Billy Bragg - Volume 1

Four formative albums, with bonus moving pictures

When Bragg opened his account with the mini-LP Life’s A Riot in 1983, there was a temptation for some commentators to dismiss him as a self-sufficient novelty. Were we really meant to pay much attention to a shouty ex-punk overhauling traditional folk motifs accompanied only by a cheap electric guitar?

A closer listen revealed a fiery fledgling talent, at ease with eloquent wordplay (The Milkman Of Human Kindness) and seductive melody (A New England). The second of those songs even hijacked a Paul Simon lyric, which only added to the intrigue. The laziest of box-tickers might have labelled him a protest singer from the get go, but Bragg has always been much more than that, an articulate chronicler of the times who could also dissect the complexities of the human heart with astonishing clarity.

“The polaroids that held us together will surely fade away/ Like the love we spoke of forever on St Swithin’s Day,” he sang on 1984’s Brewing Up With Billy Bragg, a couplet with the grace and insight of more seasoned wordsmiths such as Hal David or Bob Dylan. He had yet to broaden the musical palette – save for the occasional trumpet, of all things – but the sparse backing helped the message to be heard.

Greater levels of instrumentation featured on 1986’s Talking With The Taxman About Poetry, including such star names as Johnny Marr and Kirsty MacColl, though it’s perhaps more notable for the increased volume of political songs (There Is Power In A Union, Help Save The Youth Of America). Bragg himself has described it as his post-miners’ strike album, an attempt to take stock of his own career and the climate of the country before embarking on a new chapter.

That was arguably also the thinking behind 1990’s The Internationale, a collection of traditional socialist songs that had given Bragg his initial inspiration and impetus to become a performer. It’s a fascinating portrait of the singer as interpreter, never more so than on Eric Bogle’s anti-war ballad My Youngest Son Came Home Today.

The first three of these albums are packaged here with bonus discs, showcasing embryonic demo recordings, EP tracks and non-album singles and B-sides; an embarrassment of riches, with versions of Woody Guthrie’s Deportees and The Smiths’ Back To The Old House laying claim to being among Bragg’s most accomplished recordings. Meanwhile, the two DVDs that complete this box bring us closer to Bragg the man; his charm, drive, commitment and winning personality shine through at live gigs and in a revealing 1985 edition of The South Bank Show.

Fans have to tolerate longer gaps between albums these days, but that doesn’t mean Bragg is getting lazy. Recent sightings have included his work as a key figure in the musicians’ rights group, Featured Artists Coalition, and he’s just pulled off a Clash reunion of sorts, bringing Mick Jones and Topper Headon together on a charity single for Jail Guitar Doors, the campaign to provide musicial instruments for prisoners. More records will surely follow but, in the meantime, we should grab the opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with the songs that started it all.

4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars

Cooking Vinyl | BRAGGBOX 001 (7-CD+2-DVD)

Reviewed by Terry Staunton
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