Billy Bragg anyone?

[ccowden 0]

Pulled out an old CD I have had for quite some years and immediately fell in love with it all over again. "Mermaid Avenue" by Billy Bragg and Wilco.

I have not met too many other Billy Bragg fans in my life, but I have always enjoyed his music and songwriting. I find that there are certain moods I am in where nothing else works quite like Billy Bragg. These are the "lay on the floor with my eyes closed and just listen" moods.

Back in 1998, Billy Bragg released "Mermaid Avenue," along with a couple members of Wilco and help from a few other friends, in an attempt to finish a number of completed lyrics by Woody Guthrie which never made it to song. I, for one, am more than pleased with the result. For some reason, songs like "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key," in which he is accompanied by Natalie Merchant, just seem to grab me.

Anyway, if you are looking for something different to try, get ahold of "Mermaid Avenue" and give it a shot. If you have never tried Billy Bragg before, give it a chance and really let the music and lyrics sink in. If you HAVE tried Billy Bragg before, then you probably know what I am talking about.

[kschilk 0]

Sorry, man....I'm an old Hippie (Highly Intelligent People Pursuing Interesting Endeavors), the last known surviving Ace, of the 70's Weed Wars. That name sounds familiar but I could swear I heard of him, way before '98. I'm thinking he had a hit or two, on the radio. I don't have any of his stuff so I probably heard of him, on the radio....something I don't do, much. The music I prefer, isn't popular enough....to make it on radio.

"T'was ever thus."

[ccowden 0]

So, what's your point? I wasn't saying that he WASN'T around before 1998, simply that it was when this particular album came out. I believe Bragg released his first album around 1983.

[sid 1]

I seem to remember Billy Bragg putting out a bunch of Indie albums around 1983. He was the "Boy From Essex that done good"

He owes a lot of his success (as do SO many British acts) to the late, great John Peel, who persuaded the BBC to spotlight indie acts. I remember seeing him play the London Palladium supporting The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, and he was as funny as he was musically talented.

Pete Draper,

Just because my life plan is written on the back of a Hooter's Napkin, it's still a life plan.... right?

[Squeak 17]

Big fan here

Love the line
"In a perfect world we'd all sing in tune. But this is reality so gimme some room"


Mostly because I can't sing for crap, but it doesn't stop me from shouting out a tune or 2

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[Jeff.Donohue 0]

Talking to the Taxman About Poetry was a great album.

Met him in 1992 after a show in Boston. It was the day after I saw one of this shows. He was walking around in a local mall (which itself is sort of funny, if you know the guy's music), but he acted like a ginormous jackass when I acknowledged that I knew who we was and that I thought he put on a good show. Notwithstanding that, I still liked the guy's music, which goes to show how much I liked it.

I don't like Wilco (I keep trying and trying, but after 6 months of listening to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, I am left wanting to scream "whiny water torture!"). Needless to say, I preferred Billy when he was on his own.