Labour of Love II is the ninth album and second covers album by UB40, released in 1989. The album contained two top-ten Billboard Hot 100 hits – "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" peaked at No. 7, "The Way You Do the Things You Do" peaked at No. 6 – and "Kingston Town" reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart.

Labour of Love II
Studio album by
Released27 November 1989
GenreReggae
Length37:22
LabelVirgin/DEP
ProducerUB40
UB40 chronology
UB40
(1988)
Labour of Love II
(1989)
Promises and Lies
(1993)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
Robert ChristgauB[3]
Orlando Sentinel[4]
Rolling Stone[5]

Track listing

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  1. "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" (original by Al Green) – 4:00
  2. "Tears from My Eyes" (Teddy Davis) – 3:50
  3. "Groovin'" (Byron Lee) – 3:50
  4. "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (original by the Temptations) – 3:02
  5. "Wear You to the Ball" (original by the Paragons) – 3:31
  6. "Singer Man" (original by the Kingstonians) – 3:51
  7. "Kingston Town" (original by Lord Creator) – 3:48
  8. "Baby" (original by the Heptones) – 3:22
  9. "Wedding Day" (Harold Logan, John Patton, Lloyd Price) – 3:12
  10. "Sweet Cherrie" (Keith "Honey Boy" Williams) – 3:16
  11. "Stick By Me" (original by Shep and the Limelites) – 3:45
  12. "Just Another Girl" (original by Ken Boothe) – 3:33
  13. "Homely Girl" (original by the Chi-Lites) – 3:24
  14. "Impossible Love" (Keith "Honey Boy" Williams) – 5:10

Personnel

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UB40

  • Ali Campbell – lead vocals and backing vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Robin Campbell – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Astro – trumpet, toast and backing vocals
  • Earl Falconer – bass and synthesizer
  • Michael Virtue – synthesizers and sampler
  • Brian Travers – saxophones
  • Norman Hassan – trombone
  • Jim Brown – electronic drums and drum machine

with:

  • Patrick Tenyue – trumpet
  • Henry Tenyue – trombone

Technical

  • Gary Parchment, John Shaw – engineer, programming, mixing
  • Barry Kamen – cover painting

Charts

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Chart performance for Labour of Love II
Chart (1989–1990) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] 20
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] 6
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8] 1
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] 9
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[10] 1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] 13
UK Albums (OCC)[12] 3
US Billboard 200[13] 30

Certifications

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Certifications for Labour of Love II
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[14] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[15] Gold 50,000^
France (SNEP)[16] 2× Platinum 600,000*
Netherlands (NVPI)[17] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[18] Platinum 15,000^
Sweden (GLF)[19] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[20] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] 3× Platinum 900,000^
United States (RIAA)[22] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "UB40 - Labour of Love II Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Labour of Love II (Virgin) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Though this..." Chicago Tribune. 4 January 1990. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: ub40". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  4. ^ Gettelman, Parry (26 January 1990). "UB40". Orlando Sentinel.
  5. ^ "UB40: Labour Of Love II : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. 2 October 2007. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  6. ^ "Australiancharts.com – UB40 – Labour of Love II". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  7. ^ "Austriancharts.at – UB40 – Labour of Love II" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – UB40 – Labour of Love II" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – UB40 – Labour of Love II" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Charts.nz – UB40 – Labour of Love II". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – UB40 – Labour of Love II". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  13. ^ "UB40 Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  14. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  15. ^ "Canadian album certifications – UB 40 – Labour Of Love II". Music Canada. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  16. ^ "Les Certifications & Les Ventes". Info Disc. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  17. ^ "Dutch album certifications – UB 40 – Labour Of Love LI" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 2 May 2022. Enter Labour Of Love LI in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1990 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  18. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – UB 40 – Labour Of Love II". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  19. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  20. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Labour Of Love 2')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  21. ^ "British album certifications – UB 40 – Labour Of Love II". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  22. ^ "American album certifications – UB-40 – Labour Of Love II". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 11 March 2019.