Prompted by Other Blogs, Part 13

 

I'm always cruising around the interweb, looking for interesting music. I’ll see or hear something out there that sets me on a path. 

I haven't done this series in a long time but today I was visiting A Few Good Times in My Life blog. Walter was reminiscing about UB40's first release Signing Off. Commentors were lamenting the sad decline of the band after their first three albums. 

I'll be the first to admit that they put out a bunch of Live albums & lost direction discs & tapered off from their heyday, but I always thought that they had enough chestnuts throughout their catalogue to keep them vital. For me, one in particular...

Case in point.

UB40 - Homegrown, DEP International DEPCD22, 2003.
decryption code in comments

So Destructive    
I Knew You    
Drop on By    
Someone like Me    
Freestyler    
Everything is Better Now
Just Be Good (Bushman Dub)    
Young Guns    
Hand That Rocks the Cradle    
Nothing Without You
Nothing Without You (Dub)
bonus track -     
Swing Low

& since I’m nothin’ without you (original & Dub), let me know what you think.

Enjoy,
NØ

The Dub before White X-mas

Present Arms in Dub was released by UB40 in October 1981. The album contains eight Dub versions of original tracks from Present Arms. The album was the first Dub music album to hit the UK top 40 charts. UB40 must have been listening to a lot of Lee Perry or smoking a lot of herb (maybe both) when they recorded this one. No vocals, no traditional song structures, just lots of echo-laden synth effects with awesome heavy Dub drum & bass.

White Dub for a white X-mas.

UB40 - Present Arms in Dub, DEP International LP DEP2, 1981.

decryption code in comments

Present Arms In Dub
Smoke It
B Line
Kings Row
Return of Dr X
Walk Out\
One in Ten
Neon Haze
hidden track

The song "Neon Haze" ends at 4:02. At minute 4:06 a hidden track begins: it's an industrial noise that closes the album. I have presented it as a separate track.

Peace,
NØ