I’m just back from running a bunch
of errands and prepared to settle in and wait for movers to bring me some new
furniture.
Amidst the chores I found time to
nip into the local record store(s) and find a few bargains. I am now the proud
owner of two new Dar Williams albums and one more Carolyn Mark album. I guess
it was a day for folk music.
On that note, here’s another great
folk artist.
Disc 853 is….Worker’s Playtime
Artist: Billy Bragg
Year of Release: 1988
What’s up with the Cover? Based on the title of the album, this would be some
workers taking a break. This particular break looks suspiciously like a formal
meeting, with a loudspeaker a bunch of flags and assorted sloganeering. Holding
a meeting over the lunch hour is not a break, Billy.
I note the
cover has a logo that says “capitalism is killing music.” Er…what? I’m more
concerned with illegal downloads. Don’t steal your music. Buy it and support
musicians!
How I Came To Know It: Last year I was digging through
looking for Billy Bragg albums I’d missed earlier and were worth getting. “Workers
Playtime” is one of two albums I picked up along the way. The other is “England,
Half English” (reviewed not long ago at Disc 804). I am still looking for “Mr.
Love and Justice,” which I haven’t been able to find on CD yet. Yes, I happen
to buy my music on antiquated technology. All those CDs is what the blog is all
about, people!
How It Stacks Up: I have eight Billy Bragg albums. Of the eight,
I put “Worker’s Playtime” in seventh, just edging out “England, Half English.”
That doesn’t mean it is bad. I only own my favourite Billy Bragg albums, so
competition is tough.
Ratings: 3 stars
Some albums just feel like break up albums. I have
no idea what Billy Bragg’s personal life had going on in 1988 (I like to
encounter the music with as little outside knowledge as possible), but “Workers
Playtime” has a lot of heartache on it.
Fortunately, Bragg is a gifted storyteller, so even
if his stories are sad and troubled they are still enjoyable to listen to. At
least half this record is composed of break up songs, seen from different
facets. Bragg deftly paints the picture of relationships at the painful edge of
ending, others in full decay, and still others that are just plain destructive
from the outset.
The best of the lot is “Valentine’s Day Is Over” which is told from the perspective of a woman
who is tired of her drunk, abusive partner. Bragg weaves poverty and
unemployment into the story, reminding us that money issues puts pressure on
any relationship, while still not excusing the dirtbag’s behaviour.
The song ends with the man trying to win back his
lady’s affection with a Valentine’s gift and her answer is a fitting wakeup
call for him:
“Thank you for the things you
brought me, thank you for the card
Thank you for the things you
taught me when you hit me hard
That love between two people must
be based on understanding
Until that’s true you’ll find
your things
All stacked out on the landing,
surprise, surprise.”
Beyond the lyrics, “Valentine’s Day is Over” is set to a melody that is mournful and
thoughtful, with a clever transition to a triumphant chord progression,
mirroring one woman’s journey from despair to empowerment.
While not all of the heartbreak tracks on “Workers
Playtime” can’t match the musical strengths of “Valentine’s Day is Over” all of them deliver great insight into the
many ways love can die.
This being a Billy Bragg album, it wouldn’t be
complete without some social commentary. “Tender
Comrade” is an a capella track against war, and “Rotting on Remand” is a critique of the conditions prisoners
undergo while imprisoned and awaiting trial. Both songs are OK, but musically
neither grabbed me.
Much better on this front is “Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards” in which Bragg seems equally
disillusioned with capitalism and communism. The song cuts a nice path between
disappointment and inspiration. At his core, Bragg has always been an optimist
when it comes to the human spirit, and the song’s energy builds naturally until
it ends with a chorus of people singing along in unison.
“Waiting for
the Great Leap Forwards” has Bragg saying that if you don’t like the system
you’re living under, work to build a new one. I don’t share his revolutionary fervor,
but I agree that if you want to make a difference, sitting around complaining
isn’t gonna do it.
This is a music blog, not a political blog, so I’ll
leave it at that, just as Bragg’s song fades out and leaves us energized
despite all those damned broken hearts he’s peppered the record with earlier.
Best
tracks: Must I Paint You a Picture, The Price I Pay, Valentine’s
Day is Over, Waiting For the Great Leap Forwards
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