Lewis - L'amour

John recently clued me in to the mysterious tale of Lewis - a 1983 recording artist who released a single album, L'Amour.

L'Amour is a true discovery of the blog age, uncovered in an Edmonton flea-market by collector Jon Murphy, passed on to private press fanatic Aaron Levin, shared on the internet and speculated over by lovers of curious LPs. There's almost no information about Lewis or the album on the internet. There's precious little on the sleeve: a dedication to Sports Illustrated supermodel Christie Brinkley, a photo credit for Ed Colver, the noted L.A. punk rock photographer, and credits for engineer Bob Kinsey and synth player Philip Lees. All that was known of Lewis is conjecture: a rumor that he was a con artist who fled after not paying for L'Amour's photo-shoot and a dubious theory that he was not actually of this earth.

The album has been speculated and praised by many - largely for its ahead-of-its-time atmospheric synths, overall hushed approach and complete lack of information.

Light in the Attic recently re-released the album (remastered) and unearthed a few of the mysteries, including a second album few even knew existed.

The album is a quiet listen (you can hear it on Rdio) - and worthwhile one - but the story may be what really draws you in.