{"title":"Billy Bragg","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBritish singer-songwriter, Billy Bragg, was born on December 20, 1957 in Barking, Essex. Known as the 'Bard of Barking', he has had a long and successful career, particularly recognized in the UK for his unique blend of music and left-wing politics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBilly Bragg's passion for music began at an early age and he quickly made a name for himself with his heartfelt lyrics and distinctive folk-punk sound. His songs often tackle social issues such as inequality, war, and working-class struggles, making him a voice for the marginalized.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith his thought-provoking lyrics and powerful performances, Billy Bragg has become an influential figure in both the music industry and political activism. He continues to captivate audiences around the world with his raw talent and unwavering commitment to using music as a platform for change.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-roaring-forty-1983-2023","title":"The Roaring Forty (1983-2023)","description":"\u003ctable width=\"71\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003ccolgroup\u003e\u003ccol width=\"71\"\u003e\u003c\/colgroup\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr height=\"20\"\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\" height=\"20\"\u003e2023 will see Billy Bragg and Cooking Vinyl celebrating forty years of music from the singer, songwriter, activist and author, with a selection of releases to appeal to casual admirers and die hard fans alike.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEach format has been compiled by Billy beginning with a 1LP 13-song ‘primer’ on LTD Edition orange coloured vinyl, a 40-song LTD Edition Deluxe 3 LP collection on three shades of green vinyl, and a 40-song 2CD in card digisleeve with 16 page booklet. Vinyl formats contain a download card.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Cooking Vinyl","offers":[{"title":"Green LPx3","offer_id":50384907534667,"sku":"2014149","price":59.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Orange LP","offer_id":50384907501899,"sku":"2014148","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CDx14","offer_id":50384907829579,"sku":"2052619","price":136.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CDx2","offer_id":50384907043147,"sku":"2014146","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/COOKCD862_Packshot_e93ca9e8_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726305530"},{"product_id":"life-s-a-riot-with-spy-vs-spy-30th-anniversary-edition","title":"Life's a Riot With Spy vs Spy (30th Anniversary Edition)","description":"\u003cp\u003eAs part of The Roaring Forty (1983-2023) celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of \u003ci\u003eLife's A Riot with Spy vs Spy\u003c\/i\u003e, Cooking Vinyl has repressed the 30th Anniversary Edition of the album on black vinyl. Comprising the original album, plus a live solo version by Billy recorded as a unique encore at his London Union Chapel show on Wednesday 5 June 2013. \u003ci\u003eLife's A Riot (30th Anniversary Edition)\u003c\/i\u003e features a sleeve based on the original 1983 Barney Bubbles artwork in a vinyl card sleeve with inner sleeve. Pressed in 180g heavyweight black vinyl.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cooking Vinyl","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50393532531019,"sku":"2049688","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a2931626141_10_5c0dcf0d_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726420234"},{"product_id":"the-million-things-that-never-happened","title":"The Million Things That Never Happened","description":"\u003ctable width=\"71\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003ccolgroup\u003e\u003ccol width=\"71\"\u003e\u003c\/colgroup\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr height=\"20\"\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"71\" height=\"20\"\u003eBilly Bragg has been a fearless recording artist, tireless live performer and peerless political campaigner for over 30 years. Among the former Saturday boy’s albums are his punk-charged debut Life’s a Riot With Spy Vs Spy, the more love-infused Workers Playtime, pop classic Don’t Try This At Home, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee-timed treatise on national identity England, Half-English, and his stripped-down tenth, Tooth \u0026amp; Nail, his most successful since the early 90s. The intervening three decades have been marked by a number one hit single, having a street named after him, being the subject of a South Bank Show, appearing onstage at Wembley Stadium, curating Left Field at Glastonbury, sharing spotted dick with a Cabinet minister in the House of Commons cafeteria, being mentioned in Bob Dylan’s memoir and meeting the Queen. At their best, Billy’s songs present ‘the perfect Venn diagram between the political and the personal’ (the Guardian).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBilly Bragg added best-selling author\/musicologist to his CV with the success of his acclaimed 2017 book ‘Roots, Radicals \u0026amp; Rockers – How Skiffle Changed The World’.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBilly Bragg will release a new single ‘I Will Be Your Shield’ on 14th July 2021.\u003cspan\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eTaken from his forthcoming 10th studio album ‘The Million Things That Never Happened’,\u003cspan\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003e‘I Will Be Your Shield’ is a beautiful love song and is the beating heart of his new record.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Cooking Vinyl","offers":[{"title":"Green | LP.","offer_id":50409451258187,"sku":"1127510","price":23.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Green | LP","offer_id":50409451848011,"sku":"1127390","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50409452732747,"sku":"1127509","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50409453093195,"sku":"1127508","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/1a32deae-fe92-42d2-bf90-be71326bfb98_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726614386"},{"product_id":"bloke-on-bloke-rsd-2024","title":"Bloke On Bloke - RSD 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003e\n                            This product is a Record Store Day exclusive title and is not available to pre-order.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n                            To buy in-store: 8am, 20\/04\/2024 (Record Store Day).\u003cbr\u003e\n                            To buy online: 8pm, 22\/04\/2024. (Subject to availability).\u003cbr\u003e\n                            Don’t forget: Click 'Notify Me' to be the first to know about its availability online. It also helps us to place accurate orders so that we can please as many of you as possible on the day.\u003cbr\u003e\n                            \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBloke on Bloke\u003c\/i\u003e is a 7 track collection of singles and b-sides from the William Bloke sessions. It's title is a play on the Bob Dylan album \u003ci\u003eBlonde\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eOn Blonde\u003c\/i\u003e. The album features 'The Boy Done Good' co-written by Johnny Marr, and a cover of The Smiths' 'Never Had No One Ever'. This Record Store Day exclusive is pressed on limited edition orange and blue split effect vinyl. This is the first time\u003ci\u003e Bloke On Bloke\u003c\/i\u003e has been released on vinyl. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cooking Vinyl","offers":[{"title":"Orange LP","offer_id":50444057903435,"sku":"2181199","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/BillyBragg-BlokeOnBloke_96f741f2_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727024033"},{"product_id":"life-s-a-riot-with-spy-vs-spy-rsd-2022","title":"Life's A Riot With Spy vs Spy (RSD 2022)","description":"\u003cp\u003eTo celebrate the 30th anniversary of his seminal 1983 debut recording \u003ci\u003eLife's a Riot with Spy vs Spy\u003c\/i\u003e, Billy Bragg released a special edition comprising the original album re-mastered, plus a new, live solo version by Billy recorded as a unique encore at his London Union Chapel show on Wednesday 5 June 2013. Billy says \u003ci\u003eLife’s a Riot with Spy vs Spy\u003c\/i\u003e has a very special place in his heart, `being the first step on a 30 year journey that has seen me travel to places that I could never have imagined back in 83. Also, as it's only 17 minutes long, I can knock the whole album out as an encore if the fancy takes me - no need to book the Royal Albert Hall and the London Symphony Orchestra.'' \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cooking Vinyl","offers":[{"title":"Orange | LP","offer_id":50461148938571,"sku":"1145674","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/252fdf45-95ab-4b82-aa3e-cd303e24ed52_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727244072"},{"product_id":"workers-playtime-1","title":"Workers Playtime","description":"\u003cp\u003elimited edition remastered double cd reissue with a bonus 10 track cd featuring demos, alternative versions and live cuts. even as a very young man, billy bragg tempered his socialist politics with songs about affairs of the heart, a combination that's served him well. but no matter how lovey-dovey he may croon, bragg can't help but rail at oppression in its many manifestations. on 'workers playtime', producer joe boyd (fairport convention, nick drake) frames bragg's ragged voice with sympathetic folk-rock arrangements. but the real strength of this 1988 collection lies in bragg's songwriting. the album may boast the pedantic 'capitalism is killing music,' but bragg's sense of humour is in evidence throughout. 'waiting for the great leap forwards' mixes mao with mott the hoople, while the heart-stopping sincerity of 'the short answer' suffers not a whit for bringing up karl marx.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"No Label","offers":[{"title":"CD | x2","offer_id":50470711558475,"sku":"276508","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/adb6c338-42d4-462e-a1af-054975553e3c_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727381089"},{"product_id":"life-s-a-riot-with-spy-vs-spy","title":"Life's A Riot With Spy Vs Spy","description":"\u003cp\u003ebilly bragg, once-described as a 'one-man clash,' has spent the last two decades writing and performing passionate, witty, socially conscious music. finally cooking vinyl remasters and reissue his early catalouge. 'life's a riot with spy vs. spy' 1983's mini-lp that first introduced the world to billy's style - roughly strummed electric guitar and stark vocals belying a keen sense of melody and committed, deeply humane lyrics on topics ranging from life and love to social upheaval and the plight of the working class. recorded live to 2-track tape for free over the course of three afternoons in chappell music's tiny demo studio in the modest hope of selling the occasional copy at early gigs, it spent 12 weeks at number 1 in the indie chart and reached number 32 in the national lp chart and featured his first underground anthem - 'a new england.' this double cd reissue comes with a bonus cd of 11 extra tracks- 5 of which 'the cloth', 'love lives here', 'speedway hero', 'loving you too long' and 'the cloth (2)' are previously unreleased bragg originals. also included is a cover of john cale's 'fear is a man's best friend.' the bonus material stems from a variety of sources and all of it was handpicked by bragg with the help of producer grant showbiz (the smiths, the fall) and wiggy, a longtime cohort and guitarist on many bragg releases.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"No Label","offers":[{"title":"CD | x2","offer_id":50470718210379,"sku":"268579","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a1fe8fa1-1a01-40fa-95d3-d755c1fc759b_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727381173"},{"product_id":"tooth-and-nail-deluxe","title":"Tooth and Nail - Deluxe","description":"\u003cp\u003elimited special edition bookpack includes the cd, a 36 page booklet containing exclusive photos and a collection of columns written by billy originally published in q magazine between 2008 and 2011, plus a dvd of 10 promotional videos that billy made for his singles between 1986 - 2002. billy bragg releases his first new studio album in five years. 'tooth and nail' was recorded over a whirlwind five-day session with grammy award winning producer joe henry (whose impeccable production credits include solomon burke, aimee mann, elvis costello and hugh laurie) in his south pasadena studio. with joe taking billy out of his comfort zone (all vocals were recorded live without retakes or overdubs) the album features greg leisz (bon iver), patrick warren (lana del rey), jay bellerose (regina spektor) and david piltch (ramblin' jack eliot). the spontaneous results are, according to billy, a return to the rootsy sound of 1998's 'mermaid avenue' sessions he recorded with wilco - drawing on soul, country and folk music influences to explore the ups and downs of relationships that have stood the test of time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"No Label","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50470731612491,"sku":"359074","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/84bd831a-ab84-4972-9cad-d69970411c6c_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727381503"},{"product_id":"tooth-and-nail-1","title":"Tooth and Nail","description":"\u003cp\u003eBilly Bragg releases his first new studio album in five years. 'tooth and nail' was recorded over a whirlwind five-day session with grammy award winning producer joe henry (whose impeccable production credits include solomon burke, aimee mann, elvis costello and hugh laurie) in his south pasadena studio. with joe taking billy out of his comfort zone (all vocals were recorded live without retakes or overdubs) the album features greg leisz (bon iver), patrick warren (lana del rey), jay bellerose (regina spektor) and david piltch (ramblin' jack eliot). the spontaneous results are a return to the rootsy sound of 1998's 'mermaid avenue' sessions he recorded with wilco - drawing on soul, country and folk music influences to explore the ups and downs of relationships that have stood the test of time. The bard of Barking gets personal, goes universal and makes one of his best albums.Limited Edition 180 Gram Vinyl with Download.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"No Label","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50470733349195,"sku":"359075","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50470734496075,"sku":"359073","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/3c0693a3-c9b4-4621-a1df-81d36930424c_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727381576"},{"product_id":"shine-a-light-field-recordings-from-the-great-american-railroad","title":"Shine A Light - Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe new Billy Bragg and Joe Henry album 'Shine A Light: Field Recordings From The Great American Railroad' on Cooking Vinyl. In March 2016 Billy Bragg and Joe Henry, guitars in hand, boarded a Los Angeles-bound train at Chicago's Union Station looking to reconnect with the culture of American railroad travel and the music it inspired. Winding along 2,728 miles of track over four days, the pair recorded classic railroad songs in waiting rooms and at trackside while the train paused to pick up passengers.\u003cbr\u003eLP - 180 Gram Vinyl with Download.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cooking Vinyl","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50471131283787,"sku":"402534","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50471131414859,"sku":"402533","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/fc77edab-fafa-4d8f-803f-692d6a984c8d_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727392380"},{"product_id":"bridges-not-walls","title":"Bridges Not Walls","description":"\u003cp\u003eLife comes at you real fast these days. What’s a singer-songwriter to do when events keep challenging the way that we see the world? Before we’ve had a chance to digest one startling development, along comes another to throw us off balance again. I’ve been grubbing up songs for the past 12 months, but without the space to get an album together due to other projects, so I’ve decided to start dropping tracks, one a month between now and the end of the year. As always, they’re my way of trying to make some sense of what’s going on. The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters is the name of an etching created in 1799 by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya. The title struck a chord with me when trying to understand the events of last year. The lies and hubris of the Leave campaign in our EU referendum was echoed and amplified by Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Only by restoring empathy and reason can we hope to defeat the monstrous forces of nationalism and untruth. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cooking Vinyl","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50471436976459,"sku":"1019401","price":3.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/ce407a5e-016c-4d92-a23c-7b497823cb75_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727403026"},{"product_id":"roots-radicals-and-rockers-how-skiffle-changed-the-world-1","title":"Roots, Radicals and Rockers: How Skiffle Changed the World","description":"\u003cp\u003eRough Trade Books of the Year 2017 No: 3\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/roughtrade.com\/gb\/artist\/billy-bragg\"\u003eBilly Bragg\u003c\/a\u003e, the bard of Barking, returns with\u003ci\u003e Roots, Radicals \u0026amp; Rockers: How Skiffle Changed the World,\u003c\/i\u003e the first book to explore this phenomenon in depth - a meticulously researched and joyous account that explains how skiffle sparked a revolution that shaped pop music as we have come to know it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt's a story of jazz pilgrims and blues blowers, Teddy Boys and beatnik girls, coffee-bar bohemians and refugees from the McCarthyite witch-hunts. Billy traces how the guitar came to the forefront of music in the UK and led directly to the British Invasion of the US charts in the 1960s.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEmerging from the trad-jazz clubs of the early '50s, skiffle was adopted by kids who growing up during the dreary, post-war rationing years. These were Britain's first teenagers, looking for a music of their own in a pop culture dominated by crooners and mediated by a stuffy BBC. Lonnie Donegan hit the charts in 1956 with a version of 'Rock Island Line' and soon sales of guitars rocketed from 5,000 to 250,000 a year.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLike punk rock that would flourish two decades later, skiffle was a do-it-yourself music. All you needed were three guitar chords and you could form a group, with mates playing tea-chest bass and washboard as a rhythm section\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the story of how the first generation of British teenagers changed our pop music from being jazz-based to guitar-led.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Faber","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":50531042820427,"sku":"1004239","price":7.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/06cda96f-8659-4d6c-b41d-de531d4de0da_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728091042"},{"product_id":"a-lover-sings","title":"A Lover Sings","description":"\u003cp\u003eBilly Bragg is one of Britain's most distinctive and accomplished songwriters, whose work has articulated the passions, both personal and political, of Britain during the past five decades. A Lover Sings contains over seventy of his best-known lyrics, selected and annotated by the author. 'Sexuality', 'A New England', 'Levi Stubbs' Tears' - these are unadorned, poetic songs that skilfully interweave everyday observation with much broader concerns: of fairness and outrage, of generosity and love.A Lover Sings reveals a unique sensibility: principled and proudly of the Left, funny, forthright and tender. It is a remarkable collection.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"No Label","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":51139974103371,"sku":"2240553","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/71hBoj2xrL._SY522__71d24c58_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1737546103"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_9208cc34_thumbnail_4096_d6bb6c60-39bf-4894-bdc7-cf9deb15f6b2.jpg?v=1726305485","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/billy-bragg.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}