Favourite UB 40 track?

[Guinness Boy]

Of course you are right, but ...

...UB40 restored to balance to those struggling Jamaican artists.

Said singers had all been ripped off x years earlier by the original record producers.
UB40 wrestled that credit away, and on whichever is their biggest and durgiest album, credited all the original performers.
The band, almost over night, created so many Jamaican millionaires with their shite renditions, the island almost ran out of room for new mansions.

I'll take my original hyperbole and raise it by yours Not even Tone would call that.

 

[T soprano]

Of course you are right, but ...

...UB40 restored to balance to those struggling Jamaican artists.

Said singers had all been ripped off x years earlier by the original record producers.
UB40 wrestled that credit away, and on whichever is their biggest and durgiest album, credited all the original performers.
The band, almost over night, created so many Jamaican millionaires with their shite renditions, the island almost ran out of room for new mansions.

You could argue I suppose that Ub40 made Elvis and Neil Diamond legends once again with their class renditions of "Red red wine"and "I can't help falling in love with you"

 

[T soprano]

Or even SONNY & CHER with "I got u babe"

 

[Stat Brother]

You could argue I suppose that Ub40 made Elvis and Neil Diamond legends once again with their class renditions of "Red red wine"and "I can't help falling in love with you"

They are equal opportunities ruiners of music.
They could massacre tunes from the very best and the unknown.

 

[AmexRuislip]

Cherry Oh Baby

 

[BN9 BHA]

Present Arms.

 

[BensGrandad]

You could argue I suppose that Ub40 made Elvis and Neil Diamond legends once again with their class renditions of "Red red wine"and "I can't help falling in love with you"

I think that their version of I cant help falling ion love is awful in comparison to the Elvis version.

 

[T soprano]

I think that their version of I cant help falling ion love is awful in comparison to the Elvis version.

My post was written with sarcasm in mind, like I said earlier a ub40 fan but mainly their early albums

 

[daveinprague]

They did a lot of covers for sure. What I liked about them, was the fact they brought a lot of white people into reggae, who would not normally have given it the time of day.previously.Time was right for them as well.
as for song, King

 

[Phat Baz 68]

Red Red Wine 12' version
Earth Dies Screaming / Dream A Lie 12's
Johnny Too Bad
Signing Off
Version Girl

 

[BUTTERBALL]

Food for Thought

 

[T soprano]

Also think ub40 early lyrics were pretty good as well to be honest

"One In Ten"

[Chorus:]
I am the one in ten
A number on a list
I am the one in ten
Even though I don`t exist
Nobody Knows me
Even though I`m always there
A statistic, a reminder
Of a world that doesn`t care

My arms enfold the dole queue
Malnutrition dulls my hair
My eyes are black and lifeless
With an underprivileged stare
I`m the beggar on the corner
Will no-one spare a dime?
I`m the child that never learns to read
`Cause no-one spared the time

I`m the murderer and the victim
The licence with the gun
I`m a sad and bruised old lady
In an ally in a slum
I`m a middle aged businessman
With chronic heart disease
I`m another teenaged suicide
In a street that has no trees

I`m a starving third world mother
A refugee without a home
I`m a house wife hooked on Valium
I`m a Pensioner alone
I`m a cancer ridden spectre
Covering the earth
I`m another hungry baby
I`m an accident of birth

 

[studio150]

Hugely over rated band, who are not even close to being the best English reggae band which surely must be Aswad who recorded far better songs but never really had the success that their talents merited.

Caught them live supporting the Pretenders years ago, and not impressed at all.

Reggae by numbers biased towards a pop audience

 

[Mr Bridger]

Also think ub40 early lyrics were pretty good as well to be honest

"One In Ten"

[Chorus:]
I have a one inch head
A number on a list
I am the one in ten
Even though I don`t exist
Nobody Knows me
Even though I`m always there
A statistic, a reminder
Of a world that doesn`t care

My arms enfold the dole queue
Malnutrition dulls my hair
My eyes are black and lifeless
With an underprivileged stare
I`m the beggar on the corner
Will no-one spare a dime?
I`m the child that never learns to read
`Cause no-one spared the time

I`m the murderer and the victim
The licence with the gun
I`m a sad and bruised old lady
In an ally in a slum
I`m a middle aged businessman
With chronic heart disease
I`m another teenaged suicide
In a street that has no trees

I`m a starving third world mother
A refugee without a home
I`m a house wife hooked on Valium
I`m a Pensioner alone
I`m a cancer ridden spectre
Covering the earth
I`m another hungry baby
I`m an accident of birth

What I used to sing

 

[Buzzer]

Signing Off was an incredibly good album. I loved it. Loved the cover too. They went downhill so fast after that. My favourite track is this remic by 808 State of 1 in 10.

This is seriously good. They've kept the integrity of the original, added loads of dub and then all the wonderful little touches that 808 State are/were so good at.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHYAwYgSiVM

 

[Beach Hut]

When they played at the Top Rank Suite, not sure when in the 80s we got in on the guest list, they were doing the sound test rehearsal and we pleaded poverty but wanted to go, true to form the man with the dreadlocks wrote our titre names on a spare Rizzla paper and hey presto when we turned up we got in free.

I always like UB40, inspiring tracks

 

[woody12a]

Playing the Brighton Centre in May

 

[Buzzer]

@T soprano's hit the nail on the head with his excellent post although not convinced on Don't Break My Heart (sorry!).

I think the mitigating circumstances for their massive and rapid sell-out though was that they came from a very poor background, they were living in a squat when they made their first album. The successes of the first two albums meant that they were very marketable (white guys doing reggae was a lot easier to sell to 80s Middle England ) so the record companies steered them into the safe Radio 1 territory and in return gave them loads of cash, unfortunately they became a self-parody which was a real shame.

I think if I were in their position I might well have taken the money too.

 

[T soprano]

@T soprano's hit the nail on the head with his excellent post although not convinced on Don't Break My Heart (sorry!).
.

Loved the video to Don't break my heart, where the song gets stuck on the jukebox and Ali goes over and gives it a nudge then carries on singing, probably the only reason it gets into my top 10

 

[Questions]

Don't let it pass you by........



Lyrics .. Don't let the only world,
Your ever gonna live in,
Pass you by.


Signing off and Present arms are excellent and paying homage to some of the songs they grew up in with Labour of Love was a great idea but that wore thin by the 3rd.

Saw them in 81 and 83 and they were superb................not so the latter concerts.