| Billy Bragg Don't Try This At Home: Special Reissue |
|
 | Tracklist:
Disc 1
1. Accident Waiting to Happen
2. Moving the Goalposts
3. Everywhere
4. Cindy of a Thousand Lives
5. You Woke Up My Neighborhood
6. Trust
7. God's Footballer
8. The Few
9. Sexuality
10. Mother of the Bride
11. Tank Park Salute
12. Dolphins
13. North Sea Bubble
14. Rumors of War
15. Wish You Were Her
16. Body of Water
Disc 2
1. Party Of God
2. North Sea Bubble (Demo)
3. Sexuality (Demo)
4. Just One Victory (Alternative Version)
5. Everywhere (Alternative Version)
6. Trust (Demo)
7. Bread & Circuses
8. Cindy Of A Thousand Lives (Demo)
9. The Few (Demo)
10. Revolution
11. Tighten Up Your Wig (With The Athenians and DJ Woody Dee)
12. MBH
13. The Gulf Between Us
14. Picaddily Rambler
Release Date: 1991 | |
|
|
| Summary: Bottom line, Don’t Try This At Home is an uneven listen, with some superb tracks marred by some woeful ones |
1 of 2 thought this review was well written
After a few years out touring an recording his political side project The Internationale, Billy Bragg was back in 1991 armed with a bigger budget (offered to persuade him to stay with GO! Discs, who he felt were ‘selling out’ by agreeing to a takeover). The result of this was Don’t Try This At Home, the longest Bragg album yet, consisting of 16 tracks and running for nearly an hour. Best remembered as the album that spawned ‘Sexuality’, the majority of Don’t Try This At Home is actually a more of a study of Bragg’s more thoughtful side, with few up-tempo songs. It was re-issued with a bonus disc in 2006 as part of the re-issue of Billy’s back catalogue.
Don’t Try This At Home sees Billy follow the path of adding backing instruments to his previously stark arrangements. The gives him a fuller sound, and he has subsequently said that doing Don’t Try This At Home gave him the opportunity to try things he hadn’t done before, such as the string section on ‘Rumours of War’. Interestingly, Billy’s original demos were quite flat and he sought help from Johnny Marr of The Smiths to polish them up a bit. Tellingly, Marr’s contribution is on arguably the three standout tracks; ‘Cindy Of A Thousand Lives’ (about photographer Cindy Sherman), ‘Sexuality’ & ‘North Sea Bubble’. Don’t Try This At Home is a very different album to any of its predecessors, with more of a defined ‘pop’ sound and slicker production. The majority of the material is quite slow and pensive, and while this makes some songs more emotive and considered, some come off as whiny and boring. The album has a thin balance between being insightful and being whiny. For instance, ‘Tank Park Salute’ - one of the highlights of the album - is a beautifully written paean to Billy’s father Dennis Bragg. The lyrics describe Billy’s memories of time spent with his father in a wistful way, accompanied by a nice piano motif. However, there is also tracks that teeter on the other end of the scale, such as the woeful ‘Dolphins’, or ‘Moving The Goalposts’ – best summed up by the bleak line “I put on my raincoat to make it rain, and sure enough the skies open up again”. Some songs are simply uninspired, such as ‘Trust’ which can only be described as ‘boring’. Also on the negative side, Billy’s falsetto makes an entrance here on a few songs. Previously used occasionally to end a line by rising of into charming off-key warbling (‘The Warmest Room’), here he tries to sing at pitches he simply can’t reach. Don’t get me wrong, I think Billy’s voice is great and unique, but when he dips in a silly falsetto like on cod-soul ballad ‘Wish You Were Her’ its just a little too much.
However, there is just as much positive as negative – ‘Accident Waiting To Happen’, ‘Mother Of The Bride’ and ‘Rumours Of War’ are solid enough songs (though the Red Stars version of ‘Accident…’ is far superior), and there are some great lyrics to be found on the string section-strewn ‘God’s Footballer’ and rousing anti-British Nazi rabble ‘The Few’. Of course there is also catchy singles ‘Sexuality’ and ‘You Woke Up My Neighbourhood’ (co-written with REM’s Peter Buck). The latter’s title comes from a drawing of a woman by Woody Guthrie that Bragg was shown. ‘Sexuality’ is a great tune as well, with some well observed lyrics and a catchy chorus featuring the late Kirsty MaColl on backup vocals, and a Smiths-esque guitar arrangement by Johnny Marr - Bragg felt that Marr’s arrangement of the song was so great that he had to live up to it while writing the rest of the album. Another standout is on of my favourites, ‘North Sea Bubble’, a song with a great title that addresses people trying to solve political problems by applying irrelevant measures that other countries tried and failed with. It rolls along on a fast riff that propels the song to Bragg’s conclusion that his American friends will wait a long time for a Beverley Hills coup. The album also rides out on a buoyant high note with ‘Body Of Water’, which Bragg describes as him feeling “exuberant” with how the album turned out.
The 2006 re-issue includes a bonus disc. The Bonus disc comprises of the usual: some demos of tracks on the album, a cover, and a smattering of b-sides or unreleased original material. Of the demos, it is interesting to note how Johnny Marr transformed Bragg’s lumpen versions of ‘North Sea Bubble’, ‘Cindy Of A Thousand Lives’, and ‘Sexuality’ into the slick pop songs on the final album, and there is an interesting piano-led version of ‘Everywhere’ which gives the song a nice bar room blues feel. ‘Party Of God’ and ‘Bread And Circuses’ are collaborations with Natalie Merchant (who later contributed to the Mermaid Avenue project); the former was released as the flip of the 10,000 Maniacs ‘Trouble Me’ single; the latter was the B-side to Billy’s ‘You Woke Up My Neighbourhood’ single. Also included is Bragg’s collaboration with REM, The Athenians and ‘DJ’ Woody Dee (Billy’s American roadie), ‘Tighten Up Your Wig’, an ill-advised foray into reggae that he claims “blew up [REM producer] John Keane’s speakers because he wasn’t used to reggae”. The song was a contribution to the album by the rapper H.E.A.L ‘H.E.A.L Civilisation Vs Technology’. It mainly consists of some chanting by Billy backed by some dub-style samples and echoes and is silly, if lively. The Bonus disc is pretty good value with 14 solid tracks. The re-issue also includes a booklet with some cut-up photographs and the song credits.
After the album had been released, Bragg heard a DJ on the radio commenting on how Bragg had reinvented himself as a popstar. This perturbed Billy because of that tags that came associated. As it is, Don’t Try This At Home is a decent pop record, though not Bragg’s best album by quite a way. Its format and use of a backing band also paved the way for his two following albums, 1996’s William Bloke and 2002’s England, Half English. The Bonus disc is a nice inclusion, with some good unreleased, or rare, tracks that further highlight the expansion of Bragg’s style on this album. Bottom line, Don’t Try This At Home is an uneven listen, with some superb tracks marred by some woeful ones.
Joe
|
| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 4
damn man I missed this in my absence as well. Great work, you've hit the nail on the head with most of your reviews. Though nobody seems to have commented, your dedication to Billy Bragg is admired by me, at least.
I picked up half of the reissues as part of the first box set, I've been meaning to get the second for ages but no stores carry it and then I just forget. Regardless, my favourite Bragg stuff stopped in about 1988 (with the exception of this album), so I've got the good stuff covered.
Anyway, keep up the good work.
Digging: Taylor Swift - Fearless | | | Album Rating: 4
by the way I love the historical side of things and in your reviews you hit on a lot of things I didn't even know, or elaborated on things I knew little about. Very informative, it's appreciated.
| | |
|
Stumble
Digg
Twitter
Del.icio.us