Present Arms - UB40

Advantages: Great songs, strong message
Disadvantages: Less focused

...THE ALBUM 1. Present Arms 2. Sardonicus 3. Don't Let It Pass You By 4. Wild Cat 5. One in Ten 6. Don't Slow Down 7. Silent Witness 8. Lambs Bread 9. Don't Walk on the Grass 10. Doctor X The album has a very distinctive and explosive start with the sound of marching soldiers on the lead in to the first track "You got no job you got no pay Join the military, sign today They'll take you off to fight on foreign shores" The lyrics leave ...
...have gone. While Present Arms might not be as easily accessible as 'Signing Off' it is still a must for any fans of the band and it represents a brilliant follow up to the debut album, thus cementing the reputation of the band as one of the freshest and successful acts of the 80's 'Present Arms' can be bought from Play.com for £6.99 delivered, a bargain! Thanks for reading and rating this review. © Mauri 2005 ... Read review

Advantages: Excellent tracks, faultless playing
Disadvantages: None

...improved over Signing Off but Present Arms saw UB40 move away from the simplicity of pure ska or bluebeat reggae to something which was altogether slicker. As a reggae purist I prefer my reggae warts and all in the style of the Jamaican bands which recorded their brilliance in one-take 3-minute masterpieces. They would find it difficult to recognise true roots reggae in this album. That this is an excellent reggae album cannot be denied. UB40 exude ...
...Thatcherite Britain in its sights, Present Arms seemed altogether less focussed and worldly. There were injustices still to be identified, they just were not all in Birmingham anymore. The music too was beginning to sound as if they could play it in their collective sleep. The musicianship is excellent without ever sounding inspired. The album begins with a military drumming intro to the title track. This is unmistakably UB40 with a rolling beat ... Read review