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UB40: Labour of Love III

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Virgin Records
Released: 1998.11.17
Time:
 62:56
Category: Reggae
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: ***....... (3/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.ub40.co.uk
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2001.10.01
Price in €: 7,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Holly Holy (Diamond) - 3:35
[2] It's My Delight (Cogle/Dowe/McNaughton) - 3:57
[3] Come Back Darling (Osbourne) - 3:29
[4] Never Let Go (Lee/Smith) - 3:18
[5] Soul Rebel (Marley) - 3:55
[6] My Best Girl (Holt) - 4:10
[7] Good Ambition (Dillon) - 2:22
[8] The Train Is Coming (Boothe/Burrell) - 4:18
[9] Blood and Fire (Holness) - 3:59
[10] Mr. Fix It (Winston) - 3:23
[11] Stay a Little Bit Longer (Fulker) - 2:52
[12] Someone Like You (Ferguson/Simpson) - 4:52
[13] The Time Has Come (Lee/Smith) - 4:55
[14] Crying over You (Charmers) - 3:58
[15] Legalize It (Tosh) - 9:53

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


ASTRO WILSON - Vocals, Trumpet
JAMES BROWN - Drums
ALI CAMPBELL - Guitar, Vocals
ROBIN CAMPBELL - Guitar, Vocals
EARL FALCONER - Bass, Keyboards
NORMAN LAMONT HASSAN - Percussion, Vocals, Trombone
BRIAN TRAVERS - Saxophone
MICHAEL VIRTUE - Keyboards

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1999 CD EMI 46469
1998 Virgin 46469
1999 CS Virgin 46469



Sadly unable to escape the golden handcuffs of their '80s hit Labour of Love, this reggae-pop outfit tries to regain some of the glimmer of their former popularity with this third installment of their most successful album. Perhaps most pathetic is their cover of Neil Diamond's "Holly Holy" ("Hey, 'Red Red Wine' was a mega-smash. Let's do Neil again!"). The rest of the disc is peppered with more requisite covers of skanking standards like Peter Tosh's "Legalize It" and Marley's "Soul Rebel." It's all pleasant, but terribly predictable.

Tim Sheridan - All-Music Guide
© 1992 - 2001 AEC One Stop Group, Inc.



This band of Birmingham, England, roots rockers launched the Labour of Love cover series to show their devotion to the mid-'60s-to-early-'70s period in Jamaican music, when ska was slowing down to become bass-led rock steady. Soon after that, innovations in the drumming style helped create the next mutation, reggae, but UB40 still can't get enough of that wonderful rock-steady stuff. Since their list of top favorites numbers upwards of 200 titles, this series should last as long as they do. Volumes 1 and 2 spun off huge hits "Red Red Wine," "The Way You Do the Things You Do," and "Here I Am." Volume 3 packs guaranteed boomshots in "Holly Holy" and "Mr. Fix It." Some grouse that this band--the biggest reggae outfit in the world in terms of sales--is ripping off the music of black Jamaican artists. But reggae transcended national borders a long time ago, and UB40 have a stack of thank-you letters from artists they've covered in the past, names such as Honey and Winston Groovy, who were grateful for the recognition--not to mention the publishing fees!

Elena Oumano, Amazon.com



For the past 20 years UB40 has created some of reggae's most memorable moments. From its pop-oriented material such as Rat in the Kitchen and its collaboration with the Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde on "I Got You Babe" to its early hard-core reggae efforts on Signing Off and Present Arms, UB40 has mastered the art of grooving riddims.

The band's breakthrough came with the 1983 album Labour of Love. Comprised exclusively of covers, the album infused reggae vibes into a wide variety of songs, including the album's smash hit "Red, Red Wine."

Throughout its career, UB40 has acknowledged its musical influences on the Labour of Love series, and its latest, Labour of Love III, continues that tradition.

UB40 performs material by two of reggae's masters: Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. On "Soul Rebel," UB40 takes Marley's original and updates it with a slick '90s feel. Dry production and hazy instrumentation lend the song an eerie edge, as if Marley's spirit was guiding the band.

On "Legalize It," the notorious anthem written by Tosh, UB40 lays down serious attitude. The band is willing to put its money where its mouth is, and its plea for the legalization of marijuana comes off heartfelt, not as some lame posturing.

As with previous Labour of Love albums, UB40 travels down some tricky terrain. "Holly Holy," originally performed by crooner Neil Diamond, is reggae-fied into an awesome rasta-roundup. Similarly, "Crying Over You," (performed by the Dave Clark Five and Rosie Flores among others), is an unlikely candidate for a reggae rendition, but UB40 brings out the song's inherent groove with swift adeptness.

David McGurgan - May 12, 1999
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