Name: Best Of Billy Bragg At The BBC: 1983 - 2019
Brand: Billy Bragg

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

COOKCD734

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music US

Limited edition

Release date

2019-10-25

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Orchard

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

711297523423

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Total Cap

2 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Billy Bragg

Genre US

Rock-Pop

Label US

Cooking Vinyl

British singer-songwriter, Billy Bragg, was born on December 20, 1957 in Barking, Essex. Known as the 'Bard of Barking', he has had a long and successful career, particularly recognized in the UK for his unique blend of music and left-wing politics.

Billy Bragg's passion for music began at an early age and he quickly made a name for himself with his heartfelt lyrics and distinctive folk-punk sound. His songs often tackle social issues such as inequality, war, and working-class struggles, making him a voice for the marginalized.

With his thought-provoking lyrics and powerful performances, Billy Bragg has become an influential figure in both the music industry and political activism. He continues to captivate audiences around the world with his raw talent and unwavering commitment to using music as a platform for change.

Billy Bragg will release Best Of Billy Bragg At The BBC 1983 - 2019, a compilation of classic performances at the BBC from the early 80s through to the present, on digital, CD (20 Sept) and vinyl (15th Nov) on the Cooking Vinyl label.

The album, fully remastered and featuring many previously unreleased tracks, includes selected highlights from sessions for John Peel, David Jensen, Janice Long, Phill Jupitus, Bob Harris, Tom Robinson &amp; more, and offers a fascinating chronological perspective on the development of one of the UK’s most beloved entertainers.

The collection draws from all corners of Billy’s catalogue and features, among many gems, his signature song ‘A New England’ (later covered to huge acclaim by Kirsty MacColl), ‘Levi Stubbs’ Tears’, and his workers’ anthem ‘There Is Power In A Union’, with a couple of atypical covers thrown in, namely John Cale’s ‘Fear Is A Man’s Best Friend’ and ‘A13’, his personal psycho-geography take on ‘Route 66’.

All of these and more paint a picture of a British national treasure plying his trade at a British institution and making the world a better place in the process. 38 Classic tracks compiled from the BBC archive spanning 1983 to 2019!

“Work in progress. That’s how John Peel thought of his evening sessions, offering artists the opportunity to try out new songs in a studio environment. That’s how I looked at them too. The confirmation of a Peel session date was a signal to get my ideas together, to define material that had hitherto been little more than words scribbled on a page or a tune thrashed out during a sound check.

That’s why some of the tracks here have a different phrasing and arrangement to that which appeared on record. The songs were so new, you can hear I’m still feeling my way into them. Several were conceived and written the night before the session. In one case, I actually composed a song from scratch while the show was on air. That rawness was always a key component of my BBC sessions, the thrill of putting something out there for the very first time.

And here I’ve collected all the best moments across 36 years of my ongoing work in progress.”

CDx2 Tracklist: Disc 1 1. A New England (John Peel session, 27th July 1983) 2. Fear Is A Man's Best Friend (John Peel session, 27th July 1983) 3. Love Gets Dangerous (John Peel session, 27th July 1983) 4. Like Soldiers Do (David Jensen session, 22nd December 1983) 5. The Man In The Iron Mask (w/ Dave Woodhead) (David Jensen session, 22nd December 1983) 6. The Saturday Boy (David Jensen session, 22nd December 1983) 7. A Lover Sings (John Peel session, 18th September 1984) 8. Between The Wars (John Peel session, 18th September 1984) 9. A13, Trunk Road To The Sea (w/ Wiggy) (Saturday live, 13th October 1984) 10. There Is Power In A Union (John Peel session, 20th August 1985) 11. Days Like These (John Peel session, 20th August 1985) 12. Scholarship Is The Enemy Of Romance (Janice Long session, 18th December 1985) 13. Greetings To The New Brunette (John Peel session, 2nd September 1986) 14. Ideology (John Peel session, 2nd September 1986) 15. The Warmest Room (John Peel session, 2nd September 1986) 16. She’s Got a New Spell (John Peel session, 30th August 1988) 17. Valentine's Day Is Over (John Peel session, 30th August 1988) 18. The Short Answer (John Peel session, 30th August 1988) 19. Rotting On Remand (John Peel session, 30th August 1988) Disc 2 1. The Few (John Peel session, 12th May 1991) 2. Accident Waiting To Happen (w/ Wiggy) (John Peel session, 12th May 1991) 3. Tank Park Salute (w/ Cara Tivey) (John Peel session, 12th May 1991) 4. Brickbat (John Peel session, 13th October 1995) 5. This Gulf Between Us (John Peel session, 13th October 1995) 6. Goal Hanger (John Peel Divas Bar live, 1st May 1997) 7. The Boy Done Good (John Peel Divas Bar live, 1st May 1997) 8. From Red To Blue (John Peel Divas Bar live, 1st May 1997) 9. The Busy Girl Buys Beauty (Janice Long Paris Theatre London Live, October 1999) 10. It Says Here (Janice Long Paris Theatre London Live, October 1999) 11. Lonesome Traveller (John Peel session, 8th December 2004) 12. Goodbye, Goodbye (Phill Jupitus live, 30th March 2007) 13. Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key (Bob Harris live, 6th May 2012) 14. No-One Knows Nothing Anymore (Latitude Festival live, 18th July 2014) 15. Levi Stubbs’ Tears (Glastonbury live, 26th June 2015) 16. Why We Build The Wall (Tom Robinson live Buxton Opera House, 21st January 2017) 17. I Ain’t Got No Home (w/ CJ Hillman) (Radio 2 Folk Awards live, 5th April 2017) 18. The Space Race Is Over (Tom Robinson Now Playing ‘Billy Bragg Takeover’, 14th July 2019) 20. St. Swithin's Day (Tom Robinson Now Playing ‘Billy Bragg Takeover’, 14th July 2019)