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REVIEW – When it comes to Lydia Lunch, there are two camps that people seem to settle in. The ones who are inspired by what she says and the others who are intimidated by what she says. She was part of a scene that was part of the underground New York music scene called No-Wave. Artists who did not know any bounds in self expression and music that did not know a genre. Some people may think it could be the place that rested in art over mainstream. My first experience with Lydia was when I went to an art house premiere in 1987 and they showed this short of hers before the film. You had this woman who reeked of New York glam reciting poetic overtones for a graphically sexual experience. After the film, some girl I met outside had the TEENAGE JESUS AND THE JERKS cassette. So, I hung out with her and played it nonstop;. Lydia always seemed to be one of these artists that I would categorize like a SONIC YOUTH and JOY DIVISION. An artist who created a movement, but yet got little credit for it outside of famous circles. 8 EYED SPY is another offshoot band of Lunch’s that came from the ashes of the very art dark punk vibe of TEENAGE JESUS AND THE JERKS. This record originally released in 1981 is a little more upbeat for Lunch fans.
You would say that she dropped the New York scene in favor of a jazz scene ala New Orleans. In 1987, there was a remastered copy of this cd where they did a dark wave version of “I Want Candy.” This is more rock and jazz infused, and less adventuresome than the TEENAGE JESUS AND THE JERKS cd. The live material on here is fine as well. I think Lunch on her live stuff does better with her spoken word poetry than her singing. Her singing is controlled, her spoken word is anything but. I feel people who dig this record will love ‘Queen of Siam’. On that album she does a version of ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION song “Spooky”. If I was to recommend a Lydia Lunch cd to start? I would say ’13 13′ or ‘Honeymoon in Red’. If you love them, you are going to love everything else she has to offer. I dated a girl who listened to ‘Honeymoon in Red’ and called me on the phone scared to sleep with the lights off. I am a huge fan of Lunch and I feel this record while not anywhere near her best work, is still recommendable for how upbeat at times it is and how she seems to getting more confident in what she is doing.