Staying in a band together for decades isn’t easy. It’s like a marriage—except it’s with three, four, or sometimes more people, each with their own quirks, clashes, and creative chaos.For a band to stay together for 40 years, that’s quite an achievement.
L7 formed in LA in 1985 after lead singer/guitarist Donita Sparks and guitarist/singer Suzi Gardner met and bonded. Soon after, bassist Jennifer Finch joined, and the band signed to Epitaph. The first album featured a male drummer, but on the 2nd album, Smell the Magic, released on Sub Pop in 1991, drummer Dee Plakas climbed aboard, and the classic, all-women lineup was set.
With the alternative rock revolution about to explode, L7 was primed to hit the big time, and they did!
L7’s Rise During The 1990s Grunge Explosion
Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” blew the doors of rock ‘n’ roll wide open. No longer were rock radio listeners content to hear the classic rock artists who dominated for decades. A new generation of rockers burst onto the scene, leaving radio programmers scrambling to figure out what listeners wanted to hear.
L7 released their third album, Bricks Are Heavy, in April 1992 at the peak of this eruption of new talent. Produced by Butch Vig, the svengali behind Nirvana’s Nevermind, the album sold well, bolstered by MTV and the single “Pretend We’re Dead”, which spent 13 weeks on the alternative rock charts, peaking at #8. Two other singles hit the UK charts.
The band, propelled by sudden success, headed out on a year-long world tour, building up a huge underground following.
Their next record, Hungry for Stink, didn’t perform as well, but did produce the menacing hit “Andres,” and the song “Shitlist” from Bricks Are Heavy played a prominent role in the 1994 flick Natural Born Killers.
The Best L7 Albums And Songs Fans Still Love Today
L7 had an exciting three-album run from 1991 through 1994—the peak years of the alt-rock revolution.
Smell the Magic, which clocks in at less than half an hour, is a thrill ride loaded with punk energy and sneering cuts like “Fast and Frightening,” “Shove,” and “Packin’ a Rod.”
I became a fan in ’92 when “Pretend We’re Dead” was all over my alternative rock station and MTV. I bought Bricks Are Heavy and loved it—from opening track “Wargasm,” a searing condemnation about people who get off on war, to the last track, “This Ain’t Pleasure,” the album is a heavy-rock gem.
Hungry for Stink is a wild ride too. Besides “Andres,” “Fuel My Fire” is a cathartic song for anyone who’s ever been betrayed.
I’ve seen the band seven times, and they rocked my world each time.
L7 will be having their 40th anniversary bash at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles on Friday, October 3rd. Also performing at the event are Lunachicks, another all-female band who’s been around a long time, all-girl Brazilian dance-rockers CSS, and opening act Bonavega.
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