44 years ago on this day Birmingham's UB 40 released their debut album Signing Off. They selected their name in reference to an attendance card issued to people claiming unemployment benefits from the UK government. UB 40 were in their early days a political band like many others in the early 80's who raised their voices against the Thatcher government. Their first album was musically significant in that they integrated reggae and especially elements of dub and brass into their sound. It was probably not only me that this mixture made me dive deeper into Jamaican music and discover greats like Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. Even after decades, Signing Off is an album that I can listen to in one go and still discover little things.
UB 40 - Tyler
UB 40 - Madame Medusa
UB 40 - Signing Off
UB 40 - King
