The Essential UB40 - CD Music

UB40 is a British reggae band formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band's name derives from the "Unemployment Benefit, Form 40" form, used at the time to apply for unemployment benefits in the United Kingdom, reflecting the band's origins at a time of economic hardship and high unemployment.

UB40 gained notoriety with its unique sound, which blended reggae with pop and rock influences, making reggae accessible to a global audience. The band's debut album, Signing Off (1980), was a critical and commercial success, being acclaimed for its combination of socially conscious lyrics with an authentic reggae sound.

The band's real international success came with the release of Labour of Love (1983), an album of covers of reggae classics, which included the mega hit "Red Red Wine", a reggae version of a Neil Diamond song. This particular song became an anthem of the band, reaching number one on the British and American charts, and is still one of their best-known songs today.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, UB40 continued to release a string of successful albums, including Geffery Morgan (1984), Rat in the Kitchen (1986), and Promises and Lies (1993), which included another major hit, "Can't Help Falling in Love", a reggae version of the Elvis Presley classic, which also reached the top of the charts in several countries.

UB40 is recognized both for its ability to adapt popular songs to the reggae style and for its own compositions, which address social and political themes, such as unemployment, racism and poverty. The band has maintained a steady presence on the music charts over the years, despite several lineup changes, including the departure of vocalist Ali Campbell in 2008.

With a career spanning over four decades and over 70 million records sold worldwide, UB40 continues to be one of the most popular and influential reggae bands, bringing the sound of Jamaica to global audiences and staying relevant in popular music.