William Bloke

Rating

Album: William Bloke
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	From Red to Blue	More Info...	0:03
2)	Upfield	More Info...	0:04
3)	Everybody Loves You Babe	More Info...	0:03
4)	Sugardaddy	More Info...	0:04
5)	A Pict Song	More Info...	0:05
6)	Brickbat	More Info...	0:03
7)	The Space Race Is Over	More Info...	0:04
8)	Northern Industrial Town	More Info...	0:03
9)	The Fourteenth of February	More Info...	0:03
10)	King James Version	More Info...	0:03
11)	Goalhanger	More Info...	0:03

Performer Notes

Personnel: Billy Bragg (vocals, guitar); Ashley Drees (mandolin); Diedre Cooper (cello); Terry Disley (strings, Hammond B-3 organ); Terry Edwards (alto & baritone saxophones); Dave Woodhead (trumpet, flugelhorn); Caroline Hall (trombone); Cara Tivey (piano, organ, keyboards); Chris Morgan, Chucho Merchan (acoustic bass); Fionn O'Lochlainn, Nigel Frydman (bass); J.F.T. Hood (drums, percussion).
Principally recorded at Cathouse Studio, London, England.
Bragg's fullest-sounding album so far does not cloud the continuing power of his songs. "Upfield" masquerades as a 60s Motown pop song, but study the words and you will find he still has "socialism of the heart." "Everybody Loves You Babe" is stripped bare so that only the lyric hits home. Heaven help the poor girl who is the subject of his wit. Bragg is at his best with guitar only; this is his real stage, from which he educates us with stinging irony in songs such as "Northern Industrial Town." Since Life's A Riot, Bragg has certainly grown but he has never sold out.

Professional Reviews

Spin (10/96, pp.135-136) - 7 (out of 10) - "...Still proudly displaying a 'socialism of the heart,' he's more interested than ever in how the politics of love and state affect the unseen choices of people just trying to get by..."

Entertainment Weekly (9/20/96, pp.82-83) - "...Refreshing, grown-up, and cuddly all at the same time." - Rating: B

Q (10/96, p.154) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...signals a significant return to his folk roots. The sound is more earthy and unfussy, the sentiment stripped down....Bragg's most sensitive set, mostly one-man playable, reflective paeans to a lost age..."

Alternative Press (1/97, p.65) - 5 (out of 5) - "You know where you stand with Billy Bragg. A good tune, a few plays on words, strong sentiments and at least one classic song on every record....'Northern Industrial Town'...is as good a modern folk song as has been written lately..."

Musician (2/97, p.124) - "Having become a parent since his last album five years ago, Bragg wants to balance his political and personal commitments....He's also a witty observer of the purely social..."

NME (Magazine) (9/14/96, p.53) - 7 (out of 10) - "...Fatherhood--the event that's kept him out of pop so long--has clearly mellowed him. But this is no Dadrock album, it's more Kindlyunclerock: terminally old-fashioned yet always relevant; occasionally a bit of an embarrassment, but never likely to forget your birthday..."