Volume 1
Billy Bragg · 2006
245 min · 81 tracks · alternative rock
Acoustic storytelling meets razor-sharp political commentary, blending folk roots with punk energy.
Why this album works
'Volume 1' is significant for its role in highlighting Bragg's influence on the British folk-punk scene, as well as its critical acclaim upon release. The album features key tracks that resonate with themes of social justice and personal reflection, earning praise from publications like 'The Guardian' for their poignant lyrics and musicality.
- Best for
- dynamic journey with emotional peaks acoustic storytelling with sharp wit reflective moments for thoughtful listeners
- Context
- In 2006, Billy Bragg released 'Volume 1' as a comprehensive collection of his early works, showcasing songs from his debut in the mid-1980s through the late 1990s. This album followed a period of creative resurgence after Bragg's earlier work had gained renewed interest, particularly through his engagement with social issues and political activism.
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
Disc 1
- 1 The Milkman of Human Kindness 2:49
- 2 To Have and to Have Not 2:33
- 3 Richard 2:51
- 4 A New England Standout 2:14
- 5 The Man in the Iron Mask 2:13
- 6 The Busy Girl Buys Beauty 1:58
- 7 Lovers Town Revisited 1:19
Disc 2
- 1 Strange Things Happen (alternative version) 3:19
- 2 The Cloth (1) 2:50
- 3 Love Lies Here 1:42
- 4 Speedway Hero 2:39
- 5 Loving You Too Long 2:51
- 6 This Guitar Says Sorry (alternative version) 2:14
- 7 Love Gets Dangerous (alternative version) 2:32
- 8 The Cloth (2) 2:47
- 9 The Man in the Iron Mask (alternative version) 2:17
- 10 A13, Trunk Road to the Sea 2:27
- 11 Fear Is Man's Best Friend 2:32
Disc 3
- 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
Disc 4
- 1 It Must Be a River 2:19
- 2 Won't Talk About It 5:06
- 3 Talking Wag Club Blues 2:59
- 4 You Got the Power 3:10
- 5 The Last Time 2:55
- 6 Back to the Old House 2:53
- 7 A Lover Sings (alternative version) 3:58
- 8 Which Side Are You On? 2:34
- 9 It Says Here (alternative version) 2:36
- 10 Between the Wars 2:30
- 11 The World Turned Upside Down 2:35
Disc 5
- 1 Greetings to the New Brunette 3:31
- 2 Train Train 2:12
- 3 The Marriage 2:31
- 4 Ideology 3:27
- 5 Levi Stubbs' Tears Standout 3:31
- 6 Honey I'm a Big Boy Now 4:07
- 7 There Is Power in a Union Standout 2:48
- 8 Help Save the Youth of America 2:48
- 9 Wishing the Days Away 2:29
- 10 The Passion 2:54
- 11 The Warmest Room 3:57
- 12 The Home Front 4:12
Disc 6
- 1 Sin City 3:34
- 2 Deportees 4:03
- 3 There Is Power in a Union (instrumental) 3:16
- 4 The Tracks of My Tears 2:56
- 5 Wishing the Days Away (alternative version) 2:32
- 6 The Clashing of Ideologies (alternative version) 2:52
- 7 Greetings to the New Brunette (demo) 3:57
- 8 A Nurse's Life Is Full of Woe 2:48
- 9 Only Bad Signs 3:10
- 10 Hold the Fort 1:47
Disc 7
- 1 The Internationale 3:49
- 2 I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night 1:29
- 3 The Marching Song of the Covert Battalions 4:00
- 4 Blake's Jerusalem 2:31
- 5 Nicaragua Nicaraguita 1:08
- 6 The Red Flag 3:13
- 7 My Youngest Son Came Home Today 3:08
- 8 Introduction (live) 0:57
- 9 Help Save the Youth of America (live) 2:36
- 10 Think Again (live) 4:21
- 11 Chile Your Waters Run Red Through Soweto (live) 3:09
- 12 Days Like These (DC remix) 2:40
- 13 To Have and to Have Not (live) 2:47
- 14 There Is Power in a Union Standout 3:27
- 15 Joe Hill 8:23
- 16 This Land Is Your Land 4:35
- 17 Never Cross a Picket Line 3:38
- 18 A Change Is Gonna Come 3:58
- 19 A Miner's Life 3:01
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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