Talking With the Taxman About Poetry

As a longtime fan of Billy Bragg, I went into Talking with the Taxman About Poetry with high expectations, and it didn’t disappoint.

What Billy does so well is combine sharp political commentary with deeply personal songwriting, all delivered with honesty, wit and real passion. His lyrics feel like poetry from the street, clever, grounded and full of heart. Lines like “Whoops, there goes another year / Whoops, there goes another pint of beer” are classic Billy: funny, relatable and deceptively smart.

What strikes me most is how relevant Billy’s message still feels today. His mix of cynicism, compassion and belief in collective action feels just as powerful now as it did when this album was released. For me, that’s the mark of great songwriting.

Favourite tracks: “Greetings to the New Brunette”, “Levi Stubbs’ Tears”, “There Is Power in a Union” and “Help Save the Youth of America”
Least favourite tracks: Every track earns its place on the album
Album artwork: A classic Billy Bragg cover that suits the album perfectly

This is giving vibes of Appalachia and rural North Carolina of the 30s and 40s with their Scottish based music meets Bob Dylan meets disenfranchised 80s youth of the UK. I think the first disc was better than the second one. His voice was too aggressive on so many songs on the second one.

Es ist ein sympathisches, handfestes Folk‑Album aus politischem Biss und Alltagsromantik ohne immer die ganz großen Funken zu schlagen. Die Songs wirken oft wie kleine Straßenszenen mit Gitarre, direkt, ehrlich, manchmal etwas spröde.

Stücke wie „Greetings to the New Brunette“ oder „Levi Stubbs’ Tears“ zeigen seine Stärke: warme Melodien, klare Haltung, ein rauer Charme.

Nice vibe, a little too long

Don't like but do respect

"It only takes five fingers to form a fist"

Gee Billy thanks for reminding me because for a second there I forgot how to do math 🤦‍♀️

I like the feeling of the music, it's very fast-paced. It's a little boring and he's so posh. I don't think I'm going to listen to the whole album.

love this album

Just got an Elvis Costello vibe and I don't see what this adds to the list. I also notice this guy has two albums on the list? British bias strikes again. 2/5.

I've long been aware of Bragg's presence as an activist here in the UK but I've never actually checked out his music until now. Based on the evidence of this album, he's certainly a skilled songwriter that knows how to stir the spirits with his music, on both emotional and ideological levels. The compositions here are a little on the simple side, but I suppose that helps keep the focus on the stories and the messages. Not that there's anything wrong with these sort of straightforward compositions that focus on the melody of course. It's kind of the name of the game with folk music after all. I'm rambling a bit here but in summary, this record isn't massively exciting on a musical level but it's good stuff all the same. There, that's my terrible 'review.'

Favourite tracks: There Is Power in a Union, Help Save the Youth of America, The Warmest Room

How did I end up with another country album? It didn't start out that way did it? I'm not sure, but oh well. Okay it's also some kind of British Bruce Springsteen type of thing.

I love this guy’s voice. This album is very unique in a good way.
An easy 5

Kind of sounds like an album of demos. I get the Woody Guthrie comparisons, but I don’t really think Bragg measures up lyrically or melodically. Some decent moments, but I wasn’t particularly impressed.

I've been listening to Billy Bragg for a long time. I discovered him through the Mermaid Avenue project. I also love the album he did with Joe Henry.

His solo albums are little more obscure for me. I tend to think he has a few gems on each album and a lot of stuff that kinda runs together. Really sitting down with this one is a rewarding experience, however. Billy, or whoever he was working with, was able to flesh it out a bit and keep it interesting.

Started out strong. Evened out to a three.

Very strange, vacillating wildly between alright and not particularly impressive.

The instrumentals were not that bad. But I just couldn't stand the vocals.

I picked up this album not long after I first heard Mermaid Avenue. I felt happy to get to know Billy Bragg better, but it didn't change my life. I hate to say that decades later I feel about the same. Solid songwriting and I couldn't agree more with his politics, but it also feels like it's missing some vital component that makes me fall in love with an album. The weird thing is that I know Bragg can do it, because I do feel that way about Mermaid Avenue and some of his other songs. So altogether even though I am happy to see my old friend Billy, I'm also a little surprised to see this album on the list.

I liked it.

Guitar work was surprisingly superb and I quite like Billy's voice, and what he has to say.

A good egg singing good songs.

I enjoyed the first song but it went downhill from there for me.