Hello friends, good vibes to all.

Source!

Today I have decided to talk about one of the most influential groups in my life and since I was just a child I remember listening to their Red Red Wine ad nauseam. These British and some Jamaicans formed this powerful group back in the late 70's and what made them so particular is that within their ranks there were many cultures that eventually merged to give birth to the sound so particular and characteristic of them. It is impossible that you think of reggae and these guys do not come to mind, it is impressive how today, in 2023, their songs are still references and very dear to many. It must be said that although several of its members are no longer in this plane as a group they are still active doing concerts and I repeat, I would dare to think that they are a very dear band. So it is for all this that today I bring you some of their songs that in my day to day I never miss.

- Kingston Town

I think we can agree that one of the most iconic voices in music in general is Duncan Campbell's, the smoothness and the tone of voice with which he sang was really unique. I think this is one of the reasons for success, when you have something so peculiar it makes it stand out from the rest and that's when you stand out. The other thing is that I think that for the time when they were formed in the world there are few, if not no one, who resembles them, there was no group with the sound of UB40 because those times were dominated by rock, it was only in the eighties when they took off because that was the decade of pop and with it the emergence of a myriad of sounds. Kingston Town refers to the capital of Jamaica and tells us that it is the perfect place to be, a place where the stars shine and the place to spend the days with the queen of our lives. What I like about this song is the way it starts, it begins with a kind of clarinet that I know it is not, but it is not a saxophone that is what the great Brian Travers played, really the calm that inspires this song is abysmal, the rhythm, the voice, the instrumentation, everything is perfect and a worthy piece of the reggae genre.

- Here I Am (Come And Take Me)

With this great song we raise the rhythm a little bit and we fall into another one that is one of the ones I like the most and this is basically because of the brass. UB40 stood out for many things but one of them was for their great brass, trumpets, saxophones and trombones and when they incorporated them to reggae they really hit perfectly, it is a very friendly genre with this type of instruments, they will always sound good and they knew it. Here again Duncan is showing off his very special voice but we also hear many synthetic sounds, remember the time we were in, the nature of the songs always went through that kind of sounds; in this case it is the drums, although in the video you can see the drummer playing, the sound comes from a synthesizer. This song speaks of the forbidden, of that love that cannot be given but that even so I go and look for it, I ask for it and I even beg you to come to my side and hold my hand. Generally UB40's songs were very romantic, there was always a nice and even happy undertone, they sang about good things, hence many people always seek to listen to them to relax. I think this song was not so commercial but it is without a doubt one of my favorites.

- Red Red Wine

I think that the most loved and known by all could not miss in this count. This was the song that made back in the late eighties, early nineties, that my love for this group grew, when I say that I always wanted to listen to it is because it is true, since that time I have always had it present. The harmonies and instrumentation is what makes this song so special, I think the melody is so unique that there is no place in the world where this song sounds and is not recognized. Red Red Wine talks about the obvious, about wine and how it is used to forget about heartbreak. How, thanks to a few glasses, we can try to make the memories go away, but in the end they will not go away, it will only be a passing amnesia. There you see it, always with love in the middle or something similar to it, it seems that this was their flag when singing their songs. I will venture to say that this song is one of the best in the history of reggae and even in general music, if there was a list that expressed what I am saying I think Red Red Wine would undoubtedly be on it. It must be said that this song, as well as most of the ones they play are by other artists, in this case this song is by Neil Diamond, the thing is that also in most cases their reggae versions end up being more influential than the originals.

- ¡Bonus Track!

- (I Can't Help) Falling In Love With You

And following a little bit with the last thing I mentioned before, here is a clear example. You can't imagine how many people believe that this is an original song of theirs when in fact it is by the great Elvis Presley. But what is it? - This reggae version is brutal and may have reached more people, hence its popularity. Personally I keep the original but this also has a place among my favorite songs or versions.

Well friends that's all for today, I hope you liked it.
¡A hug to all of you, we'll hear you in the next one!