Reviews (page 6 of 8)
Not bad, I like the dub kinda vibe the most. Instrumentals pretty good and dig the Anti-Thatcher anger. Yeah fuck the Tories!
Not a reggaton fan. The musicianship is really competent, but it's not my cuppa.
I saw UB40 at a festival in 2015 and they sounds pretty much how I remember. Decent background music but probably not something I would choose to actively listen to. 3/5 because I have a soft spot for the punk agenda
Surprisingly enjoyable
Not for me
I am not much of a reggae guy. I would give it two stars but I feel that would be unfair.
A good album, couple of songs I knew in this one but they're all listenable and I would def play again.
A great reggae album with some verve to keep its downtempo arrangements moving along. Appreciated that each song had a distinct melodic feel to it, rather than one major key mush some albums in this genre tend to become.
Reggae relaxant amb molts instrumentals i la primera vegada que s'escoltava la veu i sentit melòdic tan característic de l'Ali Campbell. Res especialment memorable, però agradable de sentir i alguns temes destacables
I wasn't particularly moved, but it was a really solid album.
Liked it more than I expected. Much prefer this sound to their big songs, albeit is quite repetitive after a while. Decent background music but no rush to return
The perfect accompaniment to my strike day commute involving a bus, tram and tube. Started off quite nice before becoming increasingly monotonous and when I started to wonder when it would end there was still half an hour to go. Made me want listen to Sublime who I think do this sort of ska a lot better, though that's probably fighting talk in Birmingham or Coventry or wherever these guys are from.
Not really listened to UB40 before, was surprised to learn the singers doing reggae are white guys. I didn't dislike it but so many of the songs blended together. It's all abit too samey. Highlights were "Food for Thought" and "Little By Little".
cannot believe that these men are british. they know they fucked when they released this album. good one, but not the greatest one.
I like raggae, but after listening to a few songs in a row they all start to sound the same
I like the concepts this album tackled. Definitely edgy especially for the time. It was a little long though and while I do enjoy the tenor saxophone in my reggae music, it just felt repetitive as time went on. Which is fine because it was good, but I need more of a switch-up musically. Decent album overall.
Better than expected… But still not my thing.
6/10. bueno pero cmo monotono/no risks. en vdd el reggae en gral lo encuentro medio monotono/parecido asi q en vola es pq no me gusta tanto el generou.
White boy reggae. I never associated reggae with the peace & love weed smokers. It was always a political genre for me. I appreciate the political lyrics and themes present here. The dub-influenced instrumentals are pretty cool too.
Du bon reggae pour vrai, avec un beau son dub. Intéressant d'entendre ça, beaucoup plus typique du vrai reggae que Red Red Wine.
Very chill reggae. Not really for me.
A bit samey. Thundering bass. Food for thought is very good.
I'm sure it's great for an smooth 80's reggae fan, but not for me
I don't think I was in the right headspace to fully enjoy this one. I need to give it another listen as I think that there's some real magic on this if I give it more attention. So it's a 3+*
I’m slowly triangulating my reggae taste, for the most part this was pretty good, didn’t stand out very much, but a couple of the songs (”Signing Off”, “Reefer Madness”) are long instrumental pieces that I thought were really cool and engaging
This album broadened my horizons on what reggae could be. Silky smooth with the sax. Relaxing in a way.
This is the debut album by British reggae band UB40. It was an immediate success in the UK, making the band one of the more popular reggae bands at the time, and the album has remained one of the band's best. Signing Off is an almost perfect debut album and a cool British take on reggae. It has a mellow sound, but the political lyrics still pack a punch. I really enjoyed this chilled out album and would recommend everyone to give it a listen.
This was good background music
Better than I expected - it's early UB40, so quite moody and not popularist white boy reggae Plus, Food for Thought, immense
white reggae
a lot of this album dragged on. i enjoyed the sound of it but it got pretty monotonous after the halfway point
I've heard of UB40, but never delved into their stuff before. This is my second reggae album in a row (yesterday I had Bob Marley). Unlike Bob's sound, this has more pop sensibilities to it, and the saxophone is a great addition to the overall feel of the album. This album deals with some pretty heavy topics about racism, politics, and poverty. I enjoyed this album, but not as much as Bob Marley's album. This record had a lot of instrumentals, experimentation, and drawn out solos throughout, whereas Bob Marley kept his album on track and tight, which is why I liked it more. Favourite songs: Tyler, Burden of Shame, Little By Little, Food For Thought Least favourite songs: Madam Medusa (13 minute song that just felt too long and drawn out), I Think It's Going To Rain Today 3/5
this was better than i expected. easy to listen to.
A little redundant but overall a pleasant listen.
Bit boring after a while
Decent enough tracks. Not my cup of tae but not bad.
A little long
not very diverse
3,5/5 Best song: Food for thought
2,5/5 Nicht mein Genre Etwas monotoner Reggae Krine Zeit deswegen zum einschlafen
3/13, 23%
3, nice vibes
Starts off strong but gets a bit stale throughout. Definitely great background music pretty chilled out but not something I'd listen to on a regular basis
Good background music.
More like, "UB white boys singing reggae," am I right?
Pretty good, wasn't expecting to like this one.
Pues me gustó tanto como me puede gustar el reggae. Buena instrumentación, buenas canciones. Mi único problema es que no he encontrado un reggae que me vuele la cabeza pero seguro es mi tema con el género. La mejor es Burden of Shame.
En mi radar UB40 era solo una banda de Reggae que había hecho covers famosos. No estoy totalmente lejos de la realidad, pero siento que tienen mucha legitimidad como la banda que hizo y ha hecho el reggae británico desde que empezó a sonar y no lo ha soltado. Eso no quita que el género no me encanta, pero sí sentí mucho más gusto por el disco de lo que imaginaba inicialmente. En especial me gusto Tyler, la que abre el disco, que habla de un negro víctima de un juez blanco. Me parece interesante por la época y porque la mitad de la banda son hombres blancos, pero aparentemente muy conscientes de cómo estaba (y sigue estando) el pedo.
A great sound.
This album as a whole is much better than the one ‘Red, Red Wine’ song of theirs that I know.
huh, I didn't know there was a pre Red Red Wine UB40. Not bad. Some chill, reggae vibes. Socially conscious lyrics about being ashamed to be British. Ok UB40, you're alright...
It's reggae, I like reggae
Une voix sublime à la texture R'n'B gâchée par des instrumentales reggae (?!).
Robert vient donc nous proposer un album de 1h pleine de reggae. Il n'a donc surement pas lu nos multiples critiques à l'encontre de ce style musical absolument minable. Comme pour chaque album de reggae, la proposition artistique s'adresse uniquement aux adolescents déscolarisés, souhaitant mener une vie "à la cool". On ne cautionne pas et appliquons donc un 3/5 cher payé.
C’est cool et c’est bien fait. Je me tanne rapidement par contre. Les tounes se ressemblent trop.
Pas mon genre habituel, mais j'aime bien les pièces dub. Ça s'écoute bien, mais encore une fois, c'est un peu trop long. Je préfère cet album aux reprises qui ont faites le succès du groupe. Pièces préférées: Signing Off et 25%
Well that took me back ! No, not the music, the UB40 form ! That was very familiar when I worked for the UBO. At the time I wasn’t keen on Two-Tone but I enjoyed this. High 3*
Better than expected!
Better than expected, some nice dub reggae. Always like a bit of melodica so this went down well.
It is an interesting take on reggae for sure. Much more spacey and jazzy than the usual style which I enjoyed. The lyrics are potent political sentiments, but a bit too simple (often just a few lines over and over). 6/10
Reggae za picke? Malo mi je dosadan album al je okej za pozadinsku glazbu.
Album je dobar kad ga slušaš u pozadini onak, tako mi se sviđa. Međutim vjerujem da je dost dugačak za ovaj žanr, a i ovakih ima slučajeva kolko ti polje široko.
Pretty well put together but that sax got a bit droning at times, hit the high note every once in a while son!
I do enjoy me sociopolitical songs and this is a great debut. So much to unpack here. Faves: Tyler, Reefer Madness
Decent music, I will give them another listen and check out their other albums to make a long term judgement whether i like it or not.
Certainly average reggae.
Spoko, ale zrobiło się nudne po jakimś czasie
Not as gritty as Burning Spear or Marley, but a bit more listenable.
A nice representation of UB40's music during their serious One in Ten era, before they went commercial. However, as far as reggae music from that era is concerned, I much prefer The Police's interpretation from Reggatta de Blanc.
Could be better. Could be Worse. Favorite tracks: 12bar, 25%
An interesting trip to mediocre funky town. Some fun synth stuff mixed in here
Liked a few of them probaby a 3.5 if i could give it that
Not too bad. Reggae is meh for me right now, but the instrumentals were cool. Wasn't a huge fan of the vocals personally.
Nada especial
UB3star
Well, this was not what I was expecting. I grew up with the pop UB40 of the 90s. It's weird to hear them as an actual reggae band, not doing uninspired covers of Elvis songs. I've never disliked this band, but this album gave me newfound respect for them. There's much more authenticity about this album than the later stuff that I was aware of. I'm not much of a reggae fan, but it's enjoyable when it's done well, instead of being the same handful of Bob Marley songs being blasted out the window of some frat boy's car. 3/5 It's a fine listen, but ultimately uninspiring.
baš chill ugođaj, neka pozitiva
Dobar đir
I don't really know any other reggae than the stuff Bob Marley and his sons put out which I hate with passion (seriously, how can anyone stand any of that ***?). Turns out it's not all that horrible. This album was a lot jazzier than what I'd think of as typical reggae and with a much stronger focus on instrumentation, rather than on sluggishly delivered vocal hooks. It's still not something I'd actively seek out and listen to, but it was perfectly fine in the background and even enjoyable at times. Definitely a good experience to listen to this one, as it was the first time I've ever heard any reggae without instantly thinking "wow, this sucks so much". The one song that stood out for being horrible was Madam Medusa though, that one really sucked. All the rest of the album was fine though.
Not bad, but I wouldn't listen again. I'm just not a fan of their style of reggae.
Enjoyed Tyler.
Good working music, good music for smokin da ganjaaa monnnnn Long live Jah in Babylonia 🟢🟡🔴 3/5
Red, Red Wine really, really sucks, but this is not that, so it turned out to be better than I expected. However, it's still reggae made by white guys from Birmingham (lol). The instrumentals are the best parts. Best track: Adella
Decent. Didn’t make a huge impression of me, but I enjoyed it.
Alright, some good bits, some a bit off
Good, I don't perhaps have the historical context to really enjoy this to the fullest, but I never wanted to turn it off. Enjoyable listen.
Good background music.
it was fine
UB40 is probably one of those bands who are judged solely on their radio hit(s). In this case, I think it's not entirely fair to do so, to be honest.
Pretty solid. I really enjoyed it. More of a traditional reggae sound than most of their hits that I'm familiar with. I was really excited when they first song had more of a modern reggae dub sound but it seems like that was the only one. A bit repetitive and long at times but a solid 3.5 for me.
3 I guess, but two hours of this is too much. I'll listen to disc two some other time.
Classic reggae album
this took a 80s turn. 3 stars solid. very classic rasta vid.
Just a great feel to it, and a few good songs. Would have been a 4 at the time but a 3 now.
Some solid reggae songs but others sound like they shouldn't even be played in a grocery store.
Not like their later releases where they become more authentic. The debut is simply too similar to other raggae from the time.
Reggae album that fails to leave a lasting impression as all the songs sound very much the same and fade into ambience very quickly
Ps si mucho reage ... Pero muy sin chiste o muy igual
Bueno pero largo.
Not bad, just not my style. Reminded me of a Jimmy Buffet album. The songs sounded too similar from track to track for my taste
Perfectly fine background music
It’s alright. Not my jam really, but it’s nice to chill out to I guess.
Of course I remember a couple of popular songs from UB40 from the late 80s. It was good to hear this album, because my primary exposure to UB40 was through their cover songs. The album was good enough. I think I liked the instrumentals the most ("12 bar" and "25%"), but there wasn't anything that I disliked. There was at least one cover song on this album, which was probably my least favorite track ("Strange Fruit"). (3 stars) [I listened to the Cassette version of this album which has ¿3? more tracks than the LP -- "Strange Fruit" wasn't on the LP.]
Canny
Gut hörbar, aber Reggae ist einfach nicht meins!
had to listen on utube
Expected to hate it, really liked the first track and nothing after offended me but the album could do with being shorter.
Bonito disco de reggae y, sobre todo, de dub. Tranquilísimo y muy escuchable. Sin ningún tema que predomine.
brilliant.
more enjoyable than I expected from the "red, red wine" band. "food for thought" was a high point for me. listening to reggae brought me back to high school days
I really liked this, though I found some of the songs to be a bit too long/repetitive (which is generally what I don't like about reggae). Overall though it had good vibes, and I liked the cool 80s elements you could hear in it as well.
Muy reggae, rumboso. Buenos acordes. Tranquilo de escuchar
It was less bad than I was expecting. A lot of the songs were somewhat groovy and I liked some of the messages in the songs. Still, it was over an hour of reggae so I’ll toss it a 6
All reggae music sounds the same but this is okay
No, pues no, me doy cuenta una vez más de que el reggae no es para mí. Si bien, de pronto tiene una vibras muy chill, muy buenaonda, me parece un bucle y espero en algún momento una variación o algo que "explote". Es personal, pero bueno, supongo que para los fans del género, debe ser un gran disco (espero). 7/10
Reggae. Bien, pero demasiado largo.
A true classic of British reggae, before they went the pop-reggae route (which wasn't that bad, IMHO).
good, but not really my kind of music. i can appreciate what they were doing tho.
Had not heard of this band but I think I liked them by the end. Where it got weird for me is when the onligitory 80's synths combined with the soulful reggae grooves.
For me this just kept fading into background reggae. Good but not engaging. My regard for political lyrics is not what it once was.
Chill
nice to listen to
Cool beats, good vibes. Nice background music to work to.
Red red wine, mon
pretty decent reggae but doesn't seem to be my vibe.
reggae isnt really my thing but solid album
pretty good dub record!
Can't decide how I feel about UB40. On one hand, art is art and people should play whatever they want. Kinda cool that a bunch of Brits decided to try making reggae in 1980, and that ska probably wouldn't exist otherwise. On the other hand, it feels weird for a British guy to almost sing in a Jamaican accent and also cover Strange Fruit. Regardless, I simply don't like reggae.
i listened to this blitzed off my gourd on cold medicine soaking in a very hot bath and i thought i was gonna die. at first i liked the steel drum jam sessions but you could probably shave half an hour of outro off the top. favorite is Tyler. strong 2
Rating: 4/10 It's probably a pretty decent album if you're a fan of chill reggae jams, but god was it overly long and boring. There's really no songs that manage to maintain my interest over the course of their run time. Way too long of an album for that. Please just give me some classic 70's Jamaican reggae to discover and appreciate, if this album is here in place of those for any artist not named Bob Marley I'm going to be very unhappy. I didn't hate it. It's fine background music and played competently, it uses socially conscious political lyrics the genre is known for, albeit a much milder version of it. This will be a forgettable one
Not bad. But dull and not for me.
not exactly exciting
I’m assuming this album is more meaningful than I’m aware of but honestly… I just don’t care about reggae
These guys crawled so sublime could run
It was a nice sunny day when i listened to this which helped it i feel. I generally found it enjoyable in parts, but the songs just go on too long and font really feel like they go anywhere.
I've never cared for these guys (or reggae in general) and I don't see this album changing that any time soon. I'll concede this is slightly better than the impotent hits they had all over the US airwaves through the late 80s and early 90s, but only marginally.
Smooth polished reggae with a relaxed floaty feel. Deep heavy bass holds it down. They keyboard sounds are really crappy sounding and the sax really smoothes it out - it's extremely generic and flat. But the last few tracks of thick smokey dub are solid.
zzz
Utöver en del oväntade instrumentella snuttar så kändes det här rätt tråkigt för att vara reggae.
Starts out with that classic reggae beat. Rock solid reggae album front to back. Madame Medusa drug on a bit. Solid but I'm not coming back to it.
This was some pretty lame reggae
I bailed out early. Love me some anti-thatcher class warfare but I just can’t do reggae
Not a fan of reggae sorry.
All the songs end up blending together. Nothing really stands out.
First Listen: NA OVERALL: UB40 make what is possibly the whitest move in history by doing a reggae cover of Strange Fruit. I didn't enjoy this.
UB40...? More like you U be 80 (with hearing loss) to enjoy this. Blech
Kinda boring after a few songs
I like the sound that the band makes but have never enjoyed the vocals.
I did not have the capacity to listen to this today. It all sounded the same and I'm not on a beach sipping a margarita.
Not unpleasant. But so repetitive and overall boring. 4/10 Acceptable
i liked burden of shame
I’m sure this is great for people who are into this kind of music. I really have no way of knowing.
Yeh I think Ima sign off too actually
Really not impressed can only give this a 2
meh
Hard pass
I’m a bit ambivalent about reggae as a genre of music. This album doesn’t alter that. Like some UB40 songs, but also dislike others. Food for Thought and Tyler are both good on here.
I’m sure this is good for reggae either, she’s not me. Two starts.
'Tyler is guilty, a white judge has said so / What right do we have to say it's not so?' Appreciating the politics of an artist is not a sustainable practice, particularly for a leftist like myself, which is not to say that there's no great leftist art, or that conservatives have an aesthetic advantage in this regard, only that political leanings are neither necessary nor sufficient. W/ UB40, this fact comes to the fore almost immediately, Ali Campbell lamenting the unjust sentencing of a black man by a white judge, a righteous project but not done engagingly or charmingly. Just compare this group to The Clash, or The Specials, & it's apparent who gets it & who doesn't. Besides a few moments of blessed reggaeism, Campbell is just too whiney to fit the bill.
Probably the best UB40 album before their big single hits. Good fusion of pop/reggae made this a very accessible album on its release in 1980, certainly in my school, although not really for me.
Cool. I like the sax, but the album as a whole does not rock my world
I was expecting this to suck since the only songs I've heard before are their shitty Elvis cover and Red Red Wine. This was fine for a reggae/dub album, 2.5 stars.
People who've known me long enough know my disdain for UB40, particularly the songs "Red Red Wine" and their cover of "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You". I have a hard time with reggae as it is, and British reggae sounds potentially even more awful . So this album pops up, and I let out a sigh mentally...ugh, not these guys. Well, I still don't love this album that much, but I didn't hate it, so its not a 1. I found it interesting that it has a bit more of a dismal feel than say a Bob Marley record, in both the lyrics and the music. It's difficult for me to get through this entire album, being very same-y sounding. It's a pass for me, but I came out of this respecting this a little more than I did.
Its fine, just not my type of music.
Yknow what? Like a lot of these other comments I was also ready to pass this off as white people reggae and it is, but there are a few solid grooves on this, some sweet harmonies and vox, and preeeetty good writing as far as being socially conscious goes. Some of it comes off to me as just a hair off the mark (the groove and vox on King are maybe my favorite on the album, but the lyrics would suggest that his work just up and died with him, which isn't true), but that doesn't bother me TOO too much. I wish there were a full horn section instead of one sax sometimes overdubbing the octave above for arranged parts and then kinda noodling around for solos. I also wish the white guy lead singer wasn't doing an accent, that's always been a dumb thing to do. If you feel the need to fake Jamaican patois when performing reggae, maybe uh don't? I think a 2.5 is appropriate. I do wanna note here mostly if not entirely for myself: one of the top reviews mentioned that Americans often view non-Jamaican reggae as poser music and that view is ameri-centric. I get where that thought is coming from, but I don't think it's the non-Jamaican aspect, I think it's the white guy reggae aspect. Steel Pulse is another band formed in the same city as UB40 years prior and is made up of guys who migrated as kids or whose parents migrated from the Caribbean to the UK. I'd take any album from Steel Pulse over this record on the list - I think they sound better, but pretty similar bands as far as time period, success, and musical/lyrical style go.
fav songs: king dub, mellow, one-dimensional 30/100
Eh
Good vibe while I worked, nothing that had me hitting save though
Reggae, enough said
This album will do nothing to change my opinion that reggae is redundant. It's the same rhythm and beat for an hour
another one in the "this album is too long but the longest song is the best one" canon. i *guess* i can see the appeal of having a vinyl record of mild vanilla reggae to set a vibe but listening to this in a time when i can skip ahead or play something on loop, it felt tedious more than anything
Неплохо для прослушивания на фоне, а так бы я не выдержал сидеть час с лишним и слушать однотипные песни. 2/5
Helt fint lyt men synes det blev lidt ensformigt
Feels very long, which is probably due to the slow nature of ska. It's good, but very monotone.
This music is not real. I don’t believe real people listen to UB40.
Pretty easy listening, but just not my jam.
Dont love rasta tbh
1.5
Very bpring reggae. 2 stars
2.5
UB40 minutes of my life I won’t get back. Actually, UB67 minutes because it’s an album with a bonus/penalty EP. UB40 of course stands for Unemployment Benefit and in this case also Ultra Boring. Band should have stuck to the day job(seeking).
Boring as hell, dawg
Just way too monotonous.
Something I'm just not getting, here. I find this quite turgid, albeit well played and well produced.
This is probably good reggae...it doesn't sound like bad reggae...but I'm sad to say reggae doesn't agree with me.
I liked it a little at the beginning but it really dragged for me and by the end I was bored out of my skull. It's so boring!!!
Empezó bien. Un reggae fresón ambiental pero bien. Luego se alarga y su mota se ve que ni estaba tan chida
I didn’t hate it. But I also didn’t really like any of the songs. None of them stood out.
Best Song: Food For Thought. I liked like slight reverb, and how the guitar and saxophone played off one another. Worst Song: Madam Medusa. Thirteen minutes of just the slowest jam session. Overall: I'm just not a reggae guy, let alone a UK reggae guy.
Meh like the Specials more but there are some interesting moments. Rating: 2.2
Didn't even listened till the end.
Starts off enjoyable. Music continues to be decent. Absolutely nothing wrong with the reggae groves & instrumentals whatsoever. But my god it gets tedious in the second half. A bit of variety wouldn't go amiss here - each song starts to blend into the other and as a result the album loses so much of its appeal or intriuge. It ultimately begins to feel like background instrumental.
Non sono sicuro rientri tra i 1000 migliori album di sempre
Not my vibe at all
Regge soundeja mutta on se pitkäpiimäistä
I’ll admit I’ve never really taken them seriously but I tried as hard as I could on this listen and I definitely have more respect, but was still pretty bored.
I haven’t heard this one before. I’ve heard UB40 before, but only the radio hits of uninspired cover songs in the late 80s and early 90s. It’s nice to hear some of their original music finally. This is definitely better than their radio songs but it all seems very run of the mill; all of this had been done before and done better by reggae and dub artists in the seventies and while they have their own spin on it, they don’t bring anything new to the genre and only a few of the songs really stand out. Part of this is I’m not a huge dub fan, so I’m sure someone knowledgeable about the history of dub could sort me out. Unlike their radio hits, I wouldn’t call any of this uninspired but it’s definitely uninspiring.
Shrug. I didn’t make it halfway through.
Life’s too short to listen to dub influenced British reggae while sober.
Sick with a fever. UB40 definitely hasn't helped.
Is there such a thing as "progressive reggae"? Because this album definitely felt like that at times. Ultimately, it seems like those nuances are provided by the "dub" aspect of this album. Ultimately, I didn't really feel that into this album. I don't pretend to be a reggae expert, but this project has had a few reggae albums, and this one left me a bit underwhelmed compared to others. I'd probably put this at about a 2.5, but not really any desire to round up.
I like chill reggae vibes, but on the long run all songs seems similar to me. Nothing stands out here.
Its a vibe!
So, I hate reggae. This record really doesn’t change that at all. I love Red Red Wine (which might be the exception that proves the rule that I hate the loathsome sounds of the Caribbean). But that song isn’t in this record. The real reggae fan reviews I’ve read of this record seem very positive, but it’s just a style I don’t enjoy. For me, this record kinda sucks. But I can understand why folks that like the style would like this record. That’s really the best I can say about it. 4/10
I can get with reggae, but this just sounds too polished. Too fancy. It's like some West-enders did their makeup and put on their tight jeans while their Jamaican roadies loaded all their shit into the venue. I want to hear the roadies!
Started strong but then was all the same. Not a Reggae album I think I should hear before I die
Honestly, I enjoyed a song or two but I think this is really mood music.
UB40 are ass
It was ok 2
Okay, not the biggest reggae fan, this was solid if uninspiring. Wild cover of Strange Fruit was ah . . . Interesting.
It just felt so long. I feel like you have to be in a certain mood for this
I wasn't prepared for a full album of reggae. There were good songs but damn, is it a one-trick pony. The songs just sound too similar to listen a full album. Hence forewards, reggae = single songs only.
I have very little exposure to Reggae, I didnt hate this but it sort of feels like someone took all of the parts of jazz that a lot of people dislike, and that (in my opinion) make jazz interesting). It is in many ways *super* palpable, But its also really boring. Proof that ideological agreement (I hate Margaret Thatcher too) != enjoyment 2/5
Bit slow and boring
Das ist einfach nicht so mein Ding. Ich mag den grundsätzlichen Sound schon ganz gern, aber ich finde es einfach zu öde. Die Songs sind zu lang, es gibt mir zu wenig Ideen. Da muss man wohl einfach in der richtigen Stimmung für sein.
Feels very long. All sounds the same
I don't really know how to rate this. I mean it's not terrible, but I don't want to listen to it. It's reggae, which I don't like in general. It's 80s music, which I do like in general. It's British, which I do like in general. It's the reggae that makes it something I don't want to listen to. I wish I could formulate better thoughts about this album, but I don't want to think about it anymore.
Idk, it's ok. Pretty fun reverb, but when that's legit the entire album there are diminishing returns.
Tyler - 2.5/5 King - 2/5 12 Bar - 2/5 Burden Of Shame - 3/5 Adella - 2/5 I Think It's Going To Rain Today - 2.5/5 25% - 2/5 Food For Thought - 2/5 Little By Little 2/5 Signing Off - 2/5 Madam Medusa - 1/5 Strange Fruit - 2.5/5 Reefer Madness - 2.5
Kinda same-y. Not for me.
😐
The whole album is based on the same reggae beat. Too easy listening, too predictable... too boring. It's reggae for someone who doesn't like reggae. It's so weak, that it can turn the breeze of a joint into a smelly smoke of a cigarette.
top 3 - Food For Thought, Little By Little, Reefer Madness
I get the Windrush influence brought reggae and ska to Birmingham and the like but it's weird to me that this feels so white like.
I only care for Red Red Wine by UB40 unfortunately.
Have we all been so skewed by the great Bob Marley that all other reggae just sounds meh? Or is the reggae we’ve heard so far that wasn’t him, really just meh objectively? This was boring and repetitive. There was only one song on there that I liked and I can’t even remember which one it was. Yawn.
Fine, uninspiring British Reggae. Too chill for its own good. Like a sedative with a backbeat.
Reggae is only enjoyable when performed by Bob Marley, or when at the beach with a tropical cocktail in your hand. It all just sounds the same to me and I'm yet to hear anything that will change my opinion. I like UB40 well enough, saxophone was a nice addition. Couple exceptions, but for the most part songs were too long and boring.
nope
Yeah… I don’t know. Not really my jam
though i do like other ska acts of this era (Madness, The Beat, The Specials), this felt a little too slow and meandering for my liking.
The songs are too "same-ish" for me.
This felt like elevator reggae. Didn't really catch me in the groove.
Relaxing and beachy, but god instrumental reggae is boring.
ThisB40minutestoolong
UB40? More like UB-boring
the vibes are there but my gen z attention span can’t handle it lol, draaaags on and just not my thing
Not bad for reggae -- which equates to two stars.
т.к. гитарная работа на альбоме тривиальная, больше часа слушать это устаешь пиздец
I’m sure there is a time, a place, a setting where I could get more out of this. It sounds like winding down music at a big party which I wish I’d already made my way home from. It’s nice, not particularly hateable but very chilled and drawn out for something which didn’t grab me.
Worthy, but rather dreary - there are many more vital reggae albums that have not appeared on the list yet - Dr Alimantado : Born For A Purpose, Culture : Two Sevens Clash, Augustus Pablo : King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown to name but three.
Harmless, but not exactly notable. I don't feel this record pushes the boundaries it could've. Everything seems very middle of the road and not particularly exciting. Best Tracks: - Food For Thought Worst Tracks: - Strange Fruit Rating: 3/10
I really wanted to live this album. I listened to it for a few days before taking a break and the saddest part is that I found the whole album to be shockingly forgettable. There were highlights, I enjoyed food for thought, as well as 12 bar, and burden of shame. But there wasn’t quiet enough variety of sounds and the whole album just kinda blended together. A very homogenous album but almost to a fault. I’m still waiting to hear a reggae album from this list that blows me away. I guess I’ll go drink some red red wiiiinnneeee.
I've never listened to this album (72). It's really reggae. Not much else.
I don’t think I finished this album. It’s not that it’s bad or that I dislike the band, I just think it’s such a distinctive sound that hearing one song feels like you’ve heard them all.
Good songs but terribly uninteresting. 2/5
Hate the Tories Fave track: Tyler
To było bardzo słabe. Raggae białych ludzi dla białych ludzi. Ten dwunastominutowy kawałek mnie prawie pokonał. Niewiele dobrego mogę powiedzieć, nie bujało i nawet nie niosło ze sobą tej radości, która kojarzy mi się z reggae. 4/10
not bad, not good
English reggae just ain’t my bag.
- jahman meininki maistuu kyllä, mutta tää on vähän tämmöstä taustamusiikkia tämä levy - jos istuisin kesäpäivää puistossa ni hyvin maistuis tämä levy
It's alright, well done, good commentary for the times. Doesn't blow me away. Probably worth being on the list. Album is long. Strong 2 weak 3.
Not for me
This is gunna be a no for me dawg
I like Reggae, but I don't see what warrants this album to be on the list...
There's a straight line from this record coming out to Roe v. Wade getting overturned.
This record just didn't end.
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 almost signed off early.
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.
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
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
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."
no Red Red Wine, no high score
Pretty boring, to be honest. Not bad, but it didn't do anything for me. 2.4
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.
2/5
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
Checking out by this reviewer.
Always felt UB40 was were reggae went to die
2.5
3.2
BORING. The blatant moondance ripoff was funny though
Eh British reggae isn’t really my bag
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.
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.
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.
2 reggae albums in a row? Lord have mercy
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.
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
Pretty standard middling reggae album. Was there a moondance melody in there?
I was signing off while listening to this
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.
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
historycznie znaczące chyba? ale ja nie przepadam za reagge, troche wszystko dla mnie brzmi tak samo 4 piosenka i troche mam dość
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 liked a lot of this, but did it really need to be over an hour?
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.
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.
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.
Rather boring
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