Lonely At The Top

a cd reissue on ltm by cult new wave diva hermine, memorably described in 1982 as the mor chick singer shifted dramatically out of focus. an essentially unclassifiable performer, whose career spans acting, comedy and tightrope walking as well as singing, hermine's musical reputation rests on her debut album, 'the world on my plates' (1982), the allure of her vaudeville torch songs was enhanced by its iconic cover image of the artist loading singles into a dishwasher. her second album 'lonely at the top', released in 1984, features ten songs including left-field covers of yoko ono's 'death of samantha' and 'neil sedaka'. the album also includes original material such as 'hollow hello' and 'sleepy feeling', recorded with a large cast of guest musicians, and compared by one reviewer to the rite of spring. once again, the songs flaunt hermines deliberately idiosyncratic femme fatale vocal style. the bonus tracks include several songs recorded in switzerland for an unreleased third album. digitally restored from the original master tapes,'lonely at the top' and extras features an attractive booklet including artist biography and images.