London, England-based art student Susan Whitby originally adopted the pseudonym Lora Logic during her stint as saxophonist in X-Ray Spex. After leaving that group following their debut single, she soon re-emerged in 1978 with her own outfit, Essential Logic, who quickly recorded a couple of hard-edged EPs, Aerosol Burns and Wake Up. One album was recorded, Beat Rhythm News (1979), before Lora commenced on a series of solo recordings in 1981. Her quirky, occasionally arresting, vocals were in evidence on her sole album, Pedigree Charm, and she can be heard on a number of recordings by other artists including the Raincoats, Stranglers, Swell Maps and Red Crayola. Logic later joined the Hare Krishna cult, just like X-Ray Spex’s Poly Styrene before her. She returned to music in the mid-90s to play with the re-formed X-Ray Spex. She revived the Essential Logic moniker in the new millennium, teaming up with Gary Valentine (guitar), Dave Jones (bass) and Nick Pretzell (drums) to record a four-track mini-album.
After passing on "Beat Rhythm News", it was no surprise that nearly three years later, no American release of Pedigree Charm was in the offing. And, like its predecessor, it remains a great forgotten album of the era. A little more controlled than her debut, "Pedigree Charm" never disappoints. If your ears have been opened wide by "Beat Rhythm News", than denying yourself the many pleasures of this recording is senseless.
It is like a weird and funky disco version of Gang Of Four/Talking Heads new wave. Really cool, actually. And it sounds like it's been recorded yesterday.
A1 Brute Fury 4:00
A2 Horrible Party 3:50
A3 Stop Halt 5:00
A4 Wonderful Offer 4:30
A5 Martian Man 4:20
B1 Hiss And Shake 5:30
B2 Pedigree Charm 4:00
B3 Rat Allé 3:45
B4 Crystal Gazing 4:55
Lora Logic - Pedigree Charm (1982)
(320 kbps, cover art included)
4 Kommentare:
Some people said Lora lost her way with this album, but some also say that little girls should be seen and not heard! I agree with you: songs like "Wonderful Offer" and "Hiss & Shake" are still fresh and vibrant, as though they were recorded just recently, rather than 40 years ago.
Thanks for your feedback, best wishes!
I absolutely agree with jonder! I'm a big fan of Lora Logic, incl. her work with X-Ray Spex, Essential Logic and Red Crayola. Her unique way of singing and her expressive sax work are all her own, and I never stop to be delighted by it. For a very short time the possibilities of unconventional music were widened thanks to the nature of punk, esp. also for female musicians - but it was narrowed very quickly by the industry for money.
Thx for digging up this marvel. I still have the vinyl, standing next to "Beat Rhythm News".
It must have been a wonderful very short time when the possibilities of unconventional muse were widened. Thanks a lot for your thoughts about Loga Logic, Lucky!
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