Lydia Lunch and Suicide - Frankie Teardrop (Blast First Petite)
January 8, 2009 – 9:43 pm
A curious one this. A limited 10″ split single with the ‘A’ side being Lydia Lunch’s electro shock version of ‘Frankie Teardrop’ and the ‘B’ side is a version by Suicide. The version being a 1976 Demo called ‘Frankie Teardrop, The Detective Meets The Space Alien’. It’s released on Blast First Petite - which seems like an attempt to revive the Blast First name from the 1980s - but it is somehow linked in with the current Blast First/Mute Records label. I obviously don’t know enough about the label - but I find the whole idea a little curious.
Back to the music - it’s interesting to hear the two versions side by side - one version over 30 years old and full of warm analogue synths and those lovely soft Suicide drums. This 13 minute version of a song much loved in a different form is more than a curious listen and it’s offers a fresh insight into what Suicide were trying to do all those years ago - merging their rock’n'roll aesthetic to a then very new electronic sound. I love this song and hearing this demo is an odd experience as something familiar becomes less so the longer the song goes on. As for the ‘A’ side, as a lapsed fan of Lydia Lunch - you get exactly what you expect - a pounding electro version (courtesy of David Knight) of the song - with Lydia breathing/squealing the vocals into the air. It’s funny how the digital sound of the ‘A’ side differs from the demo on the flip.
So, that’s it, two takes on ‘Frankie Teardrop’ that make this Suicide fan smile. Even if the record label it has been released upon has confused me.
Links: Blast First Petite | Lydia Lunch | Suicide
Edit: The EP is one in a series of 4 on the label to celebrate Alan Vega’s 70th Birthday. One features Bruce Springsteen covering ‘Dream Baby Dream’ - which is sold out on vinyl and only available as a Digital download.
Tags: Blast First Petite, Frankie Teardrop, Lydia Lunch, Suicide
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