UB40 are a British dub / reggae pop music band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band is one of the most culturally diverse dub reggae bands with musicians of English, Scottish, Irish, Yemeni and Jamaican parentage. The band is named from the paper form issued by the UK government's Department of Health and Social Security at the time of the band's formation for claiming unemployment benefit (UB40 = Unemployment Benefit, Form 40). UB40 were influenced by the many Blues Parties they attended as teenagers in the multiracial Balsall Heath area of Birmingham, their love of ska and reggae inspired such original tracks as King, Madam Medusa, Food for Thought, Signing Off and One in Ten. Their early music style was unique, with a heavy influence of analogue synthesizers, psychedelic rock guitar, saxophone and dub producer techniques which were later perfected by the late Pablo Falconer. Ali and Robin Campbell have a musical heritage, being sons of Ian Campbell, a folk musician. The band purchased its first instruments with compensation money Ali Campbell received after a bar fight. They have had a number of hits, most commercially and to amusement of the band, "Red Red Wine", a cover version of a Neil Diamond song (in an arrangement similar to that of Tony Tribe's version). Their mos
1 | It's My Delight | Labour of Love III |
2 | Silent Witness | Present Arms |
3 | Higher Ground | Promises And Lies |
4 | Desert Sand | Promises And Lies |
5 | Hurry Come Up | Guns in the Ghetto |
6 | Lisa | Guns in the Ghetto |
7 | Signing Off | Signing Off |
8 | Tell Me Is It True | The Very Best of UB40 1980-2000 |
9 | I Love It When You Smile | Guns in the Ghetto |
10 | Legalise It (Peter Tosh) | Labour of Love III |
11 | Until My Dying Day | The Very Best of UB40 1980-2000 |
12 | Don't Slow Down | Present Arms |
13 | Wild Cat | Present Arms |
14 | Always There | Guns in the Ghetto |
15 | Adella | Signing Off |
16 | Food For Thought | Signing Off |
17 | Mr Fix It | Labour of Love III |
18 | One In Ten | Present Arms |
19 | Oracabessa Moonshine | Guns in the Ghetto |
20 | Doctor X | Present Arms |