Editing Billy Bragg (section)

===Late 1980s and early 1990s===
In 1986 Bragg released ''[[Talking with the Taxman About Poetry]]'', which became his first Top 10 album. Its title is taken from a poem by [[Vladimir Mayakovsky]] and a translated version of the poem was printed on the record's inner sleeve. ''[[Back to Basics (Billy Bragg album)|Back to Basics]]'' is a 1987 collection of his first three releases: ''Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy'', ''Brewing Up with Billy Bragg'', and ''Between the Wars''. He enjoyed his only Number 1 hit single in May 1988, a cover of [[the Beatles]]' "[[She's Leaving Home]]", a shared A-side with [[Wet Wet Wet]]'s "[[With a Little Help from My Friends]]". Both were taken from a multi-artist re-recording of ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' titled ''[[Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father]]'' coordinated by the ''[[NME]]'' in aid of the charity [[Childline]]. Wet Wet Wet's cover dominated radio airplay and its video was shown over four consecutive weeks on ''Top of the Pops''; on the single's first week at number one, Bragg also went on the programme to play his cover, with regular accompanist [[Cara Tivey]] on piano.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0007tqq|title=Top of the Pops: 19/05/1988|website=BBC|access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref>{{sfn|Collins|2018|pp=197–198}}

Bragg released his fourth album, ''[[Workers Playtime (Billy Bragg album)|Workers Playtime]]'', in September 1988. With this album, Bragg added a full backing band and accompaniment, including [[Cara Tivey|Tivey]] on piano, [[Danny Thompson]] on double bass and veteran [[Micky Waller]] on drums. Wiggy earned a co-production credit with [[Joe Boyd]].{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=195}}

In August 1989 Bragg took lead vocal on [[Norman Cook]]'s UK top 40 hit "Won't Talk About It", which sampled Bragg's song "[[Levi Stubbs' Tears]]" and was a double-A-side with "Blame It On the Bassline". The track was a bigger hit a year later with [[Lindy Layton]] replacing Bragg as lead vocal.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

In May 1990 Bragg released the political [[mini-LP]] ''[[The Internationale (album)|The Internationale]]'' on his and Jenner's own short-lived label Utility, which operated independently of Go! Discs, to which Bragg was still contracted. The songs were, in part, a return to his solo guitar style, but some featured more complicated arrangements and included a [[brass band]]. The album paid tribute to one of Bragg's influences with the song, "I Dreamed I Saw [[Phil Ochs]] Last Night", which is an adapted version of [[Earl Robinson]]'s song, "[[I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night]]", itself an adaptation of a poem by [[Alfred Hayes (writer)|Alfred Hayes]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Joe Hill|url=https://archive.org/details/raretunes_203_joe-hill|access-date=17 October 2013}}</ref> Though the album only reached Number 34 in the UK Albums Chart, Bragg described it as "a reassertion of my rights as an individual... and a childish two fingers [to Go! Discs boss Andy Macdonald, who'd recently signed a distribution deal with entertainment industry giant PolyGram]".{{sfn|Collins|2018|pp=207–209}}

[[File:Billy Bragg at Bestival 2008.jpg|thumb|upright|Performing with [[The Imagined Village]] at [[Camp Bestival]], 20 July 2008]]
His sixth studio album ''[[Don't Try This at Home (Billy Bragg album)|Don't Try This at Home]]'' was recorded in the shadow of the build-up to the [[Gulf War]] and subsequent ground war, inspiring the track "Rumours of War". Although there is social comment ("The Few", "North Sea Bubble"), it was intended as a more commercial pop album, released in September 1991. (Bragg called it "a very long-range attempt to convert the ball between the posts".{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=225}}). The first single was the upbeat "[[Sexuality (Billy Bragg song)|Sexuality]]", which, despite an accessible video and a dance remix on the B-side, only reached Number 27 on the UK Singles Chart. Following overtures by rival label [[Chrysalis Records|Chrysalis]], Bragg and Jenner had been persuaded by Go! Discs' Andy and Juliet Macdonald to sign a four-album deal for a million pound advance; in return he would promote the album with singles and videos.{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=221}} A more commercial sound and aggressive marketing had no appreciable effect on album sales, and after a grueling, 13-month world tour with a full band (the Red Stars, led by Wiggy), and a period of forced convalescence after [[appendicitis]], Bragg left Go! Discs in summer 1992, paying back the remainder of his advance in return for all rights to his back catalogue.{{sfn|Collins|2018|p=232}}