BILLY BRAGG

Life’s a Riot with Spy vs Spy (30^th Anniversary Edition)

(COOKCD596)

Released October 18th, 2013 on Cooking Vinyl

To celebrate the 30^th anniversary of his seminal 1983 debut recording  ‘Life’s a Riot with Spy vs Spy’, Billy Bragg will release a special edition on October 18th comprising the original album re-mastered, plus a new, live solo version by Billy recorded as a unique encore at his London Union Chapel show on Wednesday 5  June 2013. Life’s A Riot (30^th Anniversary Edition) will feature a sleeve based on the original 1983 Barney Bubbles artwork and be available on CD, in a replica vinyl card sleeve with inner sleeve, limited edition LP with inner sleeve and lyrics on 180g vinyl with DL and digital.  In keeping with the ‘Pay No More Than £2.99’ slogan that appeared on the front of the original record sleeve, the album will be available at a special ‘Pay No More Than’ price from iTunes of £2.49 for the original 7 track re-mastered album and £3.49 for the 30^th Anniversary Edition, which includes the live Union Chapel show encore, for pre-orders and during the first week of release.

Billy says “Life’s a Riot with Spy vs Spy has a very special place in my heart, being the first step on a 30 year journey that has seen me travel to places that I could never have imagined back in ’83. Also, as it’s only 17 minutes long, I can knock the whole album out as an encore if the fancy takes me – no need to book the Royal Albert Hall and the London Symphony Orchestra”

Earlier this year, Billy released his first new studio album in five years Tooth & Nail (Cooking Vinyl) to huge critical acclaim. Drawing on personal as well as political themes, Tooth & Nail was recorded over a whirlwind five-day session with Grammy Award winning producer Joe Henry and was summed up by Mojo magazine thus:  “Bard Of Barking, 56, gets personal, goes universal, makes his best album” (FIVE STARS).

Billy is touring through November and December and will be playing a milestone London show with his band at Hammersmith Apollo on Thursday 1 May 2014. He has asked that we point out that he’s only 55.

Life’s a Riot with Spy vs Spy (30^th Anniversary Edition) tracklisting:

Original Album                                                  Live at Union Chapel

1.       The Milkman of Human Kindness        8.     Intro (Live)

2.       To Have and to Have Not                   9.      Lovers Town revisited(Live)

3.       Richard                                           10.     To Have and to Have Not (Live)

4.       A New England                                11.      The Busy Girl Buys Beauty (Live)

5.       The Man in the Iron Mask                 12.     The Man in the Iron Mask (Live)

6.       The Busy Girl Buys Beauty                13.      Richard (Live)

7.       Lovers Town Revisited                      14.     The Milkman of Human Kindness (Live)

 15.   A New England (Live)

COOKCD596 (CD); COOKLP596 (12” Vinyl); COOKDL596 (DIGITAL) & COOKDL596X (DIGITAL 7 track re-mastered album)

 www.billybragg.net / www.cookingvinyl.com