Ludus

[nightandday]

I noticed on the 'Music you got into throught Morrissey' thread that there were a few Ludus fans here, so I thought I start a little chat... I don't usually get a chance to do that, there aren't that many Ludus fans around.

What are your favourite songs?

Does anyone have any of the original records?

What do you think of "Danger Came Smiling", do you find it unlistenable or do you like it?

And can anyone figure out what she's singing in "Too Hot To Handle"? Not the chorus, that can be heard very well ("I ask for bread, and he gives me stones...") but the rest of the song. The vocals are completely drowned by the guitar and rhythm section, I hate when that happens with live recordings.

 

[nightandday]

I particularly like 'Let me go where my pictures go' and 'She She'. This is a band who were well ahead of their time, unconventional and challenging, like music should be. Linder has a very strong personality. Sadly, there aren't many women left in the music business who have that. Instead, we have insufferable bores like Britney Spares who get their boobies out for money. Please put them away, you trailer trash!

Well, there was always bland pop and there were always women who became extremely popular by showing their boobs and 'singing' (or rather opening their mouths to produce some crappy noise) some mindless nonsense other people have written for them. It's hardly something new. The 80s were awful in that respect - I was very little, but I remember Samantha Fox and Sabrina. There are women with interesting music and attitude now just as they were in the early 80s, but usually away from the mainstream pop.

I love P.J.Harvey and The Dresden Dolls. Cat Power makes interesting music, too, though I'm not a fan of weak girly voices I loved Goldfrapp in the beginning, "Felt Mountain" is one of my all-time favourite albums, but I don't like their last 2 albums and the direction they've taken. Not a particular fan of Bjork's voice either, but she definitely is very original as a personality and as a musician, and she has made some wonderful music. Too bad that Kathleen Hanna's music, with Bikini Kill or Le Tigre, just isn't my cup of tea. Do you know the Canadian singer-songwriter Lhasa de Sela? I've become interested when I heard her song "Anywhere On This Road" on radio, especially because of this verse: "I love a man who is afraid of me/he thinks if he doesn't stand guard with a knife/I'll make him my slave for the rest of his life". One of the best, truest lines I've ever heard on male-female relations.

On the subject of Ludus, to answer my own questions:


My favourite songs:
Mirror Mirror (studio version)
Mother's Hour
Patient
Herstory
The Fool
The Escape Artist
Let Me Go Where My Pictures Go
Too Hot To Handle
What A Falling Off Was There
Unveiled (A Woman's Travelogue)
See The Keyhole
Sightseeing
Lullaby Cheat
Mutilate
and so on, I like all of them. Obviously, I like the poppy ones as well as some of the more improvisional ones.

I was put off by DCS at first - I was disappointed because there weren't any 'proper songs' on it. But now I actually find myself listening to it quite often, and I like about 70% of it (particularly the tracks Invasion of Compulsory Sex-Morality, Flogging Cully, I Stabbed At The Sheep, Mememoremee, Mistresspiece, Bloody Chamber, Bitch Party, Howling Comique, Centuries). But it would be better without a few really boring ones, if you remove Palace Of Thieves (8 minute of pointless boredom) and another track or two, it would make the album twice shorter and much better.

Apart from the CDs, I have the original vinyl single "My Cherry Is In Sherry". But I also have all the mp3s taken from the vinyl and scans of original artwork for "Mother's Hour" and "Pickpocket" (thanx to Soulseek )

 

[dallow_bg]

I own most, or all of the official CDs.
I like it alright, I feel it's a little too 'artsy'.

From what I've read about their live shows, she tried really hard to shock people. That bores me.

Don't listen to them much.

.

 

[nightandday]

I own most, or all of the official CDs.
I like it alright, I feel it's a little too 'artsy'.

From what I've read about their live shows, she tried really hard to shock people. That bores me.
.

There are 3 reissue CDs.

I think that it's just one show - the one in Hacienda in 1982 - that everyone keeps talking about. I've never heard anything especially shocking being mentioned about any of their other shows. And it seems she definitely managed to shock people that time. I don't think they were bored.

 

[Strange Fear]

I know this thread is kind of old, but I barely saw it today. I like Ludus a lot. I haven't heard all of their stuff, but from the uploads that you've put nightandday, I now really like them, so thank you

These are the songs I've heard.

Patient
The Fool
Breaking the Rules
Mother's Hour
See the Keyhole
Mirror Mirror
The Escape Artist






Very different from anything I had heard, but I love every song I have listened to. I plan to buy the Damage and the Visit very soon. I'm not exactly sure where to buy them, I think I saw them on ebay.

 

[littlecharmer]

I've also heard some of their stuff thanks to nightandday. From the songs I have heard I think they are brilliant.
Here are the songs I have heard.

She, She
Breaking The Rules
The Fool
Patient
The Escape Artist
Mirror Mirror
See The Keyhole
My Cherry Is In Sherry
Mother's Hour
Let Me Go Where My Pictures Go

I admire Linder very much and in fact I am using her as one of my artist studies in my art exam. I've seen The Damage on amazon which Im planning to buy and I think they have a couple more albums on there as well.

 

[Strange Fear]

I've also heard some of their stuff thanks to nightandday. From the songs I have heard I think they are brilliant.
Here are the songs I have heard.

She, She
Breaking The Rules
The Fool
Patient
The Escape Artist
Mirror Mirror
See The Keyhole
My Cherry Is In Sherry
Mother's Hour
Let Me Go Where My Pictures Go

I admire Linder very much and in fact I am using her as one of my artist studies in my art exam. I've seen The Damage on amazon which Im planning to buy and I think they have a couple more albums on there as well.

I feel that way too, it's very interesting how her personality can just captivate you. She has a beautiful voice and a very optomistic view towards life. I don't see many people like that anymore.

 

[Miss Hanna]

I love Ludus
Linder Sterling is amazing!
I highly recomend The Damage to everyone!
Does anyone know a website with their lyrics?

 

[littlecharmer]

I love Ludus
Linder Sterling is amazing!
I highly recomend The Damage to everyone!
Does anyone know a website with their lyrics?

I've been looking for Ludus lyrics also. You can find a few here.
http://www.songmeanings.net/artist.php?aid=137438973310

 

[Miss Hanna]

Thank you. and i think we know each other from bebo

 

[littlecharmer]

Thank you. and i think we know each other from bebo

Yes, thats what I was thinking

 

[Miss Hanna]

Ha yes, thank you for the link

 

[nightandday]

I've been looking for Ludus lyrics also. You can find a few here.
http://www.songmeanings.net/artist.php?aid=137438973310

Most of the Ludus lyrics on songmeanings were posted by myself, apart from Little Girls. That one was posted by Lindsay, who sometimes posts here, her username is Laika. She transcribed the lyrics as she heard them. I also transcribed most of the lyrics. The only lyrics you can be sure about are Mother's Hour and Patient, and some parts of The Fool and Mouthpiece, because I took them from the lyric sheets.

 

[nightandday]

booklet with the cassette 'Pickpocket'

 

[nightandday]

.........................

 

[nightandday]

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[nightandday]

.......................................

 

[Happy Maudlin]

I love the song Mirror, Mirror among others. i just started getting into them. Any albums to recommend please?

 

[nightandday]

I love the song Mirror, Mirror among others. i just started getting into them. Any albums to recommend please?

Almost everything they released has been reissued on 3 CDs. Out of those, I would recommend that you get "The Damage" (compilation) and "The Visit / The Seduction" (1980 EP "The Visit" + album-double EP "The Seduction" + a couple of songs from 7" singles). "The Damage" is a good overview of their career, and it contains many of their cathiest, most accessible songs. I personally like "The Visit / The Seduction" the best. "The Seduction" is an excellent album.

I would recommend leaving "Pickpocket / Danger Came Smiling" for later. The first 6 tracks from that CD (originally from a 1981 cassette, "Pickpocket") are similar to the rest of their stuff, but "Danger Came Smiling" is very weird and experimental, and not to everyone's taste. I started liking it (or at least 60& of it) later, but I didn't when I first listened to it.

 

[littlecharmer]

Slightly off topic but I've come across a Linder interview, I don't know how new it is but its got some good pictures.

"Interviewer: What is the lyric that most vitally captures your vision of life?
LS: In the here and now, it has to be, gloriously:

At last I am born
it took me a long, long time
but now I am born

which also leaves the last words on the subject to my spiritual obstetrician, Morrissey. And it's good news, it's twins!"

http://latest-art.co.uk/features/?id=2