Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. The Milkman Of Human Kindness (2:49)
2. To Have And To Have Not (2:33)
3. Richard (2:52)
4. A New England (2:14)
5. Man In The Iron Mask (2:14)
6. The Busy Girl Buys Beauty (1:59)
7. Lovers Town Revisited (1:20)

Disc 2:

1. Strange Things Happen (3:18)
2. The Cloth ( I ) (2:50)
3. Love Lives Here (1:41)
4. Speedway Hero (2:37)
5. Loving You Too Long (2:49)
6. This Guitar Says Sorry (2:13)
7. Loves Gets Dangerous (2:30)
8. The Cloth ( 2 ) (2:45)
9. Man In The Iron Mask (2:15)
10. A13 (2:25)
11. Fear Is A Man's Best Friend (2:32)

Disc 3:

1. It Says Here (4:19)
2. Love Gets Dangerous (2:23)
3. Myth Of Trust (2:54)
4. From A Vauxhall Velox (2:31)
5. The Saturday Boy (3:30)
6. Island Of No Return (3:37)
7. St Swithins Day (3:54)
8. Like Soldiers Do (2:40)
9. This Guitar Says Sorry (2:32)
10. Strange Things Happen (2:38)
11. A Lover Sings (3:54)

Disc 4:

1. It Must Be A River (2:18)
2. Won'T Talk About It (5:04)
3. Talking Wag Club Blues (2:56)
4. You Got The Power (3:08)
5. The Last Time (2:53)
6. Back To The Old House (2:50)
7. A Lover Sings (Alterantive Version) (3:56)
8. Which Side Are You On (Between The Wars Ep) (2:32)
9. It Says Here (Between The Wars Ep) (2:34)
10. Between The Wars (Between The Wars Ep) (2:28)
11. World Turned Upside Down (Between The Wars Ep) (2:36)

Disc 5:

1. GREETINGS TO THE NEW BRUNETTE
2. TRAIN TRAIN
3. THE MARRIAGE
4. IDEOLOGY
5. LEVI STUBBS TEARS
6. HONEY I'M A BIG BOY NOW
7. POWER IN A UNION
8. HELP SAVE THE YOUTH OF AMERICA
9. WISHING THE DAYS AWAY
10. THE PASSION
11. THE WARMEST ROOM
12. THE HOME FRONT

Disc 6:

1. Greetings To The New Brunette (3:31)
2. Train Train (2:13)
3. The Marriage (2:32)
4. Ideology (3:27)
5. Levi Stubbs Tears (3:32)
6. Honey I'M A Big Boy Now (4:08)
7. Power In A Union (2:49)
8. Help Save The Youth Of America (2:49)
9. Wishing The Days Away (2:30)
10. The Passion (2:54)
11. The Warmest Room (3:57)
12. The Home Front (4:12)

Disc 7:

1. Sin City (3:32)
2. Deportees (4:00)
3. There Is Power In A Union (Inst) (3:15)
4. Tracks Of My Tears (2:54)
5. Wishing The Days Away (Alternative Version) (2:30)
6. The Clashing Of Ideologies (2:49)
7. Greetings To The New Brunette (Demo) (3:55)
8. A Nurse's Life Is Full Of Woe (2:46)
9. Only Bad Signs (3:09)
10. Hold The Fort (1:48)
11. CHILE YOUR WATERS RUN RED THROUGH SOWETO
12. DAYS LIKE THESE (DC REMIX)
13. TO HAVE AND TO HAVE NOT (LIVE)
14. THERE IS POWER IN A UNION (WITH THE PATTERSONS)
15. JOE HILL
16. THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND
17. NEVER CROSS A PICKET LINE
18. A CHANGE IS GONNA COME
19. A MINERS LIFE

Disc 8:

1. The Internationale (3:49)
2. I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night (1:29)
3. The Marching Song Of The Covert Battalions (4:00)
4. Blakes Jerusalem (2:32)
5. Nicaragua Nicaraguita (1:09)
6. The Red Flag (3:13)
7. My Youngest Son Came Home Today (3:08)
8. Intro (Live) (0:58)
9. Help Save The Youth Of America (Live) (2:36)
10. Think Again (4:21)
11. Chile Your Waters Run Red Through Soweto (3:09)
12. Days Like These (Dc Remix) (2:41)
13. To Have And To Have Not (Live) (2:47)
14. There Is Power In A Union (With The Pattersons) (3:25)
15. Joe Hill (8:22)
16. This Land Is Your Land (4:34)
17. Never Cross A Picket Line (3:35)
18. A Change Is Gonna Come (3:56)
19. A Miners Life (3:01)

Disc 9:

1. TO HAVE AND TO HAVE NOT
2. A13, TRUNK ROAD TO THE SEA
3. ISLAND OF NO RETURN
4. A LOVER SINGS
5. A NEW ENGLAND
6. WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?
7. BETWEEN THE WARS
8. LOVERS TOWN REVISITED
9. LEVI STUBBS' TEARS
10. THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN
11. IT SAYS HERE
12. ISLAND OF NO RETURN
13. WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON
14. LOVE GETS DANGEROUS
15. RICHARD
16. TRAIN TRAIN
17. A NEW ENGLAND

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #140539 in Music
• Released on: 2006-03-07
• Number of discs: 9
• Formats: Box set, Original recording remastered

Album Description
"Trying to change the world by singing about it is a dirty business but someone has to do it." --Billy Bragg, 1988

Billy Bragg, once-described as a "one-man Clash," has spent the last two decades writing and performing passionate, witty, socially conscious music. In doing so, he's forged a career that has seen the London Times declare him a "national treasure," while in the States, Woody Guthrie's daughter, Nora, handpicked Bragg to resurrect the spirit of America's own radical dissenter, assigning him the task of bringing Woody's unfinished songs and lyrics to life. The latter's result, Mermaid Avenue, brought him and collaborators Wilco a Grammy nomination. 1983's Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy first introduced the world to Billy's style--roughly strummed electric guitar and stark vocals belying a keen sense of melody and committed, deeply humane lyrics on topics ranging from life and love to social upheaval and the plight of the working class. Yep Roc Records has re-issued Bragg's first four releases singly and as a 9-disc box set that includes 2 bonus DVDs with previously unavailable live footage. The releases include his debut, along with Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, Talking to the Taxman About Poetry, and a disc that combines the The Internationale and Live & Dubious EPs. Each release features the remastered original and a second disc of bonus material, much of it previously unavailable and handpicked by Billy and longtime Bragg cohorts Grant Showbiz and Wiggy--a labor of love indeed.

Amazon.com
Had Woody Guthrie been able to spend his teenage years haunting clubs like CBGB's or Max's Kansas City, he might have ended up sounding something like Billy Bragg: politically and socially aware and armed with a witty, angry acumen that he'd wear as a badge every time he took to the stage. Bragg's unearthing with Wilco of dozens of Guthrie songs may have been his conventional calling card, but since 1983 the British songwriter has spoken to factions of fans through his many solo records. Four of those albums--Life's a Riot with Spy vs. Spy (1983), Brewing Up with Billy Bragg (1984), Talking with the Taxman About Poetry (1986), and The Internationale (1990)--are packaged here, complete with extra tracks, alternative versions, and live recordings. A bonus DVD features a 1985 profile of the artist, as well as a 1986 live performance, where Bragg is always at his best. --Scott Holter

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Customer Reviews

Only half glad!
Listen Folks, let me preface this short review by saying that I adore Billy Bragg's early catalog. His music was so important to my psyche back in college during the mid to late 80's. I owned the original Vinyl releases. I purchased this box set on the strength of the rarities and the DVD's. Everything sounds fab and there are quite few music eye openers. Great job on compiling the b-sides and rare tracks. But, and I mean a huge but, what is the deal with no liner notes (History, timeline, details on songs more and/or rare photos)? I mean isn't a box set the time for an artist to really shine with background history? You get one very sort blurb from Wiggy in the booklet and a few reproductions of album covers, very few photos and tiny credits for each disc, and lyrics from original Album and EP tracks only. No separate booklet or sleeve notes for any of the 2 disc re-releases. The sound is great and I'm half glad I purchased the box set, but I'd whish they put a little more time and effort into the package as a whole. Billy's core fans deserve more! (Note: The individual 2 disc re-releases are no different than the ones contained in box. The only real bonus is the extra DVD)

The Big Nosed Bard, Boxed
I'm a big Billy Bragg fan; I find him one of the most musical songwriters around and a real poet; he's equally gifted at both. This is a full collection of his solo (post Riff Raff) work of the 1980's and very early 1990's, still as fresh and as vital today as on release. Having the whole set of these disks together reminds you of how *consistantly* good he is; particularly when the only weak tune to my ears is a cover (train train). It makes you realize how thin most albums are when they typically can barely contain a couple of good singles (that may or may not stand the test of time); here are 5 (on four discs) strong and complete works together. Oh yeah, and bonus DVD, rarities, outakes and demos are a treat to a fan.