Artist: Lisa Dominique

by on 29th May 2017
 

 

Years Active:

1985 – 2002

Personnel:

Lisa Dominique (vocals)
Marino (guitar)
Ian Spicer (bass)
P.J. (drums)

Glenn Burtnik (guitar)
Richard Glazebrook (bass)
Buddy Allen (bass)
Steve Holland (drums)
Simon De Montford (drums)
David Prater (drums)

About

Lisa began her music career in 1985 fronting Marino The Band – she of course being the younger sister of guitarist Marino. After Kerrang! began making positive noises about the band, the inevitable solo offers began to come in, and in 1986 Lisa parted ways with Marino The Band and made the leap into a solo career.

With her new band in tow (well, not entirely new – brother Marino was retained on guitar and occasionally co-songwriting duties), Lisa worked tirelessly on the live circuit and eventually earned a deal with FM/Revolver records.

Debut EP Jealous Heart landed in 1988 with the full length album Rock N Roll Lady (and it’s attendant single “All Fall Down”) arriving the following year. The album was well received in the rock press and Kerrang! in particular were huge champions of the Hull singer – helped in no small part by an overtly raunchy image that Kerrang were more than happy to exploit. It is however, slightly unjust that the image often seemed to overshadow the music (and still does) – Rock N Roll Lady is a strong album, with tracks such as “Jealous Heart”, “Time Bomb” and a raucous bluesy version of the Lieber/Stoller standard “Trouble” capturing its mood perfectly. It is, as the album title suggests, good old rock ‘n’ roll.

Second album Gypsy Ryder was released in 1991, this time on the Essential label (part of the Castle Communications group, to whom Lisa had jumped ship after leaving FM/Revolver). Big brother Marino again supplied his guitar skills, and although Kerrang! remained staunch supporters (and it’s probably not unfair to say Lisa shifted a fair few copies of the magazine in return) it would prove to be the last full length release for some time.

A 1999 dance 12″, “Vampire Love” (released in the US on red vinyl under the name Lisadominque) had none other than Boy George on production duties and was a radical departure from her earlier material (to say the very least).

The album “Sensation” landed almost by surprise in 2002 and marked a return to Lisa’s rock roots, albeit with Vampire Love included as the closing track on the CD.

Lisa has lived in Los Angeles since 1994, and in recent years she has made her life as a vampire novelist and wine entrepreneur (and sometime model) – though with occasional forays back into music, don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard the last of that voice quite yet.

(Hull Music Archive)

Discography

Albums

Rock N Roll Lady (LP, CD, Cassette) – FM, 1989

Gypsy Ryder (LP, CD) – Essential, 1991

Sensation (CD) – FM/Revolver, 2002

Singles / EPs

Jealous Heart (12″) – FM, 1988

All Fall Down (7″, 12″, CD) – FM, 1989

Vampire Love (12″ red vinyl) – BITE IT! Records, 1999 [as Lisadominque]

Appeared On

(selected compilations)

Protect The Innocent – 30 Metal Classics (2LP) – Telstar, 1989 (track: Rock ‘n’ Roll Lady)

Metal Hammer’s Best Of British Steel (2LP, 2CD, Cassette) – FM, 1989 (track: Rock ‘n’ Roll Lady)

All Hull Let Loose (LP) – Hull City Council, 1992 (track: Friends In The Harbour)

Metal Killers (CD, Cassette) – Castle Communications, 1993 (track: Gypsy Ryder)