The Specials
Subject / model: Jerry Dammers
TMR-000299Magazine object
The Face No. 1
Inaugural Issue — Jerry Dammers / The Specials / The Clash / Madness / Public Image / Dexys
May 1980★ Gold Star object
The inaugural May 1980 issue of The Face, edited by founder Nick Logan, with Jerry Dammers of The Specials on the first cover. The issue brings together The Specials and 2 Tone, Madness, The Clash, Public Image Ltd, Dexys, Ian Dury on Elvis Presley, Lloyd Johnson, Debbie Harry, Elvis Costello, Pauline Black, Phil Lynott and Jimmy Pursey.
Read the catalogue note →- Publication
- The Face
- Condition
- Good−
- Completeness
- Complete — all pages present.
- Date
- May 1980
Object record
Catalogue note
The inaugural May 1980 issue of The Face, edited by founder Nick Logan, with Jerry Dammers of The Specials on the first cover. The issue brings together The Specials and 2 Tone, Madness, The Clash, Public Image Ltd, Dexys, Ian Dury on Elvis Presley, Lloyd Johnson, Debbie Harry, Elvis Costello, Pauline Black, Phil Lynott and Jimmy Pursey. The rear cover carries a period CBS advertisement for The Only Ones' Baby's Got a Gun. As the first issue of a publication that became a defining platform for British youth culture, music, photography, fashion and graphic design, this object is foundational to the TMR magazine collection.
Why this object matters
The complete inaugural Face is foundational evidence of Logan’s platform for British music, photography, fashion and youth culture. Its specific 2 Tone/post-punk launch contents make Gold at 9.7 fully justified.
Evidence limits: No new physical inspection or collation was performed. Copy-specific conclusions remain limited to the retained catalogue and accession evidence.
Score and assessment method
Archive Importance: 9.7 / 10 · Gold Star.
This is a curatorial judgement, not a measurement accurate to one tenth or a market valuation. Read the explanation and its evidence limits together.
How Archive Importance is assessed →Inside this issue
17 selected entries checked against the photographed contents and credits. This is a partial index; page numbers are printed references, not a physical collation.
View the source photograph ↗ · Reviewed 2026-10-06
Selected legible entries from the registered photograph. Single page numbers are printed starting pages; ranges reproduce the printed range. This is not a page-by-page inspection or a complete contents transcription.
Jimmy Pursey
Subject / model: Jimmy Pursey
Phil Lynott
Subject / model: Phil Lynott
The Spectres
Athletico Spizz
Madness
Singles
Writing: Julie Burchill
Elvis ’56
Writing: Ian Dury · Subject / model: Elvis Presley
Printed description identifies Ian Dury on Elvis Presley; this does not credit Presley as creator.
Public Image
Subject / model: John Lydon · Writing: Kevin Fitzgerald
Dexys
Lloyd Johnson
Subject / model: Lloyd Johnson · Writing: Adrian Thrills
The Clash
Photography: Pennie Smith
The contents explicitly identify Pennie Smith as the photographer.
Movies — Lots of Zombies
You’re Not Going Out Dressed Like That!
In Colour — The Specials / Elvis Costello / Debbie Harry / John Lydon / Pauline Black
Printed pages: The Specials 8–9; Elvis Costello 16; Debbie Harry 17; John Lydon 40; Pauline Black 57. No photography attribution is supplied in this list.
Sting — photograph
Subject / model: Sting · Photography: Jill Furmanovsky
Caption on the facing photographed page credits Jill Furmanovsky. The page number is not visible.
Editor
Editing: Nick Logan
Printed masthead credit.
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Connections use the catalogue’s named people, organisations and themes.
Recorded contributions · 11
- Jerry DammersSubject / modelSource verified
The Specials (p. 4). The Face No. 1 — photographed contents
Find other objects with this contribution → - Jimmy PurseySubject / modelSource verified
Jimmy Pursey (p. 12). The Face No. 1 — photographed contents
Find other objects with this contribution → - Phil LynottSubject / modelSource verified
Phil Lynott (p. 14). The Face No. 1 — photographed contents
Find other objects with this contribution → - Ian DuryWritingSource verified
Elvis ’56 (p. 28). Printed description identifies Ian Dury on Elvis Presley; this does not credit Presley as creator. The Face No. 1 — photographed contents
Find other objects with this contribution → - Elvis PresleySubject / modelSource verified
Elvis ’56 (p. 28). Printed description identifies Ian Dury on Elvis Presley; this does not credit Presley as creator. The Face No. 1 — photographed contents
Find other objects with this contribution → - John LydonSubject / modelSource verified
Public Image (p. 32). The Face No. 1 — photographed contents
Find other objects with this contribution → - Lloyd JohnsonSubject / modelSource verified
Lloyd Johnson (p. 44). The Face No. 1 — photographed contents
Find other objects with this contribution → - Pennie SmithPhotographySource verified
The Clash (p. 48). The contents explicitly identify Pennie Smith as the photographer. The Face No. 1 — photographed contents
Find other objects with this contribution → - StingSubject / modelSource verified
Sting — photograph. Caption on the facing photographed page credits Jill Furmanovsky. The page number is not visible. The Face No. 1 — photographed contents
Find other objects with this contribution → - Jill FurmanovskyPhotographySource verified
Sting — photograph. Caption on the facing photographed page credits Jill Furmanovsky. The page number is not visible. The Face No. 1 — photographed contents
Find other objects with this contribution → - Nick LoganEditingSource verified
Editor. Printed masthead credit. The Face No. 1 — photographed contents
Find other objects with this contribution →