The Youth of Today
The Youth of Today is the first album from the British Jamaican reggae band Musical Youth, released in 1982. The album includes the #1 UK hit "Pass the Dutchie" which also hit number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The Youth of Today | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 22 October 1982 | |||
Recorded | June−September 1982 | |||
Genre | Reggae | |||
Length | 40:24 | |||
Label | MCA | |||
Producer | Peter Collins | |||
Musical Youth chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Youth of Today | ||||
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The album became their most successful release, peaking at the 23rd position of the Billboard 200 and the twenty fourth place in the UK Albums Chart .[1][2]
Background
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [3] |
Reggae Reviews | [4] |
The album was released shortly after the success of "Pass the Dutchie", which is the album's opening song. The Youth of Today contains twelve reggae tracks, written by Freddie Waite and Musical Youth themselves, and produced by Peter Collins. Some subsequent releases omitted "Gone Straight" and "Rub 'n' Dub", and had the rest of the tracks in a re-arranged order. The album included a colourful comic story on its inner sleeve, designed by Lon Goddard, as well as a big Musical Youth poster. The cover photograph is credited to Eric Watson.
"Pass the Dutchie" was the album's lead single, released to great commercial success. It scored a number one position in no less than five countries and earned a Grammy Award nomination. A rapid follow-up, "Youth of Today", was released at the end of 1982 and achieved respectable chart success. The third single, "Never Gonna Give You Up", released in early 1983, became the band's second biggest hit in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The album's fourth and final single, "Heartbreaker", didn't fare as well and charted only in the UK, outside the top 40.
The Youth of Today was released to positive reviews and commercial success. It peaked at number 24 in the United Kingdom and number 23 in the United States. It fared much better in France and Canada, where it peaked at number 13 and number 8 respectively. The album was certified Gold in both the UK and Canada.
Track listing
Full LP release
Side A
- "Pass the Dutchie" (Jackie Mittoo, Fitzroy "Bunny" Simpson, Lloyd "Judge" Ferguson) – 3:25
- "Heartbreaker" (Freddie Waite) – 3:45
- "Gone Straight" (Freddie Waite) – 3:08
- "Blind Boy" (Musical Youth) – 3:50
- "Rockers" (Musical Youth) – 3:00
- "Youth of Today" (Musical Youth, Freddie Waite) – 2:56
Side B
- "Young Generation" (Musical Youth) – 3:20
- "Mirror Mirror" (Freddie Waite) – 3:50
- "Children of Zion" (Musical Youth, Freddie Waite) – 3:00
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" (Musical Youth, Freddie Waite) – 3:00
- "Rub 'n' Dub" (Musical Youth) – 3:50
- "Schoolgirl" (Musical Youth) – 3:20
Abridged MCA release
Side A
- "Pass the Dutchie" (Jackie Mittoo, Fitzroy "Bunny" Simpson, Lloyd "Judge" Ferguson) – 3:25
- "Children of Zion" (Musical Youth, Freddie Waite) – 3:00
- "Blind Boy" (Musical Youth) – 3:50
- "Rockers" (Musical Youth) – 3:00
- "Youth of Today" (Musical Youth, Freddie Waite) – 2:56
Side B
- "Young Generations" (Musical Youth) – 3:20
- "Mirror Mirror" (Freddie Waite) – 3:50
- "Heartbreaker" (Freddie Waite) – 3:45
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" (Musical Youth, Freddie Waite) – 3:00
- "Schoolgirl" (Musical Youth) – 3:20
Personnel
Musical Youth
- Dennis Seaton – vocals, percussion
- Freddie "Junior" Waite – drums, vocals
- Kelvin Grant – guitars, vocals
- Michael Grant – keyboards, vocals
- Patrick Waite – bass
Technical
- Julian Mendelsohn, Pete Hammond, Richard Dodd – engineer
- Eric Watson – photography
Charts and certifications
Charts
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Certifications and sales
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References
- Billboard. "Musical Youth Chart History US". Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- The Official Charts Company. "Musical Youth Chart History UK". Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- Jo-Ann Greene. "The Youth of Today - Musical Youth". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 22 March 2008.
- "Reggae Reviews: Musical Youth". www.reggae-reviews.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
- "The Official Charts Company - Musical Youth". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 212. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". www.collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste". www.infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- "Discografie Musical Youth". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- "Discography Musical Youth". charts.nz. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- Salaverri, Fernando (2015). Sólo éxitos 1959–2012 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-866-2.
- "Musical Youth Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2002.
- "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. 19 February 1983. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- "Certified Awards Search". www.bpi.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- "Gold and Platinum Search". www.musiccanada.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012.