UB40 - The Early Years (Compilation, 1980-1982)

 

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VIDEO NOTES -

This is a compilation of UB40 tracks recorded between 1980 and 1982. Tracks are from the albums "Signing Off" (1980), "Present Arms" (1981) and "UB44" (1982) and singles/B-sides released during that period, but excluding tracks from "Present Arms in Dub" which are included in the (forthcoming) compilation "UB40 in Dub". I have used the extended versions of tracks, wherever they exist.  

** Tracklist **

Part 1 - 1980

00:00        1."Tyler"

05:50        2."King" 

10:23        3."12 Bar" 

14:45        4."Burden of Shame" 

21:10        5."Adella" 

24:34        6."I Think It's Going to Rain Today" (12 inch version)

32:03        7."25%" 

35:32        8."Food for Thought" 

39:41        9."Little by Little" 

43:21      10."Signing Off" 

47:44      11."Madam Medusa" 

01:00:35 12."Strange Fruit"  

01:04:37 13."Reefer Madness" 

01:09:43 14."My Way of Thinking" (12 inch version) 

01:16:36 15."The Earth Dies Screaming" (12 inch version) 

01:24:55 16."Dream a Lie" (12 inch version)

Part 2 - 1981

01:32:45 17."Present Arms" 

01:36:54 18."Sardonicus" 

01:41:23 19."Don't Let It Pass You By" 

01:49:08 20."Wildcat"

01:52:10 21."One in Ten" 

01:56:42 22."Don't Slow Down" (12 inch version)

02:03:47 23."Silent Witness" 

02:08:02 24."Lamb's Bread" 

02:12:49 25."Dr. X" *

02:17:56 26."Don't Walk on the Grass" *  

Part 3 - 1982

02:23:16 27."So Here I Am" (12 inch version)

02:30:33 28."I Won't Close My Eyes" (12 inch version) 

02:38:11 29."Forget the Cost" 

02:42:31 30."Love Is All Is Alright" (12 inch version) 

02:49:41 31."The Piper Calls the Tune"

02:53:31 32."The Key"

02:58:35 33."Don't Do the Crime" 

03:02:48 34."Folitician" (12 inch version)

03:11:03 35."The Prisoner" 

03:16:59 36."One-A-Penny"

03:22:00 37."I've Got Mine"

03:27:18 38."Dubmobile"

*Please note - "Dr.X" and "Don't Walk on the Grass" had their titles switched in error on the "Present Arms" CD.

All tracks written by UB40 except:-

Track 6 - Randy Newman and track 12 - Lewis Allan

Copyright-

Tracks 1-16 Graduate Records, 1980

Tracks 17-26 DEP International, 1981

Tracks 27-38 DEP International, 1982

UB40 - Labour of Love II (Full Album with Original Tracks)

 

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From the album "Labour of Love II" 

DEP International/ Virgin Records, 1989

Album playlist 

UB40 - Best of Labour of Love 

00:00  1) UB40 - Small Axe

00:17  2) Bob Marley and the Wailers - Small Axe (snippet)

00:37  3) UB40 - Here I Am (Come And Take Me)

04:38  4) Al Brown and Skin Flesh & Bones Inc - Here I Am Baby, Come and Take Me 

   (segue)

         05:31  5) The Blues Busters - Here I Am Come And Take Me 

08:41  6) UB40 - Tears From My Eyes

12:29  7) Teddy Davis - Tears From My Eyes

15:39  8) UB40 - Groovin'

19:29  9) Hopeton Lewis - Groovin' Out On Life

22:26  10) UB40 - The Way You Do The Things You Do

25:29  11) Eric Donaldson - The Way You Do The Things You Do

28:11  12) UB40 - Wear You To The Ball

31:42  13) The Paragons - Wear You To The Ball

          (segue)

         33:01  14) U-Roy & John Holt - Wear You To The Ball 

35:25  15) UB40 - Singer Man

39:17  16) The Kingstonians - Singer Man

        (segue)

       40:24   17) The Sonny Bradshaw Seven - Singer Man 

42:19  18) UB40 - Kingston Town

46:08  19) Lord Creator - Kingston Town

49:19  20) UB40 - Baby

52:35  21) The Heptones - Baby (with version)

56:43        22) UB40 - Wedding Day

59:52        23) Delroy Wilson - Wedding Day 

01:03:21   24) UB40 - Sweet Cherrie

01:06:37   25) Honey Boy - Sweet Cherrie

01:09:00   26) UB40 - Stick By Me

01:12:44   27) John Holt - Stick By Me

01:16:00   28) UB40 - Just Another Girl

01:19:32   29) Ken Boothe - Just Another Girl

01:22:51   30) UB40 - Homely Girl

01:26:15   31) Jackie Robinson - Homely Girl

01:29:35   32) UB40 - Impossible Love

01:34:45   33) Honey Boy - Impossible Love

1,2  Written by – L. Perry.

3,4,5   Written by, Composed by – Green, Hodges.

6,7   Written by, Composed by – Dana, Anderson, Roberts.

8,9  Written by, Composed by – B. Lee.

10  Guest Trumpet – John Thirkell.

10,11  Written by, Composed by – Rogers, Robinson.

12,13,14,26,27 Written by, Composed by – John Holt.

15  Lead Vocals – Norman Hassan.

15,16,17 Written by, Composed by – Harriot, Bernard.

18,19  Written by, Composed by – Kendrick/Patrick.

20  Lead Vocals – Earl Falconer.

20,21  Written by, Composed by – B. Llewellyn, E. Morgan, L. Sibbles.

22,23  Written by, Composed by – Logan, Patton, Price.

24,25  Written by, Composed by – Honey Boy (K. Williams).

28,29   Author – Harris Seaton, Composed by – K. Boothe.

30,31  Written by, Composed by – Record, McKenny.

32,33  Written-by, Composed by – Bob Andy (K. Anderson).

Bass Guitar – Earl Falconer

Drums – James Brown

Engineer, Programmed By, Mixed By – Gerry Parchment, John Shaw

Guitar, Vocals – Robin Campbell

Keyboards – Michael Virtue

Mastered By [Originally] – Steve Rooke

Mixed By – Bertie Grant

Painting [Cover And All Other Paintings] – Barry Kamen

Percussion – Norman Hassan

Producer, Arranged By, Performer – UB40

Saxophone, WX7 – Brian Travers

Trombone [Guest] – Henry Tenyue

Trumpet [Guest] – Patrick Tenyue

Vocals – Astro 

Vocals, Guitar – Ali Campbell

Phonographic Copyright (p) – Virgin Records Ltd.

Copyright (c) – Virgin Records Ltd.

Published By – Burlington Music Ltd.

Published By – B&C Music

Published By – Reward Music Ltd.

Published By – Sparta Florida Music Group

Published By – Jobete Music (UK) Ltd.

Published By – EMI Songs Ltd.

Published By – EMI Music Publishing Ltd.

Published By – MCPS Ltd.

Published By – Copyright Control

Published By – Intersong Music Ltd.

Published By – Andisongs

Mastered At – Abbey Road Studios

Glass Mastered At – Nimbus

UB40 - Labour of Love (Full Album with Original Tracks)

 

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NOTES:

Please note the "original" tracks featured are the reggae versions that provided the inspiration for the UB40 versions (as described on the "Labour of Love" album blurb by Doctor X).   

"I Gotta Keep on Movin'" was recorded by Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions in 1964 

The original track for "Version Girl" was "What's Your Name" by  Don and Juan, from 1962.

"Red Red Wine" was originally a Salvation Army early 1900's temperance song made famous by Neil Diamond's 1968 version. 

01 - 0:00:00 - UB40 - Cherry Oh Baby, written by E. Donaldson (*1)

02 - 0:03:16 - Eric Donaldson - Cherry Oh Baby (*2)

03 - 0:06:19 - UB40 - Keep on Moving, credited to Bob Marley (*1)

04 - 0:11:00 - Bob Marley & The Wailers - Keep on Moving, written by C. Mayfield (*3)

05 - 0:14:06 - UB40 - Please Don't Make Me Cry, written by Winston Tucker (*1) 

06 - 0:17:32 - Winston Groovy (Winston Tucker) - Please Don't Make Me Cry (*4) 

07 - 0:20:59 - UB40 - Sweet Sensation, written by Lesley Kong (*1)

08 - 0:24:37 - The Melodians - Sweet Sensation, written by Lesley Kong (*5)

09 - 0:28:29 - UB40 - Johnny Too Bad, written by Delroy Wilson (*1)

10 - 0:33:27 - The Slickers - Johnny (Too) Bad (*6)

11 - 0:36:36 - UB40 - Red Red Wine, credited to Neil Diamond (*1)

12 - 0:41:54 - Tony Tribe - Red Red Wine (*7)

13 - 0:44:50 - UB40 - Guilty, written by Tiger (Laurel Aitken) (*1)

14 - 0:48:05 - Tiger - Guilty (*7)

15 - 0:51:01 - UB40 - She Caught the Train, written by Joe Mansono (*1)

16 - 0:54:15 - Ray Martell - She Caught the Train (*8)

17 - 0:57:10 - UB40 - Version Girl, written by Boy Friday (Robert Livingstone Thompson) (*1)

18 - 1:00:34 - Boy Friday - Version Girl (*9)

19 - 1:03:35 - UB40 - Many Rivers to Cross, written by Jimmy Cliff (James Chambers) (*1)

20 - 1:08:07 - Jimmy Cliff - Many Rivers to Cross (*10)

(*1) UB40 "Labour of Love" album - DEP International/Virgin Records, 1983. 

(*2) Dynamic Sounds – DYN-420, 1971.

(*3) Bob Marley & The Wailers "African Herbsman" album, Trojan Records,TRLS 62, 1973. 

(*4) Torpedo Records - TOR 11, 1970.

(*5) The Melodians "Sweet Sensation" album - Harry J Records, HJLP-3305, 1977.

(*6) Panther - P01, 1971.

(*7) Camel - CA70, 1971.

(*8) Joe – JRS-3, 1970 

(*9) Downtown – DT-470, 1970.

(*10) "The Harder They Come/Many Rivers to Cross" Island Records – ILS 003, 1972

James Brown – drums, syncussion

Ali Campbell – vocals, guitar

Robin Campbell – guitar, vocals, lead vocals on "Sweet Sensation"

Earl Falconer – bass

Norman Hassan – percussion, vocals, lead vocals on "Johnny Too Bad" and "Guilty"

Brian Travers – saxophones

Michael Virtue – keyboards

Astro – toasting, rhyming, percussion

Additional personnel

Mo Birch – vocals on "Many Rivers to Cross"

Josh Fifer – trumpet on "She Caught the Train"

Jaki Graham – vocals on "Many Rivers to Cross"

Jackie Mittoo – additional keyboards on "Johnny Too Bad", "She Caught the Train" and "Many Rivers to Cross"

Ruby Turner – vocals on "Many Rivers to Cross"

From Wikipedia article - 

Labour of Love is the fourth studio album by British reggae band UB40, and their first album of cover versions. Released in the UK on 12 September 1983, the album is best known for containing the song "Red Red Wine", a worldwide number-one single, but it also includes three further UK top 20 hits, "Please Don't Make Me Cry", "Many Rivers to Cross" and "Cherry Oh Baby". 

The album reached number one in the UK, New Zealand and the Netherlands and the top five in Canada, but only reached number 39 in the US on its original release, before re-entering the Billboard 200 in 1988 and peaking at number 14 as a result of "Red Red Wine"'s delayed success in the US.

Following the record's success, UB40 have since released three further albums of cover versions under the Labour of Love title.

The album consists of cover versions of ten of the group's favourite songs by reggae artists from the period 1969 to 1972. Guitarist Robin Campbell drew up a list of possible tracks which were then whittled down to a final choice of ten following discussion among the band members. Campbell told UK music magazine NME, 

"It's a collection of songs we knew as reggae songs. We'd wanted to do it for years, we wanted it to be our first album... Why we recorded them was because they were part of an era for us, what we were into." 

In another interview with Melody Maker, drummer Jim Brown explained that the band were being pressured to deliver a new album, but didn't have enough original 

material completed, so it seemed an ideal time to revisit the idea of making an album of cover versions. UB40 had recently opened their own studio, the Abattoir, and Campbell spoke about how the combination of not having to write songs and having their own studio in which to produce them had resulted in a happy environment during the album's recording: 

"We could relax with this; there wasn't the pressure of it being our own material. We experimented with several things like LinnDrums and synthesised basslines. It was a lot more fun."

The group were apparently unaware during recording that the most famous track on the record had not originally been a reggae song. Ali Campbell told Billboard, 

"Nobody was as shocked as we were to find out that Neil Diamond wrote 'Red Red Wine'... To me, it was always a Tony Tribe song. He sang it." The album and 12" 

version of "Red Red Wine" included a toasted verse by Astro, later copied and included by Diamond in his live performances of the song.

The band defended their decision to make an album of cover versions, stating that they had always wanted to make reggae for a wide audience. Robin Campbell said, 

"We actually set out in the first place to popularise reggae. That was our intention." 

His brother Ali added, 

"What we want to do is play heavy dub reggae. But if we came straight out doing that, it would never have gotten on the radio. We commercialize our music all the time; it's been a series of compromises."