The English Disease

Of all the strange albums that came out of Adrian Sherwood’s On-U Sound studio, this one is probably the weirdest. Although it drew for its music on the usual On-U suspects (members of Dub Syndicate, Tackhead, and African Head Charge, among others) and is built on reasonably straight-ahead reggae and funk beats, the vocals consist primarily of field recordings of football fans singing the themes of their favored teams — anthems like “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “Abide with Me,” along with sampled recordings of football announcers. Admittedly, it’s not for everyone — but for those who love the unique vibe of On-U Sound and have a reasonably high tolerance for musical whimsy, The English Disease is tremendously fun.