Countdown to Christmas Eve

Well, draggin' me arse a little bit today. Sorry kiddies, life got in the way. I hope everybody made it through work okay with out having the following reading material:

U is for: UB40, Labour of Love (A&M, 1983)

There are some really great names on the list of this band's personnel: Earl Falconer on bass, Mickey Virtue on keys, Astro (born Terence Wilson) doing the toasting, and Maxi Priest singing lead. Unfortunately, all of these cool individuals names could not help them come up with a better band name (UB40 stands for Unemployment Benefit, Form 40). I don't put much stock in good or bad band names, but that sucks.

Once again, like another "reggae" group on the countdown, they come from the genre's heartland (this time it's Birmingham, UK though). They figured out a simple formula: A song you like + cheap, cheap "reggae" = $$$$$$. They made some serious scrilla by taking songs from other people and covering them in a watered down "reggae" form that appealed to people for a few ticks. World's most successful cover band? You decide. 

I think it's hilarious that a band that had three cover songs reach the #1 spot on the charts (and countless others that sucked) was somehow able to sue Paris Hilton for stealing their stuff. Do you think that her song Stars Are Blind steals from one of the few songs that UB40 actually wrote, Kingston Town? Once again, you decide:

They sound pretty similar, but more importantly, who cares? I guess anyone who further bankrupts Paris Hilton is cool with me. 

But anyhow, I'm rambling. I say get this album for anyone you may know who has a really cool name like your cousin Teddy Stryker, that guy at work named Bobby "The Jackal" Salome, and that girl you knew in high school named Ella Awesomeface.