Stateless is the debut studio album by English-American singer Lene Lovich. It was released in October 1978 by Stiff Records and produced by Lene Lovich and Les Chappell (credited as "The Stateless").
Release
The album was first released outside the United Kingdom, then following the success of the lead single "Lucky Number". The UK version of the album was released with a slightly different track list. In the United States, the album was released in 1979.
The album was available in two very different variations. The more common release had most of the songs remixed from the original versions and now included the single version of "Lucky Number". Some songs were slightly shortened and many had new vocals accentuating Lovich's quirky singing style. The original vocals were often more straightforward. The running order was shuffled and the album cover also varied between countries.
Stateless peaked at number 35 on the UK Albums Chart, while also managing to chart in Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand. "Lucky Number" peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart.
Reception
Upon its release, Stateless received positive reviews from music critics. The Village Voices Robert Christgau called Lovich "an original" and found that her "goofy energy doesn't distract her from her feelings or damage her sex appeal or conceal a mawkish underside."
Track listings
Personnel
Lene Lovich – vocals, saxophone
Les Chappell – guitar, EMS synthesizer, percussion, vocals
Jeff Smith – synthesizer
Nick Plytas – Hammond organ, piano
Ron François – bass, percussion, vocals
Bobby Irwin – drums, percussion, vocals
Don Snow – piano on "Too Tender (To Touch)" Technical Aldo Bocca, Jeremy Green, Pete Fox, Roger Bechirian - engineer Brian Griffin – photography