‘People recognize UB40 music because we have a unique sound’

If you were a child growing up in the 80s, your music list would have been incomplete without UB40 hits. The English reggae and pop band from Birmingham, the UK, was formed in 1978 by a ragtag bunch of friends led by former frontman Ali Campbell. Starting from their first official concert in 1979, UB40 went on to enjoy unprecedented success, even earning four Grammy nominations. While the exit of bandmates

Ali Campbell

, Mickey Virtue and Astro has been tumultuous, the band is still alive and just short of completing 40 years in the music business next year. Ahead of their gig in Bengaluru at the

Catholic Club

this evening, brothers and band mates

Robin Campbell

and

Duncan Campbell

answered questions put forth by TOI. Excerpts

UB40 is going to turn 40 next year! For a band that has had quite a few upheavals, how would you describe its journey so far?
Robin Campbell: 39 years... I constantly pinch myself. I can't believe the life I have had, you know. If I hadn't been in UB40, I can't imagine what sort of life I would have had, I'd possibly be in prison (laughs). I know that what UB40 has done---taken us out of the city of Birmingham and shown us the world, and treated us wonderfully. We have had a charmed life and we are still leading a charmed life, travelling the world and having a great time.

As a band, UB40 has always been comfortable performing covers. Your versions of the songs whether it’s Red Red Wine or Can’t Help Falling in Love have even become great hits…

Duncan Campbell: The trick with doing covers is that if you want to do it successfully, you shouldn’t be doing a slavish copy of the original. You want to give it something of you, something that changes the identity of the song. Yes, we have had success doing covers of original artistes, especially of reggae artistes from Jamaica. Those tracks weren't really not known to mainstream audience then. So, our dream was to take those songs and introduce them to an audience and tell them that this is what got us excited about reggae music. But we have also had success with non-reggae tunes. Can’t Help Falling in Love was an Elvis Presley tune. That song has probably been recorded by at least 200 artistes but I am quite chuffed that none of them had the success that we had with that song. When we do a song, it usually got a character, an identity, people recognize it as a UB40 tune because we have a unique sound...

Neil Diamond went on to perform a UB40 version of Red Red Wine, a song that he’d originally written. Did that incident amuse you?

Robin Campbell: I found it mildly insulting that he did a curt reggae version, and he faked an accent while he was doing it. I thought it was a bit tasteless but it’s each to their own I guess. I think a simple thank you would have been good for the millions of fans around, but never mind.