Reviews (page 4 of 8)
Another rock solid reggae release with some cool early 80’s flare. It is a bit too long for something that lacks variety sonically as much as this. Reefer Madness is an all-timer name for a track in the genre. 1 listen Favorite Track: Food For Thought
Expectation: -> I think I know two UB40 songs and they are not here. After listening: -> More reggae and less pop than the top 40 hits I remember. The songs on this album gel well into a cohesive project/listen. One long hour-plus listen with each song sounding a lot like the last. Making a track ranking was thus difficult. They are good at what they do and on this album they just kept doing it. Track ranking: 25% Reefer Tyler Little King Medusa Rain Shame Food Signing 12 Adella Fruit
Honestly this was not as bad as I was expect. It's a much closer to reggae than wheggae, as opposed to the obnoxious covers they were known for within a few years. That being said this album should have ended at the title track which was the end of the proper album. Unfortunately everything on the eP part of the album, starting with the endless "Madame Medusa" and including the abhorrent cover of "Strange Fruit" that's pretty much nosed dived the album into the thumbs down territory for me. It was probably a moderate to upper three-star territory before the EP... but giving it as a whole (5.8) ★★½
Better than I thought it would be, but still meh. 3 stars.
I didn’t realize that British Reggae existed. Not disappointed by this though.
Easy-listening. Bit repetitive after a while but I spose that comes with the genre a bit
Really fun album to have on ambiently
I always thought of UB40 as a two hit wonder. I never really looked into their other songs. I also had no idea they’re an ensemble band. For some reason I just thought it was a duo. Overall the reggae supplemented by jazzy horns and R&B vocals works really well. One thing rubbed me the wrong way. If you’re a mostly white English band making music from a Jamaican genre most people associate with getting stoned and chilling out, maybe don’t do a cover about the horrors of Jim Crow?
Chill
Never heard of them, a good find I really enjoyed while driving.
While I only learned today how UB40 got their name—thanks to listening to their debut album, Signing Off—the record immediately paints a vivid scene. It feels like the soundtrack to a lonely traveling salesman in 1982, sitting in a hazy, smoke-filled hotel lounge with his tie hanging loosely around his neck like an albatross, drinking bottle after bottle of Red Stripe and wishing he were on a beach in Jamaica instead of killing time between meetings. He fends off sketchy barflies, worries about getting enough sleep before tomorrow’s sales conference, and quietly reevaluates every decision that led him to this life of middle management. Meanwhile, he watches the band onstage in disbelief, wondering how just a few average-looking white guys, a Casio keyboard, and an electronic drum machine can produce a lounge-band approximation of Caribbean sound. It’s not Bob Marley and the Wailers, but it’ll do for a Wednesday night at the Radisson.
Decent reggae album, but seemed lacking in real feeling. Most of the tracks were defined by an early 80s Casio keyboard sound and very quiet vocals. The tracks all kind of blended together as well.
This is my first Reggae album, Pretty good
I quite enjoyed the instrumentals. The vocals were not as appealing to me unfortunately. Overall I had a nice time listening to the album.
I don't think I like reggae tbh. I am indifferent to this album. There are some nice instrumentals but not enough to captivate me -- vocals are fine. It is just fine? 3 I guess.
Empezó bien. Un reggae fresón ambiental pero bien. Luego se alarga y su mota se ve que ni estaba tan chida
It is consistent and grounded, but also quite narrow in scope. The political intent gives it weight, and the performances are solid, yet the musical palette does not expand much across the runtime. After a while, it starts to feel more repetitive than immersive. It works, but it rarely surprises.
me copo para laburar
Only knew this band for Red, Red Wine previously. A lot more to often here. A very pleasant listening experience.
Like being stuck in a head shop for an hour.
Okay Reggae stuff here, the 13 minute ling sing is one of the best here which takes up a large % of the album so it at least makes this album have a good amount of quality throughout it's length. Nothing really special about this but it's pretty fun
Better than I imagined. Sometimes the best review I can give an album previously unknown to me is that I won’t delete it yet. I’ll give it another listen.
ni fu ni fa, sonidos extravagantes
Me terminó resultando un disco larguísimo y bastante monótono. Si bien el reggae suena bien y rescato algunas variaciones puntuales en los instrumentos, caen en la trampa de repetir el mismo beat en casi todas las canciones. Como no le di mucha vuelta a las letras, sentí que los temas terminaban mezclándose entre sí.
This was an hour and change of relaxing dub from a group that I wasn't expecting much out of. The music here is easy to vibe to, but it is politically charged and very punk in that manner. One look at that cover art and you can hazard a guess at their opinion on the Tories! No song particularly stood out to me, but the band has a consistent reggae sound with an unmistakably British working-class tinge. Even the covers didn't immediately jump out to me. I'm unsure if I will revisit this, but this album was enjoyable and didn't drag despite its length. I've always wrote UB40 off as a soft pop act that you constantly see on the bill of nostalgia-driven eighties festivals nowadays, but I'm glad to see that they had some edge to them at some point.
UB40 is more than Red Red Wine.
Buen reggae
Kind of boring for a reggae album. That being said, not terrible.
3.5. Super solid
Good
All sounded the same after a couple songs. Fun enough but isn’t really better than a 3
Kinda whatever British guys
This album was just okay
why does white reggae feel so illegal when white people didn't invent ANY genre
Reminded me of high school when I was kind of sort of into reggae.
Tame waiting room reggae - meh. If you want a suggestion, try 10 Ft Ganja Plant for some contrast. I listened to them instead and had a blast
Wasn't expecting a reggae album when I saw the cover today but I dig it. I don't think I have much to say but that the vibe was solid and there were some bops. I'm not itching to put it on again though. 3-4 stars, unsure how I'll feel when it comes time to actually rate it tomorrow.
Not the biggest reggae fan, but this is a pretty nice, laid back (though politically charged) album. Put me at ease, maybe a 3.5
Number: 81 Date: 03/24/2026 Artist: UB40 Album: Signing Off Year: Signing Off Genre: Dub Reggae Rating: 3 Notes: Before: ======= Of course I know of UB40 and have heard some of their music but nothing really jumps out at me as a memorable track. I do like Reggae a little but find it to be a pretty limiting style of music in and of itself. During: ======= I like that it has some interesting jazzy bits and other effects so that is isn't just straight reggae. 3 Tyler 3 King 3 12 Bar 4 Burden Of Shame 3 Adella 3 I Think It's Going To Rain Today 3 25% 3 Food For Thought 3 Little By Little 3 Signing Off 3 Madam Medusa 3 Strange Fruit 3 Reefer Madness ----------------------------------------------------- 3.10 WEIGHTED AVERAGE (accounts for song lengths) After : ======= It's nice as background music. 3 my personal rating 3 suitability for this list 3 impact ----------------------------------------------- 3 composite rating
It's ok. Lyrically strong, but otherwise, a generic reggae/dub album. There weren't any memorable songs for me, but it was a pleasant experience. Still, it would've been better if it were 15 minutes shorter. 3/5
I think what I learned about UB40 was that the UB stood for Unemployment Benefit. That was way more interesting than the album. I did like some of the songs but nothing drew me in.
Some decent reggae. I'd have it on in the background, but no real desire to seek it out.
The album cover alone makes a political statement(in other words, their distaste of Margaret Thatcher), and due to this alone, this album is going to get a boost from me. I never knew there was a such thing as British Reggae, but it goes quite well on a pleasant Sunday afternoon. The problem with the album(which was the same problem with my album yesterday), is once you hear about one minute of each track, you know how the rest of the track will go. The entire album has the same reggae beat, drums, and saxophone. There isn't much diversity. Anyway, I've now listened to three hours, and twenty-five minutes of music from this generator for this weekend, so I'm signing off for the night. Favorite Track: "King".
A reminder that many bands are way better than that one hit everybody knows.
The Good: If we don’t like it, we know they will be gone, as they are… The Bad: What if we don’t want them to sign off? The Ugly: The value of Unemployment Benefit #40… If you like reaggea, then you probably like this record. If you like songs that drag on and on, then you will like this record. If you like UB40, you will like this album. My tally for the above is naught out of three. Guess I am UB03… And then comes that one song that just makes the album A-Oh-Kay! Food For Thought is, by far, one of the greatest songs of the ‘80s. So, UB40, I will shoot this one straight down the middle. 3*
a slog to get through
This was alright, mostly sounded a lot the same from track to track, it was good beat and I liked the saxaphone. I'm overall a 3 here
It's good reggae/dub but I think I want reggae to be looser than this. Not sloppy, just loose. This is too 80s-pop pristine in its production, too. 3 stars
Definitely better than I thought it would be, but otherwise meh.
Too long, but overall pleasant.
I enjoy reggae and overall like their sound a lot, but this was mid for me. None of the songs stood out and it sort of just faded into the background overall. But not unenjoyable by any means.
Don't really have anything to say so I'm gonna let this slide. Signing off
I like reggae and dub music a LOT ... england is funny man. this album was good but it was a bit too clean and polished for me... i wanted a bit more stank on it
This is perfectly fine. Don’t tend to love the reggae persuasion but there’s enough substance here to keep the listening interesting
The British really had quite the dalliance with reggae and ska in the late 70s and 80s. I'm here for the Randy Newman cover. Also here for portraying Mrs. Thatcher as Madam Medusa. Somewhere between a 2.5 and a 3, there's not a ton to hate but we aren't really reaching the mountaintop either.
Not good, not terrible. No highlights.
Surprisingly interesting dub, with cool moments like the unexpected saxophone, or some 70s rock-like guitar licks. The fake accent is a bit off-putting. Always good to have Thatcher criticism, so that's another plus!
Chill.
I didn’t know this album existed and thought this band did only terrible covers. (Although “Sing Our Own Song” is an amazing track that isn’t on this album.) The band sounds incredible on this album and hey—no terrible covers.
Good solid mid 80’s music
Pretty enjoyable to listen to, nothing fancy.
A nice reggae sound but a bit forgettable
Starts strong. Tyler is repetitive, but has a good flow. The rest is a bit variable, Many of the tracks are a bit too simple, but they enjoyable for what they are.
As far as repetitive reggae albums where all the tracks sound the same go, not the worst. But still...a repetitive reggae album.
some nice laid back reggae. I don't know why this would be called essential as they assumingly have better records? Otherwise whateva
Album #1,058 Wait a minute, this is what UB40 stood for this whole time and I never knew it?! This is jazzy reggae. Repetitive, but still somewhat enjoyable.
I've seen this album cover while flicking around the site, though I've never stopped to take a look at what the cover depicts. Kinda funny that they just straight up put a welfare slip on the cover, though I've no clue what purpose that serves. Anyways, I'm stalling to avoid saying that I have no idea what unemployment music sounds like. I'm going to hedge my bets on new wave. Reggae. Oh, God. This really is unemployment music. That isn't me complaining, however - this was pretty alright. The last few reggae albums I've rolled have been a bit vacuous, but this one had a bit of meat on its bones. I like the synths. They're pretty unique for an album such as this, and I dig the sound. There's a fuzziness, yet also a warmth present on them, which goes a long way in making the synths interesting to listen to. Much of the remaining instrumentation is ubiquitous when it comes to reggae, but I liked what I heard. The bass line is especially decent. I like the trumpeting and reverb/effects as well. My major gripe with this album is that it's long as fuck, but I was content to lay back and let this one wash over me. Book time. "...the world's greatest reggae cover band." Quickly breached top 10 on the UK charts and charted for over a year. The band have found sporadic success overseas with their subsequent releases. Wikipedia says the lyrics of this album are shitlibby and immersed in the politics of the time, but I think I can be forgiven for not intently listening to the lyrics of a reggae album. Well-received by critics, too. Sure. This seems like a decent pick. I cosign this inclusion.
Not as bad as I expected, I guess
It grew on me. I wasn't loving this album at first, but it got better or maybe I got more into the mood. It's very solid.
It kind of just came in a background music.
Oh, I dreaded this one, forced to agonize through a post-traumatic encounter with the ubiquitous sorority house and inebriated cougar mama theme song, "Red, Red Wine." By the time I came across UB40 they were already joyfully sold out and gregariously gentrified. Oh, my regret now I never heard this earlier album before, aptly aligned in some classic reggae with horns and a little dub... genuinely, tokably tolerable.
I vacillated between finding this pretty chill and kinda cheesy, the latter mostly during the vocal parts with their fake patois. I guess the politics tips the scale to the former.
The first reggae album I ever bought. Played it loads at the time, but haven't listened to it in over 30 years! I'd credit UB40 and the 2-Tone bands for introducing me to Jamaican music, for which I'm forever grateful. But if I want to listen to reggae now, I don't go to UB40, I'll slap on a Trojan compilation or a Lee Scratch Perry album. These artists, along with punk bands such as The Clash, taught me to be a kind, empathetic person towards people who were different to me, because I sure as heck wasn't taught that at school or by 1970s/early 80s popular culture. Memories of growing up on a British council estate at a time of massive social upheaval then. Thatcher was just beginning to dismantle the post-war consensus. All of our current problems stem from the Tory government of that time who influenced Reagan, who in turn inspired successive right-wing governments worldwide to crack down on the workers whilst syphoning off the world's wealth for themselves. Bastards, the lot of them. Thanks to UB40 and their contemporaries for showing us there's another way away from the Daily Mail worldview. Eternally grateful for that. However, there's far better reggae out there. And by the way, the last three tracks on Spotify weren't on the original album, so you don't have to listen to them!
Immediate nostalgia vibes to summer and high school when I used to listen to a lot of reggae. I have only really listened to red red wine by UB40 so this is cool. 4 songs in so far and my impression is this is good background music but nothing that really hits or stands out. Would be a nice hanging out on the beach playlist. Ok I started getting really tired listening to this by the last 4 or so songs. It’s pretty much all the same after a while. Songs are quite long and repetitive. 2.5/5
A fun one. Will deffo listen again.
Good early reggae album. Much better than I expected. Had a great flow to it.
very good i just dont find myself wanting to listen for very long
Now this is good British music!
Not their strongest album but still very good. 3.5 stars
UB40 is one of those reggae bands I've heard of heavily, I'm sure they've toured near me sometime in the last 15 years, but I never got around to searching the music. Had I not done the research today, I could've been fooled this was a straight up Jamaican ensemble, the level of production is up there on the top tier I expect from the reggae capital. Sometimes this is the type of reggae album we want. It blends into itself really well, it's got that bass heavy sound with an ear for details. It's great for zoning out and zooming back into the sound at random moments. It's great background reggae. As someone who appreciates the genre, I'm perfectly aware there's a world of more elaborate sound, of music that begs to be heard or displayed at the forefront of your activity, Dennis Brown comes to mind. This is not that, inclining more towards the meditative dub roots. I can appreciate it, but it's not love. It's a strong 3 for me, and a real easy purchase if I ever see it when I'm crate-digging. 3.4/5
Sort of a blend of reggae and trip hop? Didn’t particularly care for this but it was fine in the background. I guess the fusion is the reason it’s in the list but it feels like that British bias again because we’ve had much better reggae.
Good example of how Ska filled a gap between punk and reggae. A lot of political messages here starting with the unemployment form that gsve the band it's name.
É mais um bom álbum para pôr de fundo numa festa ou assim. Ou de fundo enquanto estou numa praia ou piscina a apanhar sol e a beber algo. Portanto, certamente, não será um álbum que voltarei visitar regularmente. Não deixa de ser um álbum interessante!
chill
This sounds like the music they would constantly play in Harvest Thyme.
pretty good not as good as rat in the kitchen but a few songs on it were liked by me
bob Marley vibes
Hard to REALLY dislike such chill music. There are very interesting sounds and moments… but it feels more like vibes than songs.
UB40 is not bad. Easily one of the most accessible reggae bands around. Don't really break ground, but they are a decent listen.
pleasant but quite boring album, i liked the mellodies etc. but honestly it all felt like one long song. "tyler" was more distinctive to me plus i really liked "adella". if i wasn't studying when listening to it, i would probably have high chances of falling asleep at times! nevertheless, i think it's a good record but not really influential
Decent album - bit too much instrumental for me, but enjoyed overall
Quand même cool
bas interesantno, super ono koncept i poruka i vajb je dobar samo me smaraju reggae beatovi bas
This is pretty solid reggae, despite being obviously British. The only thing I knew from UB40 before hearing this was Red Red Wine, so this was a pleasant surprise.
This was a nice listen. Hard to say how essential this is without a thorough knowledge of this style of music. I have heard this style done in a more experimental way which I find much more engaging. This album comes across a bit too nice and safe but there are just enough interesting sections to keep it interesting enough and the heavy subject matter does give it a bit of an edge. Good to finally hear an album by this band and to finally not think of them as a one hit wonder for that one really popular song that came later.
6 - AVERAGE
Phat dub and reggae grooves
Love the production and sound but the lack of arrangement variety and length start to dilute the entire product
Very very easy to listen to, not much to take from it Best Song: Burdon of Shame Rating: 5.5/10 Stars: 3
не мій жанр, та досить приємний альбом, розслаблюючий.
Interesting. I like the concept and what it represents. The music itself is fine for the background but not something I’d actively listen to again.
This was a pretty large dose of guitar chaka-ing for a snowy Saturday morning. It didn’t really resonate with me on the first pass, but I think it was on shuffle and that might have disrupted the flow. The second listen proved a little more fruitful for me. To my surprise, this is a pretty good record that I wouldn’t have otherwise ever bothered with. Certainly relieved that “Red Red Wine” isn’t on here, and pleased that there were several tracks without any vocals at all. Maybe UB40 is an alright band after all. “25%” stood out to me both times through.
I like reggae, and I appreciate UB40's politics. Largely uninterested in this album but still not a terrible listen.
Album is pretty solid, early reggae on reggae. Didn’t know anything about the album going in but it was enjoyable.
redd reeeddd wiiiiine. oh wow they have other songs TYLER, well damn i do not like the vocals. limp and unincorporated. Their sound is serviceable reggae but it’s a little clean for me. I wish it had more reverb, a bit more grit. It’s a nice listen nonetheless.
Cute ma Michael buble ha fatto un mini plagio con Fever e burden of shame??
The kind of message-driven music that I didn't know UB40 was capable of, but it is rather lethargic.
Me gustó más de lo que esperaba. fave: burden of shame
To be completely honest with myself, I really wasn't in the headspace for this album. I can usually enjoy a good Reggae album, but this one was way too slow and roomy for my liking. And I'm all for solid chill-out music, and I think certain songs like '12 Bar' andthe title-track. scratch that itch. And there were some great standalone tracks - 'Tyler' drew me in right from the start, and 'Food For Thought' was an incredibly dark but effective album centerpiece. But given this album's length and at times painfully consistent sonic palette, I found myself growing uninterested about halfway through. So I just ended up lying in bed and listening to this through my earpods and not thinking about it too hard, just letting the music soothe me - that helped. I do still think it's way too slow for my liking, but it's also one of those albums where there is a wrong and right way to listen to it, for me at least.
Unremarkable but not unenjoyable.
4 albums to go. Reggae. By British People. This is not my day. Hoping for a massive surprise! EDIT: You know it was actually OK in parts. -1 for reggae, +1 for socially conscious themes
This is a decent reggae album, but all of the songs started to sound the same after a while. Would be good for chill background music. (3)
yeah idk man its aight
UB40 is the band the DJ plays at an island-themed corporate function to go with the employee’s Hawaiian shirts. UB40 is the band Claire plays in her G-Wagon after picking her 2.5 kids up from school to show them how diverse and inclusive she is. Don’t misunderstand me. Their music isn’t bad. It’s average reggae if I’m being honest with deep bass riffs, static drum beats and a great vocal tone for the songs. It’s just suburbia reggae at best. There’s nothing special about it other than everyone’s mom danced to Red, Red Wine in the 80’s when it hit MTV. Good change of speed for this project but it’s just average music for me.
i was only familiar with their two biggest hits, both covers I might add, and neither on this album. However, seeing they did a Randy Newman song, I gave it an honest listen. I would’ve probably breezed through it as background, as it’s very chill. Solid. Probably a 3.7
Not gonna lie, my heart sank a bit when I saw that it was another British reggae band after having to listen to that Police album a week ago, but, I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The opening track, Tyler, has some nice music to it, and it doesn’t really try to be anything it’s not. It fully embraces the style, and imo, does it well! King is not really my style, but I didn’t hate it. The beats were good and, if I’m hearing correctly, is that a harpsichord in there? Either way, a cool sound. Burden of shame was a chill track (for the first 3/4 anyway) which I really enjoyed. I’m finding this is a very nice album to have on in the background. I had the same thoughts listening through Adella. I really liked the use of horns in food for thought and Little by Little. The title track itself was an awesome listen. The instrumental tracks really shine on this album! Madam Medusa, for lack of a better term, was a bit weird. I didn’t dislike it, but it was too long for what it was. The echo effect on the vocals threw me off a bit. I liked Strange fruit. To close, Reefer Madness was pretty good. It uses those horns and beats I liked earlier in the album to good effect. As I said before, the instrumental tracks are the best part of this album and this one is no different. This album is going to get a 3.5/5 ⭐️. I enjoyed it, but it’s not something I can ever see myself coming back to. It did redeem the British reggae genre in my mind though. Favourites: Tyler, Burden of Shame, Reefer Madness 12/1089
Songs are nice, kinda sound the same, kinda boring, but the horn section gets it to three for me.
I liked it!
Great instrumentals and overall vibe. I liked this so much more than I thought I would. Not a Red Red Wine in sight - whew!
chill man
Very surprised to not absolutely hate this, some nice background music
Reggae, 1980 -> 3
It's listenable and although I love UB40 I prefer them as a live band to an album group
Great band with lots of nostalgia
Not as terrible as I expected. However,(controversial opinion maybe) reggae music in general is just boring and one dimensional
Actually a lot better than I was expecting.
Inoffensive reggae beats with a moody trip through time.
A relaxed listen which will give more for me on repeat listens as the lyrics come through. High 3
Solid reggae and dub album. Early UB40 is decent. Strong 3
Enjoyed this more than expected, esp the smoother vocals
It's reggae, and it doesn't feel like essential reggae. It's not bad, just not what I want to spend my time listening to.
Okay, I've heard the name before, probably listened to some, but I did not expect reggae music to be what I would hear. This wasn't bad, and was actually pretty good. It's one band I will have to come back to and see what else they have done.
3 out of 5. Reefer Madness was a fun tune, but I wish this album had a little faster beat. It is good to relax to at least.
Relaxing
Pleasant. Not what I was expecting, but certainly not bad.
Pleasantly surprised here, even though the style wasn't really for me.
Good vibes. 3/5
The first 20-30 minutes were groovy. I enjoyed reggae as a change of pace from a lot of other records on the list. But after that, it all just kind of blended together and faded into the background. And after another 15-20 minutes I was starting to hope the record was ending soon. 65 minutes is far too long of a run time for this type of record. Overall not bad, and pretty good as background music. The production is excellent, and the record sounds very crisp. But, in my opinion, not something I would say you have to hear before you die.
Maybe I need to be somewhere warm to be in the mood for this, or maybe I just want UB40 classic hits. Either way, this was so-so.
2.5
A fine listen, better than expected. Reggae can be a bit repetitive, this had a couple of moments when it tried something new. Those moments worked for me. Even the saxophone worked.
This feels a strange album to pick to represent British reggae. Steel Pulse are arguably a better band, and UB40, arguably, have better albums. But it's still a decent listen. The rhythm section kicks hard, although the lyrics are repetitive and the occasional bontempi keyboards are unwise: it feels more like a dub plate than a regular reggae album in some respects, especially with several instrumentals thrown in. For all the sultry pleasures, however, nothing really stands out from the crowd as particularly enjoyable.
I don't love Regge but I do like UB40. 3.5
This was ok. Nothing more. Nothing less. Would I listen to it again? No.
literally faded into the background. I guess a 2.8-3.0 maybe I'll go back.
Some solid dubs but it's no Bob
I thought this was going to be shit. It wasn't at all, but it didn't do anything much for me. As cheesy as it is, I'd rather have had the nostalgia of hearing their cover of Red Red Wine.
I think they're talented musicians and the scene was pretty cool. It's not my type of music and some of the instrumentals just get tiresome. 2.5 but I'll round up.
I've been a longtime fan of UB40, primarily with Labour of Love and Promises And Lies. Happy to have had this one come up on my project though, as I had never listened to their inaugural record. This one has more clearly-defined dub and roots reggae influences. Really solid sequencing and the engineering is very well done so all layers of each track sound crisp and clear. This is a nice one.
Good. Not overly produced, but not my favorite of UB40.
Needs more Neil Diamond.
UB40 classic style, moody reggae/ska if that's fair to say. None of the big hits on this album. Nice sound, but no standout tracks really... Reefer Madness is more like 2-tone ska, a la Specials Listening again to my picks for best track I get quite a great run of tracks, so there is good stuff in amongst the 1hr record. Best track - Food for Thought, Signing Off, Madam Medusa, Reefer Madness 3 stars, pushing 4 in all honesty
Album review 006 Signing Off by UB40 (1980) Rating 3/5 It’s the first time I’ve listened to this album and reading the tracklist beforehand, was glad to see that Signing Off was free of any of the cod reggae covers I mostly know UB40 for. The message the album brings is unfortunately becoming relevant again as, in late 2025 when I write this, we’re seeing an increase in everything UB40 are voicing against; discrimination, division in society, and lack of opportunity. Mostly enjoyed Signing Off and feel I owe another listen for me to fully appreciate it, although if I wasn’t making an effort to listen closely I expect it’d be the type of album that would just blend into the background.
The white bread of reggae.
As a resident of Birmingham, I've a long-standing hatred of UB40s pop output. This is better, though. I'm not going to pretend that it's great or life changing, but it's better. I appreciate the message throughout and it doesn't have the cheesy sheen on it which their big singles had. That said, I'm not likely to be going back to this at any point soon.
Sounds like 80s UK reggae. More dubby than I probably expected, though not sure why. I know they're not Two Tone or ska, and I didn't suppose this was going to be as glossy as the chart stuff, all I'd heard before. Clearly excellent, not my jam though.
I love red red wine, I was not expecting to be bored, but I was bored.
This is good background music. It's chilled me out and gave me relaxing vibes while reading UB40's wikipedia page. I learned that UB40 derives from Unemployment Benefits Form 40 and this album was their official "Singing Off" of their employee benefits. It seems like they went onto to have a fine career spanning many decades. Good for them. The only songs I found memorable were the instrumental dubs Adella and 25%.
Decent album.
I only know UB40 from Red, Red Wine (a song I would be happy to never hear again) but this album is actually pretty decent. It's very mellow reggae/dub record with some nice grooves throughout. It does get a bit repetitive after a while though... Madam Medusa DOES NOT need to be 13 minutes long.
Some of the instrumental parts are great, and the lyrics are still poignant to this day. However, there are two knocks against this album. First, the 80s saxophone is terribly grating and should have been left entirely off the album. Second, the extended jam sessions on some of the songs don't really develop the way good jams do (see almost any prog band) but instead drone on interminably. Nevertheless this is mostly an enjoyable album. 3.0/5.0: Good
I've heard of this band I only really know "red, red wine". So odd, every time I see this band on paper, I always think they are a synth-80's band, but nope. Always forget they are reggae. I am not a huge reggae fan, really biased, and only like Marley reggae. UB40 is pretty cool.
I’m not a fan of reggae so this isn’t really my cup of tea, but compositionally it’s a good album, and I enjoyed the bass lines.
I knew these guys were generally considered a reggae band (as one would expect from a bunch of British guys), but, armed with that information, this was still surprising.
Where's the bangers???
Solid reggae but not my cup of tea.
Got the Ska sound. A couple of good tracks, but overall, just background.
Good but too long
British reggae. Competent and had its own flavor. I heard a harpsichord or something or other on a few tracks. There were some good singles here and I believe this is a must have for the genre.
Another entry to the list of "glad I heard it but I'm not going to rehear it". It has significance as a historical album, but it does almost nothing for me today. The monotony of the vocals and the genre creeps up quickly: The eponymous song is the best in the album, and it has no singing.
This is a difficult album to rate because I respect the intention and message, but mostly I find the music a bit tepid and uninteresting. I am trying to remain unbiased because I don't usually like reggae. This album exemplifies why that is: each song is a bit too similar, as if it must adhere to the formula. There is no breaking free here, and in that way it often feels a bit dispassionate despite the bite in their political lyrics. Each song has nearly the same beat at the same BPM, similar dub bass line, nearly the same melody and method of vocal delivery. I'm largely impressed after reading their backstory, that they effectively learned to play their instruments with each other and practiced these songs for years before recording in what were very self-made environments. This album sounds very professional and not overly produced, and the band is tight throughout. But all of it is too similar. After a few tracks you can pretty much say you've heard the whole thing. If you really love the reggae sound, then that's a good thing for you, but it's not for me.
I don't like reggae music so um
Regaepopbadoo
Glad I stuck this one out- would normally not be into white guys with patois accents (looking at you Gordon) but these guys were at least political about it- the last half of the album addresses racism head on. Didn't realise they started out as a bunch of kids on the dole - can imagine them getting high and having a skank and having something to say. Kinda of a shame that they ended up trotting out naff covers, but I imagine they probably don't mind.
Tyler is guilty! 👀 I like this album. It was great to work to. EZ Fav song: King
I was not expecting to like this (based on the UB40 hits I remember), but this was good. Special shoutout to the reggae cover of Strange Fruit.
Far better than I had expected, but still knocking it down a point for having a near 13-minute track near the end of the album.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t pay that much attention while listening. But it was pretty good from what I remember.
You can listen to the first two songs and be able to accurately predict the next hour of the album at the 95% confidence interval. But I digress, I didn't mind it. And I've never really been a fan of reggae. It's good background music, but holds up for more astute listeners with its political/social themes. That being said, ain't no way it's an hour and six minutes long. Guys, we get it. Still, the instrumentation is tight and it has quite a clean, polished sound. I respect it, it's just longggggg.
calm, relaxing but also fun and a solid album all around.
3.5
Reggae
Jazzy reggae feel
A great album technically, although there is a little too much focus on instrumentation over lyrics for my taste. Which is a shame, because the lyrics they do have are great. 3.5/5
I gotta say, I was shocked at how much i actually enjoyed Signing Off. I guess it could just be the fact that my expectations were at an all time low considering i had to listen to Muddy Waters yesterday but this album shockingly was pretty enjoyable. Granted, it is a rather long album with Madam Medusa especially contributing to that length but i still think that the music here was good and could be pretty interesting at points. The same goes for the lyrics which seem to focus on racism and black culture which makes sense for a genre like this but they still were pretty good. I wouldn't say its a perfect album but it did what it set out to do rather well. Best Song: Madam Medusa Worst Song: 25%
I like me some reggae every now and then so this was pretty nice to listen to.
Enjoyable reggae - neat album cover!
Jeg likte godt mye av instrumental partiene. Men låtene var altfor svake. Hvis dette hadde vært en instrumentalskive hvor de hadde fortsatt med å leke med arrangementene og produksjonsteknikkene har gått mer den retningen kunne dette vært veldig fint, men plata som den er nå er altfor ujevn. Koste meg den da:)
I’d only ever heard their covers, and was delighted to find they are a pretty good classic reggae band. Wouldn’t have guessed they are from the UK, apart maybe from better production.
Pretty average
Decent
Very laid back, chill, all blends together but i aint mad. just a little too long Fav tracks: "12 Bar", "Adella", and "Signing Off"
Enjoyed this
Like this way more than I thought i would
Brilliant poetry with boring beats.
They recorded the backing tracks but forgot the leads. Pleasant tho
I have a soft spot for UB40 from car rides as a kid but I hadn’t heard the debut album. This is interesting as it’s not a pop-focused as the later stuff but the political messages are intriguing. It’s great for background music but not something I’d listen to on the regular. Also the as not expecting a reggae cover of Strange Fruit
That's actually pretty good reggae. Though perhaps lacking passion
When I've realized this is a reggae album I was like "oh no...". But then it turned out the album is pretty fun. I'm probably an ignorant when it comes to reggeae, because when I've heard it I thought "ok, this is not something I would call reggae". It reminded me of bits from Kult's second album "Posłuchaj, to do Ciebie".
Pretty decent reggae album. Good background chill music.
Reggae still isn't my preferred genre, but this seems like one I'll listen to again. I like the clean keyboard, reverby vocals, and the use of minor keys. Very chill vibes.
I usually smoke a joint and go on walks with these records; I didn’t want to be predictable, so I listened to this vibey reggae affair with my morning coffee instead and awoke to the upstrokes.
Reggae? Well I liked Marley; I'll be open minded. Listening notes: Tyler: this mournful blues is pretty solid. I Think It's Going to Rain Today: Pretty solid, reminds me of an old Irish tune (Wild Mountain Thyme), which is cool. Review: I enjoyed this. At it's low points, it has the common issue for reggae of sounding like total background music, but Tyler is good, and most of it is solid enough to be good for 3.5 stars. Rounding down because that feels like the right call (and because I've heard "red red wine" too many damn times.
This has the curse of reggae to be eternal ambient music that can't hold my attention - with one exception: Strange Fruit. This is one of my favorite versions of Strange Fruit and it alone is going to bump this up to a 3-star for me.
The bass needs to be turned up, otherwise this is kind of elevator music. It’s not bad, it grew on me. I wasn’t digging it at first, but by the end I found a few things I liked about it. But the bass is way too low in the mix.
I feel that reggae is best served to someone who is super high, sitting on the beach, hang out with the beautiful girl in a bikini. This album ain’t that I will say I enjoyed the instrumentals.
I wouldn't say that I never listen to reggae, but I rarely find artists I enjoy. I mostly know UB40 from their later covers which I dislike, but I found this album quite enjoyable. Solid varied music. I liked it.
We all know UB40 because of their radio hits. This first album was better and more socially and politically consciousness and a surprisingly good listen. In the light of other reggae artists, I'd still say it's just "better standard stuff".
Good fun. Makes you want to dance.
Started off thinking it kinda sucked, but it grew on me. Interesting listen
It´s good, overall. The laid-backness does become a bit tiring, but there is a haunting darkness everywhere as well, which keeps it interesting. Even so, too long an album.
To much screaming in the one song downgraded
Good music to work to.
Quality reggae, the album loses some oomph in the latter half, but a nice listen regardless
Some good songs here but overall, a little too instrumental for me.
Good listen while cooking
Decent reggae that fell a bit short by the time I listened to the whole album.
This was a reasonably enjoyable listen. I enjoyed the reggae, Casanova vibes of the tracks but it gets very repetitive and drags on. If this was like 30-40 minutes instead of over an hour, would’ve been great!
This was an interesting listen. Reggae is not really my genre, but I really dug the basslines and cool grooves the band pulled together. A lot of the tracks sounded alike, but there were some that I really dug. I listened to it twice because it was pretty alright, but I probably wouldn't listen to it again. Almost four stars, but I give it three.
I didn't expect the Unemployment Benefit 40 gang to sound great, but it was actually a really nice chill album. I had this playing in the background and although the last 2/3 of the album sounded pretty much the same, the first 1/3 was actually pretty nice. Overall, very lowkey album and it was enjoyable to listen to. It has some reggae vibes and is quite upbeat.
What I like: the lyrics, the message, the saxophone and the overall vibes What I don’t like: most of the vocals and some very repetitive songs
I feel that there is always good mellow and sleepy mellow. I think this album would be a good middle ground. I'm torn, while I like a lot of the instrumentation on this album, I think it can get a bit boring at times but then again, it does sound great and better than most reggae music is outside of Jamaica or the Caribbean Islands. Favorite Tracks: King, Burden of Shame Rating: 3/5
La prima metà mi ha sorpreso molto perché non mi aspetto che una band inglese riuscisse a raggiungere queste sonorità reggae, che devo ammettere alla lunga mi hanno un po’ stancato. Tuttavia ho provato qualcosa di nuovo che di sicuro riproporrò nella stagione estiva
chilliger reggae, aber not outstanding
Was looking for Red Red Wine, and all I got was bad bad time. Just kidding. It was alright, but by no means does it hold up to other forms of reggae.
No está mal. No sé por qué, pero el único reggae que me llena es el de Bob Marley and the Wailers. Algún día haré la de Pepe Colubi y entraré de lleno en el género...
Un reggae que sabe perfectamente de dónde viene pero que no tiene miedo de salir de su lugar. Nota: 3.5/5
Very nice
Ta chulo
Honestly, this was a vibe. Yeah, a majority of the songs sound the same but the repetitiveness did not bother me at all. It's solid reggae music at it's core and I'd comfortably say I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. How one would bridge the gap between this being boring and chill is a feat but I really liked the subtlety of this record. Throwing in the politically charged lyrics and most definitely this was a solid listen. Top 3: King, Food For Thought, and I Think It's Going To Rain Today no bad songs 3.00-3.50/5
Better reggae than I thought it would be. Kind of a jam.
Songs sound very similar to each other but it's a good sound, so I give it 3/5!
I liked them and saw them in '86. Beyond the brilliant 'Food For Thought' and 'King' which I already knew, nothing stands out. They got much bigger with Labour of Love but 'One in Ten' is still their classic for me.
A good reggae album but suffers from being a bit samey. I don’t know much about UB40 but I feel like maybe their debut isn’t their strongest? Props to them from being from 0121
Buen álbum de reggae inglés. Pero recomendaría mejor escuchar un greatest hits de esta banda.
I forgot they existed!
Cover 5 Not familiar with their catalog except Red Red Wine, and that didn't get me curious enough to check them out. Didn't realize how political they were or could be. It's nice relaxing album.
Solid reggae
Good background music...
Decent. Not much of a raggae fan, but this was an enjoyable listen.
I have heard thus begore, a very long time ago. From the time that Ub40 was inventing their place under the sun.
Það er mjög nýlega sem ég komst að því að þekktasta lagið þeirra var gamalt Neil Diamond lag. Ég varð smá leiður en það breytir því ekki að mér finnst svona reggí-tónlist afskaplega skemmtileg. Ekkert lag sem stendur samt upp úr.
A little one note but ultimately enjoyed this. Always appreciate anyone that integrated horns in their music.
Remember as a kid listening to the radio waiting to hit the record button on the cassette player to catch red wine perfectly. Would have been four stars if that was on here.
UB40 presents a pretty solid dub album with Signing Off. I always have conflicting feelings about the British Reggae and Ska movements, as the frontmen for these bands were mostly not of Jamaican decent, and participating in an art form that had been around for some time. In many ways, I tend to feel the art form is done better by those whose communities created it. Comparing this to say, "Super Ape", by The Upsetters I find the smooth production of "Signing Off" suddenly made more cloying by its pristine production value. I feel like Dub especially benefits from low-fi cuts and samples, as it provides body to the distortion. But a comparison to the legendary Lee "Scratch" Perry is probably unfair. That being said, UB40's approach is refreshing. They clearly love the genre and attempt to make music that is in its style and not some clear anglicization of it (though as is mentioned in the blurb this is where they eventually go). The message of their lyrics also corresponds well with them working in an art form, showing care and precision in their choices. To stick to dub when English Ska was taking off (The Beat was on a hot streak) shows great fortitude of vision.
Distinctly average reggae
2.9 To be honest, not as bad as I expected. I remember them being a lot worse than this album offered, but maybe their initial outing was a lot more "real" than the later nonsense I heard. Reggae really not my thing, but this one was ok to drift along in the background. Definitely dragged on though, not sure those last three were necessary.
This white boi loves reggae, but this album wasn’t as strong as others in this genre in my opinion. Idk much about UB40, but maybe they pioneered some of the elements that other groups flushed out? Still an easy listen and I always enjoy reggae. I love the bass lines, but it was way too muddy to listen to on car speakers. Strong 3 for me
I really didn't mind this, I thought it was definitely too long, but overall these were some decent jams. No idea why this british reggae album is on this list other than Dimery was around for it. Another exhibit in the long hall of how this list is so overweighted with British groups. soft 3/5
This was a fun listen. Not terribly remarkable and no single song stood out but if I’m ever in the mood for reggae in the future I won’t hesitate to put it on.
Mieux que les Wailers dans le style reggae. C'était entertainant. Les paroles engagées sont cool.
Du bon reggae! (Bon marley etait meilleur)
Dit is echt een beetje een bijna agressief ok reggae album. Gewoon heel erg prima, ik irriteer me niet, muzikaal klinkt het als reggae en ook de zang is niet vervelend. Maar waar ik bij Bob nog echt wel kan genieten merk ik dat ik het hier vooral heel erg tollereer. Geen moment springt er echt uit ofzo, maar eerder dat ik denk, "mwah dit is best wel prima en ik zal het niet snel afzetten." Als er een prijs zou zijn voor 's werelds meest best wel ok album, dan zou deze het denk ik winnen. White boy reggae, het is gelukkig nog springlevend en even prima als dat het altijd wel was! FAVO: Tyler, Food for thought
Pretty good, but gets kinda boring at some point
Overall: 5/10 Everything about it is fine and there's nothing that I really disliked, but I was kind of bored and it became background music pretty quickly. Reggae is hit or miss for me if discovered. Fav Song: Tyler Least Fav Song: Adella
Cool artwork
It's okay, I like some UB40, but this one wasn't really for me
Haven’t heard much / no ragge albums before so this was a cool find , liked the chill vibe
Enjoyable little reggae album.
Pleasant soundtrack for making a pie (probably not its intended use)
Jazzy Rege? I like it!. It got a bit slow in the middle of the album.
Slow but groovy reggae. Not super interesting but a decent listen.
I like my reggae a little punchier--more sativa than indica.
Reminds me of my youth
While this album was incredibly repetitive, its biggest and glaring flaw, it was a fun listen. i thought i would like it way more when i first started it but it dragged way too much without providing enough variety. good for my playlist but i don’t know if i would revisit this as a whole album again any time soon.
Reggae-ish
I don't really like UB40, but their early stuff is pretty nice. Food for Thought is one of their best hits and there are a few other neat songs on here as well. However, the entire album feels a bit boring and repetitive. There's a lot of instrumentals with nice beats that just drag on for a while. None of what here is bad but it's all a bit lame and boring. Still nice enough to listen to and a few better songs that make it worthwile.
do yall mind if a few british lads play a little reggae tonight
Kind of liked it just a little more than I thought I would. Lots of moments of cool instrumental parts.
You better call up Tyler and have him try some of this Strange Fruit.
This was a nice change of pace. Made good background music to read through papers.
Started off strong (and the lyrics are super interesting) but eventually became a slog for me.
This is an amazing reggae album. I'm blown away by the musicianship, the socio-political lyricism, and the cool unique flavour of it all.
some cool songs on there some really boring
Это, в общем-то, необычно. Food for Thought неплоха. Вводит в такое медитативное состояние. Чуть грустинки, чуть абсурда. Ок.
It's funny, I had no idea who UB40 were until last year. The visited my city and some family went to see them, my mother in law kept saying "you know, red, red wiiiine!" and singing it to me, but I, infact, did not know even after having it played it to me. Had never heard of it or them. I actually travelled to the venue that night to see said family outside. And that's the only exposure I have ever had to UB40. It immediately comes off as preachy with Tyler, but I guess "political" is probably a better word, and is apparently something this album is esteemed for (although can't say I really caught much more of it). There's also no mistaking that this is reggae either. I did love the heavy basslines, although they did get a bit monotonous and repetitive. Didn't love the abrupt stops and changes in the first two tracks. Really loved the last minute and a half of Burden of Shame, very cool and almost psychedelic. It was pleasant to listen to, but I kind of tuned out of the second half of the album and it all felt very same-same, a bit one trick. Groovy, but monotonous. Most: Burden of Shame Least: Tyler Rating: 2.5, but I'll round up.
Not really my bag, but would say it only went downhill from here.
Great background music for a mid-summer beach party - however that is part of the issue in that it never really raises itself above being just background music...
Enjoyable. Not really my preferred genre, but nothing to complain about.
Really good Brit-reggae debut album with lots of dub step production and socially conscious lyrics. A little same-y at times but some great insight into Thatcherite UK at that time. They would hit bigger later with "Red Red Wine" and "Rar in the Kitchen."
Vrolijk huppelende ska. Weinig mis mee, al raak ik het halverwege wel zat. Scoort net iets onder een vergeetbare 3.
So it's a beloved album in a genre I'm not too immersed in, which usually means I'll have to adjust my approach a little. I'll admit that I do find reggae a bit samey so if that's a problem here it's not necessarily indicative of the quality of the album. I am aware of this band's music, and when it comes to their hits I'm really not a fan. Hoping for something completely different, otherwise this will be a struggle. Going into this with a hint of worry. Tyler Surprised by the outright politicalness of the lyrics of this track. It's extremely direct. I like the sax. The instrumental bridge section lifts this track to a whole new level. Love the hint of psychedelia in there. Great percussion. Good. 4/5 King Instrumentally it's quite cool. Love the groove. The vocals do sort of disturb the vibe at times, especially with the sudden cuts. I do quite like the drawn out reverb effect on them. The lyrics are quite catchy. Decent. 3.5/5 12 Bar Sounds like a nice day out on town. Love the lighter tones. Cheerful and full of colour. The sax melody is really cute. Simple and effective. Good. 4/5 Burden of Shame While the topic of discussion here should definitely be the meaning behind the song, I'll just quickly have to shout out how much I love the bass on this track. The final instrumental section is a fantastic jam. Powerful and thoughtful commentary in the lyrics does a straight forward job at condemning British imperialism. Good. 4/5 Adella A solid instrumental track, though lacking the infectiousness some of the previous tracks had. Feels a bit uneventful, though provides a couple of cool melodies that keep it from getting too boring. Fine. 3/5 I Think It's Going To Rain Today The lyrics are pretty cute, though I'm not sure I like how they are performed. I'm just not a fan of how the vocals sound, feels a bit overdone. The instrumental sections between the verses feels like the highlight of this song. Average. 2.5/5 25% Has a bit of a lazy energy to it. Decently relaxing but goes nowhere. Feels a bit undercooked, lacking any sort of change or dynamism. Average. 2.5/5 Food For Thought Vsiceral and depressing lyrics. A lot of the imagery here is really dark. Instrumentally it's nothing special, it's consistent with the style of the rest of the album. Kinda repetitive. Fine. 3/5 Little By Little I can dig a socialist anthem occasionally. Decently effective chorus. Great bassline. Love the dynamic percussion on here. Catchy. Decent. 3.5/5 Signing Off A decent vibe, owing much of its interesting parts to the bass playing. Decent sax melody. It's fun to hear an extended guitar section in there. Not exceptional, but a fun little jam none the less. Decent. 3.5/5 Madam Medusa Lacks a bit of energy to start with, though I slowly start getting into the theme of it as it goes along. Really digging the final verse, great energetic performance from the vocals. Does however devolve into an aimless and uneventful jam section where it seems to just drag on forever. As much as I like the way the bass and percussion sounds here, it doesn't really keep me interested. Average. 2.5/5 Strange Fruit The lyrics are as dark and powerful as ever. A harrowing piece of songwriting. However this is a bit of an unremarkable version of the song. The vocalist's voice doesn't carry the amount of emotion and visceralness required to perform this song effectively. The way the instrumental works to enunciate parts of the lyrics really works. Fine. 3/5 Reefer Madness The more up tempo feel does feel appropriate for an album closer. I like the percussion quite a lot at times, there are some really interesting background moments. Great bass again. Fine. 3/5 Was honestly expecting this to be annoying and whiny based on their hits, but I'm pleasantly surprised it wasn't that at least. I definitely didn't expect there to be so much political commentary on there, which I thought was delivered with a lot of grace. Starting pretty strong with songs that I genuinely thought were pretty interesting, wether it is political commentary or instrumental atmosphere. I was also surprised at how much the saxophone added to the sound. However this album is pretty frontloaded, where as I feel most of their best ideas were already spent by the time we get halfway through. There's probably 35 minutes of material on here that's actually worth checking out over the course of the album, the rest is uneventful, easily fading into the background. Especially some of the instrumental songs could've been cut completely and no one would notice. I can't say the vocals were ever a highlight either, as at their best they're sort of just there and at their worst they're actively in the way of the groove. The moment a different vocalist comes in with another sort of energy I can feel the song gets lifted significantly. To be honest this album just doesn't have enough going on a lot of the time unless the instrumentals do the heavy lifting, which they're forced to do a lot. And while I have praised the commentary aspect of the lyrical content, the way its delivered sort of makes it feel a bit to casual and dispassionate. In the end it's fine, but also significantly flawed. The album's terrible pacing and bloated tracklist bringing it down. 3/5
I didn't mind this at first but it's alot of the same as time moves on.
Fine. 3/5
A saxophone in a reggae song is a choice. It strangely works, thus proving my idea that every band in the 80's used a saxophone at least once. Some of these songs still hold up. It's sad that they do, but the music is good. The sax really threw me off, for some reason I thought that showed up in later albums. I gave this one a couple listens and enjoyed it more than I expected. It does make me want to hear more of them, so mission accomplished UB40.
I'm glad that the dreadful "Red Red Wine" isn't on this album. That song ruined my perception of UB40 for a few years. There are many pretty cool songs on "Signing Off". It could do with more songs with lyrics rather than instrumentals. At least I don't have a negative view of the album. 3 stars for "Signing Off"
Meh
It's not bad, per se, but its not that interesting. I'm getting generic reggae vibes and struggling through over an hour worth of it. It could have been edited down like 15/20 minutes and would have been more concise. I'll give them credit on the lyrical content, but that's the only thing really pushing this to a 3 out of 5.
Somewhat enjoyable reggae grooves, but could probably use a bit of a trim.
Enjoyable reggae album. Good grooves. Didn’t listen too closely to the lyrics. Some of the harpsichordy synth glisses were unpleasant.
Oh man, I want expecting this. There's no Rat in my Kitchen or Red Red Wine. It's like they had something to say, then got popular later and make commercial crap. I didn't realise I could like UB40. Bit more dubby, since saxophone. UB40 sieve 214 weeks on the singles charts in the UK in the 1980s. That's like 40% of a decade! Equalled only by Madness, a Ska band. Anyone whining about fake reggae doesn't realise the far reach of African, Jamaican and West Indian culture in the UK. Anyway, of listen to this again. That's a three.
Not bad.
My biggest problem with reggae is that so many of it feels like it's all the same tempo. This album did not change my mind. The instrumentals were okay, but a lot of the songs seemed like they went on at least a minute or two too long for me. And then there were songs that completely changed direction with no transition, which was a bit jarring. Anyway, _THIS_ is supposed to be their finest work? That doesn't bode well for the rest of their discography. "Burden of Shame"... man, that just seems so apparent to me that it's "Moondance." I can't believe anyone would think otherwise. If I want to listen to reggae, this is not where I would go first: Marley, MAYBE Peter Tosh. Not this. It's just so... vanilla-flavored for me. I didn't hate it, but... it just left me wanting something better. Top tracks: "12 Bar," "Little By Little," "Madam Medusa"
I guess it's more mature than an album full of Red, Red Wine soundalikes, but I wasn't excited about much of it. And if I'm being honest, I kind of like a few of their remakes and I'll bet many people are in that boat. They did a solid job of making a bunch of non-reggae songs their own on their two Labour of Love albums, and I might have been okay (or more okay?) with the first of those hitting this list. This album shows they were more than a cover band, but I'm still shrugging my shoulders.
Didn’t need to be over an hour long but still good nonetheless, with reggae it’s hard not to make it sound repetitive but I thought they did a good job with keeping it a bit fresh, although making the album shorter would have helped to be honest. Favourites: Tyler, 12 bar, 25%, signing off and Reefer madness, mostly found the instrumentals to be the best ones evidently. Overrall, 6/10.
UB40 are really cool and all, but their debut is still 60+ minutes of reggae, and that's really not my cup of tea. Stay for the political lyrics and deep bass lines.
Don't really associate the British with genres like reggae, but this is I guess a modern take on the genre, blending it with electonic music, which has it's positives and negatives. Haven't heard of this band before, don't think they are that famous outside of Britain. Didn't think I would enjoy the album that much once I started listening to it. But the more and more I got into it, the more I liked the easy going, laid back atmosphere it has to offer. This might be considered modern and minimalist reggae and it takes some of the best aspects of the genre, like atmosphere and feel, and blends it with more modern jazzy and electronic sounds. The production is well done, everything sounds well recorded and separated, especially liked the drums. I also liked the addition of some instruments not usually found in reggae, like brass winds and synths. On the other hand, the vocals are somewhat weird to me, they come of as too clean and high. Also, the album doesn't provide anything too special or stand-out in my opinion. All in all, a solid casual record.
I liked some of the tracks a lot, but the purely instrumental songs became kind of repetitive/monotonous. Started feeling like a 4 but dropped to a 3 since only a few stand out tracks for me (I Think it’s Going to Rain Today and Food for thought).
Very enjoyable reggae music. 3.5 stars