Has Billy Lost His Mojo ?, ...the muse has deserted the bard ? Options

[Braggtopia!]

1998 - Mermaid Avenue - Billy writes some of the music
1998 - Mermaid Tour - live official bootleg
1999 - Reaching To The Converted - package of old songs
2000 - Mermaid Avenue 2 - Billy writes a bit of the music
2002 - Riff Raff compilation - package of old songs
2002 - England Half English - new songs written over the previous 4 years
2002 - Bill's Bargains - live official bootleg
2003 - Must I Paint You A Picture - triple album of old material
2005 - re-release of several old albums with extra tracks

Eight years and eight albums plus who knows how many rereleases. Only one that was wholly new and original self-penned material...and many say that was his weakest album. Since 2002 he has only performed 3 new songs - Price Of Oil, Wolf Covers It's Tracks (of which the tune and opening lines are Bob Dylan's) and the Leadbelly pastiche "Bush War Blues".

Has Billy lost his muse ? Is he scraping the back catalogue barrel to keep the money coming in ? He has no plans to tour in the near future.

Is this the end of Billy Bragg as we know him ?

[wilburpig]

Oooooh, controversial stuff!

[nevski]

well,

the facts show quite clearly that billy isn't releasing new material as prolifically as he did in the past. no one can argue with that!

but i think the statement 'is this the end of billy bragg as we know him?' is suggesting a change in what billy is doing, starting now. You have shown that the lack of new material isn't new B'topia.

This isn't a criticism of course. the gig on saturday shows we don't necessarily need new material! He played a set of 19 songs, many of which i hadn't seen him play live in ages. when you have a fucking great back catalogue, why not use it?

anyway, after the reaction some people gave to his last new output (EHE) who could blame him for not wanting to release new material, if its not appreciated?

[geoff]

We could be equally critical of The Paternity Years, and he still came back eventually with William Bloke. I reckon we won't get another new album until the book is written, but there don't seem to be many more distractions left to get in the way of that.

He has no plans to tour in the near future.

Well I know where I'll be on New Years' Eve. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[Beryl the Peril]

oh bloddy hell!

my mouse just deleted my considered response (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

basically...

which as we know him do you mean? Thank godness he hasn't remained a spotty unrequited teenager from barking for ever (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

the bloke i know is happily married living by the sea in dorset and still turns out to do stonkin' good gigs at tiny venues with an amazing range of stuff.

Billy is only a youngster, Maybe we will get the next william bloke when he has experienced the grandparent years (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Leontien]

He can be granddad to mine any time (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Personally I don't care much for Bills other activities, too bad we can't tie him down and force him to spend every waking minute writing songs....... now there's an idea......

As for EHE: I really like that album...

[the klf]

Making music (especially quality studio albums) is now not Billy's top priority.

It's a wasted talent as far as i'm concerned.Writing and recording songs should come first. Everything else should satellite around that. Not the other way around.

Billy. Cut out the political ventures. You can have a much bigger impact by communicating through songs ,that you can just by speaking about issues you feel stongly about.

Cut out a lot of the half-ased festivals that you are asked to do all the time. This will give you more time to write songs,and keep up the quality of your shows when you do tour.

Just my personal opinion. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

This post has been edited by the klf: Dec 6 2004, 10:42 AM

[itsmeBarbara]

Billy is lucky enough to be able to pursue whatever he wants in the free time he's earned. Doesn't everybody here dream of that kind of space?

No disrespect intended, Btpa my love, but this reminds me of the "lose the Blokes" thread of earlier. It's his career/life, not ours.

Having said that, please tour in the states, Billy! I like all aspects of your career except the part where you only come to Michigan every couple of years.

[Alvarez]

I have no problem with his other ventures. I agree he's entitled to do what he wants. Of course his priorities will change. His songwriting talent will change as well. I can't think of many musicians that can turn out consistently brilliant music for their entire lives but he's already given us a wealth of excellent songs and I'm sure he'll still surprise us in the next few decades.

For me, seeing a Billy Bragg gig is never just about the music. I like his politics. I like his sense of humour. Without his passion for politics we wouldn't have some of the great music he's written.

[geoff]

It's his career/life, not ours.

Everything that needed to be said, in six words and four punctuation marks.

[Braggtopia!]

What a strange couple of posts back there. I merely made the observation that somebody we admire as a songwriter is unfortunately not writing songs anymore...or at least few of them. When compared with other singsongwriters Billy's output has not been prolific and over the years has markedly tailed off. Back in the Riff Raff days I'm told he was turning out new lyrics almost every day but over the past few years that has reduced to a trickle. As a fan of Billy's that concerns me as I would like to hear some new songs from him. That is all.

Commenting on Billy's song output is not telling him what to do. Stop being so fucking protective.

[Leontien]

Yeah, what he said

[geoff]

Has Billy lost his muse ?

Define muse. I think what is occupying his mind these days is his questioning of English identity, and his proposals on the reform of the House of Lords. Thank god he has richer veins of intellectual stimulation than he did 25 years ago, when he was "turning out new lyrics almost every day" about teenage girls and wanking.

Is he scraping the back catalogue barrel to keep the money coming in ?

Yep, and why shouldn't he? He's in the fortunate position of owning his back catalogue and I'd rather he was exploiting it through re-releases than by selling the songs to soft drink manufacturers.

Is this the end of Billy Bragg as we know him ?

Nope.

This post has been edited by geoff: Dec 7 2004, 08:26 AM

[Leontien]

about teenage girls and wanking

And the point is..... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Lillian Bellamy]

I do wish that he was writing more songs. But when my husband and I have discussed this in the past (the first time was around William Bloke, I think), I posed the theory that talent, inspiration, whatever you want to call it (mojo is as good a word as any) isn't necessarily running infinitely through the veins of any artist. Many people go off the boil, temporarily or permanently.

Billy wrote a lot of his best stuff when he was young, angry and possibly not all that happy. He's matured, he's mellowed a lot, he has a happy family life which hopefully diverts him just as our own families do us...the conditions which inspired his most fertile period of creativity have changed profoundly. We may not like the results, but that's life. He won't be the first artist it's happened to, nor the last.

I could go through the rest of my life happy just knowing I'd written St Swithin's Day. He has a lot to be proud of, and his work in all its forms is still interesting and relevant. Personally, I'd prefer a well-thought-through, really inspired album once a decade rather than seeing him pressured to produce substandard releases every few years.

[tallship]

I do wish that he was writing more songs. But when my  husband and I have discussed this in the past (the first time was around William Bloke, I think), I posed the theory that talent, inspiration, whatever you want to call it (mojo is as good a word as any) isn't necessarily running infinitely through the veins of any artist. Many people go off the boil, temporarily or permanently.

Billy wrote a lot of his best stuff when he was young, angry and possibly not all that happy. He's matured, he's mellowed a lot, he has a happy family life which hopefully diverts him just as our own families do us...the conditions which inspired his most fertile period of creativity have changed profoundly. We may not like the results, but that's life. He won't be the first artist it's happened to, nor the last.

I could go through the rest of my life happy just knowing I'd written St Swithin's Day. He has a lot to be proud of, and his work in all its forms is still interesting and relevant. Personally, I'd  prefer a well-thought-through, really inspired album once a decade rather than seeing him pressured to produce substandard releases every few years.

Hear, hear! seems inadequate to say it somehow but that's how I feel. Perhaps Billy, like so many others will find a second wind. Great songwriting comes from the soul and just is. Better that Billy remains silent while he feels he hasn't or cannot find things to say, than to see him writing a load of bollocks to appease a popular demand. Forgive me but isn't that why we're here in the first place? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

[wilburpig]

Quality songs don't age, as anyone reduced to tears by Billy's fantastic renditions of his older love songs on Saturday will testify. Much of his political stuff is (sadly) still relevant. He is a brilliant performer, taking the audience up and down with his own brand of wit, wisdom and humour. If Billy never wrote another song I would continue to go and see him live for that experience alone.
As the lively debate on here shows, everyone has their favourite tracks and those they skip but Billy Bragg is much more than a songwriter and I am always interested to see where he will go next, even if I don't agree with him. I would rather he was happy and fulfilled in his personal and public life and I don't feel it's our place to criticise him just because he is a public figure. What right have we as "fans" got to comment on his life?

[Braggtopia!]

What right have we as "fans" got to comment on his life?

Well, that's the strange thing Wilbur. I started this thread to discuss Billy's work - the songs he writes, or at least used to. But others seem to think that that equates to telling Billy what to do with his life. Must be my mistake - I thought I was stepping into the room labelled "musical discussion" and I seem to have accidently stumbled into the "Soft & Warm Hugging Club".... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

This post has been edited by Braggtopia!: Dec 8 2004, 01:04 AM

[geoff]

But the door doesn't say "musical discussion"; it talks about "muse" and "mojo" - and in your own handwriting. I took that as an invitation to talk about his career, not just one aspect of it. Now come over here and give me a cuddle. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[itsmeBarbara]

Let me put it this way to you then, Billy's mojo might have switched course. Where his muse used to lead him to write songs, perhaps it's diversified.

Besides, do you know for sure he's not writing new songs?

I don't want to speak for Billy ( (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) ) and would never ever kiss his butt!

[wataz]

I am a new member and a first-time poster and whilst some of you more experienced posters will put this down to niavity (im only 15) I think that Bills drift to the left has alienated many fans who may not have drifted to the left with him.

[AndyH]

Billy's output has been slowing down for a number of years now. There were 3 years between Workers Playtime and Don't try this at home, 5 years between Don't try this.. and William Bloke, and another 5 years between William Bloke and English Half English. (I know there was the Woody Guthrie project, but i'm talking Pure Billy here). That's only 3 new albums since 1988 - almost Scott Walker like.

What I'm saying is that Billy hasn't been particularly prolific for ages now, and, as a fan, I'm quite happy as long as I continue to get the opportunities to see Billy live and that, when he does release something, the standard is good.

[wataz]

yup the one time ive been lucky enought to see Bill there is still that buzz of exitement around him that i im agine was there in the old days, i think as said above hes wrote enough songs to saettle down on and be happy with. BUT REALISTICALLY everyone knows that the sense of injustice Bill feels will keep him writing

[Leontien]

I think that Bills drift to the left has alienated many fans who may not have drifted to the left with him.

Who told you that? You shouldn't listen to them anymore 'cause they are full of it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

This post has been edited by Leontien: Dec 9 2004, 03:05 PM

[Twopints]

... Bills drift to the left has ....

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) Just cleaning up the coffee off the keyboard!

Drift to the left ? I think you'll find that this has not happened. If it did, it was more than 20 years ago.

From supporting the Miners' Strike, GLC, etc., etc., to trying to reform the House of Lords (rather than abolishing it) does not appear to be a drift to the left.