| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 4/10[6] |
L7 is the eponymous debut studio album by American rock band L7, released in 1988 by Epitaph Records.[7][8] It demonstrates the band's punk rock origins, although there are traces of the heavier grunge sound that dominated their later work.
Production
The album was recorded in Brett Gurewitz's studio, in Hollywood, California.[9] It is the band's only album with drummer Ray Koutsky.[10]
The album's first track, "Bite the Wax Tadpole," refers to the legend that this is a Chinese transliteration of "Coca-Cola."[11]
Critical reception
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]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bite the Wax Tadpole" | Gardner | 2:16 |
| 2. | "Cat-O'-Nine-Tails" | Gardner | 2:12 |
| 3. | "Metal Stampede" | Sparks | 2:25 |
| 4. | "Let's Rock Tonight" | Gardner, Sparks | 3:12 |
| 5. | "Uncle Bob" | L7, Sparks | 6:32 |
| 6. | "Snake Handler" | Gardner | 2:29 |
| 7. | "Runnin' from the Law" | Gardner, Sparks | 3:10 |
| 8. | "Cool Out" | Sparks | 2:54 |
| 9. | "It's Not You" | Gardner | 1:45 |
| 10. | "I Drink" | L7, Sparks | 2:55 |
| 11. | "Ms. 45" | L7, Sparks | 2:40 |
| Total length: | 31:58 | ||
Personnel
- L7
- Donita Sparks – vocals, guitar
- Suzi Gardner – guitar, vocals
- Jennifer Finch – bass guitar, vocals
- Roy Koutsky – drums
- Productions
- 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
- ^ Records, Epitaph. "L7 - L7" – via epitaph.com.
- ^ Huey, Steve. "L7 – L7". Allmusic. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 5: MUZE. p. 48.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 698.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 231.
- ^ "L7 | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ "L7 biography". The Great Rock Bible.
- ^ Niesel, Jeff. "L7's Donita Sparks Talks About Why the Hard Rock Band 'Came Back to Bitch'". Cleveland Scene.
- ^ Buckley, Peter (November 7, 2003). "The Rough Guide to Rock". Rough Guides – via Google Books.
- ^ "Bite the Wax Tadpole". Snopes.com.
- ^ "L7". Trouser Press. Retrieved 7 November 2020.