Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy

Infobox Album |
Name = Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy
Type = Studio Album
Artist = Billy Bragg


Released = May 1983
Recorded = Chappell Music, London
2-4 February 1983
Genre = Indie, singer-songwriter
Length = 15:57
Label = Charisma Records
Producer = Oliver Hitch
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:bwc8b5c4tsqa link] |
Last album =
This album = "Life's a Riot With Spy Vs Spy" (1983)
Next album = "Brewing Up with Billy Bragg" (1984)

"Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy" is Billy Bragg's first studio album, released in 1983.

The original album played at 45 rpm rather than the more usual 33.3 rpm, contained only seven songs and lasted for only 15 minutes and 57 seconds. However, rather than being classed as an EP it qualified for the UK albums chart and reached number 30 in January 1984. [cite book | title=British Hit Singles & Albums | edition = 19th edition | date = 2006 | isbn = 1-904994-10-5 ]

The album contains both politically charged songs, such as the attack on the school system and unemployment, "To Have and To Have Not," and love songs such as "The Milkman of Human Kindness" and "A New England" (which was later a hit for singer Kirsty MacColl.)

The opening lines of "A New England" ("I was 21 years when I wrote this song/I'm 22 now, but I won't be for long") are identical to the opening lines of Paul Simon's song "Leaves that are Green," which appears on Simon and Garfunkel's 1966 album "Sounds of Silence". In concert, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on 27 September 2006, Bragg stated that Simon and Garfunkel had a strong influence on him, and that he took the line from their song intentionally.

Versions

The album was originally released by Charisma Records in May 1983. The album was then reissued in November 1983 on Go! Discs. In 1986 the tracks from the album along with the tracks from "Brewing Up with Billy Bragg" (1984) and the tracks from the "Between the Wars" EP (1985) were issued on an compilation album called "Back to Basics" by Go! Discs. This compilation was reissued by Cooking Vinyl in 1996. Cooking Vinyl released another compilation album in 1996 combining the tracks from the album with the four tracks from the "Between the Wars" EP and titled "Life's a Riot Between the Wars". [http://www.billybragg.co.uk/releases/albums/index.html]

In 2006 as part of a series of reissues of albums from his back catalogue, the album was reissued as "Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy", with the original tracks on one disc along with a bonus CD of alternate versions and previously unreleased material. The tracks on the bonus CD were produced and compiled by Grant Showbiz.

Track listing

All songs written by Billy Bragg, except where noted

Disc one

#"The Milkman Of Human Kindness" – 2:49
#"To Have And to Have Not" – 2:33
#"Richard" – 2:51
#"A New England" – 2:14
#"The Man In The Iron Mask" – 2:13
#"The Busy Girl Buys Beauty" – 1:58
#"Lovers Town Revisited" – 1:19

Disc two (2006 reissue)

#"Strange Things Happen" (alternative version) – 3:19
#"The Cloth I" – 2:50
#"Love Lives Here" – 1:42
#"Speedway Hero" – 2:39
#"Loving You too Long" – 2:51
#"The Guitar Says Sorry" (alternative version) – 2:14
#"Love Gets Dangerous" (alternative version) – 2:32
#"The Cloth II" – 2:47
#"The Man in the Iron Mask" (alternative version) – 2:17
#"A13, Trunk Road to the Sea" (music by Bobby Troup, words by Bragg) – 2:27
#"Fear is a Man's Best Friend" (John Cale) – 2:32

Personnel

Musicians

*Billy Bragg – vocals, guitar
*Dave Woodhead – trumpet on "The Man in the Iron Mask" (alternative version)

Production

*Oliver Hitch – producer, engineer, recorded by (original album plus "The Guitar Says Sorry" (alternative version), "Love Gets Dangerous" (alternative version), "The Cloth II", "A13, Trunk Road to the Sea", "Fear is a Man's Best Friend")
*Grant Showbiz – reissue producer, reissue compiled by
*Tim Young – digitally remastered by (original album tracks)
*Duncan Cowell – digitally remastered by (bonus tracks)
*Steve Goldstein – record by ("Strange Things Happen" (alternative version), "The Cloth I", "Love Lives Here")
*Wiggy – recorded by ("Speedway Hero", "Loving You too Long")

Footnotes

References

* [http://www.billybragg.co.uk/releases/albums/index.html Official Billy Bragg discography]
*2006 reissue CD liner notes

External links

* [http://prettyfakes.com/?p=363 A cartoon tribute to "A New England" at Pretty Fakes.]