''Don't Try This at Home'' is the sixth album by urban folk artist

Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, author and political activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic th ...

, released on 16 September 1991 by

Go! Discs Go! Discs was a London-based record label, launched in 1983 from offices in Wendell Road, Shepherd's Bush, by Andy Macdonald and Lesley Symons. The pair founded the label after Macdonald left his job as press officer at Stiff Records, and Sy ...

. It reached #8 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. "

Sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

" was released as a single which reached #27 on the UK charts and #2 on the U.S. Modern Rock charts.

Johnny Marr John Martin Marr (Birth name#Maiden and married names, né Maher; born 31 October 1963) is a musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has sinc ...

the Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...

co-wrote "Sexuality" and helped to produce three tracks. The song "Cindy of a Thousand Lives" is about photographer

Cindy Sherman Cynthia Morris Sherman (born January 19, 1954) is an American artist whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. Her breakthrough work is often co ...

. "Tank Park Salute" is about his father, Dennis Bragg, who died of lung cancer when Bragg was 18. He said that for a show in Barking, where he grew up, he was so moved by the presence of his mother and brother in the audience that he kept a copy of the lyrics in case he forgot them while performing.

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Stipe was born in Metro Atlanta in January 1960. Due to his father's militar ...

and

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.; he played the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his caree ...

contribute to "You Woke Up My Neighbourhood." The song was named after a drawing by

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...

, whose unpublished lyrics were set to music by Bragg and

Wilco Wilco is an American Rock music, rock band based in Chicago. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo after singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its fir ...

on the '' Mermaid Avenue'' albums a few years later. "Dolphins" is a cover of the

Fred Neil Fred Neil (born Frederick Ralph Morlock Jr.; March 16, 1936 – July 7, 2001) was an American folk singer-songwriter active in the 1960s and early 1970s. He is mainly known through other people's recordings of his material – particularl ...

song. The song "God's Footballer" is about former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player Peter Knowles who spent his career at

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

before voluntarily ending his football career to become a

Jehovah's Witness Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co- ...

.God's Footballer
/ref>

Critical reception

''Don't Try This at Home'' was released to positive reviews from music critics. Writing for '' Select'', Michele Kirsch found that Bragg had subverted "every pigeonhole he's ever had the misfortune to be bunged into by both the critics and, to some extent, himself." David Quantick of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' praised the record's "imagination" and noted the presence of "many occasions when your actual Bragg sound is radically altered", concluding that Bragg had "shrugged off the demons of despond and made his best album."

Track listing

Adapted from album liner notes. All tracks written by

except where noted. #"Accident Waiting to Happen" – 4:01 #"Moving the Goalposts" – 2:34 #"Everywhere" ( Greg Trooper,

Sid Griffin Albert Sidney "Sid" Griffin (born September 18, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist-mandolinist, bandleader, and author who lives in London, England. He led the Long Ryders band in the 1980s, founded the Coal Porters group in ...

) – 5:01 #"Cindy of a Thousand Lives" – 4:15 #"You Woke Up My Neighbourhood" (Bragg,

) – 3:11 #"Trust" – 4:13 #"God's Footballer" – 3:04 #"The Few" – 3:27 #"

" (Bragg,

) – 3:49 #"Mother of the Bride" – 3:36 #"Tank Park Salute" – 3:30 #"Dolphins" (

) – 4:20 #"North Sea Bubble" – 3:19 #"Rumours of War" – 2:50 #"Wish You Were Her" – 2:46 #"Body of Water" (Bragg, Philip Wigg aka "Wiggy") – 3:58 ;Japanese bonus tracks #

"Bad Penny" (B-side of "Sexuality") – 2:49 #"Bread and Circuses" (Bragg,

Natalie Merchant Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter. She joined the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and was lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the group. She remained with the group for their first seven albums before ...

) (B-side of "You Woke Up My Neighbourhood") – 4:23 #"Sexuality (London Remix)" (Bragg, Marr) (B-side of "Sexuality") – 6:27

Bonus disc track listing

Along with a remastered album, a second bonus disc was released by

Yep Roc Records Yep Roc Records is an American independent record label based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and owned by Redeye Distribution. Since 1997, the label has released albums from North Carolina and international artists, including Fountains of Wayne ...

(in the U.S.) and

Cooking Vinyl Cooking Vinyl is a British independent record label, based in Acton, London, England. It was founded in 1986 by former manager and booking agent Martin Goldschmidt and his business partner Pete Lawrence. Goldschmidt remains the current owner an ...

(in the U.K.) in 2006. The new tracks include demos of songs on the album, as well as several other songs, including a cover of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' "

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

sings on two tracks. #"Party of God" (Bragg, Merchant) (lead vocals by Natalie Merchant) – 4:15 #"North Sea Bubble" (demo) – 3:30 #"Sexuality" (demo) (Bragg, Marr) – 3:54 #"Just One Victory" (alternative mix) (

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the bands Nazz and Utopia. He is known for his sophistica ...

) – 5:31 #"Everywhere" (alternative version) (Trooper, Griffin) – 4:42 #"Trust" (demo) – 5:43 #"Bread and Circuses" (Bragg, Merchant) – 4:28 #"Cindy of a Thousand Lives" (demo) – 3:38 #"The Few" (demo) – 3:50 #"

" (

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

) – 1:51 #"Tighten Up Your Wig" (with the Athenians and DJ Woody Dee) – 3:18 #"MBH" – 2:07 #"This Gulf Between Us" – 2:46 #"Picadilly Rambler" – 1:49 ;Bonus disc notes *Track 1 recorded May 1988 at

Fort Apache Studios Fort Apache Studios is a New England recording studio focusing on alternative rock sessions produced there since 1986. It is currently located in New Hampshire. History The studio was initially built by a collective begun in 1985 by musician/p ...

. B-side of the 10,000 Maniacs single " Trouble Me", 1989. *Track 2 recorded 16–18 January 1989 at Pavilion Studios. Previously unreleased. *Track 3 recorded 1989 at Cathouse South. Previously unreleased. *Track 4 recorded 14 April 1990 at Pavilion Studios. Remixed later and released in 1997 as the B-side of "The Boy Done Good". *Tracks 5 and 6 recorded 20 August 1990 at Gateway Studios. Previously unreleased. *Track 7 recorded August 1990 at Fort Apache Studios and produced at Pavilion Studios. B-side of "You Woke Up My Neighbourhood", 1991. *Tracks 8 and 9 recorded 14 November 1990 at Southfield Road W4. Previously unreleased. *Track 10 recorded 1 February 1991 at Cathouse South. B-side of "Accident Waiting to Happen (Red Star Version)", 1992. *Track 11 recorded May 1991 at John Keane's Studio. From the H.E.A.L. (Human Education Against Lies) album ''Civilisation Vs Technology'', 1991. *Tracks 12–14 recorded 16 July 1993 for the soundtrack of the 1993 BBCTV play ''Safe''. Previously unreleased.

Personnel

Credits adapted from album liner notes. *Billy Bragg – vocals, acoustic guitar (1–3, 5–8, 10, 11, 14), electric guitar (1, 4, 6, 8, 11–13, 15, 16), keyboards (4) *Wiggy – electric guitar (1, 5, 8, 11, 13, 15, 16), bass (1, 3, 4, 10, 16), acoustic guitar (4, 10), mandolin (10) * Cara Tivey –

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

(3, 11, 12), keyboards (6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 16), background vocals (4, 12, 16) *J. F. T. Hood – drums, percussion (1, 4, 5, 8–10, 13, 15, 16) *Dave Woodhead –

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet, but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B♭, though ...

(2, 6), trumpet (8) * Amanda Vincent – keyboards (2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 14, 15), piano (14) *

Danny Thompson Daniel Henry Edward Thompson (born 4 April 1939) is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist. He has had a long musical career playing with a large variety of other musicians, particularly Richard Thompson and John Ma ...

–

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

(12, 15) *

–

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

(3, 5), acoustic guitar (5) * Jody Linscott – percussion (4, 9, 15) * John Keane – pedal steel guitar, bass (5) * Mary Ramsey –

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

(6, 14),

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

(14) *Steven Lewis – backing vocals (15) *

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (, ; 10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter. The daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl, she recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop ...

– backing vocals (4, 9) *James Eller – bass (9, 13) *Julia Palmer –

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

(2, 14) *Andy Hobson – bass (4, 8) *Caroline Hall –

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

(8) *Elliet Mackrell –

(3, 10) * Lorraine Bowen – background vocals (1, 6, 7, 15) *Victoria Taylor Roberts – background vocals (15) *

– background vocals (5) *Andy Szabo – background vocals (15) ;Production *Grant Showbiz – production (throughout) *Johnny Marr – production (with Grant Showbiz: 4, 9, 13) *

Victor Van Vugt Victor Van Vugt is a record producer, music producer, mixer and audio engineer, engineer. An Australian based in Berlin, he has had a long association with the careers of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Beth Orton. He has also worked with P.J ...

– engineer (except 13) * John Keane – engineer (5, with Victor Van Vugt) * Owen Morris – engineer (9 with Van Vugt; 13), mixing engineer (4) *Tim Young – mastering *Caramel Crunch – cover design ;Bonus disc *Billy Bragg – vocals, guitar *Rob Allum – drums (12) *Lorraine Bowen – clarinet (6) *Peter Buck – guitar (11) *Alan Dunn – accordion (13, 14) *Nigel Frydman – bass (12) *The Grief Brothers – producer (10) *Martin Hayles – engineer (2) *J. F. T. Hood – drums (4, 10), programming (4), backing vocals (4) *John Keane – engineer (11) *Bob Loveday – violin (13, 14) *

– vocals (1, 7) *

David Narcizo David John Narcizo (born May 6, 1966, in Newport, Rhode Island) is an American musician and graphic designer, primarily known for his work as the longtime drummer for Throwing Muses. Career Narcizo played drums on Tanya Donelly's '' Loveson ...

– drums (1) *Julia Palmer – cello (7) * Andy Roberts – mandolin (14), percussion (14), producer (12–14) *Grant Showbiz – producer (4–7, 10, 11) * Gary Smith – glockenspiel (1), bass (7), percussion (7), producer (1), engineer (1, 7) * Kate St John – saxophone (6) *Mark Stepp – drums (11) *Danny Thompson – double bass (13) *Cara Tivey – piano (4–6, 12), organ (4, 12), keyboards (5), backing vocals (4, 12) *Victor Van Vugt – backing vocals (10), engineer (10), mixing (11) *Wiggy – bass (1–4, 10), guitar (2, 3, 10, 12), footstomp (2), backing vocals (10), engineer (8, 9) *Dave Woodhead – trumpet (7) *DJ Woody Dee – finger pops (11), "heal thyself" (11)

References

{{Authority control 1991 albums Albums produced by Grant Showbiz Billy Bragg albums Elektra Records albums Go! Discs albums Cooking Vinyl albums