UB40 - Red Red Wine (12“ Version) **HQ Audio**

“Red Red Wine“ is a song written, performed and originally recorded by American artist Neil Diamond in 1967. The song has been covered by Tony Tribe, Jimmy James & the Vagabonds, and more famously by British reggae group UB40, whose version topped the U.S. and UK singles charts. UB40 made their rendition for their cover versions album Labour of Love. According to the band, they were only familiar with Tony Tribe’s version (they apparently didn’t realize that the writer, credited simply as “Diamond“, was in fact Neil Diamond), and their version featured a lighter, reggae-style flavor compared to Diamond’s sombre, acoustic ballad. The UB40 version adds a toasted verse by UB40 member Astro, opening: “Red Red Wine, you make me feel so fine/You keep me rocking all of the time“ — which was edited from the single that reached number one in the UK chart in August 1983, and number 34 in the United States in March 1984.