For this this week’s Stronger Than Dirt (Saturday, March 30, 8-10pm) I am planning a special pre eclipse show featuring songs about the sun, moon and darkness. Some featured artists include the Monkees, Misunderstood, Ramones, Gator Family, Vapors, B-52’s, Stranglers, Dukes of Stratosphear, Ugly Beats, Kelley Stoltz as well as the weekly Dusty Diamond.
COVER ART OF THE WEEK: “Screamadelica” was the third full-length album for the Scottish rock band Primal Scream, and the first to achieve commercial success. Released in 1991 on Sire and Creation Records it drew inspiration from the house music scene at the time as well as the drugs associated with that scene, LSD and ecstasy. It appeared in various formats including this double LP with gatefold sleeve on Creation. The cover art was painted by Creation’s in-house artist Paul Cannell, who said it was inspired by an LSD trip. It was one of ten album covers chosen by the Royal Mail for a set of “Classic Album Cover” postage stamps issued in 2010. The inner sleeve included a photo of the band by Grant Fleming. (Click on image to enlarge)
DUSTY DIAMOND OF THE WEEK (a vintage gem from the STD vaults): The Clears were a short-lived synth pop band from Memphis that channeled 80s Numan and Kraftwerk. They included Alicja Trout, later of The Lost Sounds, Black Sunday, Nervous Patterns and other bands. Active in the mid 90s, they had but one release, a self-titled album on the Resort Theory Entertainment (vinyl) and Smells Like Records (CD) labels. From the album, “Frozen Fun” is a catchy, somewhat angst-y bit of synth wave that feels at home in the 80s as well as the present day. Listen to it here:
Promo art by Scott Gardner based on a Getty Images photo.