Don't Try This at Home

It took a gradual assimilation, but Billy Bragg slowly embraced the conventions of modern music-making. After debuting in the early \'80s as a “one-man Clash”—strapped with an electric guitar and a grating, confrontational voice—Bragg eventually became an unlikely pop star. His leftist political convictions have either been greatly pronounced in protest material or subtly shading his romantic ideals on his sweeter-than-expected love songs. 1988’s *Worker’s Playtime*—with the help of legendary folk-rock producer Joe Boyd—had been his most mature work to date, but 1991’s *Don’t Try This at Home* went a step further. Members of R.E.M., Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, and Kirsty MacColl add their touches (including drums) for the most musically varied album of Bragg’s career. “Accident Waiting to Happen” is a convincing rocker, but it’s the softer touches of “Moving the Goalposts,” “Everywhere,\" and the heart-stopping “Wish You Were Her” that present Bragg as a singer/songwriter you’d more likely hear in a nightclub than out on the streets.

After dipping his toes in the notion of using backing musicians on Talking With the Taxman About Poetry, Billy Bragg finally dove in headfirst with Worker's Playtime, but Don't Try This at Home was where Bragg first began to sound completely comfortable with the notion of a full band.