Talking with the Taxman about Poetry

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Talking with the Taxman about Poetry
Studio album by Billy Bragg
Released	September 1986
Recorded	Livingston Studios, London March–July 1986
Genre	Rock
Length	38:06
Label	Go! Discs (UK) Elektra (US)
Producer	Ken Jones, John Porter
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Robert Christgau (B+) link
Billy Bragg chronology
Brewing Up with Billy Bragg (1984) Talking with the Taxman about Poetry (1986) Workers Playtime (1988)

Talking with the Taxman about Poetry is the third release (second full length album) by Billy Bragg, released in 1986. With production by John Porter and Kenny Jones, Talking with the Taxman about Poetry featured more musicians than Bragg's previous works, which were generally little more than Bragg himself and a guitar. There were two singles released from the album. While "Levi Stubbs' Tears" peaked at #29 in the UK, the follow-up "Greetings To The New Brunette" fell short, only managing #58 a few months later.

The song "Ideology" is based on Bob Dylan's song "Chimes of Freedom".^{[citation needed]}

The song "There Is Power in a Union" is based on the song "Battle Cry of Freedom".

Contents 1 Track listing 1.1 Disc one 1.2 Disc two (2006 reissue) 2 Personnel 2.1 Musicians 2.2 Production

[edit] Track listing

All tracks written by Billy Bragg, except where noted

[edit] Disc one

1. "Greetings to the New Brunette" – 3:29
2. "Train Train" (Zenon DeFleur) – 2:11
3. "The Marriage" – 2:30
4. "Ideology" – 3:27
5. "Levi Stubbs' Tears" – 3:28
6. "Honey, I'm a Big Boy Now" – 4:05
7. "There Is Power in a Union" (Bragg, traditional) – 2:47
8. "Help Save the Youth of America" – 2:45
9. "Wishing the Days Away" – 2:28
10. "The Passion" – 2:52
11. "The Warmest Room" – 3:55
12. "The Home Front" – 4:09

[edit] Disc two (2006 reissue)

1. "Sin City" (Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman) – 3:34
2. "Deportees" (Woody Guthrie, Martin Hoffman) – 4:03
3. "There is Power in a Union" (instrumental) (George Root) – 3:16
4. "The Tracks of My Tears" (Smokey Robinson, Warren Moore, Marvin Tarplin) – 2:56
5. "Wishing the Days Away" (alternate version) – 2:32
6. "The Clashing of Ideologies" (alternate version) – 2:52
7. "Greetings to the New Brunette" (demo version) – 3:57
8. "A Nurse's Life is Full of Woe" – 2:48
9. "Only Bad Signs" – 3:10
10. "Hold the Fort" (traditional) – 1:47

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Musicians

• Billy Bragg – guitars (acoustic and electric), vocals
• Kirsty MacColl – vocals
• Ken Craddock – organ, piano
• Ken Jones – percussion
• Johnny Marr – electric guitar
• Simon Moreton – percussion
• John Porter – guitar, mandolin, bass guitar, slide guitar
• George Shilling – percussion
• Bobby Valentino – violin
• Dave Woodhead – trumpet, flugelhorn
• Hank Wangford – vocals and mandolin on "Sin City" and "Deportees"
• Robert Handley – vocals on "Hold the Fort"

[edit] Production

• Ken Jones – producer
• John Porter – producer
• Grant Showbiz – reissue producer
• George Shilling – technician
• Pennie Smith – photography