UB40 - The Albums from 1980 to 1998.rtf

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UB40 - The Albums 1980 - 1998

Signing Off (1980)

'Signing Off' was UB40's debut album, the result of their first record deal with Graduate, a small independent company in Dudley. Signing off bears on its cover, the UB40 form from which the band took their name. Much of the album was later re-released on the UB40 File.

13 tracks on Signing Off : Tyler, King, 12 Bar, Burden of Shame, Adella, I Think it's Going to Rain Today, 25%, Food for Thought, Little By Little, Signing Off , Madam Medusa, Strange Fruit, Reefer Madness

11 tracks on UB40 File : Tyler, King, Burden of Shame, I Think it's Going to Rain Today, Food for Thought, Signing Off , Madam Medusa, Strange Fruit, My Way of Thinking, The Earth Dies Screaming, Dream a Lie

Present Arms (1981)

'Present Arms' was the eagerly awaited second album from UB40 and the first album release by their record label, DEP International.

10 tracks on Present Arms : Presnt Arms, Sardonicus, Don't Let It Pass You By, Wildcat, Don't Walk On The Grass, One In Ten, Don't Slow Down, Silent Witness, Lamb's Bread, Doctor X

Present Arms in Dub (1981)

'Present Arms in Dub' was released shortly after the original 'Present Arms' (above) and with it, UB40 became the first band ever to get a fully dub album into the British album charts.

8 tracks on Present Arms in Dub: Presnt Arms in Dub, Smoke It, B-line, Kings Row, Return of Dr X, Walkout, One In Ten, Neonhaze

UB44 (1981)

The original vinyl release of UB44 was available in a limited edition hologram cover set, now much saught after. Steve Crisp was behind the cover illustration showing the band in front of a huge 'UB' rock formation.

9 tracks on UB44 : So Here I Am, I Won't Close My Eyes, Forget The Cost, Love Is All Is Alright, The Piper Calls The Tune, The Key, Don't Do The Crime, Folitician, The Prisoner

Labour Of Love (1983)

The Labour of Love series of albums of which this is the first are albums featuring UB40's interpretations of their favourite tracks. It is best described by the message from 'Doctor X' which featured on the inlay of the album...

This is a selection of songs. They represent an era. An era, after the first skinhead wave, when black boys were still rude boys and only hippies wore their hair long. They represent reggae when it was first called by that name. Reggae before it was discovered by cops, sociologists and TV producers. Before it was claimed by lefties, liberals, punks and rastas. Reggae when it was just the other dance music and most DJ's still sniggered at it.

All of these songs were recorded by reggae artists between 1969 and 1972. 'Sweet Sensation' was by the great Melodians. Tony Tribe's version of 'Red Red Wine' made the song a hit on the reggae scene. The mysteriously named Tiger got to the lovelorn with 'Guilty' while Winston Groovey got to everyone with 'Please Don't make Me Cry' and yet another story of lost love 'She Caught The Train' was by Ray Martell. Boy Friday toasted 'Version Girl'. 'Keep On Moving' was on the wonderful album 'African Herbsman' by Bob Marley and The Wailers. Eric Donaldson gave us 'Cherry Oh Baby' and The Slickers 'Johnny Too Bad'. Probably the best known song here is 'Many Rivers To Cross', which was of course a hit for Jimmy Cliff.

In those days, reggae appealed not to the intellect or the social conscience, but to the heart and hips. The UB's were very young at the time and loved these songs as only kids can. Here they are agaiu. Whether you were around then, or not, we hope you like them.

Doctor X

10 tracks on Labour of Love : Cherry Oh Baby, Keep On Moving, Please Don't Make Me Cry, Sweet Sensation, Johnny Too Bad, Red Red Wine, Guilty, She Caught The Train, Version Girl, Many Rivers To Cross.

Labour of Love I and II were released together in a reduced price double CD pack in the summer of 1995, the cover of which showed both sets of original cover artwork and the brushed logo as used on Promises and Lies.

The Best of UB40 - Volume One (1987)

The pub on the cover is the Eagle and Tun, frequented by UB40 as it is close to DEP International in Digbeth, Birmingham. 'Best of, Volume One' was re-released in 1995 along with the relese of Volume Two.

18 tracks on The Best of UB40 : Volume One : Food For Thought, King, My Way of Thinking, The Earth Dies Screaming, Dream A Lie, Don't Let It Pass You By, Don't Slow Down, 1 In 10, Red Red Wine, Please Don't Make Me Cry, Many Rivers To Cross, Cherry Oh Baby, If It Happens Again, I Got You Babe, Don't Break My Heart, Sing Our Own Song, Rat In Mi Kitchen, Maybe Tomorrow.

UB40 (1988)

UB40 was released in the UK in 1988 featuring the hit single 'Breakfast In Bed' which reached number 6 in the British carts. 'Breakfast In Bed' is the second of two singles which the band released with guest vocalist Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders.

11 tracks on UB40 : Dance With The Devil, Come Out To Play, Breakfast In Bed, You're Always Pulling Me Down, I would Do For You, 'Cause it Isn't True, Where Did I Go Wrong, Contaminated Minds, Matter of Time, Music So Nice, Dance With The Devil (reprise)

Labour Of Love II (1989)

The second album in the Labour of Love series, continues with more of UB40's favourite tracks and followed on the success of the first. Again, Doctor X wrote for the sleeve...

[...] There's nothing contrived, by the way, about this second collection; I happen to know that the UB's, like any true enthusiasts, began their first Labour of Love with a list of favourites that could have made four albums, at least.

These songs, like those on Volume I, are from a golden age, when dancing was rather less frnetic, and the music for it was made by people, not machines. Reggae of the period no longer consisted almost entirely of American R&B played (wrong, as most people felt at the time) by Jamaicans: but Rasta fundamentalism was not yet derigeur. This was also the era of the first toasting DJ's - starting with U-Roy, who transformed John Holt's 'Wear You To The Ball'. Non-Caribbean influences were still strong, naturally enough. Al Green's 'Here I Am' was first converted to reggae by Skin Flesh & Bones, and the gorgeous 'Homely Girl' came to the UB's via Jackie Robinson of The Pioneers, but was recorded first by the Chi-Lites.

[...] Needless to say, none of these recordings is a mere copy. What you have here is a collection of classics, reinterpreted with tender care: filtered through the peculiar sensibilities of a gang of Brummies who were but schoolboys when they were first thrilled by them, but who deseve now to be considered veterans of their chosen genre. They certainly remain its' foremost British ambassadors to the world. if you know enough to be reading this, you probably don't need your attention drawn to Ali Campbell's inimitable voice, the delicious Everlyish harmonies of his brother Robin, the steaming horn section, or any of the other features that have made UB40 consistent crowd-pleasers and bum-shifters for a decade.

One last observation, for those victims of Rockthink, who believe that medicrity is justified by 'originality', and would call these performances 'cover versions': The Catalan philosopher Eugenio d'Ors used to say: "What doesn't grow out of tradition is plaigiarism." Such thoughts, of course, will do little for your dancing...

(The return of) Doctor X

14 tracks on Labour of Love II : Here I Am (Come And Take Me), Tears From My Eyes, Groovin', The Way You Do The Things You Do, Kingston Town, Baby, Wedding Day, Wear You To The Ball, Homely Girl, Impossible Love.

Labour of Love I and II were released together in a reduced price double CD pack in the summer of 1995, the cover of which showed both sets of original cover artwork and the brushed band logo as used on Promises and Lies. This, along with the release of the second 'Best of' album kept fans content in the extended break the band took from recording from 1993 to 1997.

Promises and Lies (1993)

The long awaited album 'Promises and Lies' was released in the spring of 1993, entering the British album charts at number one where it was to stay for 7 weeks - longer than any other album in 1993. This album features UB40's third chart-topping single 'Can't Help Falling in Love' which was perhaps helped to fame by it's inclusion on the Paramount film Sliver, starring Sharon Stone. The album which was, in places getting quite 'pop' also gave other hits including 'Higher Ground' and 'Bring Me Your Cup'. For an explanation of UB40's longevity, look no further than the track 'Reggae Music' featured on this album. The inlay of 'Promises and Lies' contained the artwork of Abolition Of Man From The Lost Book Of Souls by Peter Max Kandhola.

11 tracks on Promises and Lies : C'est La Vie, Desert Sand, Promises and Lies, Bring Me Your Cup, Higher Ground, Reggae Music, Can't Help Falling In Love, Now and Then, Things Ain't Like They Used To Be, It's A Long long Way, Sorry.

The Best of UB40 - Volume Two (1995)

UB40's second 'best of' album featuring tracks from 'UB40', 'Labour of Love II' and 'Promises and Lies'. includes the single 'Breakfast In Bed' featuring Chrissie Hynde and the hit, 'Can't Help Falling in Love'. The cover features a recreation of the 'band in the pub' scene from the first 'best of' album' in 'The Cauliflower Ear', Birmingham. The pub was renamed to 'The Cauliflower Ear' because of its proximity to a boxing gym, one of a couple in Birmingham helped out by UB40. The pub has since be re-named back to 'The Eagle and Tun' as it was when the first 'Best of' cover was shot.

14 tracks on The Best of UB40 - Volume Two : Where Did I Go Wrong, Here I Am (Come and Take Me), Kingston Town, The Way You Do the Things You Do, Can't Help Falling In Love, Higher Ground, Bring Me Your Cup, Reggae Music, Superstition, Until My Dying Day.

Guns In The Ghetto (1997)

Guns In The Ghetto proved to be fairly unseccessful by UB40's standards Perhaps due to it being less of a pop sound than Promises and Lies had been. Perhaps because the CD inlay felt like recycled paper. It did however, bear the single "Tell Me Is It True" which featured in the hit film Speed 2 - Cruise Control, starring Sandra Bullock.

10 tracks on Guns In the Ghetto : Always There, Hurry Come Up, I Love It When You Smile, I've Been Missing You, Oracabessa Moonshine, Guns In The Ghetto, Tell Me Is It True, Friendly Fire, I Really Can't Say, Lisa.

Labour Of Love III (1998)

The third of UB40's Labours of Love includes an odd 'hidden track' of Brahm's Lullaby and again features an introduction by Doctor X...

[...] So here we are again. This is the third volume of UB40's tribute to the artists who inspired them. Reggae has come and gone, and come again, into the pop mainstream, but UB40 just keep getting better at their chosen job. What's more, the same eight souls are still doing that job, after twenty years - an extraordinary achievement in itself.

For those eight, and anyone else who grew up with reggae, this is another collection of classics. Inevitably, a decade on from the last set, fewer of them will be immediately recognized by the general public. The first volume included songs which had been 'crossover' hits already; the second boasted some 'reggaefied' R&B masterpieces. This one, you might say, is the most 'purely' reggae yet. So, the first hearing may not whisk you back to the turn of the 'seventies' (supposing you were even born, then), but that's o.k. After all, UB40's intention never was to indulge in nostalgia, but rather to demonstrate that this music could be more widely appreciated, given greater exposure. The success of volumes I & II proved them correct in that belief, and this one will surely confirm it. Listen again, and you'll be convinced you've known these songs all your life. [...]

Doctor X

15 tracks on Labour of Love III : Holly Holy, It's My Delight, Come Back Darling, Never Let Go, Soul Rebel, My Best Girl, Good Ambition, Train Is Coming, Blood & Fire, Mr. Fix It, Stay A Little Bit Longer, Someone Like You, Time Has Come, Crying Over You, Legalize It.

UB40 presents The Dancehall Album (1998)

This compilation of songs was put together by UB40 in 1998 and features various Dancehall Artists.

13 tracks on The Dancehall Album : Magic Carpet, Force Ripe, Smaile For Me, Waw Waw Waw, Ladda Bay, More Opportunity, Oh No baby Don't Go, Love That I Need, More Love, Nuff Love, Who, Hills and Valley, No Stray

Also available on the Record Club label is a compilation of the original tracks, covered by UB40 in their Labour of Love albums. This is available in the UK from HMV and all good record shops (in the UB40 section) and is titled, 'The Roots of UB40'.

The Logos

1 - UB40 Logo, as used on 'Promises and Lies', 'Labour of Love I & II' Twinpack and 'Best of, Volume Two'