England, Half English

Billy Bragg | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 5, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B00005YX35
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,304 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In the afterglow of the remarkable Mermaid Avenue, the dean of British agit-rock turns in a new set of collaborations, this time with running mates Ben Mandelson, Lu Edmonds, Martyn Barker, Simon Edwards, and Ian McLagan. While the Blokes' arrangements find the earthy adventurousness--dabbling in a bit of neo-ska, gospel soul, and polyrhythmic world beats--that defined the Mermaid sessions, Bragg's songwriting often sputters through overly didactic and barely clever slams on multinational capitalism, British nationalism, and working-class exploitation. Bragg has railed against it all before--and with considerably more wit. The new romantic songs, especially the bouncy "Another Kind of Judy" and the gorgeous immigrant's reverie "Distant Shore," find the sharp and sweet catchiness of Bragg's best work, but the rest of the album rarely does. --Roy Kasten

Product Description

'England, Half-English', is his first album of all-original songs in over five years, features Billy and his touring band The Blokes continuing that spirit of rollicking collaboration. As always, Billy deftly mixes the personal and the political on a doze

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best, but not bad, March 24, 2002

By 

uffda_bill (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: England, Half English (Audio CD)

First, let me say, I have been a huge fan of Billy's since 1990. I have attended concerts, bought T-shirts, and played his music full blast on many a day.

The album contains a few gems, a few mediocre songs, and a few that are painful to hear. Being a HUGE fan of the British Isles, I found the song "Take Down the Union Jack" to inspire a bit of melancholy and a bit of acceptance...the Isles have changed.

Other songs like "Baby Farouk", "Distant Shore", and "Tears of My Tracks", bring you to remember some of his older albums quite fondly.

This album is fairly decent, but is missing something. Compared to William Bloke this is one notch below. This album most directly corresponds to Don't Try This at Home...

So, if you are a Billy Bragg fan, you should buy this album (if only for Take Down the Union Jack). If you have never listened to Billy before, then I suggest you go pick up Back to Basics or William Bloke before hand.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a few gems, March 20, 2002

By 

John C Washburne (St. Louis, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: England, Half English (Audio CD)

To put my cards on the table, I'm a huge Billy Bragg fan. However the moments of genius are getting fewer and further between. This record is solid but unspectacular, with a few exceptions. "Distant Shore" is classic, heartfelt Billy Bragg, and the acoustic guitar work is gorgeous. "Another Kind of Judy" is this record's "Sexuality", and "Jane Allen" is a lot of fun. "Baby Faroukh" is a standout as well. Other than than that it's pretty average. "NPWA" is just awful musically. The lyrics are cool, but to me it's unlistenable. Bragg's live shows are still a killer, though, and I'm planning on being front and center when he comes to the States.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's called satire, March 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: England, Half English (Audio CD)

To the genius from Portland who seems to think Billy is a racist: you might also enjoy reading the work of cannibal author Jonathon Swift.