Recently, a gift card allowed to me to get reacquainted with some old friends. That's because I had enough for reissued versions of Billy Bragg's "Don't Try This At Home," George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" and a double-disc reissue of Alvin Ranglin's "Roots Man Dub."
I hope Billy won't kill me for saying that his 1991 "Don't Try This At Home" disc is perhaps his most recent essential record. That's because although it was really his first full-on foray into using a band, it also bridged the part of his career in which Billy and his brash Burns guitar took on the world.
The record's 16 songs were awash in themes and ideas. From the playful, poppy statement on sexual politics that is "Sexuality" to the rockin' "Accident Waiting to Happen" to the rap at hooligans in "The Few" and the bittersweet "Wish You Were Her."
But two continue to hit me hardest. And I remember the first time I heard "Tank Park Salute," which I've always guessed was about Bragg's father, and "Trust," about someone who fears having been infected with AIDS. Chicago's Cabaret Metro, 1991. We walked away remembering these two more songs more than any other.
I wish the mix was a little less muddy on some of these tracks and that the booklet had useful or interesting info (or even lyrics like the original Elektra CD). But on the upside, the 14 tracks on the bonus CD are at the worst interesting as indications of the material gestated and at best -- like the long, jazzy version of "Trust" -- awesome.
I haven't listened to "All Things Must Pass" since I stopped listening to the Beatles non-stop at about age 12. And that's a shame, because I only got mildly familiar with its six sides back then. Despite the noodly, extended jam with Clapton and company, the meat of the record is bubbling over with great songs -- "My Sweet Lord," "Isn't It A Pity," "What is Life," " Wah-Wah," I'd Have You Anytime."
Why Harrison decided to tinker with some of the added outtakes 30 years on is curious, but that he was as skilled a songwriter as any Beatle is clear on this record, produced by the now-deep-in-doo-doo Phil Spector.
(This reissue is not new. It was released in 2001, by the way).
Lastly but not leastly, Heartbeat/Rounder has remastered the 15 killer instrumental dubs on 1978's "Roots Man Dub," released by Alvin "GG" Ranglin's GG Records Hit label, and matched them with another 14 unreleased dubs from the period, to create a two-disc rock 'em sock 'em roots reggae session that is unbeatable.
There are great linter notes and Heartbeat also is kind enough to tell us the names and artists of the original source tunes from which these dubs derive. There are versions of tunes by George Faith, Sister Nancy, Tony Tuff, Gregory Isaacs, The Maytones, Bim Sherman, Earth & Stone, Rod Taylor, Leroy Smart and others.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
