Earl Falconer of UB40

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hey, we got Earl Falconer onthe line from UB forty. Mark,
Mark, how you doing. I'mdoing great, And I've been told that
we have to wrap this interview inten minutes because there is a game you've
just gotta watch. Yeah, it'sa European Cup, you know, lockys,
all the all the teams like Britainand Holland, Germany, Italy.

(00:21):
So which game is it? Youguys are watching Spain in France, Spain
and France. Yeah, semi final. So it's all very exciting. We've
managed to scrape through England so far. It's been lot a roller coaster of
emotions being a fan. Well,let's talk about the big show coming up
Saturday night, Rhythm City Casino UBforty. Everyone knows the song Red Red

(00:44):
Wine. I think if you say, if someone says, who's UB forty,
you say, you know Red redWine, Boom, they know what
that is. You guys have hada ton of big hits though. Yeah,
I mean Red Red one was itwas a hit five years later in
the States than what it was inBritain in Europe, you know, and
obviously we was really happy about itat the time. And yeah, it's

(01:04):
just one of them tunes that youknow, people all over the world instantly
just go oh yeah you be fortyred bed wine. You know, weddings,
you know, birthday parties. Everybodyseems to right it, seems to
know it and love it. Soyeah, it's been great. It's been
great for us as as you know. A track now that was originally a
Neil Diamond's song, right, yeah, well he bought the song. It

(01:26):
was originally a temperance song. Okay, so yeah, yeah, so yeah,
and he he rewrote it, buthe bought the rights for it.
Oh joy. Yeah, it's beenthrough quite a journey, so he basically
got a lot of publish enough forthat tune of our version. I love
how you guys take these songs likeyou know, for instance, can't help

(01:47):
falling in love from Elvis and yougive that reggae feel or the way you
do the things you do, andhere I am. You guys have so
many hits and they're going to hearthem all Saturday night, right yeah yeah,
yeah, yeah, I mean yeah, we're luckily you know, we've
got a few hits under our belt. Yeah. The Elvis tune that was
we was asked to do it fora foot I can't remember what film now,

(02:09):
but we was too like handing itin and you two got the job
instead. But yeah, it's justone of them things. You know,
you never know what's going to be. You're basically go in the studio record
you know, above year work andthen he usually comes apparent which one's going
to be the single or which coupleof tracks obviously the single, you know,

(02:29):
and it's yeah, so it's abit. Yeah, it's a bit
random, but you know we've beenlucky. Well, let's go back in
time a little bit. You guysformed in nineteen seventy eight. Before you
were playing bass for you Befoty,you were a plasterer. Yeah. I
was a plaster when I was aTrianee plastra. You know, I was
working for these two Jamaican guys whowere like really not quite let's say,

(02:52):
quite boisterous in their approach, right, so it's like really hard work,
but it was it'stood me in goodstead. I've got a lot a few
family members who were plasterers as well, so I originally got into it.
My uncle was a plaster and mycousin's a plaster. But it's it's a
good job. It's a good honestjob, you know, and it's quite

(03:12):
satisfying, you know when you doa lobby smooth or you know. Right,
so yeah, yeah, so yeah, but I didn't lock that,
so I left that job and youhelped form you Be forty. Yeah after
about two years, and then yes, I was doing bounty work and then
started the band. Yeah you know, so yeah, yeah, it's been

(03:34):
quite a while now, forty fiveyears, and it's and it seems about
twenty years, but had forty fiveyears. So I've always liked you guys.
Back when I was in college,this would have been the mid to
late eighties, we used to havethese Friday after class parties at Iowa State
and invariably the music they'd be playingwould be reggae music. And obviously there
was a lot of your music,but I think back to the late seventies,

(03:55):
you guys, the Police also hada very reggae Yeah. Well,
we actually toured the Police all overEurope and that it was a brilliant It
was a brilliant time because they werelike massive, and I was doing like
ball rings and big stadiums and stuff, and so we spent quite a bit
of time with the Police, youknow, Stuart Copeland and all them,

(04:16):
and you know it was like,yeah, one of the biggest shows on
the road at the time in theworld. And yeah, they were like
really brilliant. Sting was lovely,you know, all the guys are lovely,
sew Us actually yeah, you know, so it was a great time.
It was a great time, youknow, and we was like really
young and fresh faced and everything,and yeah, it was a great time.

(04:39):
Well, considering this was you know, late seventies, was reggae a
big thing over in England then yeah, well, i mean my parents put
above Jamaican, so you can imagine, you know, he's okay, yeah,
you know, from rock Steady,Blue Beat into a Sky then reggae
and obviously dance or later on,but yeah, obviously, yeah, growing

(05:02):
up it was like Bob Marley andand you know that kind of era,
and you know, most of theband were looking enough to see Bob Marley
in Birmingham, you know, atthe heights of you know, at heights
of his success, you know,and it was a absolutely fantastic gig and
life changing, you know. Soyeah, so there was a lot of

(05:25):
reggae around, especially you know,like a lot of the West Indian people
came over you know, from Jamaicaand different islands you know, in the
fifties to work and stuff, andyeah they put the music as well.
So yeah, growing up, yeah, I heard it quite a bit of
reggae actually, Yeah, and mostof us that's why we ended up playing
it, you know, because weyou know, we all love it.

(05:46):
And yeah, he was just likeimmersed in it and like he was everywhere
growing up, you know, andin a way, you guys are kind
of responsible then for bringing that hereto America. Yes, I was in
a roundaback kind of way. Yeah, you know, well that was always
kind of the thing was to youknow, trying you know, not popularized
reggae, but just make it more, you know, just wanting to hear

(06:08):
it more on the radio. Likeyou know with all other music. It's
so influential as a music form,you know, with dob and dob step
and all a lot of you know, all the things a reggae ton and
all these different kind of music that'syou know what I mean, kind of
brand stuff from it or use youknow, various techniques like John and bass
being you know, up fronts andstuff like that. So it's been really

(06:31):
influential as a world music you know, and obviously you know, we're just
glad to be a part of it. Well, i'll tell you what I
loved playing your music on the radio. The show is coming up Saturday night
a Rhythm City casino. It isgoing to be a great show. Yeah,
well I hope, so, Ihope. So. I mean we've
been having some great shows. We'rebasically about probably about five gigs into this

(06:53):
tour and it's all like coming togethernow, you know, like when you
start a new you know, anda new show and do too, you
know, it's yeah, it kindof develops, and yeah, it's going
really good. You know. Theaudience reactions have been great. We expect
people to dance and have a partybasically that we do it well, you

(07:15):
know, you get enough red stripesin and I'll be dancing for sure.
Yeah, well that's it, youknow. Yeah, come on down because
yeah, yeah hopefully you know,everything's gonna be sweet and yeah we're just
gonna have a ball, you know. Earl. It's been great talking to
you and now I'm gonna let youget to your soccer. I'm sorry,
I'm gonna let you get to yourfootball game. Thank you so much.
Yeah, it's been a lovely interview. And see you Saty guys. Yeah,

(07:39):
come on down. It's gonna befun.