UB40 Releases 2CD Unplugged Plus Greatest Hits Package

Unplugged + Greatest Hits is a 2CD package containing a brand new Unplugged album plus UB40’s Greatest Hits.

As founding members of Britain’s biggest reggae band UB40, singer Ali Campbell, second vocalist Astro and keyboardist Mickey Virtue topped the UK singles chart on three occasions and sold 70 million records as they took their smooth yet rootsy musical blend to all corners of the globe. But, in all their years of success, the trio never transferred the spirit of UB40 into an acoustic setting. Now with ‘Unplugged’ they do so with a mix of timeless covers and classic UB40 originals.

“This is the first time we’ve taken iconic UB40 tunes and done them in an acoustic style,” says Ali. “It all sounds very fresh. It’s completely unlike anything we’ve done before.”

‘Unplugged’ offers a new spin on UB40’s early gems plus the hits. Among the highlights on the album is a new version of ‘I Got You Babe’, featuring Ali’s 22-year-old daughter Kaya Campbell, who sings the lines originally performed by Chrissie Hynde when the track topped the UK charts in 1985. That pop standard is one of four number one singles on ‘Unplugged’, which also contains new takes of ‘(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You’, ‘Red Red Wine’ – complete with a fresh Astro talk-over ‘in an acoustic stylee’ – and a new version of ‘Baby Come Back’ featuring Pato Banton, the Birmingham reggae star who took the song to the top of the charts with UB40 in 1994.

A number of originals have also been given the acoustic treatment, including ‘Food For Thought’ and ‘Tyler’, both from UB40’s debut album ‘Signing Off’, and the 1981 single ‘One In Ten’. Those songs were written in the harsh political climate of the early Eighties, but their social concerns seem no less relevant today. The new arrangements hark back to the past, too: after all, ‘Signing Off’ was recorded on a simple, four-track tape machine in the tiny studio of producer Bob Lamb in 1980. Another original to be given a fresh sheen is 1986’s ‘Rat In Mi Kitchen’, with Astro again providing talk-over vocals.

“That song was based on a real incident,” recalls Ali. “Astro came over to my house in Balsall Heath to talk about lyrics, but I didn’t want to talk about the band, as I had a rat hiding behind my washing machine! Some people thought it was about the government of Margaret Thatcher, but it had nothing to do with politics.”

Other covers given a makeover include Lord Creator’s ‘Kingston Town’, Eric Donaldson’s ‘Cherry Oh Baby’, Winston Groovy’s ‘Please Don’t Make Me Cry’ and the Chi-Lites’ ‘Homely Girl’.

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Tracklistings:

Disc 1 / Part 1: UB40 Unplugged featuring Ali, Astro & Mickey Unplugged

1.  Kingston Town

2.  Red Red Wine

3.  Many Rivers To Cross

4.  Baby Come Back feat Pato Banton

5.  (I Can’t help) Falling In Love With You

6.  Purple Rain

7.  I Got You Babe feat Kaya Campbell

8.  One In Ten

9.  Homely Girl

10. Please Don’t Make Me Cry

11. Food For Thought

12. Cherry Oh Baby

13. Rat In Mi Kitchen

14. Tyler

15. You Could Meet Somebody

16. That’s Supposed To Hurt

Disc 2 / Part 2: UB40’s Greatest Hits

1.  Red Red Wine

2.  I Got You Babe feat Chrissie Hynde

3.  I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You

4.  Kingston Town

5.  Food For Thought

6.  Cherry Oh Baby

7.  Don’t Break My Heart

8.  Homely Girl

9.  The Way You Do The Things You Do

10. Please Don’t Make Me Cry

11. Many Rivers to Cross

12. Higher Ground

13. One In Ten

14. Rat In Mi Kitchen

15. Breakfast In Bed feat Chrissie Hynde

16. Here I am Come And Take Me

17. King

18. If It Happens Again

19. Bring Me Your Cup

20. Sing Our Own Song

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