ALBUM REVIEW: L7 – Wargasm – The Slash Years 1992-1997 (HNE Recordings/Cherry Red)
Music fans of a certain age will remember L7 as a grunge-punk band who created a bit of a stir in the late 80s/early 90s.
Formed by singing guitarists Suzi Gardner and Donita Sparks in LA in 1985, bassist Jennifer Finch and drummer Anne Anderson completed the line-up.
Their self-titled debut album L7, released on Epitaph Records in 1988, was a straightforward punk rock record.
Two years later, with Dee Plakas now on drums, they followed it with Smell The Magic on influential Seattle label Sub Pop.
Grunge appeal
Touring the UK as openers for Nirvana just as grunge took off, their place in the movement was assured.
In reality, they weren’t punk, grunge, riot grrrl, or hard rock, but appealed to fans of all those genres.
A move to Slash Records (distributed by Reprise/Warner) followed, and it’s the three albums they made there which form this set.
Third album Bricks Are Heavy (1992), saw them work with big-name producer Butch Vig, who made their sound heavier and dirtier.
Hook-filled breakthrough single Pretend We’re Dead, a hit in the US and UK, is an obvious standout, but there’s plenty more to enjoy.
Yoko Ono-sampling opener Wargasm, Shitlist and Diet Pill are all grungy delights, as are the singles Everglade and Monster.
Four bonus tracks include Used To Love Him, L7’s feminised version of Guns ‘N’ Roses’ Used To Love Her.
L7 didn’t rely on their looks, and were earning a reputation as a band you didn’t mess with.
After barracking due to technical problems at Reading in 1992, Sparks threw her tampon into the crowd.
And an appearance on Channel 4’s The Word, when Sparks finished a song naked from the waist down, did their ‘bad girls’ image no harm.
Hit record under their belt, L7 ramped up the riffs even more for their fourth album, 1994’s Hungry For Stink.
Produced by GGGarth Richardson (Rage Against The Machine), it was even heavier than its predecessor.
Although HFS again did well in the UK (No 26) and US (Heatseekers No 2), only Andres of its three singles charted, compared to all three from its predecessor.
Hard rocking
Highlights like Baggage showed L7 rocked as hard as the boys; Riding With A Movie Star added keys to their sludgy sound.
Another track, the driving Fuel My Fire, impressed The Prodigy so much they covered it on 1997’s The Fat Of The Land.
Trouble was looming, however. Finch left during the recording of L7’s fifth album, 1997’s The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum.
Sparks and Greta Brinkman played bass on the record, which though still full of attitude, was slower and darker.
Despite generally good reviews, the label released only one single, Off The Wagon, suggesting they didn’t believe in the album.
Maybe it wasn’t what they expected: though Drama and Bad Things are right up there with their best work.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, L7 were dropped when it sold poorly. After one more album on their own indie label, they went on indefinite hiatus. Eventually reuniting in 2014, they released a new album five years later.
Although some might prefer their punky beginnings (first single Shove remaining a fan favourite), these were undoubtedly their peak years. 8/10.
- Don’t confuse this 3CD collection with the 2000 compilation The Slash Years, which took four tracks from each album.
