September 12 1983
UB40
Labour of Love
3.5 out of 5
UB40
Labour of Love
3.5 out of 5
Highlights:
Red Red Wine
Red Red Wine
I think, because of the ubiquity in 1983, I might’ve been too harsh on UB40 back in the day. The truth is there is much to love here. And, to be fair, all the English punks were listening to reggae in the 70s and 80s. Due to Don Letts’s club DJing. On the heels of 3rd Wave ska this should not have been a surprise but, again, the ubiquity of this red head led group earned my initial enmity.
Admittedly, there is a K-Earth 101 smooth jazz feeling to this record but, that is keeping in line with the AOR sounds of, say, Spandau Ballet. The edges of the 70s were definitely sanded off in the 80s.
Instead of summarizing the history of the band here I’m just going to link the debut episode of Hit Parade which is about how Red Red Wine came to be, why it was a hit, how it came into the orbit of UB40 and what it was modeled after (Tony Tribe) at the bottom of this post.
Admittedly, there is a K-Earth 101 smooth jazz feeling to this record but, that is keeping in line with the AOR sounds of, say, Spandau Ballet. The edges of the 70s were definitely sanded off in the 80s.
Instead of summarizing the history of the band here I’m just going to link the debut episode of Hit Parade which is about how Red Red Wine came to be, why it was a hit, how it came into the orbit of UB40 and what it was modeled after (Tony Tribe) at the bottom of this post.
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