This was too good not to post. This past week’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade got hijacked by Rick Astley, as we witnessed an actual live-action Rickrolling. The man popped up from whatever rock he’s been hiding under for the past fifteen years and lip-synched performed Never Gonna Give You Up for an adoring and appreciative crowd. I wanna know how it’s been twenty years since the song was a hit and Astley doesn’t look like he’s aged a month. What’s his secret?
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Did Your Thanksgiving Get Rickrolled?
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FORTY-FIVE REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE #14: The Yoshiko Gardens
UB40 “I’ve Got Mine” b/w “Dubmobile” (DEP International Records DEP6, January 1983)
Though I’m way too obsessed with Americana to be considered an Anglophile, I went through a phase between 1980 and 1984 where I read NME and Melody Maker and The Face, and sopped up UK imports like a sponge in a swimming pool. Not for naught, mind you; it was a fertile period for British music. Punk and post-punk had blown England’s doors completely off their pretentious prog-rock hinges, leaving a wide-open, cavernous, un-policed frontier for everyone to explore. The Clash and The Police had already proven that rock and reggae could be combined into successful formulas, and the early-’60’s-soaked ska revival, spearheaded by bands like The Specials and Madness (and labels like Stiff and 2-Tone), had yielded some stellar performances and super hits. By 1980, England had become a place where popular music was now an open playing field, and everyone was invited.
Though now known almost solely for reggae-fying American standards, Birmingham’s UB40 were originally a very raw, politically-motivated band of working-class background, taking influence from Thatcher’s misgivings and turning out pulsing, bass-heavy jam sessions in return. They always had a propensity for covers; their first LP features reworkings of Randy Newman and Billie Holiday classics. But it was the deeply charged politics of such original compositions as “One In Ten” and “Silent Witness” that got me to notice them, and to shell out serious creflos for thick slabs of their (seemingly handmade) import vinyl.  By late ’82, UB40’s sound had developed a richer, jazzier sheen.  And though I didn’t know it at the time, they were poised to make a huge US breakthrough. But this little single came first.
UB40 \”I\’ve Got Mine\” on YouTube
The video shows the band cavorting on some lovely beach, soaking in the sun, gazing at sexy butts, frolicking in the surf and genuinely having a great time. A tasty foreshadowing of the success about to come the ’40’s way, obviously. (I just really hope the Campbell brothers loaded up on sunblock.) But the band sounds like they’re having a blast in the studio as well. And when that refrain kicks in, and the snare double-times it up from the only-on-the-four verses wit da skankin’ riddims, then segues in to the sax solo? Pure joy.
Side B’s “Dubmobile” shoud actually be called “Toastmobile,” as it’s not really a dub-heavy track, but UB40 knows that. A fun recording of a great band having a great time before the big storm hits, this track was mix-tape material at my house for years. As a bonus, here’s some quality live footage, from around the time this single was released, of the band performing both tracks in succession. You can really hear Ali Campbell’s “popping” guitar riff here, as well as Earl Falconer’s ultra-pumping, super-juicy bassline. Volume on 10, Bass-Boost on HIGH.
UB40 \”Dubmobile\” and \”I\’veGot Mine\” live on YouTube
As I’m sure you all know, UB40 is still together, still active and still quite brilliant, to this day.  Learn more here.
NEXT WEEK: The return of the Chicago 3.
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The New Music Files 12/2/08: Britney, Akon & (Not Much) More!
Here we are folks, the dog days of December. The list of releases has trickled to a crawl for the next couple of months, which means we’re gonna have to stretch to find five noteworthy releases some weeks-like this one. Matter of fact, I’m not even gonna try to come up with a list of five. There are exactly three albums coming out tomorrow that anyone gives half a damn about, and they are as follows:
Britney Spears Circus: She may have gotten off the crazy train, but there’s nothing to suggest that Britney’s music has undergone any sort of change in the year and change since the Platinum Blackout hit store shelves. Mindless dance pop is still the order of the day, and Britney’s vocal contributions are, as always, negligible-but have no actual bearing on whether the music within is good or not. Choice title? If You Seek Amy. Confused. Say it reallllly slooowwwww. Get it now? Yeah. Proof that all the antidepressants in the world can’t bring you class.Akon Freedom: Fresh from dry-humping teenage girs and tossing fans into crowds (oh, and lying about his criminal past), Akon’s third album reveals more of the wafer-thin (in vocal talent as well as stature) artist’s clubby dance anthems and simple pop songs. The guest list on this album reads like a shopping list, but you can bet that the ubiquitous Lil’ Wayne and T-Pain are both represented here.
Scarface Emeritus: You gotta give the O.G. props for trying, right? Half a decade since anyone gave a damn, the grandfather of Southern rap returns with his umpteenth solo album. ‘Face has flown pretty far under the radar these past couple of years (being on a label like Asylum probably doesn’t help much), but this album will appeal to just about anyone who’s bought his work (either solo or as part of The Geto Boys and Facemob) over the past 20 years.
Elsewhere, there’s a Panic at the Disco Live record out for the 7 of you who still care, and the Cadillac Records soundtrack also hits stores. The film, which tells the story of legendary blues label Chess Records, stars Mos Def and Beyonce, who sings Etta James’ At Last on the soundtrack. On the reissue tip, there’s also a Chess Records anthology featuring the original versions of the songs featured in this movie. And yeah…that’s all, folks.
Get a complete list of this week’s releases here.
