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Well, I wasn't going to until I found out I'd have another UB40 sing to write about. At least I haven't heard this before, which is one advantage over the grossly over-exposed 'Red Red Wine'. Also, whilst this is another cover version (from their first Labour Of Love album) it was at least a reggae song - by the brilliantly named Winston Groovy - to start with, so at least they knew what to do with it.
Well, they should have known anyway. Unfortunately, they seem to fall into the same trap they did before: surprisingly, since whatever else we might say about them their love of the music is clearly genuine, they appear not to have realised that the simplicity of the original is actually quite demanding, and even though they perform it at about the same tempo as Groovy, they don't seem to convey the same energy with their synthetic-sounding version - I don't know whether this means they rehearsed too much or not enough. The record also casts an unflattering light on Ali Campbell's lead vocal.
On the positive side, though, Winston Groovy obviously had more to gain from the exposure than Neil Diamond, and he seems to have done well enough out of it, having toured and recorded with the group. And the video, which shows a boxing match between the two Campbell brothers, looks a bit prophetic with hindsight.
Also appearing on: Now 4, 6, 7, 9, 13, 17, 18, 26, 41, 56
Available on: Labour of Love Vol.1-3: the Platinum Collection
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