Slap-Happy

L7

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 16, 1999)
• Original Release Date: August 16, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Carol
• ASIN: B00000JK1V
• Also Available in: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #143,120 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
L7 are arguably the most important female hard-rock group ever, and with Slap-Happy, the band's seventh disc in 11 years, Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner, and Dee Plakas show exactly why this is the case. Pounding out huge riffs with evil intensity and shrewd humor, the women of L7 practice the art of rock with a subtle intelligence that keeps their music from slipping into self-parody. On loud, boisterous songs like "Mantra Down" and "War With You," L7's notorious punk-metal roots are exposed to full, breakneck effect. With Sparks and Gardner trading vocals and meat-cleaver guitar breaks while Plakas beats the holy hell out of the drums, L7 transcend all preconceptions of gender-specific behavior and rock more aggressively than most male-led groups you're apt to mention. --Mitch Myers

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A sad farewell to a great career, September 23, 2005

By	Eric Brothers "L7 fanatic" (fountain valley, ca United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Before I begin my review, let me explain the rather cryptic title . After three years of no word whatsoever from L7 and two more years of "indefinite hiatus", L7 co-founder Donita Sparks announced this year that L7 has broken up and that she and drummer Dee Plakas have formed a new band. This news casts my review of SLAP HAPPY in a rather sad light, seeing as it was the group's final album.
After being dropped from Slash Records, the band formed their own label, Wax Tadpole Records. The time forming the label occupied the time that the band would spend writing,and the gals wanted a record out in 1999 so, rather than taking a year to write and record a new album, L7 selected songs that were discarded from their other albums, which explains why SLAP HAPPY has a rather static and sometimes tired feel to it.
Most of the songs are average or inferior filler, with an occasionally interesting experimental touch (the lovely three-part harmony in the middle of "Crackpot Baby' being the best example). The searing, beautiful "Freezer Burn", from THE BEAUTY PROCESS sessions, is the only track worth the price of admission.
Since the band was on their own dollar, the album was recorded in their rehearsal space using first or second takes, which gives the album a raw, spontaneous feel like their early masterpiece SMELL THE MAGIC but the sound here is completely flat and lacks the crunch that the band was so famous for.
Another unfortunate side to this album is the alarming slide the band has taken lyrically. Instead of the witty, sometimes profound gems from past albums, SLAP HAPPY has lines like "Got some lemons/Make some kickass lemonade". Two other songs, "On My Rockin' Machine" and "Mantra Down", consist of three lines repeated over and over to the point where most listeners will probably be scrambling to hit the skip button on their CD player.
To sum it all up, this is an inferior record from a superior band known for their consistency and commitment to quality. As a longtime fan, I can't help but feel cheated, and I think the reason this CD gets so many positive reviews here is because it won back the fans that were turned off by THE BEAUTY PROCESS.
A year later, L7 were recording their next album when singer/guitarist Suzi Gardner, tired of years of life on the road, decided to leave the band, ending their 15-year run. I think I speak for many of my fellow fans when I say that I wish that Gardner had stayed to finish the album, because it would have been a more fitting end to such an amazing, groundbreaking career.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best band in the world ....., September 29, 1999

By A Customer

After seeing L7 in Detriot over Labor Day weekend I knew that this CD would rock. Donita's mesmerizing voice made "Crackbaby" a song that is not easy to forget. They are absolutely awesome live. The only way to describe the show was absolute chaos. I highly recommend ANY L7 CD, and this is a good one to start with or add to the collection.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars L7 rock harder than ever with Slap Happy, September 25, 1999

By A Customer

L7 has always been one of my favorite bands due to the fact that with every album they release I am amazed a little more each time. Slap Happy is one of thier best albums yet. L7 has finally merged the glorious guitar sludge from Hungry for Stink with thoughtful, artful lyrics that we saw in Bricks Are Heavy. Freezer Burn is a standout; one of Donita Sparks' best songs. The usual rock you are used to with these gals is not what you're gonna get - they are rocking harder than ever before. Slap Happy is highly recommened by me, a die - hard L7 fanatic since 1987.