Reviews (page 7 of 8)
Fan of Dub and UB40, but this album is lacking. He somehow champions dub structure with pitchy, straining vocals that get irritating see: Tyler and Burden. Burden is a great example of the complete change that can happen, back half much better than front just from an energy standpoint. Some classic ‘80 sound textures too. Adella is great classic dub, oh wait, no vocals… I’m sensing a theme. This just dragged on.
Downloaded 1 song.
It's fine, nothing fancy.
The production is good. There must be more interesting dub/reggae music out there, right? Maybe something from... Jamaica?
It's reggae, but with a hazy, jazzy twist making it perfect fodder for a summer afternoon. The dark undertones from the political commentary add rather than subtract, and I like the otherworldly feeling created by the sparse arrangements.
Musically not really my thing. Got bored of it pretty quickly. Some important messages in the lyrics
Was ok, better than id expected not just cheesy covers.
Not bad, feels tainted (in my head at least) by association with the later top of the pops rubbish that gets played all the time.
I had this on vinyl and really enjoyed listening to it again. Far preferable to their later work.
I'm all for the politics, but quickly gets boring and forgettable.
It was okay
Long, boring, samey. I like reggae to an extent, but when I don't I think it's a pretty bad style of music. This is just not good enough to rise above a 2.
Political and moving
Mid reggae
Wow, a complete revelation having only known UB40's big singles. Deep sounds and political lyrics (many of which are unfortunately still relevant in today's Britain).
Decent. Its not great, the whole album kind of drags on and becomes 80s ska background music like youre in an episode of some bbc thing or maybe miami vice. Not that I mind, but its not great. 3/5
Ganske kjipt
I liked this, but I was also charmed by reading the backstory of the recording of this album, which probably adds at least a point. Good lyrics and tone, and I thought it sounded great for an album that wasn't even recorded in a studio.
Just not for me in album form
It wasn’t awful, but it went on for way too long! At least a couple songs could’ve been cut, and that 12 minute song could’ve been significantly shortened. I’m so sick of this album LOL
absolute fucking slog of an album
I was enjoying this for the first 20 mins but I just don't have the ear for this style and it gets really repetitive
Near the end, I thought, "yeah this is about as expected - I like reggae influences and a little reggae but a whole album is too much for me." Unfortunately, this was actually about halfway into the album and I still had thirty more minutes left.
Enjoyed very much. Didn't realize it was their first.
Meh
Some solid dub grooves such as King, Burden of Shame, and Food for Thought. Also some Cringy pop songs like I think it’s going to rain today
Reggae más bien lentillo. Ni fu ni fa.
Bah, un poco rollo patatero. 2.Venga, no, un 3. Pero es bastante rollo. No, un 2, porque, intencionadamente, no lo volvería a escuchar.
C'était une super musique de fond. C'est pas trop un compliment normalement, mais c'est positif dans ma tête.
Fuck Thatcher.
very enjoyable but blends together and into the background 3.3
I can't remember where I heard them referred to as Jahwaddywaddy, but it rings uncomfortably true. This is actually more dubby and political than I expected, and both of those things made me like it more than I expected to.
Not bad, all kind of the same
Het nadeel van deze muziek is dat je na een seconde of 10 al weet wat je de rest van de track ongeveer te horen gaat krijgen, namelijk hetzelfde als die eerste 10 seconden. En dan zal ik om de goede sfeer te bewaren nog maar even laten gaan dat het verschil tussen track x en y ook vrij beperkt is. Als je jezelf compleet van de landkaart hebt gerookt is dat een prettige houvast, maar als je bezig bent met een ontdekkingsreis naar nieuwe, spannende, goeie muziek die je nog niet kent dan is dat een beetje meh. Als ik hier dus te aandachtig naar luister ga ik me een beetje vervelen en me zelfs een klein beetje ergeren aan het nasale stemgeluid van één van de zangers. Als achtergrondgeluid is het prima, maar dat zou ik van het geblaas van een mobiele airco ook kunnen zeggen, ik ben daar vrij makkelijk in.
I really enjoyed this album. I've always liked UB40, but never really 'listened' them, so this gave me a chance to di just that.
Good
You know you're in for a bad time when you check your progress after what feels like 45 minutes just to find that you're only halfway through track two.
Reggae mon?
I hate this album
Heb echt serieus een pleurighekel aan UB40. Alleen die naam al, maar... moet tot mijn spijt toegeven dat het minder erg was dan ik dacht.
Leuk allemaal, maar op een gegeven moment heb ik die snaren galm en zwevende reggae toeters wel gehoord.
Deze oude UB40 bevalt me wel eigenlijk! Niet zo gladjes als de latere dingen die ze gemaakt hebben.
Een beetje reggae op z’n tijd is niet verkeerd, al zal ik dit van de puriteinen geen reggae mogen noemen denk ik.
I remember listening to this back in the day. It’s quite good.
An excellent debut album! Love the cover! It's great that it went platinum in in the UK, especially with the socio-political nature of the songs. I'm surprised at how many I recognize. "Tyler" and "Food for Thought" are my favourites. They make me forget about Red Red Wine!!
Early UB40 is vastly superior to the shmaltzy commercial sound of their latter records where they did Neil Diamond, Elvis and Sonny & Cher covers :( Although I think their second album Present Arms is their best, their debut Signing Off is quite good. The two best songs here are Food for Thought and the driving ska beats of Reefer Madness. When this was released in 1980 Britain was going through some tumultuous times due to the misguided policies of the Iron Lady, and their social conscious music was very relevant and hit harder than their contemporaries such as the Specials, English Beat and Madness. It's a shame that UB40 only got one entry on this list while tossers such as Morrissey/The Smiths got 6!!!! So this gets an extra point for the mis-carriage of justice.
Uh..Ackshually, IB42.
Was teetering between 4 and 5, until their abomination of a cover of strange fruit came on. Lyrics didn't really match the vibe on that one!
Fun reggae album. The problem i have with reggae is that i can’t differentiate between the songs unless i concentrate on the lyrics. I spun this whole album while i was working on a project and didn’t realize that the album had started over and was on track 6 before i looked at the clock to see how much more of the album was left. Not many “bangers” on this one but i will definitely spin this album again.
I only know them from their easy listening reggae infused covers of "Red Red Wine" and "Can't Help Falling in Love" that my mum used to like, so imagine my surprise at full blown political discourse against Maggie Thatcher and the fucking Tories... Get it right up you.
Ild school reggae. Cool
Great bit of reggae with interesting lyrics
Reggae but bad
Exactly what I expected from UB40
Was prepared to like this less than I actually did. Pretty enjoyable listen overall.
I really enjoyed listening to this album. Especially towards the end, the album becomes very groovy and musical.
Not usually a fan of reggae or ska, so UB40 has been off my radar since that, Red Red Wine song (ugh!) was on the airwaves. Listening to their debut, it's evident the band is skilled and has a knack for writing songs and lyrics I can agree with. The music is fine, but often reggae is boring and so repetitious it's hard to take after a while. Signing Off was a good listen, but I prefer it as background music.
Look, this is fairly inoffensive. Not my thing, but it's fine. But Strange Fruit broke me. That song without Nina Simone and with a reggae beat... woof.
In the UK, despite huge commercial success UB40 enjoy an absolute dog-ass reputation amongst 'serious' music fans. And it's easy to see why - stuff like 'Red Red Wine' is lowest common denominator drivel. And this...sounds like a completely different band. Okay, not so different; we're still in the realm of reggae here - but this sounds like a proper dub album, with some highly conscious lyrics and no little craft. Tracks like 'Tyler', 'King' and 'Madam Medusa' are great - the latter day incarnation of UB40 is night and day when compared to material of this quality. I also liked '25%' because it sounds like a slowed down version of the Men Behaving Badly theme. With trepidation, hesitation and a good degree of havering, I'm giving this four stars.
UB40? Cool, IB46. Now that we know each other, let me say that I didn’t know this band had even made a record that didn’t have “Red, Red Wine” on it. I mean, it makes sense. Just never crossed my mind. I didn’t hate this. In fact, there was one song I even listened to twice. (“Food for Thought”) The whole thing sounded good enough to make for decent background music, and while it’s not something I’d ever reach for when I actively want to listen to something, anything… I can kind of wrap my head around how this would have made an impression in 1980. And, yeah, the OG fans who were into this then must’ve hated the turn to radio friendly reggae a few years later.
Not really my thing here, but there was some stuff I liked about it. I’m coming around to some reggae for the first time in my life, but I guess I’m just not quite ready for British dub.
Honestly being one of the greatest reggae bands of all time coming from England just shows how music has no borders. Good album.
Pretty good album but nothing I would really go back and listen to. 2.8/5
alright alright alright
Good but repetitive
Was great. Could listen to this any time.
It's really good, but by the end I had enough reggae! 3.5
This is a very smooth jam. I'm adding this to my collection, thanks.
Did not liaten
King was a nice track, and Food for Thought. Some good instrumental sections too, but overall fades too much into the background to be great.
Not big into reggae but I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would.
i simply cannot understand the words coming out of his mouth, sounded nice though.
Ska came before reggae
i love two tone and ska but never listened to this record, crazy how different this is from their later hits highlights for me - a killer randy newman cover and the 13 min song bitching out maggie thatcher
go white boys go actually very groovy, i dig the political messaging
Not my jam.
tired of trying to listen to this. it probably played ten times through after i fell asleep bc i woke up and this shit was still looping. fuck outta here.
This is a reggae album. Probably has some strong social-political commentary in it. Sounds mostly like any other record of this genre. Weird fades in and out and skips on some tracks. Wasn't impressed.
I have to trust this was influential at the time comparing of other reggae I've heard, this is not very interesting, but still OK a lot of dub elements, so this was released after dub techniques became very widespread could not hear the lyrics too well, so cannot judge them like the cover
Both reggae and electronic music easily get monotonous. So what happens when the two were combined? Yay, an hour of the same beat! The instrumentals/production are good in some places though.
not my genre
The only song I previously heard by UB40 was "Red Red Wine", which is not on this album. This album was pretty decent reggae, many instrumental songs, as well as an interesting cover of "Strange Fruit". Overall pretty good
en tied' miks odotin etttä tämä olisi ollut early new wave post punkki PUNKKI AAH AAAAAAA PUNKKI OPISTI VITTU JALKAA AAAA miksi tuntuu... tuntuu... tuntuu niin voimakkaalta...... *nostaa penkistä 80kg x3* juma lauta.... from now on... call me....by my real name.... punkkimies.... food for thought
Kind of fun as background noise. I would not typically elect to listen to this, but the music is somewhat neat. Not a huge fan of the vocals. Fav track: Signing Off
plus dub que je pensais. bien aimé 7.5/10
Nothing here really stood out other than the cover of "Strange Fruit," but (macabre subject matter aside) the album was pleasant enough.
All songs were British reggae with no differences between them. On the boring side.
Important, but not good.
Fun reggae
Wenig innovativer Reggae.
This was okay. I found it a little boring compared to the other reggae albums I’ve heard so far. I liked the instrumental tracks more than the ones with singing. “Reefer Madness” was the highlight for me.
I don't really do reggae, but this is a super chill time.
Very good. Not a fan of reggae
Not much of a reggae guy
As músicas instrumentais me agradaram bastante.
Personally not my sound but it's a fun listen
Pretty bland and basic reggae. Not enough anger and to many frills. Overall an enjoyable listen, but not remarkabke.
Man...this drags on FOREVER. I think the reggae performed by punk bands is more my speed. Favorite track: Reefer Madness
Nem sabia que tinha britanico fazendo reggae
Always fun.
I never listened to much by them expect what was on the radio. Pretty interesting.
A windswept debut, with wind removed, likely for the best. It lends a quiet gray to the proceedings, and the yellow of the cover makes an appropriate pairing. The dub that's there is highly internal and reminiscent of much electronic music to come. A clear transitional in that, but less than moving somehow.
Ska, i like the sax.
This album is a testament to UB40's ability to infuse reggae with a distinctive British twist. From the first track, "Tyler," with its politically charged lyrics, to the soulful "I Think It's Going to Rain Today," "Signing Off" offers a diverse musical journey. The band's use of horns and dub-style production sets them apart in the genre, creating a unique sound that's both infectious and thought-provoking. One of the standout tracks is "King," which showcases the band's socially conscious lyrics, addressing themes of poverty and inequality. The song's skanking rhythm and haunting melody make it an anthem of resistance. Another gem is "Food for Thought," with its upbeat tempo and powerful lyrics that reflect on the struggles of urban life. UB40's cover of Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" is a poignant, stripped-down moment on the album. It showcases the band's ability to breathe new life into familiar songs, making them their own with their reggae-infused interpretations. What makes "Signing Off" enduring is its lyrical relevance and universal themes. The album speaks to issues that remain pertinent today, such as social injustice and the human condition. The band's commitment to addressing these themes through their music has solidified their place in music history. "Signing Off" is a landmark album that ushered in a new era for British reggae. UB40's fusion of reggae with socially conscious lyrics and their unique sound continues to inspire and resonate with audiences worldwide. It's an album that stands the test of time, making it a must-listen for anyone exploring the rich tapestry of reggae music.
A great album that I don't want to forget.
This was a rather boring reggae/dub album, it's just chill background music and none of the songs stood out. I guess it's on the list because of their political message (which I disagree with anyway).
Genuinely surprised this makes the list and I don’t remember it from when i used to browse this book back to front for years, but here we are: a record I’ve never listened to. I hate UB40 and always have. red red wine, to me, is one of the worst songs to ever become a hit. That all said - this was pretty passable reggae, captured the Jamaican music in the UK vibe well and has good production, but other than the opener, is pretty forgettable - my favorite tracks being the longer dub ones.
A bunch of British white guys doing reggae? Well at least there appears to be black people in the band at some point so that helps? Also covering Strange Fruit? Interesting choice for the group. Again with these acts, could you cut out 15-20 minutes? This album would have been so much better if it were 20 minutes shorter. By the 7th song you aren't getting anything new.
A really strong debut, including the instrumentals. The third listen did it for me.
I always thought of UB40 as more ska than reggae, butthis is a hardcore reggae dub album - loved it.
This was one of the first albums I started listening to of my own volition as a 12-13 year old, so I can't pretend to review it neutrally. I can accept the criticisms made here, but it still resonates for me.
Not really my music, but it was pretty nice to listen to. Is pretty calm music, so it’s nice if you don’t have anything in your mind.
Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?; it’s ok, but too slow for me though Favourite song: didn’t have one
Actually really enjoyed this.
Cool reggae instrumental, mais trop long et répétitif, sans chansons qui se démarque vraiment du lot
Before they became the poster boys for a dreadfully watered down brand of roots reggae, UB40 could be considered somewhat close to a resemblance of the real thing and, on this bracing yet slightly off-kilter album, they offer up an image of themselves and Britain that borders on the edge of the flame that boils the melting pot. From the arresting and captivating Tyler onwards (along with imaginative covers of Randy Newman and Billie Holiday), UB40 maintains the listener's attention and one couldn't help but think what would have been had they continued beating down the 2 Tone path. Alas, such thoughts will remain just that but at least we have Singing Off. Favorites: Tyler, King, Burden of Shame, Adella, Food for Thought, Signing Off, Madam Medusa, Strange Fruit.
Good reggae! Good sound
Just soooooo same-ish.
Swearing off UB40 for life after hearing Red Wine way too many times it took me a bit to work up to listening to this. On listening I heard a solid dub/reggae album that included a couple of tracks I had no idea were UB40. Plus it was punk as @#$* in places. My only issue was it dragged a little and my interest wanted by the end
I knew only a couple of songs of theirs from hearing "Red Red Wine" and one or two other big hits when they were popular, and although I didn't actively dislike them, I wasn't all that interested. I had already heard too much reggae and reggae-style music by then, and their sound was a little poppier. I'm glad this album came up in the rotation today because I hadn't heard it before. It's better to my ear than the other songs I'd already heard. I'm still not very interested, I must admit, but I can see the appeal.
Didn’t really do much for me. 12 Bar was the one song I liked.
A pretty tame and uneventful reggae album. This must be on the list due to its political nature. Not sure how that’s going to make these songs was boring. They weren’t terrible I just expected more from the red red wine boys. Not much to revisit here. 4.4/10
🤷 Feels like a 3? I liked parts of it?
Good regae, but not spectacular
It’s a good 2 but still a 2, someone said you could listen to the first 30s of every song and still get the same musical experience and that sums it up best. As background listening it is decent but even the Thatcher hating could not boost it up a star sadly.
In 1979 I drank in the Castle & Falcon, Balsall Heath, Birmingham. I remember one night a guy burst in saying "look, my cousins have made it big!" and showing everyone who would listen a newspaper clipping. UB40 had a chart hit. This album is hugely evocative of that time. I bought it, and bought another copy for my girlfriend. I later worked in an unemployment benefit office and became very familiar with the UB40 which makes up the fantastic cover sleeve. This was easily the best UB40 album and though I love the band and they did lots of good stuff over the years, this was by far their artistic highpoint. It's brilliant.
Awesome reggae album, and for a band I only new for a few singles, this was a reminder to not judge bands by just one song. Even if most of the one hit wonders we have seen on this list didn't pan out, here is a great example of one that did.
UB40 has some great songs, and none of those are on here. In fact, a good chunk of this album is just instrumental jams. I started checking my headphones, I thought maybe the vocals weren't coming through? It breezed by me with little to no impact. I'm not really a reggae guy so that doesn't help, but sadly I prefer "Red Red Wine" or "Rat in Mi Kitchen." Despite the instrumental work obviously being good, this one was a snoozer for me. Favorite tracks: 12 Bar, Signing Off. Album art: I do like this one, it's an unemployment application, pretty funny pick. Fits the laid back vibe I suppose. 2.5/5
I gained absolutely zero enjoyment from this album. Apparently I don’t get the British Reggae thing… and I’m glad I don’t. I’d give it 0 stars if I could
Everybody knows that expecting a wealth of different sounding musical styles from UB40 tends to leave you disappointed. The band has always been a one-trick pony, even if they have mastered that particular trick quite well. The best track ist clearly the opener Tyler; the rest is easy-enough-to-listen-to reggae; not bad, but nothing to write home about. 2.5/5
I nearly liked this to start with then remembered I fuckin hate it, thanks.
Okay reggae
3.75
ok
very chill
Much better than I expected. Great vibe, excellent lyrics. The only thing I can really fault it for is getting pretty samey over the long stretch of the album.
Pretty good Reggae, although a bit long for my tastes.
Debut album released in 1980. It's a mellow listening experience with politically-concerned lyrics that are still relevant 40 years later. It's hard to feel like the album goes anywhere, there's a lack of direction or variety which feels like a drag when the albums over an hour long.
Would've been better if it was about 25 minutes shorter. That's when I started singing "I'm not gonna be Mercy" to it out of boredom
boring but alright
I didn’t actually finish this, but soothing
Kind of think it’s hard to be that enthusiastic about this without the context of being in Thatcher’s Britain It’s fine nothing more
12 Bar has a good sax. Little By Little has a good sax. Madam Medusa has good drums.
I sat through this reggae album. Man, I'm tolerant. They bait every song. "Oh, this one might be different!" I think. Nope, same song again. One love, One Sound, One Star.
It's definitely reggae, emphasis on gae.
Surprisingly fantastic. Jammy in a satisfying way. It’s one of those albums where it’s hard to describe what exactly makes it great. It’s both nothing and everything. It held my attention for an hour and 6 minutes, I can’t give a much more ringing endorsement than that.
another great album from a band and genre i have basically no experience with. this list can be bad sometimes but when it’s good, it’s excellent. reggae is always political, but this was really political in a way i love, and you can also vibe to it.
The fear and dread I felt when reading the band name for the album today was off the charts. So imagine my surprise that it wasn't immediately terrible. I listened to the entire record without a hard cringe. But I might've had the volume down low initially, so I listened to it again! UB40 you were just a British reggae band who laughed their way to the bank with a terrible but popular song. I've maligned you ever since without listening to your other work. A surprisingly solid record.
Not too bad at all. Started off very strong with the first track, then cooled off a bit due to lack of variety. The sax player in particular needs to learn some different riffs. 3 glasses of red red wine out of 5 🍷🍷🍷
Reggae más bien lentillo. Ni fu ni fa.
The only UB40 album I've ever listened to is Labour Of Love, which, aside from "Red, Red Wine," I wasn't terribly into, so I didn't have high hopes that I would enjoy this album either. I hate to say that my intuition about this album was correct. Musically, there just wasn't a lot going on here for me. While I found it inoffensive, all of the songs really sounded alike to me, and there wasn't anything memorable about them. Lyrically however, I think this album brought a lot to the table. "Tyler" was really great, and I can't believe that I had never heard of this story before (some of my wife's family lives in Destrehan, Louisiana, and I've been there a few times). I thought "Burden of Shame" was really powerful too, especially since the colonial history of Great Britain has been a hot topic recently. But my favorite song lyrically was "Madam Medusa," which bashes Margaret Thatcher into oblivion. I can't understand why people still romanticize her and Ronald Reagan, when we know that their basic domestic policy was "fuck poor people." Great stuff on that song. Even though those songs had some great lyrics, it wasn't enough to overcome the pretty bland musical aspects of the album, and when it comes to UB40, I think I'll stick to "Red, Red Wine."
It sounds like group of mostly white guys doing a early learning center version of reggae. The cold play of Reggae. Based on this no I didn't enjoy it, found it largely bland and forgettable and was glad when it finally ended
Good solid reggae album. Great jamming, not something I would listen to alot as I'm a huge reggae listener, but the jams on each track were great.
Uh. So I am completely surprised. What I know of UB40 is Red Red Wine. This album is nothing like it. Rich, complex sounds are matched with socially conscious lyrics.Burden of Shame is a standout. An excellent new find!
Fuck these guys.
I'm not a huge reggae listener. The sax is cool. Otherwise, pretty repetitive and felt more like a jam band -- 12 minute song. Eek.
3,5/5
Kto słucha rege ten ...
Confusies
Solid and substantive with decent amount of swing besides. There's some rock-steady in the ska-ness here. "I Think It"s Going to Rain" is best cut, but "Tyler" and "King" and "Strange Fruit' also strong. All the moods and vibes and resonances are right on.
Great that I got a chance to give this a spin in full. The tunes here are both haunting and uplifting in equal measure. The album really is of its time - that time in the early 80s where music had something to say and said it very loud and eloquently. Food For Thought is a prime example of this. It also feels like it couldn't have come from anywhere else than Thatcher's Britain. They don't make 'em like they used to, etc. A classic, although I deducted one star for the well-meaning but ill-advised Strange Fruit on the expanded version I ended up playing.
Still sounds fresh, still has plenty to say as an album. That's more of a comment on the shitty state of the UK, 43 years since the original release. I love the space that the songs have to breathe. Music needn't be complicated.
I loved this
Me gusta para tenerlo de fondito haciendo tarea peor no es mi top, podría estar escuchando otra cosa de fondo tbh xD
Having never seriously listened to them before I was blown away by how much substance this band had behind their music. Easily being thrown into my rotation
If I could, I'd give this 3-and-a-half. Enjoyable listening but inessential. Not urgent enough. Maybe the knowledge of what was to come overshadows the actual record.
Hated it.
This was a snoozefest. Good vibes but boring in the long run.
Singles: --------------------------------- King / Food for Thought (#4 UK) My Way of Thinking / I Think It's Going to Rain Today (#6 UK) 3.5
Totally unexpected sound here, this is one of the very few dub albums on the list. There is a lot of depth to the record, and is definitely not a novelty. I really liked this.
I guess the only reason this is on here is for its political lyrics. I didn’t really enjoy the album and don’t rate it high in comparisons to other ska albums. Favourite track: maybe Burden of Shame? The instrumental parts are catchy and remind me of 8 bit music
J’ai aimé le mélange de jazz et de reggae, le fait qu’il y avait beaucoup de pièces instrumentales
Well this is a pleasant surprise. I'd never heard this before and thought was absolutely on point. A great achievement
1.5
I'm glad I listened to this as o don't think I knew UB40 beyond RRW.
I knew nothing about this artist before but I really enjoyed it. It was definitely more of a "sounds happy but the lyrics paint a much different picture."
I've had a bad run so far with these albums. This is better than I imagined, but it plays like reggae elevator music. I was surprised at how passive and non-intrusional these songs were. Seemed like there were a fair amount of instrumentals, but it's reggae without the swag. Perhaps the issue is I am not a fan of UB40's music, but one can see why they needed to file for unemployment benefits if this is their best effort.
Nostalgia attack for me. This was a major part of the soundtrack of my first year a college. Listening again for the first time in decades, I'd forgotten just how beautifully put together some of these tracks are. Too much deadwood to give it a 5, but thoroughly enjoyed it.
While not known for much more than Red Red Wine by novice reggae listeners, the music of UB40 is highly significant to most serious reggae listeners. When they emerged in Birmingham in the late 1970's with this album leading wave after wave, suddenly a new alternative to Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, and other early pioneers hit the scene. And while reggae is often accused of "all sounds the same", it isn't. The sound of UB40's Signing Off, the lyrics, and the overall originality of its ideas have led it to be a major stand out above many lackluster reggae albums out there in the universe. For example, the keyboard sounds that lead 'King' are unique to this song and as far as I know aren't on any other band's reggae albums to date. The waves of baritone and the tight rhythms are in constant play across the album and work very nicely together. We had this album at least by the early 1980's and it got a lot of play in the house. A lot of it is instrumental and the spare words mean that the focus here is on instrumentation and rhythm, the two things that UB40 did very well. The timing too is excellent. 'Tyler' at 1:39 is a very good example of the genius of their timing. For the record, Red Red Wine is their absolute worst song. That song is kind of UB40's Touch of Grey if that resonates.
Not sure why this is on the list. I just about fell asleep with this on. This isn't offensive and it's not that this intensely sucked, it's that this is intensely boring.
Calling your debut album “Signing Off” isn’t really a sign of a long career to come. But they weren’t signing off. They’re still going nearly 50 years and 50 charting singles in the UK, though they’ve split into two competing versions of UB40. But like most Americans I only know them from “Red, Red Wine” and their cover of “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Those are cheesy but fun, while “Signing Off” is pretty chill and as a result sort of boring for reggae music. “Burden of Shame” is perhaps the most interesting track, in spite of (or maybe because of) the weird similarity to Van Morrison’s “Moondance.” Weirdest is the “Strange Fruit” cover, which is just odd in the chill boppy reggae style. As long as we’re talking about non-Jamaican artists adopting the reggae style, two notable ones that blended reggae with other styles are Matisyahu and Sublime. I thought Matisyahu’s Orthodox/Hasidic Judaism hip-hop/reggae blending was interesting early in his career, but it’s Sublime’s ska/punk/reggae combo that is crazy to leave off the 1001. Luckily someone has submitted it as their mission completed user album. Excited for those to start soon - most are more interesting than UB40’s non-hits.
I dislike reggae that isn’t Bob Marley. For making me suffer through a long album, I divide the score by the number of albums suffered (double album).
Good homogeneous reggae
Reggae is really not my thing.
Saxamaphone sounds good.
Chill reggae sounds, love this Saved tracks: Tyler, King, Burden of Shame, I Think It’s Going To Rain Today, Food For Thought, Madam Medusa
Interesting to see another UK Reggae pop/rock album on here after The Police album but I expect it not to be the last one. This is a first for me in this genre since starting the list and I do find it to be a unique sound but a very pleasant one at that. The issue, however, that I do have with these albums is they tend to not sound too unique when comparing song by song. The Police are an exception due to the wider rock incorporations into their music but I did find this UB40 album to drag on a bit. Don’t get me wrong the majority of instruments were great and I loved the brass instruments introduced but some of the tracks made this album way longer than it needed to be, those being the instrumental tracks such as ‘Adella’ and the 13 minute ‘Madam Medusa’ where when it comes to a sound like this I don’t think there’s a need for this empty space. Honestly I think I might be being a bit too critical on it as it is a great sound I just think for an album it doesn’t really give me what I want an album to be, it’s more just a nice groovy collection of songs. So did I like this album? Yes. Did I love it? No. Do I think it should be on this list? Yes, and that’s the most important thing as I wouldn’t have given this sound a try otherwise.
I enjoyed this one!
Brutta copia di bob marley. Già Bob Marley è vecchio e ha stufato, figuriamoci le brutte copie
I think its really easy to scoff at this. White guys going reggae. However the debut is not bad and its heart was in the right place. Later stuff was dogshit however. 3.
HL: "Tyler", "King", "I Think It's Going To Rain Today", "25%", "Food For Thought" Enjoyable - listened to it piecemeal over the day, so it had longer to "stew" mentally. It also was interrupted by more calls/messages than usual, so I re-listened to portions after midnight, or when I usually listen to these albums. The issues raised in the lyrics didn't really register with me until the re-listen, since the first time I was too busy chilling out to the summery beats & icy synths. The album cover, aka a literal UB40, should have given it away sooner though
A side of reggae that I'd never been introduced to before. Not as enjoyable as the traditional thing, but not terrible. Maybe a little slow and boring at times. The vocals were a little soft, too.
Didn't hate it as much as I expected to. Very samey but at least it sounded like reggae and don't have red red wine on it
That was the most soothing protest record I’ve ever heard. I recognised none of the songs (even the covers had an alien feel to them) but they were all very pleasantly bip-boppy.
It is good progressive reggae music. It has a good message behind it and is groovy as hell. A good listen!
This is the most okay album of all time. UB40 are an actual enigma and you will never meet a person who considers them their favorite band, but they're not exactly on anyone's "worst bands of all time" lists either. I liked the more ambient parts of this album. This is still a strictly "no reggae" household though.
Not the biggest fan of reggie. Nothing stood out that would make me this again.
Really interesting, much better than the poppier stuff they did later on.
I'm not generally a reggae fan but this album was not half bad
I genuinely have no idea how to feel about this album. It's almost like a ska band's take on reggae at some points, which sadly can drift into being elevator music-adjacent. But the instrumentals are far too sophisticated for that at the same time. Lyrics/vocals are nothing to write home about. Favorite track: Madam Medusa
A really interesting album - of course very British in its politics and its music. I enjoyed this. Something about the sound of the dub and the horns and the lyrics.
Always known UB40 for their cheesy hits, but this debut's really good. Atmospheric, slow, intimate, often psychedelic, and coherent with a mix of pop tracks and more impressive instrumentals. Some really blew me away, and I honestly didn't mind the hour length even if it did repeat itself quite a bit.
I liked the upbeat reggae of the whole thing. Not sure I'll remember any of it, but it was enjoyable at the time
Heat
A little more than an hour of solid dub reggae, no complaints here. Wubba lubba dub dub
Svängig reggae med härlig bas och superb trummis. Synthen de använde är distraherande dålig men allt annat är jättebra
Britisk reggae-pop, afslappende nok
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
No.
Surprisingly enjoyable
Red, Red, Wi--- Wait! They had other songs? I never considered UB40 one of the top reggae bands I should listen to before I die. I still don't.
Reggae is just really not my thing. I can appreciate it but I’m not a big fan.
Not for me
I am not much of a reggae guy. I would give it two stars but I feel that would be unfair.
Never really liked UB40, none of their music, not even the commercial radio guff they churned out, the worst of which was red red whining. Every track on this album has a standard reggae rift with layers of horns and bad singing of political protest lyrics. This would be ok playing in the background somewhere other than my house... but definitely would not be playing this stuff.
Not for me
A good album, couple of songs I knew in this one but they're all listenable and I would def play again.
Very laid back, expertly-performed reggae. None of the jam sessions are too long, and it seems like every instrument gets a chance to shine with some lead parts. Love the basslines. Occasionally things get so mellow that the music seems to fade into the background. Still, great stuff.
One of the great things about this list is hearing bands in before they became schlocky 80s ballads. Prime example here. This was miles better than Red Red Wine. More interesting instrumentally and lyrically.
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.
meh
Reggee sucks. I usually agree with the messages in the lyrics. But the music itself is garbage. This is no different.
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
Wouldn't listen to UB40 if you paid me.
You're in the lobby of a tropical hotel. There's a fake plant in the corner. This album plays on a nearby speaker. You slowly nod off, never noticing the music was being played by the actual UB40. This is really boring. A lot must have changed before they got to Red Red Wine.
I wasn't particularly moved, but it was a really solid album.
Yeah, this holds zero interest for me. It is bad reggae. Nice, maybe,that it opened people up to reggae. But beyond that, nope.
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.
Quite funky and jazzy, better than I would have thought. Listenable.
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".
I enjoyed this although I'm not sure I could pick out any song in particular as a favourite. Was all fairy samey but very easy to listen to in the background. Much less pop sounding and far more dubby than I expected, which was a nice surprise. Need more dub on this list. Will be listening again
Albums boring as hell
What is this watered-down, generic-sounding, wanna-be reggae doing on a list of albums you must hear before you die? Like, what? Such a boring album. I wanted to like it, but no.
Maybe I’m just not that into reggae.
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
Some easy reggae. Burden of Shame is great. Madam Medusa is also a bop.
very cool
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.
Not as bad as I thought it would be. Boring rather than annoying.
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.
Listening to this today on the original vinyl I bought second hand in about 82, complete with bonus 12" disc. What a fine album this is, the most successful bringing together of new wave and reggae, perhaps the reggae equivalent of what Gang of Four did for funk. This and its follow up are just great, but from then on its a tale of diminishing returns, awful covers, awfuler collabs, fallings out and ultimately two UB40s touring simultaneously. Never let 'I got You Babe' stop you listening to this. In their defence they went bust several times and covers are a way to get a hit quick and money in. As a Brummie, whose local has a plaque commemorating their first rehearsal, it hurts that they didn't go onto fulfil the promise of the first two albums, though what do I know, they sold 100 million records. Most of which are Red Red Wine or I Got You Babe.
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.
Reggae klassieker, de remaster vond ik ook wel goed. Plaat die bij de favorieten kan.
Lekker zomers. geen hits, maar da's zeker niet erg
Du bon reggae pour vrai, avec un beau son dub. Intéressant d'entendre ça, beaucoup plus typique du vrai reggae que Red Red Wine.
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Tyler, king
8/10 nothing spectacular but that’s still a super fun reggae album
Very chill reggae. Not really for me.
Pretty good. Very easy and enjoyable to listen to.
A bit samey. Thundering bass. Food for thought is very good.
reggaezao teu
I'm sure it's great for an smooth 80's reggae fan, but not for me
4.25
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+*
How can a band making this political, interesting, honest album filled with Dub and other fantastic rhythms make such rubbish afterwards? Madame Medusa, Food for Thought, Burden of Shame, King, Tyler, album is full of true classics. This one deserves the full 5 stars!
This album didn't have any of the traditional Labour of Love UB40 tracks that I'm used to, but I enjoyed it. It's amazing that this is a British, and I love the origin of their band name, too.
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
Hell yeah
Expected: Red Red Wine Received: Dank Dank Dubs
It’s pretty slow and dull and most songs sounds the same. If a 60+ minute British Dub album sounds like a good idea to you, you might like this. I did not.
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
Easily 3.75 stars. I had a copy of "Labour of Love" just like everybody else but admittedly have never heard any of UB40's non-cover song work. This came off as a pretty genuine dub record. If I had to pick a reggae band from Birmingham, Steel Pulse would still stand heads and shoulders above IMO, but this was pretty good
Didn't really like this. It felt too yacht rock for me.
Not me
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
Of all the reggae albums that could have been chosen for this list, this is what they went with? Snoozers.
way more dub than i was expecting. i've no idea what it is about UB40 but i have a soft spot for them and this album almost validates my soft spot. the lack of credibility the more poppy cod reggae brings is easily counteracted by their debut dub album.
Tits
I had no idea that prior to being the house wives' favourite reggae-lite pop band UB40 were a politically charged reggae behemoth. The music on display here is rudimentary, it's clearly a band still learning to play, but the album is all the better for that. The rough around the edges feel provides an authenticity that you're not getting with Red, Red Wine! There's a soulful, sax driven, feel to the album that makes it much more than a straight up derivative of Jamaica's dub legends. I absolutely loved this album which I did not expect.
leuk voor achtergrond
Ub40 luisteren terwijl je aan het fietsen bent op een maandagochtend in de gietende regen geeft je toch nog een beetje een warm gevoel...life is good en het is maar regen.
10/09/22 Maybe I’m close minded but there’s something about white reggae that turns me off … and made me turn this one off before getting halfway. I listen to too much roots reggae to keep to appreciate this. Wonder why white rap doesn’t bother me the same way.
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
I think, as Americans, we often think of reggae from anywhere but Jamaica as poser music. But that's an ameri-centric view that's almost offensively dismissive of the Jamaican diaspora's impact on British culture. Reggae and ska (the original stuff, not the Cali-ska, third wave trash from my youth) took root in the UK in a way that they didn't in the US. The diaspora and the music it brought changed the game and created brand-new, uniquely British genres like Jungle, House, Dub and, eventually, Grime. You can feel its impact in UK punk bands even. The Clash's "London Calling" album wouldn't exist without British reggae. Anyway, all that to say, I don't have a problem with a bunch of lads from Birmingham making reggae. Especially when it's this good. Does it have the raw edge of Marley's reggae? No. But, then again, comparing every reggae album to Marley seems a bit unfair. The songs are excellently composed, well-performed, and the recordings are damn near immaculate. The lyrics are thoughtful and thought-provoking. I wish there was about 60% less saxophone but I'll let it slide this time because it's just part of the genre. Overall, a pretty great album.
Really didn't want to like this. In my memory, UB40 is Red Red Wine, and The Way You Do the Things You Do. This album was not that. I really enjoyed these songs, front to back a very enjoyable album, I'll definitely add some of these tracks to my playlists.
this was better than i expected. easy to listen to.
I really enjoyed this. They were doing it long before I knew about them...
A little redundant but overall a pleasant listen.
Bit boring after a while
Middle of the road reggae. I'm pretty ambivalent about them as a whole. "Madam Medusa" had a nice bass line to it. That's as exciting as it got for me.
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
Fine background music, but I'm not a big dub guy.
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
Takes me back. the 80s were a great time for reggae and ska to hit the mainstream.
Virtually unlistenable. Ali Campbell’s vocals are thin and reedy, the dub is repetitive, the only redeeming quality is the attack on Thatcher’s policies.