Labour of Love
| Labour of Love | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by UB40 | ||||
| Released | 1 September 1983 | |||
| Recorded | 1983 | |||
| Genre | Reggae | |||
| Length | 39:52 | |||
| Label |
DEP International/Virgin (UK) A&M (US) | |||
| Producer | Ray Falconer and UB40 | |||
| UB40 chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[2] |
| Rolling Stone |  [3] |
Labour of Love is a reggae album by UB40, the band's fourth album and first covers album. It was originally released on 1 September 1983 and included the hits, "Red, Red Wine" (UK #1, US #1), "Cherry Oh Baby" (UK #12), "Many Rivers to Cross" (UK #16), and "Please Don't Make Me Cry" (UK #10).
The entire album consists of cover versions of songs originally released by the group's musical idols. The most notable track is the cover of Neil Diamond's "Red, Red Wine," which reached #1 in the United Kingdom upon its release. The song was re-released in the United States in 1988, where it also topped the chart. The album and 12" version included a toasted verse by Astro, later copied by Neil Diamond in his live performances.
The album reached #1 in the UK and #8 in the United States. With the inclusion of the new version of "Red, Red Wine," the album regained popularity in 1988 and climbed to #15 in the U.S.
In 1989, it was ranked #98 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 100 Greatest Albums of the 80s.[4]
The band would later continue the series and release three more cover albums, Labour of Love II, Labour of Love III and Labour of Love IV.
The album was accompanied by a video also entitled Labour of Love, consisting of various music videos for the songs and tied together with a storyline showing the band working in the dump yard and relationships with wives, families and girlfriends. The film was directed by Bernard Rose.
Track listing
- "Cherry Oh Baby" – 3:18 (original by Eric Donaldson)
- "Keep On Moving" – 4:37 (original by The Impressions; n modeled after the Reggae cover by The Wailers)
- "Please Don't Make Me Cry" – 3:26 (original by Winston Tucker)
- "Sweet Sensation" – 3:42 (original by The Melodians)
- "Johnny Too Bad" – 4:57 (original by The Slickers)
- "Red, Red Wine" – 5:21 (original by Neil Diamond; modeled after the Reggae cover by Tony Tribe)
- "Guilty" – 3:16 (original by Tiger)
- "She Caught the Train" – 3:17 (original by Joe Monsano)
- "Version Girl" – 3:27 (original by Boy Friday)
- "Many Rivers to Cross" – 4:31 (original by Jimmy Cliff)
| Preceded by No Parlez by Paul Young |
UK number one album 24–30 September 1983 |
Succeeded by No Parlez by Paul Young |
Notes
- ↑ Labour of Love at AllMusic
- ↑ Robert Christgau Consumer Guide
- ↑ Rolling Stone review
- ↑ The Editors (1989-11-16). "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980's". Rolling Stone (565).
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