This year marks the 30th anniversary of Billy Bragg's classic 1983 mini-album Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy. On October 29 in North America (October 21 in the UK), Cooking Vinyl will reissue that debut disc in an expanded edition.
The seven-song tracklist has been been expanded with the inclusion of a new live set, which was recorded at Union Chapel in London, UK, on June 5 of this year. Billy played all seven songs solo during the encore of that show, meaning that each track emerges twice here (although not in the same order).
Bragg said in a statement, "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."
The album has been remastered and will be available digitally, on CD and 180-gram vinyl. It's available to pre-order here.
This isn't the first time that Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy has been reissued. An expanded edition of the album (including a slew of bonus tracks) arrived in 2006 as part of a series of reissues from Bragg's catalogue.
Thanks to Slicing Up Eyeballs for the tip.
Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy:
1. The Milkman of Human Kindness
2. To Have and to Have Not
3. Richard
4. A New England
5. The Man in the Iron Mask
6. The Busy Girl Buys Beauty
7. Lovers Town Revisited
8. Intro (Live at Union Chapel)
9. Lovers Town Revisited (Live at Union Chapel)
10. To Have and to Have Not (Live at Union Chapel)
11. The Busy Girl Buys Beauty (Live at Union Chapel)
12. The Man in the Iron Mask (Live at Union Chapel)
13. Richard (Live at Union Chapel)
14. The Milkman of Human Kindness (Live at Union Chapel)
15. A New England (Live at Union Chapel)
The seven-song tracklist has been been expanded with the inclusion of a new live set, which was recorded at Union Chapel in London, UK, on June 5 of this year. Billy played all seven songs solo during the encore of that show, meaning that each track emerges twice here (although not in the same order).
Bragg said in a statement, "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."
The album has been remastered and will be available digitally, on CD and 180-gram vinyl. It's available to pre-order here.
This isn't the first time that Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy has been reissued. An expanded edition of the album (including a slew of bonus tracks) arrived in 2006 as part of a series of reissues from Bragg's catalogue.
Thanks to Slicing Up Eyeballs for the tip.
Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy:
1. The Milkman of Human Kindness
2. To Have and to Have Not
3. Richard
4. A New England
5. The Man in the Iron Mask
6. The Busy Girl Buys Beauty
7. Lovers Town Revisited
8. Intro (Live at Union Chapel)
9. Lovers Town Revisited (Live at Union Chapel)
10. To Have and to Have Not (Live at Union Chapel)
11. The Busy Girl Buys Beauty (Live at Union Chapel)
12. The Man in the Iron Mask (Live at Union Chapel)
13. Richard (Live at Union Chapel)
14. The Milkman of Human Kindness (Live at Union Chapel)
15. A New England (Live at Union Chapel)
