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Now this is what we want: most of UB40's debut album Signing Off, plus the 12" single that was included with initial copies of the set, coupled with their first three double A-sided singles. So far removed is the group's earliest work from their later sound that even the most culturally minded of reggae fans will want this record in their collection. UB40's later albums rarely equaled the strength of their singles, even as their later singles lost much of the bite and creativity of their predecessors. Thus, this set captures them at their most militant and experimental. The trio of singles -- "Food for Thought"/"King", "My Way of Thinking"/"I Think It's Going to Rain", and "The Earth Dies Screaming"/"Dream Is a Lie" -- reveal the inner workings of the group, as they play with styles, shifting back and forth from more Jamaica-fied sounds to almost breezy pop, winding into smokey jazz clubs, onto the dancefloor, and off into the dreamiest of milieus. On their full length, the band furthered their musical adventures with both vocal tracks and groove-filled instrumentals and dub. Thematically, the songs were even harder hitting than the singles, encompassing calls to class warfare to the defense of young Gary "Tyler", imprisoned for life in Louisiana. The horrors of the American south obviously haunted the band, and they return to its magnolia scented climes for "Strange Fruit", a terrifying expose of lynching. "Fruit" was one of the trio of songs on the aforementioned 12", along with the driving instrumental "Reefer Madness", and the epic "Madam Medusa", where the mythological Medusa stalks the roots-reggae groove across the 12+ minute track. If all you know of UB40 is their later hits or Labour of Love series, UB40 will come as a revelation, commercially accessible, but roaring with militant fire, awash in creativity and honed with their desire to bring reggae into a new musical world of their own invention. In all that they succeeded brilliantly.
© Jo-Ann Greene /TiVo
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Jim Brown, ComposerLyricist - Robin Campbell, ComposerLyricist - Ali Campbell, ComposerLyricist - Rafe McKenna, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Earl Falconer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Travers, ComposerLyricist - Michael Virtue, ComposerLyricist - Norman Hassan, ComposerLyricist - Bob Lamb, Producer - UB40, Producer, MainArtist - Neil Black, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Terrence Wilson, ComposerLyricist
(C) 1985 DEP International under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1985 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1980 Virgin Records Limited
Jim Brown, ComposerLyricist - Robin Campbell, ComposerLyricist - Ali Campbell, ComposerLyricist - Rafe McKenna, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Earl Falconer, ComposerLyricist - Michael Virtue, ComposerLyricist - Norman Hassan, ComposerLyricist - Bob Lamb, Producer - UB40, Producer, MainArtist - Neil Black, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Terrence Wilson, ComposerLyricist
(C) 1985 DEP International under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1985 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1980 Virgin Records Limited
Robin Campbell, ComposerLyricist - Ali Campbell, ComposerLyricist - Rafe McKenna, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Earl Falconer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Travers, ComposerLyricist - Michael Virtue, ComposerLyricist - Norman Hassan, ComposerLyricist - Bob Lamb, Producer - Terence Wilson, ComposerLyricist - UB40, Producer, MainArtist - Neil Black, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - James Stephen Brown, ComposerLyricist
(C) 1985 DEP International under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1985 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1980 Virgin Records Limited
Randy Newman, ComposerLyricist - Rafe McKenna, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Bob Lamb, Producer - UB40, Producer, MainArtist - Neil Black, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
(C) 1985 DEP International under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1985 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1980 Virgin Records Limited
Jim Brown, ComposerLyricist - Robin Campbell, ComposerLyricist - Ali Campbell, ComposerLyricist - Rafe McKenna, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Earl Falconer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Travers, ComposerLyricist - Michael Virtue, ComposerLyricist - Norman Hassan, ComposerLyricist - Bob Lamb, Producer - UB40, Producer, MainArtist - Neil Black, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Terrence Wilson, ComposerLyricist
(C) 1985 DEP International under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1985 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1980 Virgin Records Limited
Jim Brown, ComposerLyricist - Robin Campbell, ComposerLyricist - Ali Campbell, ComposerLyricist - Rafe McKenna, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Earl Falconer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Travers, ComposerLyricist - Michael Virtue, ComposerLyricist - Norman Hassan, ComposerLyricist - Bob Lamb, Producer - UB40, Producer, MainArtist - Neil Black, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Terrence Wilson, ComposerLyricist
(C) 1985 DEP International under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1985 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1980 Virgin Records Limited
Jim Brown, ComposerLyricist - Robin Campbell, ComposerLyricist - Ali Campbell, ComposerLyricist - Rafe McKenna, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Earl Falconer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Travers, ComposerLyricist - Michael Virtue, ComposerLyricist - Norman Hassan, ComposerLyricist - Bob Lamb, Producer - Ray "Pablo" Falconer, Producer - UB40, Producer, MainArtist - Neil Black, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Terrence Wilson, ComposerLyricist
(C) 1985 DEP International under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1985 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1980 Virgin Records Limited
Rafe McKenna, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Bob Lamb, Producer - Ray "Pablo" Falconer, Producer - UB40, Producer, MainArtist - Neil Black, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lewis Allan, Composer
(C) 1985 DEP International under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1985 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1980 Virgin Records Limited
JAMES BROWN, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Brown, Composer - Robin Campbell, Composer, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Ali Campbell, Composer, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Earl Falconer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Travers, Composer - Michael Virtue, Composer, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Norman Hassan, Composer - Bob Lamb, Producer - Terence Wilson, Composer, Percussion, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Falconer, Composer - Norman Lamont Hassan, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - UB40, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1985 DEP International under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1985 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1980 Virgin Records Limited
Jim Brown, ComposerLyricist - Robin Campbell, ComposerLyricist - Ali Campbell, ComposerLyricist - Earl Falconer, ComposerLyricist - Michael Virtue, ComposerLyricist - Norman Hassan, ComposerLyricist - Bob Lamb, Producer - UB40, Producer, MainArtist - Terrence Wilson, ComposerLyricist
(C) 1985 DEP International under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1985 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1980 Virgin Records Limited
JAMES BROWN, Composer - Robin Campbell, Composer - Ali Campbell, Composer - Earl Falconer, Composer - Brian Travers, Composer - Michael Virtue, Composer - Terence Wilson, ComposerLyricist - Norman Lamont Hassan, Composer - UB40, Producer, MainArtist
(C) 1985 DEP International under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 1985 Virgin Records Ltd ℗ 1980 Virgin Records Limited
Album review
Now this is what we want: most of UB40's debut album Signing Off, plus the 12" single that was included with initial copies of the set, coupled with their first three double A-sided singles. So far removed is the group's earliest work from their later sound that even the most culturally minded of reggae fans will want this record in their collection. UB40's later albums rarely equaled the strength of their singles, even as their later singles lost much of the bite and creativity of their predecessors. Thus, this set captures them at their most militant and experimental. The trio of singles -- "Food for Thought"/"King", "My Way of Thinking"/"I Think It's Going to Rain", and "The Earth Dies Screaming"/"Dream Is a Lie" -- reveal the inner workings of the group, as they play with styles, shifting back and forth from more Jamaica-fied sounds to almost breezy pop, winding into smokey jazz clubs, onto the dancefloor, and off into the dreamiest of milieus. On their full length, the band furthered their musical adventures with both vocal tracks and groove-filled instrumentals and dub. Thematically, the songs were even harder hitting than the singles, encompassing calls to class warfare to the defense of young Gary "Tyler", imprisoned for life in Louisiana. The horrors of the American south obviously haunted the band, and they return to its magnolia scented climes for "Strange Fruit", a terrifying expose of lynching. "Fruit" was one of the trio of songs on the aforementioned 12", along with the driving instrumental "Reefer Madness", and the epic "Madam Medusa", where the mythological Medusa stalks the roots-reggae groove across the 12+ minute track. If all you know of UB40 is their later hits or Labour of Love series, UB40 will come as a revelation, commercially accessible, but roaring with militant fire, awash in creativity and honed with their desire to bring reggae into a new musical world of their own invention. In all that they succeeded brilliantly.
© Jo-Ann Greene /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 11 track(s)
- Total length: 01:06:35
- Main artists: UB40
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Virgin Records
- Genre: World Reggae
© 1985 DEP International ℗ 1980 Virgin Records Limited
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