Talking With the Taxman About Poetry

This did not have to be a double album. There was way too much bloat on here. All the alternate takes, instrumentals, and demos should have been on some sort of deluxe anniversary edition, but that’s just the regular album!? If he had cut this to a tight 45 minutes it could’ve been okay. Even then his voice is annoying unless he’s playing a cover in which case he puts on an accent that makes him sing better for some reason. I liked the union song, and his woody Guthrie cover was solid. Everything else was not great.

I dig Billy Bragg. I think is debut is a better record - but this is solid.

An album to fuck with margaret Thatcher AND Elon Musk. Workers unite!

I’ve been a fan of Billy Bragg for almost 40 years now. Love his lyrics, love his politics, love his heart. I appreciate his voice isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but his message should be heard by all. Very happy to see this on the list, and some of the songs are even more topical now than when this album came out so long ago.

Billy’s Worker’s Playtime album is one of my all time favorites and is my five star album of his. I urge you all to go give it a listen even though it wasn’t chosen for this list. It will break your heart.

Do people actively search this out and sit down at the end of a day and listen to this? Or is this just an album people have to show how liberal they are without actually being liberal? It's just so boring.

I put Billy Bragg in the same category as Bob Dylan. Love the music, love the message, hate the voice.

Favorite songs: Help Save the Youth of America, There is Power in a Union, Levi Stubbs' Tears, "Honey, I'm a Big Boy Now", Ideology, Wishing the Days Away, Sin City, Deportees, The Tracks of My Tears

Least favorite songs: The Passion, Greetings to the New Brunette

4/5

I would have thought Life's a Riot would be the one you had to hear but this is pretty great too. Help Save The Youth of America is more relevant now than then even if it remains a little condescending.

This album doesn't feel quite finished to me. Like it could be a good demo or a sort of proof of concept type thing but it's not a fully fleshed out record. I like the style and where it's heading but it needs more. I think it's because there are no drums and little bass. I mean you can certainly make a record without those things but this was not a successful attempt. It ends up sounding thin and unpolished and empty. I found myself sort of tuning it out a bit. It's a shame because I feel like the lyrics are actually really good and the music has a lot of potential, it just wasn't executed properly. 2.5/5 and I'll round up because I think this could have been a great album.

Really grew to really like this one…great surprise!

I just don't enjoy folksy singer/songwriter shit. Nothing wrong or offensive with this, it just doesn't speak to me at all. Most of this feels like it's designed to be a drunken crowd singalong in a pub. Nope!

It's okay.

i can’t stand british guys that sing like that

I don't know anything about Billy Bragg. I'm not encouraged by the fact that it's an 80s album, but I've discovered some decent stuff from an otherwise awful decade during this project, so we'll see.

Yeah, this sucks. I love a thick Bri'ish accent as much as the next American, but this just sounds like a guy down the pub wailing at an open mike with a few too many pints in him. If I had to guess (and I can't be bothered to actually look it up), I'd say this is probably catagorized as new wave/punk? The vocals are definitely punk-like, by which I mean the guy can barely hold a tune. The backing music, however, is more like singer/songwriter territory. It's like if Hootie & the Blowfish had a baby with Billy Idol.

It's not for me, is what I'm saying.

And isn't this exactly what you want from folk singers? Either songs you can sing by the fire, or songs to sing while gloriously dismantling the constructs of capitalism?

Some really insightful commentary in some passable melody

This album was very moving and complitative. Lyrics aside, it had me reflecting on some of the saddest and happiest times of my life. The lyrics themselves were great and really represented some positive political messages. Some of the songs were less interesting than others, but all around this was a good listen. Though I doubt I'd ever have the emotional bandwidth to listen again. 3.5/5 -> 4/5

Mostly solo electric guitar, not the best vocals with quite political sounding lyrics. Nothing special

I love the lyric "How can you lie there and think of England when you don't even know who's in the team". This is good stuff; I think I prefer Billy Bragg with a band to his earlier stuff with just him and his guitar. A strong four, but I'm raising it by a point because of the presence of the wonderful Kirsty MacColl.

Very strong lyrically. Instrumentally it's a bit samey and basic but I do enjoy the guitar tones he uses.

It's like someone gave your left-wing art teacher a guitar and a record deal.