Legal Weapon

An early 1980's punk outfit from southern California, Legal Weapon boasted two (count 'em) women in the original lineup: vocalist Kat Arthur (occasionally referred to as the Janis Joplin of the '80's) and ex-Bags bassist Patricia Morrison; the other members included guitarist Brian Hansen and drummer Charlie Vartanian). Their first release, the EP No Sorrow, came out in 1981. However, Patricia left soon after to play bass for the Gun Club before moving on once again a couple of years later to join forces with the Sisters of Mercy, where she stayed til 1990.

Patricia's departure did not appear to have a lasting adverse effect on the group, however: the band released the album Death of Innocence in 1982, which has been referred to by Trouser Press as one of the last decade's most underrated punk albums. (Members of the Adolescents help out with bass and rhythm guitar duties). The follow-up LP, Your Weapon, was released in 1982 with barely a breather; surprisingly, it was judged to be nearly as good as its predecessor, and by this time, a full-time rhythm section was firmly in place.

Unfortuantely, Legal Weapon's downfall came when they finally signed to a major label in 1984. Their next album Interior Hearts, which came out in 1986, was rather a disappointment after their earlier material, with its thin sound and leanings toward a more country (shudder) sound. Even more unfortunately, this LP in effect marked the beginning of the end for Legal Weapon, as their next release Life Sentence to Love proved: keyboards were added and the overall sound had changed from gritty and powerful to commercial pop-rock. A final album, Take out the Trash, came out in 1991.