Brewing Up with Billy Bragg ...

[Jim Hofmann <hofmann@AMSAA.ARPA>]

This is just one of the many lp's I scarfed up in a recent convention
buying binge.  Billy Bragg has long been a college radio favorite.  The
girls can dig his oh-so-sensitive-love-hurts-lyrics while the boys
can dig his mostly solo 'lectric guitar strummin'.  If I was one to
label him the next <INSERT SIMILIAR ARTISTE HERE>, I guess I would
call him the next Bob Dylan.  However, he is more like a ragged-edge
Stevie Forbert, nah, umm, howse about Greetings From Asbury Park Spring-
steen, yeh, that's it.  Billy plays solo mostly (the only other 
instruments heard are a sparse organ and a background trumpet (much like
Springsteen's song on Born To Run - Other Side??) and even they
make brief appearances.  The most popular song, "Love gets Dangerous",
seemingly begs for others to cover it but still stands on its own (sort
of like Springsteens Blinded By the Light).  Billy is apparently on
tour and if I remember correctly will be opening for the MINUTEMEN
in Washington this month.  Wait! Change my earlier assessment, he's
more like a young Billy Joel with an electric guitar instead of
a piano.  Wait!  Scratch that! How about Woody Guthrie without the floss...
<TERMINAL WAS ABORTED HERE AS MR HOFMANN SHRUGGED HIS SHOULDERS AND WENT HOME>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BEAVER:  What makes rust, Dad?
WARD:    Oxidation, it eats into the metal.
BEAVER:  Why don't they make cans out of wood?
WARD:    Wood rots.
BEAVER:  Gee, there's something wrong with just about everything, isn't there
         Dad?
WARD:    Just about, I guess, Beav.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Hofmann, hofmann@amsaa.ARPA