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Billy Bragg

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(This page includes Billy Bragg's pub rock/punk band called Riff Raff. For the acid house music act of the same name, see Riff Raff(2)).

“Billy Bragg, what a great bloke he is.” (John Peel, 15 September 1996 (BFBS))

Billy_Bragg_-_Between_The_Wars

Billy Bragg - Between The Wars

‘Between The Wars’, Peelenium 1985. (JP: "An alternative national anthem,” 15 December 1999.)

Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957), better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes … (read more at Wikipedia)

Links To Peel[]

John_Peel_plays_Billy_Bragg_for_the_first_time_29th_June_1983

John Peel plays Billy Bragg for the first time 29th June 1983

Peel played Bragg's band Riff Raff's single in 1980. (one of them). (and indeed another one in 1978). He first played one of his solo songs in June 1983 when Bragg, hearing the DJ mention on Kid Jensen's show that he was hungry, bought a mushroom biryani and rushed it to the BBC studios along with a copy of his first studio album Life's a Riot With Spy Vs Spy. Peel played the song at the wrong speed, initially.

Speaking on his show on 25 June 2003, Peel says that he received a mushroom biryani that evening from Billy to mark the occasion "twenty years ago to the night" of the incident. However, the 25 June 1983 was a Saturday when Peel did not broadcast. The date of the occasion was in fact 29 June 1983, where Peel initially played The Milkman Of Human Kindness at the wrong speed.

Festive Fifty Entries[]

Billy_Bragg_-_A_New_England_(Live)

Billy Bragg - A New England (Live)

'A New England'

Peelenium[]

Sessions[]

Eleven sessions, the final four live in the studio.The first was released as The Peel Sessions (12" EP, Strange Fruit, 1987) and a selection of tracks on The Peel Sessions Album (LP/CD, Strange Fruit, 1991). 'Love Gets Dangerous' (from #1) appeared on Mixed Peel (cassette, NME, 1987) and 'A New England' (also from #1) on Winters Of Discontent The Peel Sessions 77-83 (2xLP/CD, Strange Fruit, 1991). Selected tracks (marked *) on The Best of Billy Bragg at the BBC 1983-2019 (CD/Digital/Vinyl, 2019).

1. Recorded: 1983-07-27. First broadcast 03 August 1983. Repeated: 22 August 1983, 29 May 1985.

  • A New England* / Strange Things Happen / This Guitar Says Sorry / Love Gets Dangerous* / Fear Is A Man's Best Friend* / A13 - Trunk Road To The Sea

2. Recorded: 1984-02-21. First broadcast 27 February 1984. Repeated: 22 March 1984, 24 April 1984.

  • Lover's Town / St. Swithin's Day / Myth Of Trust / To Have And To Have Not

3. Recorded: 1984-09-18. First broadcast 20 September 1984. Repeated: 26 December 1984

  • It Says Here / A Lover Sins* / Between The Wars* / Which Side Are You On

4. Recorded: 1985-08-20. First broadcast 02 September 1985. Repeated: 16 December 1985

  • Days Like These* / Jeanne / The Marriage / There Is Power In A Union*

5. Recorded: 1986-09-02. First broadcast 15 September 1986. Repeated: 01 October 1986, 01 December 1986, 30 December 1986

  • Greetings To The New Brunette* / Ideology* / The Warmest Room* / Chile Your Waters Run Red Through Soweto

6. Recorded: 1988-08-30. First broadcast 19 September 1988. Repeated: 25 October 1988, 27 December 1988

  • The Short Answer* / Valentine's Day Is Over* / Rotting On Demand* / She's Got A New Spell*

7. Recorded: 1991-05-12. First broadcast 15 June 1991. Repeated: 18 August 1991

  • The Few* / Accident Waiting To Happen* / Tank Park Salute* / Life With The Lions

8. Recorded: 1995-10-13 live in studio. First broadcast: 13 October 1995. Repeated 10 February 1996

  • Northern Industrial Town / A Pict Story / Brickbat* / This Gulf Between Us*

9. Recorded 1996-12-22, live in studio during Festive Fifty show. First broadcast 22 December 1996

  • Goal Hanger / Levi Stubbs / The Dark End Of The Street / A New England / Deck The Halls With Bows Of Holly

10. Recorded: 1998-07-09, live in studio. First broadcast: 09 July 1998 (featuring songs that didn't make his first album of Woody Guthrie songs with Wilco, Mermaid Avenue)

  • My Flying Saucer / Another Man’s Done Gone / Black Wind Blowing / Psalm / A Song About Law And Order / All You Fascists Bound To Lose / Ingrid Bergman / Christ For President

11. Recorded: 2000-12-13. First broadcast 19 December 2000 (live performance at Festive Fifty 25 years special)

  • Brickbat / Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key

Live[]

  1. Levi Stubbs Tears
  2. Greetings To The New Brunette
  3. New Song
  4. Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards
  5. Upfield
  6. Sexuality
  7. New England
  1. Goal Hanger
  2. Man In The Iron Mask
  3. The Boy Done Good
  4. Brickbat
  5. Greetings To The New Brunette
  6. From Red To Blue
  7. Upfield
  8. Great Leap Forward
  1. Milkman Of Human Kindness
  2. The Warmest Room
  3. Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key
  4. All You Fascists
  5. California Stars
  6. Glad And Sorry
  7. A New England
  1. It Says Here
  2. Scholarship Is The Enemy Of Romance
  3. Island Of No Return
  4. The Myth Of Trust
  5. Richard
  6. Saint Monday
  7. Gene
  8. Levi Stubbs' Tears
  9. A13 Trunk Road To The Sea
  • 11 October 2001: recorded at King’s College, 2001-09-24 (Peel’s 40th anniversary in radio special)
  1. A Lover Sings
  2. Milkman Of Human Kindness
  3. St Monday
  4. She Came Along To Me
  5. Everywhere

Other Shows Played[]

(The listing below is obviously far from complete and was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive. Please add more information if known.)

1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
  • 14 April 1987: Help Save The Youth Of America (LP - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry) Go! Discs
  • 28 April 1987: Hold The Fort (v/a LP - Square Roots) Folk Roots
  • 01 June 1987: This Guitar Says Sorry (12" - The Peel Sessions) Strange Fruit
  • 08 June 1987: A Change Is Gonna Come (6-track EP) (free with Wake Up magazine, distributed by Backs/Cartel)
  • 09 June 1987: A New England (LP-The Peel Sessions) Strange Fruit
  • 10 June 1987: A Change Is Gonna Come (6-track EP) (free with Wake Up magazine, distributed by Backs/Cartel)
  • 19 June 1987 (BFBS): Love Gets Dangerous (12" - The Peel Sessions) Strange Fruit SFPS027
  • 22 June 1987: This Guitar Says Sorry (12" - The Peel Sessions) Strange Fruit SFPS027
  • 21 July 1987: A Change Is Gonna Come (v/a 12" - 6 Track Miners Benefit EP) Wake Up
  • 28 October 1987: From A Vauxhall Velox (LP - Brewing Up With Billy Bragg) Go! Discs
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
  • 18 January 1992: Between The Wars (CD - The Peel Sessions Album) Strange Fruit
  • 19 January 1992: Which Side Are You One? (LP - The Peel Session Album) Strange Fruit
  • 26 January 1992: A Lover Sings (The Peel Sessions album) Strange Fruit
  • 02 February 1992: Jeanne (The Peel Sessions Album) Strange Fruit
  • 09 February 1992: Days Like These (Peel Sessions) Strange Fruit
  • 16 February 1992 (BFBS): Jeanne (LP - The Peel Session Album) Strange Fruit (JP: "And he got his first radio play Billy you know, because I was still doing my programme in London one evening and musing, you know, between records and saying I very much care for a Mushroom Biriyani I think it was, and Billy turned up at Broadcasting House with such a Biriyani and a copy of his debut record, so I immediately played a track from it, that's the kind of corrupt bloke I am, I'm afraid no scruples at all")
  • 22 February 1992: The Marriage (CD – The Peel Sessions Album) Strange Fruit
  • 07 August 1992: Accident Waiting To Happen (Live) (CD – In A Field Of Their Own) New Musical Express
  • 17 August 1992 (BFBS): Accident Waiting To Happen (Live) (CD – In A Field Of Their Own) New Musical Express
  • 05 October 1992 (BBC World Service): When Will I See You Again? (v/a LP - Ruby Trax - The NME's Roaring Forty) New Musical Express
  • 11 October 1992 (BFBS): When Will I See You Again? (CD - Ruby Trax) NME
1993
1994
  • 05 March 1994 (BFBS): The Milkman Of Human Kindness (mini-album - Life's A Riot With Spy Vs Spy) Utility
1995
  • 22 October 1995 (BFBS): (JP: 'I had that Billy Bragg in the studio when I did my last programme here at home, playing some new songs, and of course he's such a nice man anyway, and the songs were really good...One of the records I was playing while he was waiting was 'Oz On 45' by the Squirrels, and when it first started, he said, "I'm not so sure about this one, John," and I said, "Ah! but wait till you get to the Lollipop Guild bit. And after you've heard that, you'll have to agree with me."')
  • 29 December 1995: Northern Industrial Town (Peel Session) #37
1996
1997
1998
  • 19 May 1998 (& Wilco): Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key (CD: Mermaid Avenue) East West
  • 20 May 1998 (& Wilco): She Came Along To Me (CD: Mermaid Avenue) East West
  • 21 May 1998 (& Wilco): Ingrid Bergman (CD: Mermaid Avenue) East West
  • 26 May 1998 & Wilco): Walt Whitman's Niece (album - Mermaid Avenue) Elektra
  • 28 May 1998 (& Wilco): She Came Along To Me (CD: Mermaid Avenue) East West
  • 02 June 1998 (& Wilco): She Came Along To Me (CD: Mermaid Avenue) East West
  • 03 June 1998 (& Wilco): I Guess I Planted (CD: Mermaid Avenue) East West
  • 09 June 1998 (& Wilco): Eisler On The Go (CD: Mermaid Avenue) East West
  • 24 June 1998 (BFBS) (& Wilco): The Unwelcome Guest (CD-Mermaid Avenue) Elektra
  • 27 June 1998 (& Wilco): Walt Whitman's Neice (album - Mermaid Avenue) Nonesuch
  • 07 July 1998 (& Wilco): Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key (CD: Mermaid Avenue) East West
  • 07 July 1998 (BFBS) (& Wilco): 'Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key (CD-Mermaid Avenue)' (Elektra)
  • November 1998 (FSK) (& Wilco): My Thirty Thousand (CDS-Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key) Elektra
  • 11 November 1998 (& Wilco): My Thirty Thousand (single-Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key) white label
  • 25 November 1998 (& Wilco): My Thirty Thousand (CDS-Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key) Elektra
  • 28 November 1998 (BBC World Service) (& Wilco): Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key (single - Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key) Elektra
  • 29 November 1998 (BFBS) (& Wilco): My Thirty Thousand (CDS-Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key) Elektra
  • 10 December 1998 (& Wilco): My Thirty Thousand (EP - Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key) Elektra
  • 23 December 1998 (& Wilco): Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key (CD-Mermaid Avenue) Elektra FF#30
1999
  • 25 March 1999: Peel Acres – Bragg turns up and plays tracks from 'Mermaid Avenue Tour / You Can Call Me Cupcake' release sold at gigs
    1. All Your Fascists Bound To Lose
    2. The Milkman Of Human Kindness
    3. A New England
    4. Hoodoo Voodoo
  • 06 April 1999: My Flying Saucer (LP: Mermaid Avenue Tour) Billy Bragg
  • 15 April 1999 (Radio Eins): The Milkman Of Human Kindness (album - Mermaid Avenue Tour / You Can Call Me Cupcake) BB5108
  • 17 August 1999: Shirley (aka Greetings To The New Brunette) (CD-Reaching To The Converted) Cooking Vinyl
  • 26 August 1999 (Radio Eins): Greetings To The New Brunette (CD-Reaching To The Converted) Cooking Vinyl
  • 01 September 1999: Sulk (EP – Greetings To The New Brunette) (Not able to attend 60th birthday because he was in the States - Billy Bragg)
  • 05 September 1999 (BFBS): Sulk (CD-Reaching To The Converted)' (Cooking Vinyl) (recorded on 60th birthday)
  • 15 December 1999: Between The Wars (CD-Life's A Riot / Between The Wars) (Cooking Vinyl) (Peelenium 1985) (JP: "An alternative national anthem, as far as I'm concerned. I should love to be able to stand up somewhere and sing that, if I could remember all of the words.")
  • 16 December 1999: Levi Stubbs' Tears' (7”) Go! Discs (Peelenium 1986)
2000
2001
2003
  • 25 June 2003: Between The Wars (LP- Life's A Riot/ Between The Wars)' (Cooking Vinyl)
Other
Riff Raff

See Also[]

External Links[]

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