Anne Linnet - Marquis De Sade

The debut album of Marquis De Sade (7) was released in September 1983 and marketed as an Anne Linnet solo album, as Linnet was already a renowned artist in Denmark at the time.

The plan was to release the album concurrently with the start of a tour. However, the cover had to be redesigned and the release was delayed three weeks at the Dutch pressing plant.

Some lyrics of the album, which include themes of sadomasochism and female homosexuality, had been leaked to the media prior to the release. This lead to controversy, caused by the misinterpretation of the intention of the lyrics, even before the public had heard the album. The female liberation movement that existed in Denmark, which had previously been devoted to Anne Linnet from her years with Shit & Chanel, was now confused and under the impression that she condoned domestic violence.

There was a protest at Saltlageret in Copenhagen and other venues, where the entrance to Marquis De Sade concerts was blocked by members of the movement. All this meant a tough start for the band, and this debut album was not received as expected. Linnet expressed in interviews, that the intention of the music was to explore themes of sexual taboos, and women who feel bound by invisible chains of their own feelings, by surroundings and conventions of society. She also expressed her resentment of the turmoil created by the media.