Present Arms

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Present Arms
Studio album by UB40
Released	29 May 1981
Genre	Reggae
Length	47:09
Label	Graduate Records
Producer(s)	Ray Falconer, Bob Lamb, UB40
UB40 chronology
Signing Off (1980)	Present Arms (1981)	Present Arms In Dub (1981)

UB40's 2nd album, Present Arms was released in 1981. It reached #2 and spent 38 weeks on the UK album charts. An album of originals, it spawned two top 20 hits in 'One In Ten' (#7) and 'Don't Let It Pass You By / Don't Slow Down' (#16). Like their first album Signing Off, Present Arms gave us social comments from the title track written about man and boy going to war, to 'Sardonicus' which was a critical assessment of the then US president Ronald Reagan^{[citation needed]}. The album also touches on a subject very dear to UB40's heart. 'Lambs Bread', 'Don't Let It Pass You By' and 'Don't Walk On The Grass' are written as part of the band's long standing campaign for the legalization of cannabis. Present Arms is quite unique in many respects. As a 2nd album, it was very widely acclaimed and selling well into the bargain. But in a similar vein to Signing Off, it mixed a number of instrumentals with vocals, most notably the crowd pleasing Dr X (later to write sleevenotes for the Labour Of Love Series).

[edit] Track listing

1. "Present Arms"
2. "Sardonicus"
3. "Don't Let It Pass You By"
4. "Wildcat"
5. "One In Ten"
6. "Don't Slow Down"
7. "Silent Witness"
8. "Lambsbread"

With the original 1981 release was a 12" single containng two tracks. These were added to the CD album.

1. "Don't Walk On The Grass"
2. "Dr X"

[edit] External links

• Official site