Red Red Wine

Today I listened to the current number 5 album ‘UB45’ by UB40. This is a studio album comprising of 7 new tracks and 7 re-recordings of classic UB40 tracks….Interestingly, they did not include ‘1 in 10’ which I believe is their best/most political song but did include ‘Tyler’ which is very political and updated to 40 years instead of 5 years.

The chart this week is full of album that I don’t allow on the blog. This UB40 album only just made the cut but honestly, can you trust anyone who doesn’t like UB40? I mean, yes, because I have disliked a UB40 album here and listened to another one here.

The albums that I won’t be listening to (other than Taylor Swift which I explained yesterday) include Bruce Springsteen (best of album); The 1975 (a Live album…and also ’cause I hate them); and When Rivers Meet (Live album… I don’t think I’ve heard of ‘When Rivers Meet’ to be honest).

This means that there is potential 2 or 3 albums that I will be listening to this week that are on the current chart. This means, either I’ll be back to Top 50 Guardian albums of 2023 or I might listen to some of the new entries from last week…

It’s weird right? That everyone thought last week was the best week to release new music? So much so that this week has so little new music in it?

I mean, todays album is only 50% new and it’s number 5 and I’m writing about it.

Tell it like it is

I’m going through a good phase at the moment. Today, I listened to UB40’s 1986 album ‘Rat in the Kitchen’.

If for some reason, you’ve decided you don’t want to listen to REM, then you couldn’t go wrong with UB40. (although, I have listened to UB40 from 2001 and didn’t enjoy)

This album! Its reggae. I love it when I know exactly what the genre of music is.

But! And this is the thing I love about UB40, it’s also protest music!

This album’s most protest-song song is ‘Don’t Blame Me’. …

‘So don’t blame me for wanting more
The facts are too hard to ignore
I’m scared to death of poverty
I only want what’s best for me’

That’s some hard-hitting lyrics.

I’m a big fan of the Bible Project, which can also be found on YouTube. I’m currently listening to their series ‘The City’ which is all about the story of the Cities of the bible. Bible Project discuss the themes of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, what is the ongoing story being told.

Today, they were discussing how Cain killed his brother and God promises to protect Cain with a mark. However, Cain doesn’t rely on God’s protection and builds himself a city, with walls. And like, so much of the bible and human story, we believe God’s promise but don’t trust him to do the job. We can look to Abraham trying to create a child of blessing himself, Moses striking the rock, the children of Israel collecting two days of Manna, and Judas setting up a confrontation. There is a fear that God will not fulfil what he has promised, there is a desire to ensure I get what’s best for me.

God’s image of a city is one where the protection doesn’t come from walls and exclusion. It comes from love, inclusion and abundance. The abundance God provided – in Eden, with Manna, with the quails, at the home of Obed-edom, in Jesus. There is no reason to fear when God is providing.

Power and Control

Today I listened to the current number 3 album ‘Burn the Empire’ by the Snuts.

This is honestly a perfect album for the times. I love political songs and political albums.

My list of perfect political songs include ‘1 in 10′ by UB40, ‘Ghosttown’ by the Specials, ‘Black’ by Dave, ‘Vossi Bop’ by Stormzy, ‘I do not have the power to cause a flood’ by Grace Petrie, ‘It ain’t me babe’ when sung by Joan Baez, ‘Gay Pirates’ by Cosmo Jarvis, and ‘One More Light’ by Linkin Park. There are probably more but that is my ‘off the top of my head’ list.

Many of the songs on this Snuts album will likely be added to my political songs list.

The title track starts with a quote by Tony Benn ‘I think there are two ways in which people are controlled. First of all, frighten people and secondly, demoralise them’.

This is an excellent album; the only problem I have with it is that it’s barely over half an hour long. It has 11 tracks, all between 2 and 4 minutes long.

At first, I thought this was going to be a punk album but it’s not. Some of it is punk, it’s shouty and angry. Others are beautifully sweet and amazingly sung, the melodies contrasting with the lyrics.

I would love more of this album!

It is their second album but they claim to have been more lyrically free in this second album so I’m worried that I’d be disappointed by their first album.

No Coverings

Today’s album is ‘Cover Up’ by UB40.

Honestly, I ignored this album for this long because I thought it was a covers album and I’d be stuck with another Tori Amos concept album nonsense.

However, its an album of original UB40 songs. Weird name for an album really.

This album was released shortly after a Greatest Hits compilations album so they were probably hoping that this would follow on from any momentum gained from that.

However, it did not. It did very badly both here and around the world, both in terms of the album and the single released from it.

It is not going on the playlist because it was not good.

Today is also the day that the second Modest Mouse album of 2021 is removed from the playlist. I listened to them on the 17th May and was pretty unsure about it. There is no room for uncertainty on the playlist.