ALBUMS: Labour of Love (1983): Little Baggariddim (1986)
MVC Ratings: Labour 4.5/$$$$; Little 3.5/$$$
Named after a British unemployment form (Unemployment Benefit Form 40), this band, once it got going, certainly didn’t have to stand in any lines for filling out forms during a long career that included 70 million records sold.
‘Labour of Love’ is a fantastic album of reggae covers originally done by obscure artists (at least to most American ears).
One of their biggest hits “Red Red Wine” was originally written and recorded by Neil Diamond and not in a reggae way. ‘Many Rivers to Cross’ by Jimmy Cliff was another big one off of this album.
The album provided worldwide exposure for such Jamaican groups as the Grand Melodars, Winston Groovey, Eric Donaldson, and the Slickers. If you want original reggae hits, try Cliff’s excellent movie soundtrack ‘The Harder they Come.”
‘Little Baggeriddm’ is an EP (extended play), which means more than a .45 but not quite a full album. A cover of ‘I Got You Babe,’ popularized by Sonny and Cher, went high on the charts in the UK. Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders played Cher.
If you spot a good copy of Labour of Love and don’t have it, I would jump on it. In a way it is like Dr. John’s ‘Gumbo,’ taking fun, bouncy songs from an overlooked or niche genre and spreading them around the world.