GERMANY: UB40 PERFORM IN CONCERT IN OFFENBACH AND TALK ABOUT WRITING SONG "COVER UP" TO SUPPORT AIDS AWARENESS IN AFRICA

Record ID: 548326

  • Title: GERMANY: UB40 PERFORM IN CONCERT IN OFFENBACH AND TALK ABOUT WRITING SONG "COVER UP" TO SUPPORT AIDS AWARENESS IN AFRICA
  • Date: 13th December 2001
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF UB40 ON STAGE IN OFFENBACH PERFORMING THE TITLE ALBUM FROM THEIR NEW ALBUM COVER UP SMV/PAN OF AUDIENCE VARIOUS OF ALI CAMPBELL FINISHING COVER UP WITH A PAN TO AUDIENCE VARIOUS OF AUDIENCE APPLAUDING
  • Embargoed: 28th December 2001 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: OFFENBACH, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA2T9BSL8U66N0940ZNIVPBTFN7
  • Story Text: UB40, the band who helped bring reggae music into the mainstream, are back with a new album and a new mission. The band who have sold over forty million albums worldwide have always been famous for using their music to make statements and the new album Cover Up is no exception.
    UB40 are one of the most successful reggae bands in the world; in the eighties and nineties they helped popularise the music with hits such as 1 in 10, Kingston Town, Red Red Wine and Please dont make me cry. The result was over forty million album sales worldwide and seventeen top ten hits in the UK alone. And the eight piece band have weathered the eighties and nineties defying their critics and sticking to a brand of music that has gone in and out of fashion.
    "If you are into UB40, and you listen to the first albums and then listen to what we are doing now, you can hear how we have moved on, you can hear how we have come along in the last twenty years you know. But you know, I hear criticisms like, why are you still doing the same thing and are you ever going to do anything different other than reggae? No, we don't have any intention of doing anything other than reggae; that is all we ever wanted to do, you know. It is not like we want now to become a blues band, you know. (Earl is saying) Or a Techno outfit! (Robin is saying) Exactly, we've never really been into anything else other than the promotion of reggae around the world you know and as long as we have breath, thats what well be doing."
    Always outspoken, the eight Birmingham-based musicians have often used their music to get messages across. So it was no surprise when they were asked by the United Nations to join the campaign for AIDS awareness.
    "We were asked by the United Nations to write a song about wearing condoms you know, for the aids-awareness thing in Africa and that is basically how it came about; Brian our saxophone player actually wrote the lyrics and we named the album after it you know basically (Norman is saying) It is an aids awareness song you know, it is not going away and it is being swept under the carpet and they approached us and asked us, you know, could we write a song? And as Earl was saying (Robin is saying) We did. It is very difficult to write a song about wearing condoms you know, about the necessity to wear a condom; I thought Brian did a brilliant lyric, he came the next day with a complete lyric, shocked us you know. (Norman is saying) And his condoms! (Robin is saying) And we were chuffed with it, which is why we made it the title track of the album, because we are very pleased with it."
    And whilst this is the band's first proper tour for two years, they have been keeping themselves busy, not only producing Cover Up but putting the finishing touches to their masterwork, the as yet, officially untitled Fathers Album a tribute to those who put them on the road to reggae.
    "The Labour Of Love series was us telling the world, showing the world, where we were coming from and why we are into reggae, all the original artists, the guys who invented the music, originated the style of music, we recorded all their records on the Labour Of Love Series. Well now twenty years later, we've asked them if they would like to record one of our songs and weve got twenty-two of reggaes fathers who have recorded one of our songs and its fantastic. There is nothing greater than having your idols singing your songs, you know, it is just, it is full circle for me, it is like, the best thing musically that has ever happened to us."
    Although the album has a vague release date next summer, it is an in-joke amongst the group that it is one project they just don't want to see the back of.
    "One of the loveliest moments was when Ali said to me what are we going to get John Holt to do and I said he has got to do The Pillow, he has got to do the pillow. So Ali spoke to him on the phone and said we want you to do The Pillow and he said, it is one of my favourite songs and sang it him down the phone. And Ali was (mimics crying) looking at me going John Holts is singing The Pillow. And that was just one of the magic moments; he's done that and I think Ken Booth did The Earth Dies Screaming I can't go through them all but it is fantastic fun for us."
    And fun seems to be the keyword for UB40. They may no longer enjoy the chart domination they experienced for two decades or be able to write a new album in several weeks, but they still enjoy what they do best, which is making reggae.
    --
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