William Bloke

Billy Bragg | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 10, 1996)
• Original Release Date: September 10, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000002HMS
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,924 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's smart and sweet and Red all over?, July 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: William Bloke (Audio CD)

I have to admit, I cannot ever see giving a Billy Bragg album less that five stars. He's always brilliant in my opinion, and so his newest albums always seem to be my favourite. No exception here. This one combines all he's come to represent so far in his career--there's his rather newfound domestic ease, his bittersweet sensibilities, his mockery and indignance, and of course, his very Red inclinations. Pop tunes, folky rock and lullabies are all here...he hasn't been so diverse on one album yet. He's one of the best songwriters I've ever heard. And thank god he's still Red.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Socialism of the Heart, December 19, 1999

By 

Bill Bloom IV (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: William Bloke (Audio CD)

About 3 years ago, my sister took me to see Billy Bragg at Irving Plaza. Since then I've seen him 3x. And now I own 4 CDs. What makes Bragg so charming, I believe, is the sincerity of his 'socialism of the heart' . . .

Of the 4, this is my favorite. It is not so punk as BACK TO BASICS, but mellower and more tuneful. Best tracks are probably 'Space Race Is Over,' 'Northern Industrial Town' and 'King James Version.' But if you like punk, try 'Pict Song,' his rendition of Rudyard Kipling. WARNING! Listening to this CD is addictive! :)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A typically excellent BB release, December 20, 2002

By 

Christopher Ingalls (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: William Bloke (Audio CD)

In this 1996 album, Billy Bragg mixes the old and the new. There are several songs about growing up ("The Space Race Is Over," "From Red To Blue") and being in love ("Brickbat," "The Fourteenth of February,"), topics that seem to dominate his songwriting since he started raising a family. But his earlier style of singing with nothing but an electric guitar accompaniment (like on his earlier albums) is present here as well, in fantastic songs like "A Pict Song" (with lyrics credited to Rudyard Kipling, this moving song also features some of Billy's most vicious guitar playing) and "Northern Industrial Town" (one of his best working-class anthems).

Like on his previous release, "Don't Try This At Home," Billy expands his instrumentation a bit, but the one problem with that otherwise excellent album is that he tried a few things - musically speaking - that, in my opinion, just didn't work (hints of dance music in "Cindy of a Thousand Lives" and an overblown arrangement in "The Few"). Here, Billy seems to have found his footing and the record sounds both comfortable and biting. He even has fun with horns on soul-influenced songs like "Upfield" and the hilarious "Goalhanger."

I've been a BB fan since 1988, when a friend lent me a tape that contained "Back to Basics" and "Talking With the Taxman About Poetry." For some reason, I passed on "William Bloke" when it first came out. But I'm very glad it's part of my collection now. If you like Billy, You'll love this album. If you've never heard of him, this would be a very nice introduction.