Present Arms  by UB40

Nine months after the release of UB40's first album, the second studio album for the group from Birmingham will arrive. Present Arms is released at the end of May 1981 and is immediately accepted by both the public and critics. UB40 follow the same musical and lyrical style. Amid the seemingly light and carefree reggae music and dub rhythms, they find the opportunity to address serious social and political issues concerning either Great Britain or the rest of the world.

The special feature of the album's initial vinyl release was that in certain countries it was accompanied by a single containing the instrumental dub compositions Don't Walk On The Grass and Dr X, which, of course, were included in the album's CD release a few years later.

Two singles emerged from Present Arms that entered the UK Top-20, One In Ten and Don't Let It Pass You By. The album reached No.2 in their homeland and sold 300,000 copies. It was also successful in other countries. Notably, sales of UB40's second album in the Netherlands reached the number of 50,000 copies.