{"id":34804,"date":"2020-08-14T12:15:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-14T16:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=34804"},"modified":"2020-08-11T08:02:38","modified_gmt":"2020-08-11T12:02:38","slug":"l7-announces-smell-the-magic-30th-anniversary-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=34804","title":{"rendered":"L7 Announces ‘Smell the Magic’ 30th Anniversary Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sub Pop will release L7\u2019s\u00a0\u2018Smell the Magic: 30th Anniversary Edition<\/em>,\u2019 the fiery, American grunge pioneers second album on Friday September 18.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This 30th-anniversary edition of the \u201890s underground rock classic includes all nine songs from the album, remastered and available together on vinyl for the first time. A multitude of rock music scenes populated the expanse of Los Angeles in 1989: hardcore punk, industrial goth, roots rock, and Sunset Strip hair metal, to name a few. L7 fit into none of them, creating their own unique blend of punk and hard, hooky rock loaded with humor and cultural commentary. Originally released in 1990,\u00a0\u2018Smell the Magic\u2019\u00a0is a landmark of ’90s feminist rock.
\u00a0
\u2018Smell the Magic: 30th Anniversary Edition\u2019\u00a0is now available for preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders through\u00a0megamart.subpop.com<\/a>\u00a0and select retailers in\u00a0North America<\/a>\u00a0will receive the limited Loser edition on clear with high melt orange, blue, and gray vinyl. Meanwhile preorders\u00a0through select\u00a0retailers in the UK<\/a>\u00a0and Europe will receive the Loser edition on neon orange vinyl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"L7<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

More about L7\u2019S\u00a0\u2018Smell the Magic<\/strong>\u2019?
A multitude of rock music scenes populated the expanse of Los Angeles in1989: hardcore punk, industrial goth, roots rock, and Sunset Strip hair metal to name a few. L7 fit into none of them. Guitarist-vocalists Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner, bassist-vocalist Jennifer Finch, and newly added drummer Dee Plakas were creating their own unique blend of punk and hard hooky rock, with humor and cultural commentary along for the ride.
\u00a0
But making a mark on the LA underground rock scene was more challenging than it seemed. Originating out of art punk circles in 1985, L7 played countless poetry readings, drag shows, art happenings and punk rock dive bars. They were nothing short of perseverant.
\u00a0
Having already released one album, eponymously titled, \u2018L7,\u2019 the band was touring up the West Coast when they began to meet like minded artists affiliated with Sub Pop Records. The band managed to score a phone number for the imprint, and convinced label founders Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman to come see them live.
\u00a0
That show would take place a couple of weeks later in\u00a01989 at an arts center in Seattle<\/a>. The stage was finagled out of folding tables, and friends recruited to work a smoke machine (members of the group Cat Butt) decided to drop acid before attending to their duties. This led to a thick fog filling the entire venue and the band\u2019s performance could hardly even be seen. L7 were convinced they blew it. Instead, they got signed: Sub Pop may not have been able to see them, yet, but they could hear them and asked if L7 would do a recording for their monthly Singles Club.
\u00a0
Later in the year, the band went into the label\u2019s go-to studio in Seattle, Reciprocal Recording and in one day recorded Shove<\/em>, Packin\u2019 a Rod<\/em>, and Fast and Frightening<\/em>.
\u00a0
Released in January, the single\u2019s A-side Shove<\/em> would kick off the 1990\u2019s with a bang and L7 would have an underground hit on their hands.
\u00a0
The band was then given the go ahead to record a full EP. The buzz from their Sub Pop\u2019s Singles Club release was almost immediately palpable.
\u00a0
A few months after Shove<\/em>, L7 continued with recording the EP\u2014later expanded into a full-length album with three cover songs (Packin\u2019 a Rod<\/em>, Just Like Me<\/em>, and American Society<\/em>). They recorded again with Reciprocal\u2019s producer, Jack Endino, and later Michael James and Ramones-producer Daniel Rey in Los Angeles.
\u00a0
This 30th-anniversary edition of the \u201890s underground rock classic \u2018Smell the Magic\u2019 includes all nine songs from the album, remastered and available together on vinyl for the first time ever! Originally released in 1990, \u2018Smell the Magic\u2019 is a landmark of ’90s feminist rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0

\u00a0
\u2018Smell the Magic<\/em><\/strong>\u2018 track listing<\/strong>
1. Shove
2. Fast and Frightening
3. (Right On) Thru
4. Deathwish
5. Till the Wheels Fall Off
6. Broomstick
7. Packin’ a Rod
8. Just Like Me
9. American Society<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sub Pop will release L7\u2019s\u00a0\u2018Smell the Magic: 30th Anniversary Edition,\u2019 the fiery, American grunge pioneers second album on Friday September 18.\u00a0 This 30th-anniversary edition of […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34805,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[22,28,30],"tags":[2670,964,9442,5585],"class_list":["post-34804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guitar-rock","category-music","category-new-release","tag-l7","tag-reissue","tag-smell-the-magic","tag-subpop"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/8AEBE1A8-746A-479C-BED5-FE39CF04C6FF-e1597147302578.jpeg?fit=2088%2C1695","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2B2TV-93m","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":43496,"url":"http:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=43496","url_meta":{"origin":34804,"position":0},"title":"L7 are throwing a 40th Anniversary bash\u2014and it\u2019s gonna be loud","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"July 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Clear your calendar and dust off your earplugs\u2014L7\u00a0are throwing themselves a birthday party, and we\u2019re all invited. 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