Sly & Robbie – Disco Dub album art
An outlined and shaded ITC Souvenir with swash S for Disco Dub, the first release by Jamaican rhythm section and production duo Sly & Robbie under that name. Bassist Robbie Shakespeare and drummer Sly Dunbar joined forces in the 1970s. In addition to their own music, they collaborated with numerous artists from the genres of dub, reggae, dancehall, and beyond. According to Wikipedia, the Riddim Twins “played with and produced artists such as Madonna, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones, Grace Jones, Joan Armatrading, Gilberto Gil, Joe Cocker, Matisyahu, Serge Gainsbourg, Simply Red, Michael Franti, Sting, Khaled, Mey Vidal, Tricky, Doug E. Fresh, Carlos Santana, Sinéad O’Connor, Monty Alexander, Ian Dury, and others.” A personal favorite of mine is “Superthruster” from the 1999 release Drum & Bass Strip to the Bone By Howie B.
Disco Dub is a short album with just five tracks. It was released in 1978 on Gorgon Records and also on their own Taxi label, with cover art by Wayne Armond. As far as I know, ITC didn’t offer a ready-made shaded version, but others including Lettergraphics carried a Souvenir Shadow with Swash. Most of the glyphs are aligned to the cap line. Not only does this leave more space for the illustration. It also makes it look like the words were hovering, which adds to the depiction of the artists as superheroes, flying high above the clouds, entering outer space.
Robbie Shakespeare died on 8 December 2021 aged 68, following kidney surgery. RIP.
