re-organised so that everyone has access to the means by
which to reach their full potential
“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.”
Billy Bragg 2019
38 Classic tracks compiled from the BBC archive spanning 1983 to 2019
Fully remastered many previously unreleased
Includes selected highlights from sessions for John Peel, David Jensen, Janice Long, Phill Jupitus, Bob Harris, Tom Robinson & more
“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.”
Billy Bragg 2019
Limited Edition Triple White Vinyl | Black Vinyl | Double CD
Limited Edition Triple White Vinyl | Black Vinyl | Double CD
Signed prints and 48mm enamel badge replica of Billy’s iconic Burns Steer guitar available from the official store. Pre order and get an instant download of A New England recorded for John Peel in 1983
Signed prints and 48mm enamel badge replica of Billy’s iconic Burns Steer guitar available from the official store. Pre order and get an instant download of A New England recorded for John Peel in 1983
Limited Edition Triple White Vinyl
Signed LP Art Print
Triple Black Vinyl
Double Disc CD
Signed CD Insert
Enamel Badge
Limited Edition Triple White Vinyl
Signed LP Art Print
Triple Black Vinyl
Double Disc CD
Signed CD Insert
Enamel Badge
“After more than three decades of travelling around the world in a van, or spending all day flying vast distances to play a gig, I’m looking forward to having some time to explore cities that I usually only get to see between the soundcheck and the show. And this three night stand format is a way of keeping things interesting, both for me and the audience. I tried it out in Auckland recently and had a lot of fun revisiting my back pages.” Billy Bragg 2019
In each town Bragg will perform three unique shows on consecutive nights.The first night’s performance will feature Bragg’s current set, which ranges across his 35 year career. The second will see Bragg perform songs from his first three albums: his punk rock debut Life’s a Riot with Spy Vs Spy (1983), its similarly raw follow-up Brewing Up with Billy Bragg (1984) and Talking with the Taxman about Poetry (1986). The third performance will see Bragg perform songs from his second three albums: the positively jangled Workers Playtime (1988), the pop classic Don’t Try This at Home (1991) and the back-to-basics William Bloke (1996).
A little note on 'cancel culture', and why its origins aren't always what you'd think. A couple of weeks ago a radio producer got in touch to ask me about a particular podcast character by @DaftLimmy, from a series he did about 14/15 years ago.
Whilst the UK clapped for 10 weeks to then remove free parking for NHS workers, France has just awarded its health workers a pay rise worth £1800 a year each. Our priorities are broken.
Had this McCarthy track in my head for the past week. Contentious times! Here's this week's @Spotify playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3bS8yE707v08dlixXX3EI5?si=BJpmxs7OSVC0oAtVTXZuIg
Upcoming Shows
Featured Album
Bridges Not Walls
© Billy Bragg 2019