better value - you get another bonus DVd featuring a live show from 1985 and a half hour profile from The South Bank Show from 1985. I assume there will be a "Volume 2" covering his 90s stuff soon. The booklet you get with the box isn't great - just the lyrics mainly. They could have done a bit more with that.

In the big High Street stores, the Bragg box is 34.99.

Cack Hen

Quote from: "chand"
I think it's called 'Unisex Chip Shop'. I've got on my server anyway, right here.

Have you got the live version he sings with Billy Bragg? I used to have it but lost it.

Hinton

Quote from: "Mister Cairo"Yes I quite like Bragg, though I dislike strongly Sexuality. I feel it is a patronizing song which seems to play down homophobia at some points.
His newish song "The Oil Man" about the Iraq War, whether you feel the conflict was related to oil or not, is worth a listen.

I'm not sure about playing down homophobia, but it certainly contains one of the most clumsily appaling lyrics ever written.


And just because you're gay I won't turn you away
If you stick around I'm sure that we can find some common ground


Sweet Jesus!

Jemble Fred

Nothing wrong with that. Simple and effective.

Quote from: "Cack Hen"
Quote from: "chand"
I think it's called 'Unisex Chip Shop'. I've got on my server anyway, right here.

Have you got the live version he sings with Billy Bragg? I used to have it but lost it.

You are kidding, surely? First I've heard of it – when? how? And similar questions.

Cack Hen

You can watch the video of it here-

http://www.leftfield.coop/Media/

Although it's pretty bad quality, even on high stream.

I gave in and splashed out for the Bragg box today.

Either I'm being just plain dumb, or my box is missing the exclusive 'box set only' DVD.  Where should it be in the box and what should it look like?  Is it hidden away somewhere?

If it's not there, I'm going to be mostly fucked off.

Ciarán2

It should be in a cardboard sleeve of its own. It's a South Bank Show Special and Concert. All the rest is in "gatefold" CD sleeves. One of the DVDs comes with "The Internationale".

Jemble Fred

Has the boxset got a 'Pay No More Than...' sticker on the front? It should do. No way I can afford it anyway.

Nope - mine's definitely lacking the extra DVD.  It's going back next time I'm in town.  Fuck.

Mine doesn't have a 'pay no more than...' sticker on the front either.

When I first looked at it in HMV, it was 34.99.  I went back the following week and it was 39.99.  When I questioned it, I was told 39.99 is the RRP and has always been the RRP.

I went to a different branch of HMV yesterday and they wanted 34.99 for it, so I'd not imagined the slightly cheaper price.  

For the record, the Virgin Megastore want a ridiculous 44.99 for it...which I don't understand, especially as they're owned by the same company, as much as they'd like to pretend HMV are in competition with them.  I tell you, between that and HMV trying to buy Waterstones and force Fopp out of existence, how long is it before the monopolies commission step in?

[/puts down megaphone and climbs down from soapbox]

A Passing Turk Slipper

Avalanche is where it's at. I think I buy pretty much all my albums there now unless there's an album I really want that they don't have in which case I amazon it. Do you get Avalanches in England?

alan strang

Jembles - I promised you this a good while back. Only just found the tape:

Billy Bragg - A New England (Mothercare version)

No idea of the date but it sounds like a Nicky Campbell appearence.

Jemble Fred

Cor, thanks a million and four. Shit, I'll have to get a copy to my brother somehow, he's the biggest BB fan in'tworld, and a new father, expecting yet another son in September.

I was toying with the idea of posting my swing version of 'A Noo Engerland' on the Covers thread, but I'm feeling quite charitable now so I'm not sure if I will. Might post 'Sulk' though, when my new iMac arrives.

Cheers again Alan, I'm off to listen to loads more Bragg now, I'm in the mood.

I'd say it dates from after 1990, as it's not on the current box set, which seems to be a comprehensive collection of stuff up to that point.

Are there plans to release a second box of post-1990 material?

Jemble Fred

He wasn't a dad in 1990, surely? Even his adopted son? Shame I gave my brother back his copy of Still Suitable For Minors. I would have guessed William Bloke era for that clip. If that was 1990, I'm too old to live.

alan strang

The girl who taped it for me would have been about ten in 1990 so I suspect it's a little later! I'd hazard a guess at 1997/98.

Musicoutoftrousers

Bump.

I was at the first night of the tour last night, in Wolverhampton. Really enjoyed it, I have to say. He's working with Ian McLagan at the moment, so the songs are mostly guitar and organ, although there was some stuff with just Billy's guitar and some stuff with just the organ (and lovely dad dancing and prancing about from Billy). The material is pretty much a hodgepodge -- some stuff from the early albums, some more recent stuff and some stuff that was very new and I'd never heard.

There was also a bit of soul music, which fitted in with the theme of multiculturalism in music that goes with this being the 'Stop the BNP Tour'. That decision was made before the recent local election scare stories, but obviously seems rather more prescient now. This meant that there was lots of anti-fascist ranting in between songs and so on, which was nice but meant that he played only about fifteen songs in total I'd say. I admire and agree with a lot of his politics and he mostly comes off as a very nice, funny and passionate fellow (as you'd expect) but some times I'd rather hear 'The Saturday Boy' or something instead of pro-unionist verbiage. As an unemployed student, how high am I permitted to raise my fist?

Highlights for me were 'Levi Stubbs' Tears' (spinetingly), 'The World Turned Upside Down', which was the opener, and the crowd singing along beautifully to 'Greetings to the New Brunette'. Sadly, the people around me weren't interested in a singalong, and I'd have felt a bit weird attempting a solo with my tuneless warblings, so I didn't get to join in.

The new songs (i.e. the songs about Iraq) were some of the weakest, I think. He just doesn't seem to attack those targets with as much wit, passion or eloquence as he did Thatcher's government. The 'Blair is a poodle' line was really quite grating, just because it's an observation that the fucking 'Mirror' made several years ago, and isn't really relevant. I mean, he never slipped a 'Thatcher looks like a big turnip' lyric (or similar) into 'Which Side are You on'. It was a bit disappointing. 'Bush War Blues' (a reworking of a Leadbelly's 'Bourgeois Blues') was a bit better, but still not a patch on any of the earlier songs he played.

He finished with a reworked version of 'Waiting for the Great Leap Forward', but I can't remember too much about it sadly. My mind was on the very real possibility of missing the last tram home at that point.

Overall, a really very good show, that benefitted from the audience never really being sure what was coming next. My favourite Bragg album is 'Spy vs. Spy' but I can understand that just playing songs from that era would make him seem like a jukebox, and it was nice to hear stuff I was unfamiliar with.

Oh, the support was pretty good too, nice and folky. Unfortunately, I don't know what the bloke's name was, but whoever he is, he plays a good hoedown.

Edit: My hometown got a mention too, which was nice. Go Halesowen! I felt like I had connected with the Bragg at that point.