Tonight’s selections from Birmingham, England’s UB40’s fourth album, 1983’s Labour of Love. I used to listen to this cassette while falling asleep when I was 13 or 14. I remember Labour of Love and Purple Rain being my favs to semi-doze off too.
Let’s kick things off with the massive, global hit. Neil Diamond’s Red Red Wine.
Red Red Wine
By the time Chrissie Hynde invited them to tour with the Pretenders during the Spring of 1980 and their debut single “King b/w Food For Thought” had sailed into the UK Top 5, all the essential elements of UB40 were already in place. Their line-up will remain unchanged for thirty years, and they will continue playing a mix of original material and an inspired choice of reggae covers in a style that’s instantly accessible with its bright melodies and sweeping horn arrangements – one that’s allied to a formidable rhythm section in James Brown (drums) and Earl Falconer (bass) capable of holding its own with anything from Jamaica. [...]
Soon afterwards, they opened a studio in Birmingham called The Abattoir. Now masters of their own destiny (and with legendary JA keyboard player Jackie Mittoo guesting), they decided to pay tribute to the reggae pioneers who’d first inspired them back in the blues parties and clubs of Birmingham, and from hanging out at places like Don Christie’s record store. The band became evangelists of a kind, introducing classic reggae songs and artists to new audiences from around the world as they embarked on four installments of the “Labour Of Love” series of albums — UB40.global
Keep on Moving
Labour of Love, by Britain's UB40, was exactly that: an enjoyable way of paying tribute to the reggae tunes that meant the most to the band members when they were growing up. The ten numbers they chose to cover from among hundreds they knew and loved were originally recorded between 1969 and 1972 — a period that corresponded to the band members' early exposure to reggae at weekend-long parties in the ethnic neighborhood of Balsall Heath, in their hometown of Birmingham. [...]
The group chose material ranging from the well known (Jimmy Cliff's classic "Many Rivers to Cross") to the unknown (Winston Groovey's "Please Don't Make Me Cry"). UB40's lilting rhythms, uncluttered arrangements and sweet, soulful vocals proved irresistible, and Labour of Love helped break UB40, which had been famous in Europe since 1980, in the U.S. — Rolling Stone
Johnny Too Bad
Through a convoluted string of events, "Red Red Wine" — written by Neil Diamond, covered by Tony Tribe and rediscovered by UB40 — became a Number One hit in 1988, four years after its first appearance on Labour of Love. The album also reentered the charts, doing better the second time around and outselling the band's then-current release, simply titled UB40. "I think it's purely the fact that American radio is now prepared to play reggae, whereas before it wasn't," [Ali] Campbell says of UB40's long-overdue recognition in the States. — Rolling Stone
Cherry Oh Baby
The first was released in the summer of 1983, and contrary to past record labels’ expectations, the change of direction worked magnificently. Labour Of Love became the band’s first No. 1 album in the UK, and would remain in the British charts for eighteen months. Lead single “Red Red Wine” also went straight to No. 1. In fact it stayed in the British charts for two years, thereby giving UB40 their first truly worldwide hit and, eventually, their first American No.1.
UB40 were now recast as Britain’s foremost reggae ambassadors. They have arguably fostered a love of reggae music in more people than any other artist, including Bob Marley, and it started just as soon as they’d introduced timeless Jamaican classics to contemporary audiences on “Labour Of Love.” “Please Don’t Make Me Cry,” “Many Rivers To Cross” and “Cherry Oh Baby” were the other hits from that seminal first edition, which went on to sell more than ten million copies worldwide. — UB40.global
Many Rivers to Cross
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WHO’S TALKING TO WHO?
Jimmy Kimmel: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Benson Boone
Jimmy Fallon: Sam Rockwell, Jack Whitehall, Ariana DeBose, Boy George
Stephen Colbert: John Cena, Kwame Alexander, Asake
Seth Meyers: Larry David, Katy Tur, Colleen Clark
The Daily Show: Pre-empted