Some FEATURED ARTISTS on this week’s Stronger Than Dirt (Saturday, January 13, 8-10pm) include Pete Miller, Paul St. John, Cherry Vanilla, The Jolt, Radio Birdman, Specials, Kitchen and the Plastic Spoons, Malaria!, The Like, lots of new music as well as the weekly Dusty Diamond.
COVER ART OF THE WEEK: The Specials’ hugely popular self-titled debut album remains the standard-bearer of the ska revival era in the UK. Released in October of 1979 in the UK on 2 Tone (Two-Tone) Records, a label founded by the band’s keyboardist Jerry Dammers, both front and back covers featured uncredited photographs of the band in their signature rude boy suits. The black and white sleeve design was Chalkie Davis and Carol Starr. The 1980 US reissue (this one) on Chyrsalis switched the front and back covers. (Click on image to enlarge)
DUSTY DIAMOND OF THE WEEK (a vintage gem from the STD vaults): Fox Force 5 were a short-lived garage band from Ulm, Germany. They released an EP in 1995 and an album in 1997. “Discolina” is a fun bit of disco garage (is that a thing?) with a funky bassline and some nice guitar and nifty synth sounds. It appeared on the 1997 “White, Middle Class, Suburban, Heterosexual Mods… And We Are Bored” album on One Million Dollar Records. Listen to it here:
Promo art from The Jolt’s 1978 s/t album on Polydor. Original art direction by Jo Mirowski and photography by John Shaw.