Customer Reviews

Coup De Grace

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Made in 1982, "Coup De Grace" marks a musical transition the Plasmatics had endured between the high-speed, nihilistic punk of "Beyond the Valley of 1984" and the roaring heavy metal of "Coup D'etat." Recorded in New York's Electric Lady Land Studios, this album was originally intended as a demo, and it was locked in the Plasmatics' vault for 20 years. Now, ravenous fans all over the country can enjoy "Coup De Grace," which contains fresh, raw versions of "Put Your Love in Me," "Stop," "Mistress of Taboo," "The Damned," and others. In addition, listeners will hear an exclusive track titled "Uniformed Guards," a cynical rock tune about America's obsession with violence, war, and the headline news. The tracklist clearly indicates the band's attempt to put some solid meat onto their sound, which was treated with very little alteration. The guitar and bass rhythms were amplified and perfected while the drums echoed off the walls. Frontwoman Wendy O. Williams performed the songs' simple lyrics with seductive whispers and incredibly ferocious growls. While being one of the few porn stars to successfully conquer the male-dominated world of metal, she was an uncompromising performer dedicated to her art. She and the Plasmatics will forever be missed.

I bought this CD the day it was released and I now have 5 Plasmatics albums in my possession, including Coup De'tat. The tracks on Coup de Grace came out a year before Coup De'tat and are much rawer in sound than that those of the latter, which is a polished studio album. Coup de Grace is excellent because it, in fact, is a demo, and it shows listeners where Coup De'tat got started from. Even the arrangements on some of the songs are different, and the band had a lot less money at the time. To me, this never-before-heard album marks the transition between Beyond the Valley and Coup De'tat. The Plasmatics will live forever!

This is the demo for Coup d'Etat, and it's absolutely insane. The same songs but performed with an energy level that is practically live, with all the raw passion that made Wendy O Williams so infatuating. "Put Your Love In Me" is so tough it's almost frightening. It's incredible that she was performing this at the time AC/DC was playing "Let Me Put My Love Into You" (which was getting incredible radio play), and yet Wendy was black-listed, arrested and beat up. She really scared people. I don't think she ever got the credit she deserved for the passion and the force of her social statements.

If you like your music a little cleaner, get Coup D'Etat (which is also great), but if you want to hear a little more of the intensity that made Wendy O. Williams irreplaceable and without peer, try this.

As it turns out, this is pretty much rough and raw-sounding demos of the Plasmatic's 1982's album 'Coup d'Etat'(see my review). While it's fairly simply to thoroughly enjoy hearing alternate versions of tracks like "Put Your Love In Me","Country Fairs",Motorhead's cover of "No Class" and "The Damned",you'll likely notice this title is sort of 'touch and go'. In other words,certain tunes hold up good while others are nearly annoying.A decent compilation of previously released material,but it's safe to assume this disc is for the completists.Long live Wendy O. and the P-L-A-S-M-A-T-I-C-S!

This ablum simply rocks! Raw, grainy, explosive - they all describe the great Wendy O Williams. Truly a visionary, she was a true original and is greatly missed. Rock on, Wendy!