''The Seduction'' is the first full-length album by English
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
band
Ludus
Ludus may refer to:
* ''Ludus'' (ancient Rome) (plural ''ludi''), several meanings around "play, game, sport, training"
**''Ludi'', public games held for the benefit and entertainment of the Roman people
* Luduș, a town in Transylvania, Romania
* ...
, released in 1981 by record label
New Hormones
New Hormones was a Manchester independent record label founded by Buzzcocks and manager Richard Boon. It was the first independent punk rock label in the UK.
History Beginnings
The label's first release was Buzzcocks' ''Spiral Scratch (EP)'' ...
.
Content
The album, considered by many to be the band's masterpiece, contains some of their most accessible and melodic songs (such as "Mirror Mirror", "The Escape Artist" and "See the Keyhole"), as well as some of their most adventurous work (such as the 10 minutes long improvisational instrumental "The Dynasty"). In keeping with the band's penchant for experimentation and unusual song structures, the album's key track, Herstory, practically consists of variations on 4 different songs (including the track 5 of this album, "Inheritance", and two previously released songs, "Mutilate" and "Mother's Hour"), sliding effortlessly one into another. The album also contains an extended, 6 minutes long version of the previous single, "My Cherry Is in Sherry".
Release
''The Seduction'' was originally released as a
double EP
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. on 12" vinyl by
New Hormones
New Hormones was a Manchester independent record label founded by Buzzcocks and manager Richard Boon. It was the first independent punk rock label in the UK.
History Beginnings
The label's first release was Buzzcocks' ''Spiral Scratch (EP)'' ...
in 1982. The album has been released along with the band's debut EP ''
The Visit'' as the compilation ''The Visit/The Seduction'', on the label Les Temps Modernes.
Reception
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
called the album "the band's career high point".
In a feature for
The Quietus
''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics.
Content
''The Quiet ...
, Brian DeGraw of
Gang Gang Dance
Gang Gang Dance is an American band based in Manhattan, New York City. They are known for their distinctive sound which blends elements of psych-rock, ambient electronics, hip-hop, and Eastern music influences with the vocals of singer Lizzi B ...
listed the album among his favourites.
Track listing
# "Unveiled (A Woman's Travelogue)"
# "My Cherry Is in Sherry"
# "See the Keyhole"
# "Herstory"
# "Inheritance"
# "Dynasty"
# "Mirror Mirror"
# "The Escape Artist"
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seduction, The
Ludus albums
1981 debut albums