I’ve had this terrible seven-inch EP by lower-league punk group Riff Raff in my collection for nearly 45 years and I had no idea until literally just now that the singer is Billy Bragg.

I thought it was just another angry bloke shouting over a rudimentary backing, played at high speed and recorded very badly.

Listening now, it all makes sense that this is the Bard of Barking’s debut; especially when you hear the second track, a jolly pub singalong called Romford Girls – and their follow-up single Barking Park Lake.

It was their (and Billy’s) first release in June 1978 on the Chiswick record label and although Riff Raff disappeared almost without trace the song was later immortalised on a compilation including The 101ers and Johnny & the Self Abusers – two other bands whose singers would soon become superstars.

Riff Raff comprised Bragg on vocals and guitar, Johnny Waugh (later replaced by Ruan O’Louchlain of Bees Make Honey) on bass, Robert Handley on drums, guitarist Philip Wigg and a certain SDR Gol’fish on keyboards.

As his fans will already know, Bragg joined the army after the band broke up in 1981 but bought his way out after basic training and went back to music, pioneering his punk-folk protest hybrid in one-man shows as Spy v Spy.

I can’t recall where or when I first heard him but it was probably on John Peel – everything else was – and possibly the occasion when Bragg heard Peel mention on-air that he was hungry and rushed round to the BBC with a mushroom biryani… and a copy of his debut album Life’s A Riot With Spy vs Spy.

Ever obliging, Peel played a track right away, albeit at the wrong speed – because the LP was, unconventionally, cut to play at 45rpm.