UB40 - crap or really crap
- Thread starter Termite Man
- Start date
Meltingpot
Living in our pools we soon forget about the sea
"Don't Break My Heart" was good too.
TopCat said:
the reggae community in JA fucking ADORE UB40 - they rarely get paid publishing etc, but as you say UB40 (and the mighty Caroline from Westbury
have resolved it as best they can.
ringo
Macaroni cheese controller
They're great. Signing Off, Present Arms and Present Arms In Dub stand up against any reggae recorded in the UK, and beat a fair amount of JA recordings at their own game. They, like Aswad, went a bit poppy in the 80's and made some money, but good luck to them.
As Dub said, they paid royalties to every JA singer who's work they recorded, and many legends (including the incredibly under-rated Ken Boothe) who were still living in poverty now own their own house and can put food on their families table every day just from those royalties. They get, and deserve, huge respect for that.
As Dub said, they paid royalties to every JA singer who's work they recorded, and many legends (including the incredibly under-rated Ken Boothe) who were still living in poverty now own their own house and can put food on their families table every day just from those royalties. They get, and deserve, huge respect for that.
i quite like them 
foo
dirtysweet
Dubversion said:
yeh, i believe this too. i know a lot of people have sneered at UB40 for playing 'plastic reggae' like i dunno, Ace of Base or someone - i get quite pissed off when i hear this cos i don't believe it's true. all old reggae heads i've known like UB40 and respect their contribution to reggae music.
i've got an album somewhere where many old reggae heads like Gregory etc. are singing UB40 songs - i don't like it much (from what i can remember), but i think the fact that it exists shows jamaican reggae artists respect their stuff.
they've been putting out small-run 7"s lately as well, did an ace one with Jonno (Dub Dadda) a while back
)
Boogie Boy
Rockin' on the 1210s
Not crap.
BB
BB
*Miss Daisy*
Suck a Big Hairy....
I fucking loves UB40!
*Miss Daisy*
Suck a Big Hairy....
Massive bump
Kaka Tim
Half Arsed and Slapdash till I Die
Very much agree with the concensus here - first stuff was outstanding - "signing off" is an outstanding record great songs - angry, passionate and sincere with wonderfully invenitve dub soundscapes.
Then came "Labour of Love" and they mutated into bland, anemeic pop reggae where the backing music sounded like somebody had pressed the demo button on a casio. Status Quo playing on the off beat.
Then came "Labour of Love" and they mutated into bland, anemeic pop reggae where the backing music sounded like somebody had pressed the demo button on a casio. Status Quo playing on the off beat.
UB40 are a band that challenge the use of the term 'phenotype'.
Love this one.
I played it repeatedly when i first bought it. My mother once shouted up the stairs
"I'll bloody die screaming if you dont change the record"
Fuckin' TUNE!!!
This raises an important point - how many tunes have you heard on a sound system and thought 'FUCK ME!!!!' - when the tune suddenly made sense and moved you emotionally, intellectually and aurally (the equivalent of sex).
BigMoaner
Some Might Say
this normally only happens to me with headphones or listening doing the washing up. apart from jungle raves in the 90s, i've never really been a live music nut.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
I am the one in ten
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a number on a liiiiiist
If it works for you - embrace it!
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