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 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
  1. "Pass the Dutchie" – 3:25
  2. "Heartbreaker" – 3:45
  3. "Gone Straight" – 3:08
  4. "Blind Boy" – 3:50
  5. "Rockers" – 3:00
  6. "Youth of Today" – 2:56
Side B
  1. "Young Generation" – 3:20
  2. "Mirror Mirror" – 3:50
  3. "Children of Zion" – 3:00
  4. "Never Gonna Give You Up" – 3:00
  5. "Rub 'n' Dub" – 3:50
  6. "Schoolgirl" – 3:20

Abridged MCA release

Side A
  1. "Pass the Dutchie" – 3:25
  2. "Children of Zion" – 3:00
  3. "Blind Boy" – 3:50
  4. "Rockers" – 3:00
  5. "Youth of Today" – 2:56
Side B
  1. "Young Generations" – 3:20
  2. "Mirror Mirror" – 3:50
  3. "Heartbreaker" – 3:45
  4. "Never Gonna Give You Up" – 3:00
  5. "Schoolgirl" – 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