As founding members of Britain’s reggae band UB40, singer Ali Campbell, second vocalist Astro and keyboardist Mickey Virtue topped the UK singles chart on three occasions and sold 70 million records as they took their smooth yet rootsy musical blend to all corners of the globe. But, in all their years of stellar success, the trio never transferred the spirit of UB40 into an acoustic setting. Now with Unplugged they breathe new life into an intoxicating mix of timeless covers and classic UB40 originals...

Unplugged offers a new spin on UB40’s early gems plus the huge hits with which they later wooed the world. Among the highlights on the album is a new version of ‘I Got You Babe’, featuring Ali’s 22-year-old daughter Kaya Campbell, who sings the lines originally performed by Chrissie Hynde when the track topped the UK charts in 1985.

That pop standard is one of four number one singles on Unplugged, which also contains new takes of ‘(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You’, ‘Red Red Wine’ – complete with a fresh Astro talk-over – and a new version of ‘Baby Come Back’ featuring Pato Banton, the Birmingham reggae star who took the song to the top of the charts with UB40 in 1994.

If you're a UB40 or reggae fan then Unplugged will give you the chance to hear some old favourites, but with a new twist and in case you fancy comparing them to the original tracks, there's a bonus CD of the band's greatest hits.

This 2-disc release contains 36 tracks (2 hr, 21 min, 06 sec) and is the perfect gift for that UB40 fan in your life.

Track listing:

Disc 1 / Part 1: UB40 ‘Unplugged’ featuring Ali, Astro & Mickey Unplugged

01 - Kingston Town
02 - Red Red Wine
03 - Many Rivers To Cross
04 - Baby Come Back feat Pato Banton
05 - (I Can't help) Falling In Love With You
06 - Purple Rain
07 - I Got You Babe feat Kaya Campbell
08 - One In Ten
09 - Homely Girl
10 - Please Don't Make Me Cry
11 - Food For Thought
12 - Cherry Oh Baby
13 - Rat In Mi Kitchen
14 - Tyler
15 - You Could Meet Somebody
16 - That's Supposed To Hurt

Disc 2 / Part 2: UB40's Greatest Hits

01 - Red Red Wine
02 - I Got You Babe feat Chrissie Hynde
03 - I Can't Help Falling In Love With You
04 -Kingston Town
05 -Food For Thought
06 - Cherry Oh Baby
07 - Don't Break My Heart
08 - Homely Girl
09 - The Way You Do The Things You Do
10 - Please Don't Make Me Cry
11 - Many Rivers to Cross
12 - Higher Ground
13 - One In Ten
14 -Rat In Mi Kitchen
15 - Breakfast In Bed feat Chrissie Hynde
16 - Here I am Come And Take Me
17 - King
18 - If It Happens Again
19 - Bring Me Your Cup
20 - Sing Our Own Song

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Nick Smithson