Remembering Dave Greenfield and a classic Stranglers photo shoot

Posted on 15th May 2020 by Clare Guise

The Stranglers by Jill Furmanovsky

Last week we sadly lost Dave Greenfield, long-time band member of The Stranglers. In commemoration we have put together a selection of rare images of the band taken by Jill Furmanovsky in the late 70s.

Jill accompanied The Stranglers to Iceland in 1978 during a press tour to support the release of their third album 'Black and White'. Iceland was said to be chosen for the launch as it reflected the stark, polarised sound of the album.

Dave Greenfield by Jill Furmanovsky

Jill Furmanovsky recalls from the trip to Iceland:

"In May 1978. I was invited by the weekly journal Sounds to take part in the press launch for the band's third album 'Black and White'. The two-day trip to Iceland was certainly one of the most unusual press junkets I've ever attended.

"On May 2nd around 50 of us left Heathrow Airport on a chartered plane heading for Reykjavik's Keflavik Airport. Over the next 48 hours, the party seemed to be constantly on the move in our designated Stranglers Bus There was a press conference where the gathered Icelandic journalists failed to ask a single question, a play-back of the new album at an out of season, snow-starved ski resort, visits to volcanic springs, pony trekking and photo shoots with the band in a bleak but striking landscape comprising of solidified lava and glaciers"

Hugh Cornwall on The Stranglers tour bus taken by Jill Furmanovsky

Our great friend, Ronnie Gurr, founded of Hanging Around Books recently published selected photos from Jill's Icelandic shoot.

Ronnie recalls:

Since launching my photobook publishing imprint Hanging Around Books nearly 3 years ago, I’ve frequently surveyed my customers, asking for feedback on which bands or artists they’d like to see featured in one of our releases.

On each occasion, The Stranglers have come out top in these polls, winning the popular vote by a country mile. As a huge Stranglers fan myself - in 1977, I named my teenage punk fanzine after my favourite Stranglers song and have kept it on in my publishing company’s name - I therefore undertook some intense research. Thanks to the good folks at the National Library of Scotland, I was able to order up every copy of every music paper (NME, Melody Maker, Sounds and Record Mirror) from 1977, 1978 and 1979 in search of great Stranglers images.

Jill Furmanovsky’s outstanding photographic coverage of the band’s “Black and White” album launch in Iceland in 1978 immediately screamed out as being an iconic answer to my customers’ requests.

The Stranglers on Iceland's volcanic landscape taken by Jill Furmanovsky

Jill’s images, as featured in the pages of Sounds, captured the band posing amongst the lava-encrusted and glacial landscape of Iceland with a snow-frosted range of volcanic mountains as a spectacular backdrop - the men in black in the most monochrome of settings. This was magnificence and perfection itself.

Happily, following a meeting with Jill and her team at Rockarchive, I was allowed access to pore over contact sheets of the trip and “There Goes The Charabang: The Stranglers In Iceland“ was the end result. It’s a superb documentary photo essay of 48 hours in the life of a record company album launch and a cracker of a wee photo book.

Find out more about Hanging Around Books photo books at www.hangingaroundbooks.com

The Stranglers onstage in Iceland taken by jill Furmanovsky

The first edition sold out within one week of the pre-order being announced, thus conclusively proving that my surveys were correct; this was the band that the audience wanted to see and these were unequivocally images that thrilled them.

Not only was Jill’s work in the photobook taken to the collective hearts of Stranglers fans across the globe but by featuring the images in Hanging Around Books, I’m delighted that the imprint has acted as a kind of music photography gateway drug for many of them. Hopefully many more of our customers will go on to access the amazing treasure trove of images that exists within Rockarchive. It’s a veritable cornucopia of great art and I have no hesitation in commending the joy of exploring the site to you.

Here’s to the next Hanging Around Books/Rockarchive collaboration. What will it be? What music icons will it feature? We really are spoiled for choice - watch this space.

Check out more Stranglers photos below and find our limited edition prints here. If you wish to find out more or order any of our photos please contact us at info@rockarchive.com