Billy Bragg - Reaching to the Converted

Consider this something of a garage sale for Billy Bragg. On the heels of one of his career highs, Mermaid Avenue, the plugged-in folkie has dived into the hodgepodge he hoarded between 1985 and 1997 and compiled a surprisingly beguiling and cohesive collection of B-sides and bonus tracks. With nine selections from the '80s and eight from the '90s, Reaching offers considerable expanse while making a strong case for Bragg as one of the most productive and consistent post-punk performers to come out of Britain. Highlights here include a previously unreleased version of "Shirley," with the Smiths' Johnny Marr providing the instrumental backing, and a slew of savvy covers that includes the McGarrigles' "Heart Like a Wheel," the Left Banke's "Walk Away Renee," the Beatles' "She's Leaving Home," and Ry Cooder's "Tattler." Reaching to the Converted holds considerable appeal for Bragg partisans, but it's appealing enough to win over nonconverts, too. --Steven Stolder Amazon.com

This cd's grown on me to become a personal favorite

This is an album that's grown on me very much in the two years that I've owned it. The first Billy Bragg cd I owned and heard was "Back to Basics", and I loved it from the start. But as with "The Internationale", I wasn't too keen on this one at first. Unlike "The Internationale", which I still only like to listen to once in awhile, this cd's become a real favorite of mine. I loved songs like "Shirley", "Sulk", "Accident Waiting to Happen", "Bad Penny" and "Jeane" from early on, but as time has gone by, I've come to love just about every song on here--romantic or political, upbeat or slow tempo. Simply put, it's an amazing collection of songs, and surprisingly cohesive for a compilation album. The instrumentation is great, and when Bragg sings, it's done beautifully on this album. And of course, the lyrics are witty and clever as always, with plenty of catchy, and beautifully written and played songs. I'm torn between four and five stars; right now I'm going with four, but give it a month or two, and it'll probably have risen to five in my book. April 30, 2008

Classic Billy.

Irreverent, creative, and exploding with energy, Reaching to the Converted is one of my favorite Billy Bragg CDs. I still listen to it quite often even though I bought it in 1999. It contains, "Walk Away Renee," which is among the finest songs of his oeuvre. I also like the Rickenbacker sound of this version of "Shirley" which is quite beautiful. "Bad Penny" and "The Boy Done Good" are outstanding tracks as well. The time Johnny Marr spent with Bragg is on display here, and practically anything that man ever touched turned to gold. March 25, 2007

Pretty darned coherent for the most illegible bachelor in town...

Billy Bragg's socialist politics, expressed both in his image and some of his more laborious music, have done a lot to obscure just how sublime a pop singer he can be. On this compilation of b-sides, Bragg fans find an engaging mix of covers, alternate takes, and invaluable originals. Bragg demonstrates not just his songwriting chops but also a real knack for interpreting - primarily evidenced by his gorgeous cover of the folkie chestnut Heart Like a Wheel. The Bragg original Ontario Quebec and Me may just be one of the most achingly beautiful love songs ever written (although for my money Mary Lou Lord's version - an obscure b-side itself - is the definitive reading, even if she can's seem to recall recording it in the first place).

I'm not sure what this says about Bragg, but I really think this compilation of leftovers is his most consistent album. Perhaps despite the title, it's certainly one of the only cases I can think of where a rarities collection is an ideal starting place for the uninitiated.
August 2, 2005

Great career-spanning CD

... as a fan of Billy's since the release of 'Talking with the Taxman...', I bought this thinking it was exactly as titled, something for us 'Billy' fans, and it did NOT dissapoint... those of us in the 'States' had missed out on alot of what was released in England... that being said... the original of 'Accident Waiting to Happen' has much more power as a song, and 'Greetings...', in it's original version is also much better... the rest of this LP is fantastic throughout (including those re-made songs)... I've put songs from this LP on mix-tapes for friends, and they're never disappointed... it's wonderful how you can tell in each stage of Billy's career that 'this song' was an outtake from this album, and 'that song', was an outtake from this... and then there are his hits from England that we never got to hear until now.... amazing that one of my favorite artists ever could come out with the most 'essential' B-Sides LP ever... why couldn't XTC have done this? February 8, 2004

Good for a sample of Billy Bragg's varying styles

Billy Bragg is not only a political activist, but the guy can sing a good ballad too.
There is a sampling of both here; from the beautiful heart-wrenching cover "A Heart is a Wheel" to the politically infused "Days Like These" to the purely pop hit "Shirley" this CD has it all.
A fine introductory collection of Bragg's differing musical stylings. January 26, 2003

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