L7 (album)

L7
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 1988[1]
Recorded1987
StudioWestbeach Recorders (Hollywood)
Genre
Length31:58
LabelEpitaph
ProducerBrett Gurewitz
L7 chronology
L7
(1988)
Smell the Magic
(1990)

L7 is the debut studio album by American rock band L7, released in September 1988, by Epitaph Records.[2][3]

Production

The album was recorded in Brett Gurewitz's studio, in Hollywood, California.[4] It is the band's only album with drummer Roy Koutsky.[5]

The album's first track, "Bite the Wax Tadpole," refers to the legend that this is a Chinese transliteration of "Coca-Cola".[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[8]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
Spin Alternative Record Guide4/10[11]

Trouser Press wrote that the album "is a heady but largely inconsequential introduction; it’s all brute force and speed, grunge as a sheer sonic description."[12] Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Steve Huey has stated that the band's "trademark grungy fusion of punk and metal" wasn't fully formed yet.[7]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Bite the Wax Tadpole"Suzi Gardner2:16
2."Cat-O'-Nine-Tails"Gardner2:12
3."Metal Stampede"Donita Sparks2:25
4."Let's Rock Tonight"Gardner, Sparks3:12
5."Uncle Bob"Gardner, Sparks, Jennifer Finch, Roy Koutsky6:32
6."Snake Handler"Gardner2:29
7."Runnin' from the Law"Gardner, Sparks3:10
8."Cool Out"Sparks2:54
9."It's Not You"Gardner1:45
10."I Drink"Gardner, Sparks, Finch, Koutsky2:55
11."Ms. 45"Gardner, Sparks, Finch, Koutsky2:40
Total length:31:58

Personnel

L7

Production

  • Brett Gurewitz – producer
  • Jordan Tarlow – guitar technician
  • Suzy Beal – artwork
  • Donnell Cameron – engineer
  • Jeff Campbell – CD layout
  • Al Flipside – photography, cover photo
  • Bruce Kalberg – photography
  • Randall Martin – logo
  • Eddy Schreyer – mastering
  • N.Todd Skiles – design

References

  1. ^ "L7 Time Line". repriserec.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 1998. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  2. ^ "L7 | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "L7 biography". The Great Rock Bible.
  4. ^ Niesel, Jeff. "L7's Donita Sparks Talks About Why the Hard Rock Band 'Came Back to Bitch'". Cleveland Scene.
  5. ^ Buckley, Peter (November 7, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843531050 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "Bite the Wax Tadpole". Snopes.com. April 5, 1999.
  7. ^ a b Huey, Steve. "L7 – L7". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  8. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 48.
  9. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 698.
  10. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 500. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone l7 album guide.
  11. ^ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 231.
  12. ^ "L7". Trouser Press. Retrieved November 7, 2020.