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Workers Playtime
Price: $18.99 Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0075596082426
Label: Elektra / Wea
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Elektra / Wea
Release Date: October 25, 1990
Studio: Elektra / Wea
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Editorial Review:
Even as a very young man, Billy Bragg tempered his socialist politics with songs about affairs of the heart, a combination that's served him well. But no matter how lovey-dovey he may croon, Bragg can't help but rail at oppression in its many manifestations. On Worker's Playtime, producer Joe Boyd (Fairport Convention, Nick Drake) frames Bragg's ragged voice with sympathetic folk-rock arrangements. But the real strength of this 1988 collection lies in Bragg's songwriting. The album may boast the pedantic "Capitalism Is Killing Music," but Bragg's sense of humor is in evidence throughout. "Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards" mixes Mao with Mott the Hoople, while the heart-stopping sincerity of "The Short Answer" suffers not a whit for bringing up Karl Marx. --Rob O'Connor
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - If I were stranded on an island
This is unquestionably one of my picks for being stranded on the proverbial desert island with. The musical arrangements, the absolutely lush songwriting, the staggeringly strong poetry. Workers Playtime came out almost 20 years ago, but I don't hear its age. It stands up to time very well. I have four Billy Bragg albums, and I love them all, but this is my favorite. "Must I Paint You a Picture" is beautiful, as is "The Price I Pay." If this were the only music he ever put out, I would still consider ... Read More
Rating: - elektra
My favorite thing about this album was that they sent out a "Capitalism is Killing Music" promotional coffee mug to the music director at my college radio station...I would kill for that mug today.
Rating: - Billy Bragg at his best
I would never have thought politics and love could go so well together. On this album, every song is political, yet every song is a love song, and the politics and love seem completely inseperable. The words are always great--Billy Bragg's best--and the music always serves to make the words even more powerful. You can hate Billy Bragg's politics, but if you've ever been in love or wanted to be, you still find something for yourself here. "Worker's Playtime" was recorded in the 1980s, yet it still ... Read More
Rating: - When Billy Was Great.
What to say about Workers Playtime? Listening to it is like going back to college and reliving your youth. I'm sure Mr. Bragg feels the same way about it. It's only 11 songs long but it's impossible to think that the music could be much better.
On this album, the master of urban folk created melodies concerning politics and love that are as outstanding as anything found in his oeuvre. "Waiting For The Great Leap Forward" needs little explanation but the tune includes lyrical nuggets like ... Read More
Rating: - An album I can't live without ...
Long before I hunkered down in a small Chicago club to hear Billy's cockney crooning "Ingrid Bergman" through a fine Wilco cheesecloth, I was won over by THIS album. (Yeah, they're still albums to me.) It's just ... it's one of 5 I'd take to a deserted island. There's no dross in the mix; it's all shiny. And strong. And witty like Elvis Costello. Romance and politics in an eminently charming salad, fresh from the Garden, good AND good for you. Just try to resist it.
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