BILLY BRAGG – BREWING UP WITH LP – Nr MINT/EXC+ UK INDIE PUNK

Brewing Up With Billy Bragg
(Go Discs Records  1984  AGOLP4)
Matrix No’s: A3/B5 – UK Pressing

Sleeve in Nr MINT condition
– some slight wear to edges/corners

Vinyl in Nr MINT/Excellent+ condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality apart from the odd light pop/crackle)

Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) – 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. His music career has lasted more than thirty years.

Brewing Up with Billy Bragg is the second album by Billy Bragg, released in 1984.

While his debut album Life’s a Riot with Spy Vs Spy (1983) was performed by Bragg accompanied only by his guitar, Brewing Up with Billy Bragg began to use subtle overdubs, such as backing vocals on “Love Gets Dangerous”, trumpet on “The Saturday Boy” and organ on “A Lover Sings”.

The album also continued Bragg’s legacy of political songs. “It Says Here” is a bitingly satirical attack on the British tabloid press and “Island of No Return” is a concise anti-war anthem.

In 2000 Q magazine placed Brewing Up with Billy Bragg at number 87 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.

The album reached number 16 in the UK albums chart.

The cover of the original album has the subtitle “A Puckish Satire On Contemporary Mores,” a quote from the Woody Allen film Love and Death, in which Allen’s character reviews an army play presented to Russian soldiers to prevent them from becoming infected with venereal diseases while at war.

Track listing

All songs written by Billy Bragg, except where noted

1. “It Says Here” – 4:18
2. “Love Gets Dangerous” – 2:23
3. “The 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 Swithin’s Day” – 3:54
8. “Like Soldiers Do” – 2:39
9. “This Guitar Says Sorry” – 2:31
10. “Strange Things Happen” – 2:38
11. “A Lover Sings” – 3:54