UB40 – LABOUR OF LOVE II LP – VG+ UK 1989 REGGAE KINGSTON TOWN

UB40 – Labour Of Love II
(DEP International Records  1989  LPDEP14)
Matrix No’s: A2/B3 – UK Pressing

Sleeve in Excellent/Very Good+ condition
– some wear to edges/corners and a few small discolouration marks
Inner Sleeve has a few small discolouration marks but no splits

Vinyl in Very Good+ condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl which do give pops/crackles but sound quality is excellent overall)

UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album four times, and in 1984 were nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Group. UB40 have sold over 70 million records worldwide. The ethnic make-up of the band’s original line-up was diverse, with musicians of English, Welsh, Irish, Jamaican, Scottish, and Yemeni parentage.

Their hit singles include their debut “Food for Thought” and two Billboard Hot 100 number ones with “Red Red Wine” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”. Both of these also topped the UK Singles Chart, as did the band’s version of “I Got You Babe”. Their two most successful albums, Labour of Love (1983) and Promises and Lies (1993), reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. UB40 and the English ska band Madness hold the record for most weeks spent by a group in the UK singles chart during the 1980s, with 214 weeks each.

The band’s line-up was stable for nearly 29 years, from March 1979 until January 2008, when frontman Ali Campbell left the band, followed shortly thereafter by keyboardist Mickey Virtue. Another member, Astro, remained with the band until November 2013, when he departed the original band to team up with Campbell and Virtue in a new version of UB40. In 2014, legal advice was sought by the original band (now consisting of remaining co-founding members drummer Jimmy Brown, guitarist Robin Campbell, bassist Earl Falconer, percussionist Norman Hassan, and saxophonist Brian Travers, along with new vocalist Duncan Campbell) who took action against the group containing Campbell, Virtue, and Astro over usage of the band name, due to it being used by both parties. On 5 July 2021, it was announced that Matt Doyle (formerly of the reggae band Kioko) would become the band’s new vocalist, following Duncan Campbell’s retirement due to ill health. Travers died from cancer on 22 August 2021, and Astro died on 6 November 2021 following a short illness.

Labour of Love II is the ninth album and second covers album by UB40, released in 1989. The album contained two top-ten Billboard Hot 100 hits – “Here I Am (Come and Take Me)” peaked at No. 7, “The Way You Do the Things You Do” peaked at No. 6 – and “Kingston Town” reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart.

1. “Here I Am (Come and Take Me)” (original by Al Green) – 4:00
2. “Tears from My Eyes” (Teddy Davis) – 3:50
3. “Groovin'” (Byron Lee) – 3:50
4. “The Way You Do the Things You Do” (original by the Temptations) – 3:02
5. “Wear You to the Ball” (original by the Paragons) – 3:31
6. “Singer Man” (original by the Kingstonians) – 3:51
7. “Kingston Town” (original by Lord Creator) – 3:48
8. “Baby” (original by the Heptones) – 3:22
9. “Wedding Day” (Harold Logan, John Patton, Lloyd Price) – 3:12
10. “Sweet Cherrie” (Keith “Honey Boy” Williams) – 3:16
11. “Stick By Me” (original by Shep and the Limelites) – 3:45
12. “Just Another Girl” (original by Ken Boothe) – 3:33
13. “Homely Girl” (original by the Chi-Lites) – 3:24
14. “Impossible Love” (Keith “Honey Boy” Williams) – 5:10

UB40

• Ali Campbell – lead vocals and backing vocals, rhythm guitar
• Robin Campbell – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Astro – trumpet, toast and backing vocals
• Earl Falconer – bass and synthesizer
• Michael Virtue – synthesizers and sampler
• Brian Travers – saxophones
• Norman Hassan – trombone
• Jim Brown – electronic drums and drum machine

with:

• Patrick Tenyue – trumpet
• Henry Tenyue – trombone

Technical

• Gary Parchment, John Shaw – engineer, programming, mixing
• Barry Kamen – cover painting