Lene Lovich Albums Ranked
One of the more offbeat and memorable figures in new wave, Lene Lovich certainly drew much of her widely varied approach from her unconventional early experiences. Born of a Yugoslavian father and British mother, she spent much of her childhood in Detroit, MI. At age 13, she moved to Hull, England, with her mother. She ran away to London shortly thereafter, where she worked several odd jobs ranging from bingo caller to go-go dancer to street busker. Around this time, she developed an interest in art and theater, enrolling at the Central School of Art. She took up the saxophone and, after a brief stint in a soul-funk band (with future collaborator Les Chappell), Lovich wrote a string of songs for French disco star Cerrone. In 1978, Stiff Records signed her after hearing her first recording, a remake of “I Think We’re Alone Now.” She quickly became one of Stiff’s brightest stars, headlining package tours and earning several U.K. hits over the next three years with the unforgettable “Lucky Number,” “Say When,” “Bird Song,” and “New Toy.” Unfortunately, her theatrical quirkiness didn’t translate well into LP length, and as new wave dissolved, she disappeared from the music scene. After an eight-year absence, she returned in 1990 with March. It failed to ignite any further interest and she again went into retirement. Here are all of Lene Lovich albums ranked.
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6. The Stiff Years Volume One
“Released in two volumes over the course of 1990 Lene Lovich’s “The Stiff Years Volume One” on Great Expectations (Cat#: PIPCD 007) includes 22 tracks (specifically her entire debut album “Stateless” plus B-Sides, Singles and the first half of her second album “Flex”) that follow Lovich’s meteoric rise to fame and begin to document her descent. By the time she delivered the whole of “The Stiff Years Volume Two” (Cat#: PIPCD 008) her once novel sound was increasingly irrelevant. If I were you, I’d seek out this single disc and ignore purchasing the second disc.”
5. Shadows and Dust
“An exercise in eccentricity, fantasy, and goth, this is a rock opera in the manner of the Rocky Horror Picture Show without the sexual innuendo. Lene Lovich’s deeper voice suits the music perfectly – sharp, jagged, and slightly off-key. For fans of Eighties goth and anything kitschy, this should be a big hit. After so many years out of the picture, it is great to hear Lovich sing again with the same maniacal glee that marked her earlier recordings for the Stiff Records label. She sings like no one else.”
4. March
“It’s not fair to compare the album to her late 70s work, but I feel some of these songs are of the same quality, and the album does sit together very well. Highlights for me included opener “Life” and “Hold On To Love”, but there are several other tracks here that come close. Oddly the single, “Wonderland”, is one of the weaker tracks here, relying very much on the Lene/Les chorus vocals. Still entertaining – and you will be singing along to it in the end!”
3. No Man’s Land
“This is Lene Lovich’s best album. The reason for this getting mixed reactions might be because it’s more synth driven than Stateless and Flex. The synthesizer’s sound is at times similar to what DEVO was sounding like in the early 80’s, which is fairly polarizing. Lene’s vocals on this are less ‘in your face’ and herky jerky, while still maintaining doses of her trademark style. This approach works well for No Man’s Land.”
2. Stateless
“Lene Lovich’s voice is deep and smoky, quite operatic in some ways but not the cheesy and pretentious thang some had on those greedy new-wave times. And “Lucky Number” was a hell of a song then (check those dissonant drums on the beginning of the song – great!)! Probably I’d take “Tonight” out of the album (a Nick Lowe’s cover, btw, but also a spoiler) and one or two lighthearted and less interesting moments, yet as a whole the album is stimulating for the eclectic listener”
1. Flex
“Experimental pop of the highest order. Lene and her tight, creative band crank out one of the best “new wave” records ever. Flex is an elusive blend of raw punkish sensations, strangely virtuous spells, an endless slew of quirks and spurts, some deeply emotional poetry, ethereal singing, humor, range, mystery, style — everything you ever wanted from a record, right? So how come you don’t already own this?”
