The Youth of Today is the debut album from the British Jamaican reggae band Musical Youth, released in 1982. The album includes the number one UK hit "Pass the Dutchie" which also hit number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The album became their most successful release, peaking at the twenty third position of the Billboard 200 and the twenty fourth place in the UK Albums Chart.
Background
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 Chart (1983)PeakpositionUnited Kingdom24Australia (Kent Music Report)80Canada8France13Netherlands23New Zealand42Spain (AFYVE)11US Top R&B/Black Albums (Billboard)11
Certifications and sales CountryCertificationUnited KingdomGold (+100,000)CanadaGold (+50,000)
References
External links The Youth of Today at Discogs The Youth of Today at Rate Your Music