Reviews (page 4 of 8)
I had listened to bits and pieces of this album over the years, but never the whole thing. I was previously most familiar with “Tyler” which I think is a great song, but also took to “Food For Thought” and their version of “I Think It’s Going To Rain Today” this time around. An interesting band to learn about. You could build an entire history course on how sounds like this came to be produced in Birmingham, England.
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.
This record just didn't end.
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
theyve got decent vocals, good instrumentals and some political charged, socially conscious lyrics but something about it just feels lackluster. for example their cover of strange fruit wasnt bad, but im not sure the haunting lyrics work in the context of their sound. i appreciate the intentions but think the execution was bit flawed. i think i could've given it a 4 had it been a bit shorter
Nice, funky reggae.
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 know giving an album one song isn’t really fair, but I could have been convinced this was Sublime if it was on in the background and I wasn’t paying attention.
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.
No thanks bro. No. thanks.
Whyyyyyyyyyy is this an hour long?
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.
It sounds nice but it's too similar from song to song They say variety is the spice of life and I say I want my music seasoned
I almost signed off early.
Good but too long
That is feel good music with a message, great.
Erfitt að tengja við þetta, vantar allt kikk
Voru þetta fleiri en eitt lag?
Is this good? Is it really an album I had to hear before I died? Although not unpleasant, I felt like I had heard everything most of these tracks had to offer less than halfway through each of their runtimes, for Burden of Shame, Adella and Madam Medusa. The tracks are almost all too muzak and easy-listening for me, they need more bite. Boring.
The only UB40 album anyone needs. If you like, keep going through their discography but stop at Geffery Morgan. It's downhill quickly after that....
Just feels entirely derivative.
#748. Reggae? No. Reggae made by white people? Double no. Reggae made by British people? Triple no. Yet another artist on here that's a one hit wonder, but we're listening to a different album for unknown reasons? Quadruple no. 2/5: just no
Great the sound of the brass was a memory of heating this album many years ago
Never got into UB40... should've.
I was surprised at how good this one was. Supposedly they spent a lot of time learning how to play before their first album, feels like it shows!
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.
I really enjoyed this, good grooves, thoughtful lyrics.
Reggae mixed with dub from Birmingham England! Of course I always enjoy the involvement of saxophones in any genre, especially in this one it made total sense, they fit perfectly. Its quite political lyrically, some songs can get a bit repetitive especially with a 13 song album, but I enjoy this laid back groove shit man. Favourites songs are King, Burden of Shame and Food for Thought.
I love this album
pretty chill
Si no catanran, me costaria menos entender porque lo han metido en esta lista. Canciones muy largas que solo son largas porque repiten lo mismo hasta la saciedad
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.
Like most of the world, my introduction to UB40 came in the late '80s with their cover of Neil Diamond's "Red Red Wine." It wasn't until much later that I learned UB40 did something other than cover songs, and it wasn't until today that I actually listened to any of them. I love the socio-political themes here, which must've caused consternation in the UK at the time. But musically the album settles into a groove and basically stays there for an hour. It doesn't take long to get tedious, though I appreciated their take on "Strange Fruit."
If there is one common theme to this list, it's that some bands that had a couple hits here in the US have been ruling in the charts in the UK for decades. I did not know. I love me some greatest hits UB40, and Red Red Wine is a sleeper karaoke hit that even non singers can nail, so that's something to be celebrated. I really liked this and makes me want to explore more of the catalogue, but kind of dull as well at parts.
My favorite reggae album so far, it still sticks to all the usual reggae conventions but stands out with good musicianship and interesting rhythms
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
Pretty good for the reagge vibes
First time hearing this album and I was very pleasantly surprised . I had only heard the songs like Red Red Wine and I Got You Babe, but I like this album better than anything else I;ve ever heard from UB40. This feels rawer and had more energy that I was expecting. Really great record.
no Red Red Wine, no high score
Excellent!
Pretty boring, to be honest. Not bad, but it didn't do anything for me. 2.4
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.
wanted to rate a 3 but it's just not engaging enough, even if the context is interesting
Autumn days are not built for Reggae.
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.
Sounds like what you'd get if you pressed the "Reggae" button on a Casio keyboard (and then turned the volume down so as not to wake the neighbors).
I’ll be honest, I didn’t pay that much attention while listening. But it was pretty good from what I remember.
this reggie pussy is splendid
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.
Much better than any of their later stuff
nahh
2/5
calm, relaxing but also fun and a solid album all around.
3.5
Love IT. Own It.
Sigh. This is getting tedious, 1,001. Here we have yet another album from a British one-hit wonder that is conspicuously missing the hit(s). I'm all for including one (1) album that is the best representation of a subgenre of music. Is UB40 the best representation of Reggae-Dub? Is Reggae-Dub a legit subgenre that we should be including here? See what I mean? Tedious. Influence 2. Quality 2. Hits 1. It's actually good background music with a nice vibe, but it's nothing more than that 3. 2
very interesting, It says in the description that they drew comparisons to the Specials, but I think this is very different, in terms of it seems like they don't mind having long instrumental sections and I think there's loads of musicians that it doesn't really get boring. There's also a lot of elements of dub stuff in here, like the flangers and delays on the guitars and other instruments. Its also seemingly very political and socially conscious, probably due to the circumstances and time period it was made (like the burden of shame song). I just also love the grooves and basslines and the reggae stuff. The keys/organ/synth stuff is really goon and interesting, as in 'traditional' reggae you wouldn't really have many synths (maybe organ though) Favourite songs: most if not all. Overall around 7/10
Checking out by this reviewer.
Ugh...Reggae. At least this one doesn't have UB40's terrible version of the already terrible song, "Red Red Wine". Throw this on the junk pile along with Simply Red, Fine Young Cannibals, and Dexy's Midnight Runners.
Always felt UB40 was were reggae went to die
2.5
3.2
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
What a great album!
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%
didn’t even finish listening to this, so repetitive
I was 20 when Signing Off hit, a perfect accompaniment to smoking weed and resin. Saw them live twice back it the day, once at the Brixton Academy which was pretty awesome. Chrissie Hind came on for the duo of "I got you babe". My favourite track from the album is King. I think my youngest one will insist this is played at my funeral! She remembers me dancing about the house to this, thats if you believe you can dance to reggae. The weed dropped before I had kids, but Signing Off and Present Arms have both been a presence, they are the background theme to my life, never waning. The perfect anti tory and anti Thatcher, and everything that has disturbed this country since. A political statement. Fuck the tories, fuck the media, fuck the billionaires sitting up on their thrones in castles in the sky. Fuck you. 14 years of tories dismantling the UK. Fuck labour for their empty promises of fixing. The world is going to burn and you don't even want to see it. This world has turned into rape and pillage and fuck the consequences. The Earth dies screaming (a warm dry wind is all that breaks the silence, highways quiet scars across the land, people lie, eyes closed, no longer dreaming). Fuck Trump, Fuck the far right fascist, fuck you for moving the Overton Window so far to the right that minorities become the subject of abuse. FUCK YOU. The land belongs to no one. When you are dead, maybe you might see that... thats the paradox. When you're dead you're the same as anyone else, fucking dead. Wake up people, before its too late... oh, sorry, it already is too fucking late. Wankers. x
I like me some reggae every now and then so this was pretty nice to listen to.
Bit on the long side, but overall pretty good album! Definitely a 3.5 - round up.
Pretty chill. I like
Enjoyable reggae - neat album cover!
BORING. The blatant moondance ripoff was funny though
Eh British reggae isn’t really my bag
Gave it a couple songs, wasn't for me.
No.
Cocaine is a helluva drug.
Really Good 9/10
Holy shit this album makes me hate reggae more than I already do.
Livet er for kort til å høre på middelmådig dub. Ikke-essensielt album fra et ikke-essensielt band. Du hører at de så gjerne vil bli bandet som lagde Red Red Wine, selv om de er stuck med å leke seg med en bedre sjanger. Best når de holder kjeft og lar delayen gjøre jobben.
Ville bare at det skulle ta slutt. Det er så sjelløst at jeg egentlig lurer på om det var noen som spilte på plata
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:)
Couldn't do it, held out for the Randy Newman cover, but it's just a slog to me.
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
Every song is the same, and none of them are good
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
Better than expected.
Forgettable
I'm sure there are many more reggae albums on this list. I understand the impact of this band and the album on England, but it just doesn't land. Mid level reggae from a band whose biggest hits were covers. Not for me.
Brilliant poetry with boring beats.
They recorded the backing tracks but forgot the leads. Pleasant tho
Meh
Better album than I thought was going to be. Something to be said for having a sound that is instantly recognizable as you. Unfortunately this becomes aurally tiring. Some good tracks on the album and politically charged.
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
Really enjoyed the reggae sounds. Played it all day
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.
Boring
Lovely
funsies
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.
This was a really monotonous album, all tracks, well most sounded the same. Dull and flat there was nothing to it at all. Needed a bit of oomph.
Seen these live. Always a good show but never listened to an album. I guess I hoped for more, a bit more upbeat. The same beat for every song including the little gap before a doot made me wonder if the album started over again a few times.
3.5. Pretty enjoyable reggae/dub.
I hadn't thought about reggae when I started this journey. I enjoyed the disc. I liked that a lot of the songs had some rock and jazz influences. It bored a bit by the end, but it may be just me, I have never been a big fan of reggeae but I certainly enjoyed it. For me it was a 8 of 10
This was sort of a drag to get through. I wouldn't say I liked the pop spin on reggae and I didn't like the lead singer's voice much, so it just wasn't for me.
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.
2 reggae albums in a row? Lord have mercy
вайбово, претензий нет.
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.
These dorky white boys had the balls to say “we should be as big as Oasis”. The Gallagher brothers may be assholes but their music makes up for it. UB40 did not make that level of contribution with their pretend accents.
They are darn good.
What the angst of BritReggae was best represented by.
If you’re really looking for reggae, I guess this could be a good album. Very chill the whole time and got pretty repetitive. Nothing memorable.
They ain't no bob marley
very fun!!!
Pretty standard middling reggae album. Was there a moondance melody in there?
I was signing off while listening to this
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.
UB40 is unfortunately one of those bands mostly known for its hit singles, which are not at all indicative of who the band was originally. They did do cover songs early on, but they were not as "poppy" as some of the later ones. What I loved when I first heard the band was initially the cool reggae rhythms, but when actually listening to the lyrics it was clear they had a strong political stance and one I was in alignment with. I lost interest in the band once they were focusing too much on the hit songs, but I still enjoy listening to their earlier albums.
Call me an uncultured swine (I probably am), but each song is indistinguishable from another. I don’t think they were phonies or anything, but this was too long and redundant for me to enjoy.
Solid debut album. Easy listening music to chillax to. A pleasant surprise.
Enjoyed the political elements and the covers of I Think its Going to Rain Today and Strange Fruit, (although it pales in comparison to Billie Holiday). Did tire a bit of the sax with heavy reverb after a while and the rest of the album was quite samey.
Always like some Midlands reggae
Pleasantly surprised by the album. My reference of UB40 is pretty much Red Red Wine so didn't have expectations. However enjoyed it with the highlight being Food for Thought. Will go 4 stars now subject to a possible downgrade.
Excellent album to have on in the background
Pretty weak. Between a 1 & 2. It wasn't necessarily a unpleasant listen, but just a mostly unremarkable one. It's just reggae but not very inspired, at least to me. I'm going to give it a 1 which is probably a little harsh, I guess I see why it's on here but I don't think it should be.
8.5/10
Genuinely could not tell the difference between songs.
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.
the style isn’t exactly my fav genre of music, i like red red wine by them but got a bit bored listening. maybe i’ll try it again sometime. also was p hungover and tired listening
Started off thinking it kinda sucked, but it grew on me. Interesting listen
Wow, this wasn't what I expected at all - I thought this band just did pop reggae covers! Really enjoyed this, it slots in well with the other dub reggae coming out of Britain in the 70s and 80s. It feels very British, while also being true to its Caribbean roots. Some of the songs do run a bit too long, but it's forgiveable since they are quite danceable!
King Food for Thought
historycznie znaczące chyba? ale ja nie przepadam za reagge, troche wszystko dla mnie brzmi tak samo 4 piosenka i troche mam dość
Always appreciate a little reggae here and there. This was very easy to listen to and hadn't realized how political they can be. 7/10
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.
Great debut album. Sadly they didn’t live up to their potential but this is a cracking album nevertheless
I remember downloading a bunch of Bob Marley on limewire way back in the day. The song "Red Red Wine" but accredited to him was amongst the songs. I knew it wasn't a Bob Marley song and remember being so irritated by this error. I remember finding out later that the guy singing Red Red Wine was actually a white guy not from Jamaica. This whole experience basically made me write off UB40 from that point on. Untill today. This album was actually great. It might be a bit overproduced, has hints of cultural appropriation, and sometimes comes off a bit corny but I really enjoyed it. I will definitely listen to more UB40, just maybe not Red Red Wine.
I didn’t realize how much I actually like reggae, but I’ve yet to get a reggae album from the list that I’ve disliked and this is another solid reggae album. I really enjoy the dub aspects to it and the saxophone parts too.
To much screaming in the one song downgraded
Good music to work to.
Дуже дабовий реггі. Хороший альбом з політичними текстами
Дуже кайфовий запис - ідеальний мікс ска, реггі та даб музики, правильний саунд, політичні тексти.
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
неочікувано реггі альбом, супер мій вайб, із задоволенням прослухала, те що було зараз треба
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.
Background music, doesn't stand out too much to me. Feels a bit repetitive, though I guess it being reggae it doesn't hurt as much as other genres would be. Not too much else to say.
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
Very chill. Could not understand any of the social commentary.
Amazing debut album from UB40. Known "Food from Thought" from early 20s, my favourite. Overall great mood, and apprarently lyrics very good (need to listen more closely.. Tatcher UK depression). Tempted to put 5 starts, but 4.40.
Dubby
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
How is a UB40 album on this list? How does it not even have Red Red Wine on it? How is it over an hour long? How is it so boring that I had to turn it off after 4-5 songs?
I liked a lot of this, but did it really need to be over an hour?
better than I expected. My American experience is limited to the one radio hit here (Red Wine), from another album. This is a well rounded of global flavors
Decent modern dub nothing stood out for me
Not really my kind of stuff...
I really wonder how they thought it would be a great idea to make this thing last 1h06.
chilliger reggae, aber not outstanding
I liked this album more than I expected, knowing UB40 mostly from their later, more commercial work. This is proper dub/reggae. Love it.
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.
Really fun and interesting. 4.5/5
I just can't stand reggae.
I don't really know how to assess reggae. It just all sound kind of the same to me, and I'm not really a fan of this genre's conventions (although I'm far from an expert and can't say I fully understand it, of course). Reggae doesn't appeal to me whatsoever. It's really hard for me to imagine an album of this genre that I would enjoy. So it's not really this album fault that I didn't like it all that much. Yeah, I don't really know what to say about this album. All the problems I have with it are the same every other reggae album I've heard has. I felt like Tyler was by far the best song on this album, and the rest were just whatever (Madam Medusa is decent too, I guess). This album is inoffensive and even kind of nice in some places but just not interesting to me. It's too simple and repetitive, without variation or enough emphasis on certain parts of the composition, just like reggae is supposed to be—and I don't like it. It doesn't catch my interest at all. It sounds like elevator music, which is not a problem to me if songs build up to something, but reggae doesn't seem to ever do it. This is not my type of music, so it's really hard for me to enjoy it. 5/10
Rough and raw reggae, social commentaries, with horns adding colour. Quite different from the popular radio hits of later years.
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
Por primera vez en mucho tiempo escucho un album de reggae que es más una experiencia completa, en vez de ser una recopilación de canciones Muy atmosférico y con excelente ejecucion, 8/10
A bit boring and bland
I only knew UB40 from their mainstream hits in the late 80s / early 90s. It was associated in my mind with "uninspired pop-reggae", so I was expecting the worst. However, listening to their first album made me realize it was actually not *that* bad. Well, I still think it’s boring, don’t get me wrong. But it’s not abysmal-boring, just regular-boring. As often with reggae (Bob Marley excepted), it’s loooooong and dragged-out. Listening to the whole album felt like a 3 or 4 hours ordeal. Man, reggae really IS music for stoners with a lot of time on their hands... There are a couple of slightly more interesting and dynamic tracks here and there (like Burden Of Shame, with its nice use of synth sounds, or the classic Food For Thought), probably so the listener doesn’t fall asleep half-way through the album. Overall not a very pleasant experience for me, but I’ll admit they’re not the commercial hacks I thought they were. The cheesy sax is somewhat a welcome addition, and the jazz / blues influences do bring something new to the table in terms of experimentation. I’ll give them 2 stars for originality.
I never would have imagined that the most anti-Margeret Thatcher album I'd ever hear would be from a reggae band, but it defintiely tracks. The descendents of the Windrush generation, once celebrated for rebuilding post-war Britain, have never been fans of the Tories. UB40 emerged from the British 2 tone scene, mixing reggae with ska, much like The Specials. The name UB40 refers to their unemployment forms (probably also antagonizing the Conservatives) but the album title "Signing Off" is a bold statement that this was going to be their ticket out of that lifestyle. It feels particularly subversive in a way, because they're co-opting the right's own message of pulling themselves up by their boot straps while also celebrating the socialize benefits that allowed them to do it all from a tiny house in the country. Given how popular the album was, it seems like it worked, and the legacy continues. "Signing Off" remains one of the best reggae albums produced outside of Jamaica.
Very nice
Rather boring
Este es el ✨tropical✨ no el anterior. Puta página de mierda
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
A UB40 album I hadn’t listened to before, it had some great tracks
wow this was really bad. the only thing i knew about these guys was from the phish song David Bowie. just boring bad reggae for over an hour. bowie is light years better
Better reggae than I thought it would be. Kind of a jam.
Superb album of jazz-fusion-reggae, to get your vibe on to.
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'm morally opposed to this.
Whole album sort of ran together for me. Not bad, but felt pretty forgettable.
I forgot they existed!
This was barely UB30
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.
I dont love reggae music but i feel like this was a good one. The last song sounds like its been sampled somewhere else but i cant place it.
Jesus Christ. This was potentially one of the most abysmal albums I’ve ever heard. Reggae music for fat, white, middle aged, IT consultants. Music made by people who once saw Jamaica on a map so now feel like they have a kinship with its people. Truly woeful, and I wish nothing but pain on the artists. May their next shites be hedgehogs.
Solid reggae
Good background music...
Very mellow reggae, almost felt like a rebelution “dub” style album. Listened while driving to Milford
2 for 2 long. Otherwise 2 5
Decent. Not much of a raggae fan, but this was an enjoyable listen.
Felt very repetitive and long. Favorite tracks were the instruments
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.
One of my aunt’s favourite albums. Feels like an audio kush-cloud hug soaked in nostalgia. Just what I needed today. 😌✨
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.
Groove! Really enjoyed this one, and especially the instrumentals like 25% and Signing Off. Perfect weekend music, gonna listen much more!
My band opened for UB40 once. They brought their own "stage lighting" which was meant for stadiums but this was a small venue. I was blinded by these insanely bright floor lights pointed directly up at me. Every picture of our band from that show looks like we are incandescent. Oh, and they also walled off a third of the venue floor with curtains for their own "green room" because they had at least 40 people in tow with all their crew and family.
Groove! Really enjoyed this one, and especially the instrumentals like 25% and Signing Off. Perfect weekend music, gonna listen much more!
I think this one is a big hit in HI. I remember some of these tracks. I heard moondance also and I also heard some Gorillaz influences. I'm not a huge reggae fan though.
I enjoyed it at the start, I like me some reggae, but it kinda dragged. I'd give it a 2.5 if possible, but definitely zoned out here and there 1 - would not listen to again 2 - if some one played it, I'd probably just zone it out 3 - didn't hate it, didn't love it 4 - saved some songs from the album 5 - would buy the album or already own it
I feel like this would be great music if I lived on a beach. 2/5
“What kind of music do you like” “Oh, I like everything. Except reggae.”
Never listened to a UB40 album. It’s probably all the reggae rock and ska I enjoy that had me pleasantly surprised something like this came out in 1980.
Very repetitive. I was generous the first time around, but not so much this time.
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.
Honestly comes off as a parody sometimes
I was surprised to learn this album came out in 1980. I had no idea UB40 went back that far. Reggae has never really been my thing, but I actually enjoyed this one. While I tend to get burned out on reggae vocals, I have to admit I’ve always liked dub, especially for its more experimental aspects. This album had great instrumentation, particularly the echo heavy keyboard basslines that define dub. I’ve never really paid much attention to UB40 before, but from the little I have heard, I don’t remember them sounding this good. This album had a rawer, stripped down quality compared to the more commercial sound they adopted later in their career.
Distinctly average reggae
Mirnija varijanta Specials što mi nimalo ne smeta. Ima dobrih pjesama, nekih koje se izdvajaju, a ostale su fine, smirujuće, ako ništa. Dobar jubilarni stoti. Samo fini ritmovi i uživancija.
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 album was not created for me. This was an incredibly boring listen. Burden of shame is a phenomenal song, the rest of it is very samey/forgettable. I need to find the line to get into music like this or to gain the appreciation for it because other than a unique vibe, I don’t know that I need that vibe for over an hour. There’s some great playing on here but it feels so aimless or one dimensional. The last two songs are virtually interchangeable. Someone please let me know what I need to do to gain unlock the skill set to like this, I like some ska!!! There are some good Wailers tunes!! I like red red wine for like 20 seconds! Help. Burden of shame and lyrics good, need more from the songs.
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.
As a grammar school boy I remember thinking that UB40 were a bit too 'Labour Party' for me. A bunch of oiks whining about not being able to get a job. Later on I grew to dispise 'Red Red Wine' as it was played at every party and every wedding, I just grew sick of it. Listening to UB40 nearly 50 years later, 'Signing On' is a bit of a revelation. I like the mix, in particular the bass. Some of the songs I recognise from house parties when I was at school (there were some oiks there too). In truth I was mistaken. A lot of the tracks I really liked. Mainly on side 1 and 2. Then it kind of loses its way a bit, like they had slightly too much good stuff for a single album, so committed to a double album and then got writers' block. I think if this was a single album with just the cream, then I'd give it a 5. But I did get a bit tired of it after 45 minutes. 4
Not a fan of reggae
Good
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
Listened to the wrong UB40 album at first before listening to this one. Very solid lyrically and is some crisp reggae. Interesting transitions from lyrical tracks to instrumentals/jams. Another artist that musically peaked during their first album. Not many people like UB40 I guess but their early albums are very clean. Literall 12 minute track hating on Thatcher
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
- Such a good record. Damn soulful for a bunch of Englishmen. .... and for all of you claiming this record is boring, everything sounds the same; you're failing at the basic premise behind music. Listen ..... -
Bad luck to be compared to Finley Qhaye, but it's also a pretty boring album. Soft 2.5 stars
Cool artwork
It's okay, I like some UB40, but this one wasn't really for me
UB40 are a band that I’ve always known about but never really given much of a chance. And I’ve no idea why - I love most reggae that I’ve heard, and adore the ska music that game from it. I’ve listened to a few UB40 albums now and I’m pretty sure I’ve enjoyed them all. I need to spend some time listening to their greatest hits or something, because this style of music simply sounds so pleasant to my ears. It’s hard to be unhappy with this playing.
Cool as shit.
Expecting Red Red Wine but instead got a surprisingly good 2-tone/reggae album
Haven’t heard much / no ragge albums before so this was a cool find , liked the chill vibe
Enjoyable little reggae album.
Nope.
Pleasant soundtrack for making a pie (probably not its intended use)
Nothing interesting but not bad
Jazzy Rege? I like it!. It got a bit slow in the middle of the album.
Did not enjoy this. I'm only lukewarm with reggae to begin with, and this was absolutely nothing outstanding.
Slow but groovy reggae. Not super interesting but a decent listen.
I couldn't tell if this was an album of songs or just one song for 60 minutes.
You want to dismiss them for being posers but they're too good at what they do. Songwriting was never their strong suit but the concept works and a great vibe. Also, a reasonable argument for one of the best debut album covers of all-time. A marketing masterclass in getting you to like the band and believing in their cause without any other context.
What a great choice for the sole UB40 album in this collection. I expected to hear an album of songs like "Red red wine" or "I got you babe", and instead we get a much more nuanced and thoughtful album from the ambassadors of British reggae. I'll admit that I probably wouldn't have noticed or heard the stinging and political commentary in most of the songs if it weren't for the Wikipedia and "1001 Albums" entries highlighting them, so I'm glad I read up as I listened to their mellow beats. I enjoyed much more of the album than I expected, but my favorites of the lot were "Tyler" and its critique of America's justice system, imperial failures in "Burden of shame", the Band-Aid-prescient "Food for thought", and the admittedly overlong "Madame Medusa" (I always have a soft spot for any and all songs that skewer Thatcher, and they do a great job here). I definitely have much more respect for UB40 now, even if they left their fire behind long ago.
I like my reggae a little punchier--more sativa than indica.
Reminds me of my youth
Pretty mellow and ok, but not outstanding in any way.
This is not for me.
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.
This suprised me as I wasn't expecting the hard hitting lyrics and very listenable grooves. Liked it a lot
Reggae-ish
Not for me, reggae
Vibes!
It's not bad but good lord did it overstay its welcome. I felt exhausted 5 tracks in and there was still another 40 minutes of album to go.
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
we hitting the bongos with this one
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.
That was very enjoyable. Mostly because I was working from home and its June and sunny right now. So 4 stars for the whole bit. But there's NO WAY thats one of the greatest albums ever
I liked UB40, but this has to be the worst mixed album I've ever heard. The drums and bass were right up front, but everything else was a muffled mess, including the vocals (using headphones). The bass and drums are outstanding here. Liked Songs Added: Food For Thought Signing Off
“Tyler” is a commanding opening song and a worthy cause to make it the debut song of a debut album. I think that’s a fantastic way for UB40 to use their voices. As far as their sound goes, what you hear on “Tyler” is why you get for the whole thing, I don’t think anyone was expecting a lot of surprises or massive sonic switch-ups (“Burden Of Shame” did have a nice tempo increase though halfway through). Some great sax work on “I Think It’s Going To Rain Today”. “Madam Medusa” is the big, lengthy exception to all these songs - a different vocalist and delivery was super welcomed towards the end of the album. A lot of these songs are just instrumental vibes, and my personal favorite was “25%”. More good saxophone, fun sub-bass line. Aquatic-sounding reverb/delay effects. I also loved the vocal inflection when they sing ‘Ivory Madonna!’ In “Food For Thought”. I think I can sum my listening experience up with that in mind - a handful of nice vibes with some little gems here and there. Some worthy causes to sing about that I hope opened up lots of listeners like myself to learn about whatever the song subject may be. I don’t have enough context to say much about white men in a raggae band. It seems like at least early on the band was very multi-cultural and so I hope it informed their consistent authenticity and hope it helped the casual listener to get into the history of Jamaican & African American music of this sound. This was a fun and thorough listen! Soft 4
I didn’t know UB40 got some political.
Almost immediately put me to sleep. I know they’d move away from dull dub, but apparently it’ll take them a while.
I came prepared to hate this. I have held a grudge against UB40 ever since my high school girlfriend taped the insipid overplayed cheesefest 'Labour of Love' over my tape of 'Rain Dogs'. Unforgivable. I gave this a legit listen and the dub elements, honey smooth voiced lead singer, and insurgent politics made some of it pretty okay. But a lot of too long reggae-lite.
This was a nice change of pace. Made good background music to read through papers.
British reggae is a rough one. Just thinking of Eric Clapton's cover of "I Shot the Sheriff" brings great pain to me. I liked the mental work I needed to do to put myself in the right frame of mind to stay open to this. I have a pair of strange white-ish shoes that Abby calls my "Call Me Al" shoes, because they look like the ones Chevy Chase wears in the music video for that song, and I put those on to listen to this and it helped. Sort of saw myself as if I was poolside with my dad in Switzerland at a weird party in 1984. Ended up being sort of good, all said and done.
Appreciated the reggae remix of Moondance, but mostly found this album to be pretty bland
Started off strong (and the lyrics are super interesting) but eventually became a slog for me.
I never have anything worthwhile to say about reggae, but I always think it sounds pretty cool. It was also pretty neat to read about how this album was mostly recorded in a bedroom, that kind of no-fi origin is the kind of thing I love to hear about!