Combat Rock Album Cover Location in Bangkok

[Marky Dread]

How do we feel about "Rock the Casbah"'s sleeve? I'm torn. I like the playful concept (plus Bernie playing the sheik!), but there's still something kinda cheap about it that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe I'm just being jerkishly picky.

Bernie and Mark Helfond on the sleeve. I think it's great fun and the cheap background is also a fun touch.

[matedog]

How do we feel about "Rock the Casbah"'s sleeve? I'm torn. I like the playful concept (plus Bernie playing the sheik!), but there's still something kinda cheap about it that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe I'm just being jerkishly picky.

Bernie and Mark Helfond on the sleeve. I think it's great fun and the cheap background is also a fun touch.

I think it works well for the tone of the song.

[Marky Dread]

How do we feel about "Rock the Casbah"'s sleeve? I'm torn. I like the playful concept (plus Bernie playing the sheik!), but there's still something kinda cheap about it that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe I'm just being jerkishly picky.

Bernie and Mark Helfond on the sleeve. I think it's great fun and the cheap background is also a fun touch.

I think it works well for the tone of the song.

Definitely.

[Mark^Bastard]

The S! album cover has a slightly moody feel that fits the vibe of a lot of the album. I think it's a bit underrated, as these things go. The Combat Rock looks like the kind of album cover classic rock records get when they're put out as a budget line reissue for the discount bin.

Agree on both points. Sandinista! is my favourite cover art of their albums. Probably S/T would be second. The rest just feel unbalanced or something.

That Combat Rock description is bang on. That border is what gives it the bargain basement CD re-issue feel haha.

[JohnS]

Some interesting chat here.

For me, the 1st album and Rope are classic designs - 1st LP a perfect tie-in with punk DIY fanzine vibe (I'm a sucker for that typewriter font) and Rope being just weirdly captivating and arty in a truly post-punk way. Although I always felt SLIGHTLY short changed that they didn't have printed inner sleeves.

LC was OK, but the Elvis homage was lost on me at the time and the retro style on the rear cover could have been a bit more authentic - although I loved the lyric inserts with (tiny) on-the-road snapshots.

Sandinista - not as iconic as the preceding albums, clearly cost-saving (and/or deliberately 'punk' - or non-trad, for a triple) - only 2 colours, print spec fans, black and red on white stock - and basic 'Armagideon Times' lyrics insert printed in B/W on el cheapo newsprint paper. But it had its own style, and the singles had a cool matching 'corporate identity' too - Hitsville, Mag 7, The Call Up all in matching red/black colours and that similar sans typeface.

Combat Rock was indeed where they dropped their guard, in a big way. Again, were they trying to be wilfully 'punk'? Whatever, that washed-out, polaroid quality cover photo looked naff (the freebie poster being far more successful artistically) and the overall camo / stencil design seemed to fall on the wrong side of cheesiness to me. I liked the Futura designed inner though (I also liked the Radio Clash single design, and the matching tour posters are even better)

Cut The Crap - cliched graphics all round, the band deserved better, although the music did not!

[Stefano1972]

An interesting video for Clashologists with an interest in Bangkok.

Interesting, thanks for posting it.
But, let's face it, compared to the previous covers, the Combat Rock one is the one I like the least.
Smith took some fabulous shots on that Pacific tour, especially the beautiful black and white ones taken on stage included inside FHTE or on the back of the 1988 IFTL single.
But, that color shot they chose as the cover, personally, never convinced me.
Maybe RPFTFB would have had a different cover?

I agree. The weird silver gradient border around it sucks too. It would be a good picture for a back cover or insert but not a front cover

Looking back at some photos and covers, I much prefer the photo and the work done for the front cover of the Rock The Casbah CD single, released in 1991.
The photo belongs to the same session as the one chosen for the Combat Rock cover, I think it was originally a black and white.