THESE RARE photos are some of the earliest of The Specials in their pomp and feature in a book about the 2-Tone movement in its 40th anniversary year.
It charts the rise of the genre in the late 1970s, along with the concerts, parties and the fashion it inspired.
City historian Ruth Cherrington is reprinting the book to celebrate the anniversary and the new number one album from the city’s own 2-Tone pioneers.
The ‘Dirty Stop Out’s Guide to 1970s Coventry’ – first published in 2017 – tells the story of the 2-Tone revolution rising from an era blighted by industrial strife and racial tension.
It comes hot on the heels of her ‘Dirty Stop Out’s Guide to 1980s Coventry’ which was launched in the autumn.
It is packed full of information about the local music explosion in the era that she believes was started by the success of 2-Tone.
She said: “The city’s 2-Tone revolution challenged the stereotypes of the era and provided a new fashion trend that had ‘made in Coventry’ stamped all over it.
“Sta-press trousers called time on flares and vertigo-inducing platforms were replaced by ox-blood Dr Marten boots.”
Her ‘Dirty Stop Out’s Guide to 1970s Coventry’ traces the development of the area’s music and nightlife from the early days of the legendary Locarno Ballroom where rookie DJ and future music mogul Pete Waterman spun the discs at the matinee disco.
It features venues like Mr George’s which was pivotal to the rise of the movement and provided a stage for some of the earliest gigs.
The book is full of rare photos of bands including The Specials and memories of their earlier gigs.
The Coventry-born author – who wrote the acclaimed ‘Not Just Beer and Bingo! A Social History of Working Men’s Clubs’ – admits researching the book was a labour of love.
She said: “It was a fantastic era to grow up in. The sheer volume and variety of venues totally dwarves the number of today – everything from thriving Working Men’s Clubs to legendary record shops like Jill Hanson’s.”
She says the decade wasn’t kind to Coventry – the collapse of the car industry dealt a crippling body blow to the city.
But the 2-Tone explosion provided a welcome distraction with The Specials and the Selecter providing the soundtrack to a generation.
The ‘Dirty Stop Out’s Guide to 1970s Coventry’ is available from www.dirtystopouts.com and all good book shops. It retails for £13.95.
Ruth launched the follow-up – the ‘Dirty Stop Out’s Guide to 1980s Coventry’ – in October.
