Their next album Ummagumma gave each band member the opportunity to create a solo piece, though they would have to combine their talents if they wanted to hit the jackpot. Pink Floyd's ground-breaking album The Dark Side of the Moon was the result of a long creative process that began around A Saucerful of Secrets the main track from the eponymous album was, for Nick Mason at least, where it all began.
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go. You can download them as many times as you like. The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions. Listen to this album and more than 40 million songs with your unlimited streaming plans. Listen to over 40 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan. It would take the band four years to return to the studio, perhaps an indication of the fatigue and doldrums affecting this album. Only the Heptones' wonderful "Baby" gets a decent workout, with the rest only serving as reminders of how well the originals were written. Labour of Love II downplays the band's driving horn section in favor of sterile keyboards and electronic percussion replaces acoustic. Too bad the band falls prey to the same antiseptic digital production that was marginalizing much of the dancehall scene. It's encouraging to see a more interesting set of selections and it would lead one to think that the album isn't a contrived cash-in. The song gave another UB40 another top 5 hit, and was a particularly massive success in France.A second swing at the all-cover version formula, Labour of Love II doesn't even come close to the lively original. Originally a 1970 song by Lord Creator, it became a classic when covered by UB40 in 1990 on their Labour of Love II album. It ended up topping the US charts too in 1988, after being performed at Nelson Mandela's birthday tribute concert. The song truly brought the band to the mainstream, and reached number one in the UK. But it's UB40's cover that became the most well known in 1983. You might not have realised it, but Neil Diamond first recorded this song back in 1967.
They weren’t sure about including a cover on their album, but Robin Campbell said: “I persuaded them that it would be pointless not to, as it was likely to be a smash hit.” 2. However, Bruno Hernandez’s version was selected instead. They actually recorded it after being asked to make an Elvis tune of their choice for the film Honeymoon In Vegas. UB40 arguably had the biggest version three decades later. 'Can't Help Falling in Love'Įlvis Presley first recorded this song in 1961, and it is based on ‘Plaisir d’amour’ by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini. Robin Campbell later said that the lyrics of the song relate to "the hypocrisy of Christmas, the fact that there are starving people in Africa and here we are all sat around eating our Christmas dinner and praising the Lord".
UB40's first single, this reggae track reached the UK top five in 1980, and it's still regularly heard at Birmingham City FC matches today. Reggae star Pato Banton scored a huge number one in 1994 with this cover of The Equals classic, and it was the Campbells' presence that made it a summer anthem. OK, this isn't officially a UB40 track, but it featured vocals from both Ali and Robin Campbell and sounds so much like a UB40 track that we're including it. Taken from their classic Labour of Love album, this version reached number 16 in the UK. This classic reggae song was originally by Jimmy Cliff in 1969, and has since been covered by many artists. This underrated track was the lead single from UB40's 1997 album Guns in the Ghetto.ĭespite not reaching the top 40 at the time, we still reckon it was one of the band's best tracks. The song title refers to the number 9.6, being the percentage of the local workforce claiming unemployment benefit in the West Midlands in the summer of 1981. This song was released in 1981 from their second album Present Arms, reaching number 7 in the UK. It was written by reggae artist Winston Groovy, aka one of the best names in showbusiness. It gave them another top 10 hit, peaking at 10 in 1983. This track was the follow-up to their massive hit 'Red Red Wine' and also featured on their huge album Labour of Love. Already an iconic duet by Sonny and Cher back in 1965, it got a new lease of life 20 years later when UB40 decided to cover it for their Baggariddim album.Ĭollaborating with Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde, it was a huge hit and topped the UK chart in 1985.