Each of the remastered albums -- his 1983 debut Life's a Riot With Spy Vs. Spy, 1984's Brewing Up With Billy Bragg, 1986's Talking With the Taxman About Poetry and a disc that combines the EP's Live and Dubious (1988) and The Internationale (1990) -- comes with a bonus disc of outtakes and rarities that shed new light on the forty-eight-year-old singer's development. Life's a Riot, for example, is accompanied by extras that show Bragg's transition from singer in the punk band Riff Raff to solo performer, armed only with his electric guitar, Cockney accent and sharp wit. "There's some strange transitional stuff there where I'm veering towards Elvis Costello, who I've always admired," he says. "I'm trying to find my way, and I guess I discovered it on 'A New England.'"

"It's like Karl Rove coming out and saying he always liked Black Flag," says an incredulous Bragg, who worries he might be next on Cameron's hit parade.