Difficult Listening 16 - Alternative Ladies - Lydia Lunch

When the ladies of Rock are listed, one that is often glaringly absent is Lydia Lunch. It is not because she doesn't deserve to be on the list. Lydia first appeared as a teenager in the late 1970s as lead singer and guitarist for the group Teenage Jesus and The Jerks. Teenage Jesus & The Jerks were one of the four groups selected by Brian Eno to represent the developing No Wave sound on the incredibly influential No New York album. So there she was, an integral part at the beginning of a style that still lingers in the current sound. Throughout the years Lydia has continued releasing records. She has released collaborations with most of the Alternative stars. By the mid-80s, she had formed her own record label (Widowspeak). She is still working making music.
So maybe something else is keeping her off the list. Maybe it it because her music is often jarring and confrontational. Maybe because she refuses to make any concessions to commercial potential or corporate demands. Could it be that a woman who is strong, talented, smart, and angry is just a little too threatening to consider?
QUEEN OF SIAM (first picture) was her first solo album, released in 1980. ORAL FIXATION (fourth picture), released in 1985, was the first of many spoken word records on her Widowspeak label. The two in the middle are collaborations; one with Lucy Hamilton (aka China Burg) of Mars, another No New York group, the other with Rowland S. Howard of the Australian band The Birthday Party - and yes, it is a cover of the Lee Hazelwood song. :+)