English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg has announced 4-disc deluxe box set spanning his entire career, set to be released Friday, October 27. The album will be available in three different forms: a single disc 13-song ‘primer’ on orange vinyl, a 40-song 3 album collection on three shades of green vinyl (also available as 2 CD and digital set) and a 14 CD box set, containing more than 300 songs including each of Bragg’s twelve studio albums, non-album singles and B- Sides, session tracks, rare live recordings, collaborations and previously unreleased material from across his illustrious career. The box set also includes a large format book containing images of 40 significant objects from Bragg’s career, including the hand tinted flyer to his first solo gig, his first NME cover, the original lyrics to ‘A Lover Sings’, the Red Wedge manifesto, his membership card to the Smokey Robinson & The Miracles fan club, and much else besides, with fascinating commentary from the man himself.
The album also has countless features from artists such as Billy Bragg & The Blokes, Joe Henry, Cara Tivey and Billy Bragg and Wilco.
The Roaring Forty (1983-2023) track listing is as follows:
1 LP VERSION
A1. ‘A New England’ (2013 Remaster) from ‘Life’s A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy’ (1983)
A2. ‘Between The Wars’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Between The Wars E.P. ‘ (1985)
A3. ‘Levi Stubbs’ Tears’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Levi Stubbs’ Tears’ (1986)
A4. ‘Greetings To The New Brunette’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Talking With The Taxman About Poetry’ (1986)
A5. ‘Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards’ (2006 Remaster) from ’Workers Playtime’ (1988)
A6. ‘Sexuality’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Don’t Try This At Home’ (1991)
A7 .‘Accident Waiting To Happen (Red Star Version)’ (1999 Remaster) from ‘Accident Waiting To Happen’ (1992)
B1. ‘Upfield’ (2006 remaster) from ‘William Bloke’ (1996)
B2. ‘The Boy Done Good’ (1999 Remaster) from ‘Bloke On Bloke’ (1997)
B3. ‘California Stars’ (Live October / November 1998) from ‘Mermaid Avenue Tour / You Can Call Me Cupcake’ (1999) – Billy Bragg & The Blokes
B4. ‘I Keep Faith’ from ‘Mr. Love & Justice’ (2008)
B5. ‘The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore’ from ‘Shine A Light: Field Recordings From The Great American Railroad’ (2016) – Billy Bragg & Joe Henry
B6. ‘I Will Be Your Shield’ from ‘The Million Things That Never Happened’ (2021)
TRACKLISTING 3 LP/2CD VERSION
A1. ‘A New England (2013 Remaster) from ‘Life’s A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy (1983)
A2. ‘The Milkman Of Human Kindness’ (2013 Remaster) from ‘Life’s A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy’ (1983)
A3. ‘To Have And Have Not’ (2013 Remaster) from ‘Life’s A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy’ (1983)
A4. ‘The Man In The Iron Mask’ (2013 Remaster) from ‘Life’s A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy’ (1983)
A5. ‘St. Swithin’s Day’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Brewing Up With’ (1984)
A6. ‘The Saturday Boy’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Brewing Up With’ (1984)
A7. ‘Between The Wars’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Between The Wars E.P.’ (1985)
A8. ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Between The Wars E.P.’ (1985)
A9. ‘Which Side Are You On?’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Between The Wars E.P.’ (1985)
B1. ‘Levi Stubbs’ Tears’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Levi Stubbs’ Tears’ (1986)
B2. ‘Greetings To The New Brunette’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Talking With The Taxman About Poetry’ (1986)
B3. ‘There Is Power In A Union’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Talking With The Taxman About Poetry’ (1986)
B4. ‘Help Save The Youth Of America’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Talking With The Taxman About Poetry’ (1986)
B5. ‘She’s Leaving Home’ (1999 Remaster) from ‘She’s Leaving Home’ (1988) – Billy Bragg with Cara Tivey
B6. ‘She’s Got A New Spell’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Workers Playtime’ (1988)
B7. ‘Must I Paint You A Picture’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Workers Playtime’ (1988) Continued…/
C1. ‘Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Workers Playtime’ (1988)
C2. ‘The Internationale’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘The Internationale’ (1990)
C3. ‘Tank Park Salute’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Don’t Try This At Home’ (1991)
C4. ‘Sexuality’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Don’t Try This At Home’ (1991)
C5. ‘Accident Waiting To Happen (Red Star Version)’ (1999 Remaster) from ‘Accident Waiting To Happen’ (1992)
C6. ‘Upfield’ from ‘William Bloke’ (1996)
D1. ‘The Boy Done Good’ (1999 Remaster) from ‘Bloke On Bloke’ (1997)
D2. ‘Walt Whitman’s Niece’ from ‘Mermaid Avenue’ (1998) Billy Bragg and Wilco
D3. ‘Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key’ from ‘Mermaid Avenue’ (1998) Billy Bragg and Wilco
D4. ‘My Flying Saucer’ from ‘Mermaid Avenue II’ (2000) Billy Bragg and Wilco
D5. ‘California Stars (Live October / November 1999)’ from ‘Mermaid Avenue Tour / You Can Call Me Cupcake’ (1999) Billy Bragg and The Blokes
D6. ‘Some Days I See The Point’ from ‘England, Half English’ (2002) – Billy Bragg & The Blokes
E1. ‘England, Half English’ from ‘England, Half English’ (2002) Billy Bragg and The Blokes
E2. ‘Take Down The Union Jack (Band Version)’ (2006 Remaster) from ‘Take Down The Union Jack’ (2002) – Billy Bragg & The Blokes
E3. ‘Old Clash Fan Fight Song’ from ‘Johnny Clash’ (2007)
E4. ‘I Keep Faith’ from ‘Mr. Love & Justice’ (2008)
E5. ‘Bugeye Jim’ from ‘Mermaid Avenue III’ (2012)
E6. ‘Never Buy The Sun’ from ‘Fight Songs (A Decade Of Downloads)’ (2011)
F1. ‘No One Knows Nothing Anymore’ from ‘Tooth & Nail’ (2013)
F2. ‘Handyman Blues’ from ‘Tooth & Nail’ (2013)
F3. ‘The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore’ from ‘Shine A Light: Field Recordings From The Great American Railroad’ – Billy Bragg and Joe Henry
F4. ‘King Tide And The Sunny Day Flood’ from ‘Bridges Not Walls’ (2017)
F5. ‘Mid-Century Modern’ from ‘The Million Things That Never Happened’ (2021)
F6. ‘I Will Be Your Shield’ from ‘The Million Things That Never Happened’ (2021)
14 DISC CD VERSION
Disc 1. 1983 – 1984: Life’s A Riot… Plus
Disc 2. 1984 – 1985: Brewing Up With… Plus
Disc 3. 1986 – 1988: Talking With The Taxman… Plus
Disc 4. 1988 – 1989: Workers Playtime… Plus
Disc 5. 1990 – 1991: The Internationale… Plus
Disc 6. 1991 – 1992: Don’t Try This At Home… Plus
Disc 7. 1996 – 1997: William Bloke / Bloke On Bloke… Plus
Disc 8. 1998 – 2012: The Mermaid Avenue Recordings
Disc 9. 1998 – 2002: England, Half English… Plus
Disc 10. 2006 – 2010: Mr. Love & Justice / Pressure Drop… Plus
Disc 11. 2011 – 2015: Tooth & Nail… Plus
Disc 12. 2016 – 2017: Shine A Light / Bridges Not Walls… Plus
Disc 13: 2021 The Million Things That Never Happened Plus
Disc 14: 1990 – 2015: Rare & Previously Unreleased Recordings
Pre-order The Roaring Forty here.
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