Essential Logic was formed in early 1978 by saxophonist Lora Logic (Susan Whitby), after she left Xray Spex. This quintet included Lora on lead vocals and sax, Ashley Buff (Philip Legg) on guitar, Mark Turner on bass, Rich Tee (Tea) on drums and Dave Wright on tenor sax.

The band initially recorded for their own Cells label, which was a cooperative deal with Rough Trade; they later moved to Virgin. The group released several singles, the most noted of which was Aerosol Burns (1978), as well as the album Beat Rhythm News (Waddle Ya Play?) and a couple of EP's (Essential Logic and Wake Up!) before the decade ended.

There were several personnel additions and changes along the way: Stuart Action (guitar) and Tim Wright (bass) played on the Aerosol Burns single alongside Logic and Tee; William Bennett (Whitehouse) played additional guitar on the Wake Up! EP; and bassist Mark Turner was replaced on the band's final 7-inch by Jon Oliver (Fanfare in the Garden) and Ben Annesley (The Captain).

Essential Logic's music was described as a deceptively ramshackle sax-driven rhythmic style, with Lora playing the part of the punk banshee out front. Unfortunatley, the group had very little commercial success and which ultimately led to their eventual disintegration.

After the demise of Essential Logic, Lora produced the solo EP Wonderful Offer in 1981 through Rough Trade and followed up with the album Pedigree Charm in 1982 (recorded with her fellow band-mates Charles Hayward (drums), Rich Tea (drums on Brute Fury and Wonderful Offer), Ben Annesley (bass), Phil Legg (guitars and bass on Rat Alle). She also went on to guest with bands like Red Krayola, The Raincoats, Scritti Politti, The Swell Maps and Kolla Kestää from Finland (Lora's mother was born in Finland, where Lora is now known as "The Godmother of Punk").

Soon afterwards, Lora left music altogether to join the Hare Krishnas, resurfacing in 1995 to perform and record with a newly re-formed X-Ray Spex.

Fast-forward a few more years... Lora returned to the Essential Logic moniker in 2001, teaming up with Blondie guitarist Gary Valentine, ex-Bad Manners bassist Dave Jones and drummer Nick Pretzell to record some lively, intelligent, creative and fun new tunes. The newly reformed Essential Logic put out the 4 song, self-titled extended play CD in 2001, available through Peoplesound. The tracks on this release include: On The Internet, Barbie Be Happy, No More Fiction and Not Me.

Essential Logic created some of the most liberating, exciting music of the early post-punk era, with their fast eschewing and loud guitars for off-killer rythms, 'bluesy' sax playing that forays into dissonance and atonality...Along with Lora's primitive, exhilirating sax playing, she displays a wildly imaginative vocal style that conflates the subtle eroticism of Patti Smith with the epiglottal spasms of Yoko Ono.

- Biography [supplied by artist] from the Peoplesound Website

The following year, four tracks from an earlier 1998 recording session with Lora (vocals, sax, kartels) and Martin Muscatt (drums, bass, guitars, keyboard ambience) were made available through Vitaminic. This EP CD, titled Essential Logic 2, included the tracks Under the Great City, Marika, The Beautiful and the Damned and Love Eternal.

Recent news (2003): In 2003, Kill Rock Stars issued the eagerly-awaited CD Fanfare in the Garden: An Essential Logic Collection which included much of Essentail Logic's older material, plus four previously unreleased tracks as well as Red Crayola's Born in Flames single with Lora providing vocals. (Unfortunatley, however, four classic Essential Logic titles (Flora Force, Alkaline Loaf in the Area, Eugene, The Captain), the Virgin Records material and two Lora solo tracks (Stop Halt and Rather Than Repeat) are missing-in-action).

Essential Logic’s old and new music is fresh, complex, and irresistible. Indirectly, via the legacy of the post-punk indie scene and particularly the role women took for themselves in it, Lora and her band/brand name changed the world.

- blurb from the Kill Rock Stars Website

Essential Logic...music is a better noise

Classic Essential Logic photos by Philippe Carly (part of the New Wave Photos by Philippe Carly Website)

Lora was interviewed by Jason Gross in 2003; the full interview is available at Perfect Sound Forever

Women of 1970's Punk Essential Logic Discography