The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum

L7

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 25, 1997)
• Original Release Date: February 25, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000002NA1
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #47,103 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Still getting a visceral kick from the simple thrill of hearing their own amplified voices on tape, the members of L7 kick off their fifth album with a mike check-"Yo! Hello! Hey!"-followed by two ear-shattering screams. The Los Angeles quartet has always had a hard time being heard for exactly what they are: a great punk-metal band, as opposed to a great female punk-metal band. But the group doesn't waste any more time making that point on The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum than it has on its previous four albums, choosing instead to get right to the business of making your eardrums ring. L7 suffered a key defection before this album when bassist/vocalist Jennifer Finch quit, frustrated perhaps by a decade of hard touring that has won a cult following and not much more. But guitarists/vocalists Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner rose to the occasion with producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, the Muffs). They tip the balance a bit more toward the metal end of the spectrum in terms of stomping rhythms and slower tempos (though not extraneous guitar solos), while excluding none of their usual so-stupid-they're-brilliant Ramones-style hooks. The subject matter will be familiar to fans: Sparks and Gardner bitch about loser boyfriends and other "Bad Things," celebrate their status as bad girls by jumping "Off the Wagon," show their romantic streak on the touching '50s-style "Moonshine," and paraphrase the voracious Iggy Poo on "I Need" and "Must Have More." Sadly neglected in a pop landscape dominated by lightweights like Alanis Morrisette and Sheryl Crow, L7 can be forgiven for being bitter and questioning the IQ of the populace at large with a song called "The Masses Are Asses," especially because the moment is a fleeting one. Ultimately, the band is about partying hard and rocking yourself silly, and it's your loss if you decline their invitation. Jim Derogatis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth more than platinum, even in the current rare-metals market, January 26, 2006

By	mousetrapx1 "MT" (Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA, The World) - See all my reviews

This, tied with Slap-Happy, is my favorite L7 album. I dont think there is another band in the world that has had the comic sense of L7, which includes their musical talents and playing off of musical cliches: take the BTO "Takin Care of Business" musical pun from "Masses are Asses"..."the masses are asses, everyday. The masses are asses, in everyway. Woo-Hoo."

I cant think of L7 without thinking of the British novelist Fay Weldon (The Life and Loves of a She-Devil, Shrapnel Academy, Cloning of Joanna May): they each have a uniquely comic and critical view of the world.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Must Have More" L7., February 24, 2004

By	H3@+h (VT) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I gotta say, I thought the 3 albums before this were so great, they couldn't do it again. I was wrong. This disc is just as good as the ones before it, and probably most like "Hungry For Stink". Almost every track is sweet, and typical "L7", so I won't list them off. The rocking and subject matter are what you would expect from them. What I'm most amazed at, is how much these chicks rock, yet they never got more popular than they did in the "Bricks Are Heavy" era. But I guess they said it best, the "Masses Are Asses". Maybe they'll release a collection soon.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard Edged Happiness... This Way, December 21, 1999

By	Sarah M. Ptaschek "zared" (Reno, Nevada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This really is the best I've heard from L7. Not enough slow to drag you down, but enough fast to slap you round. L7 is a fabulous band, I always think of 7 Year B$tch when I think about these gals. Both have made an upfront, gutsy, feminine burst of violence seem very likely. I love this album. Buy it.