Customer Reviews

Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The first time I heard Suzanne Vega was a dj only copy of "Marlene On The Wall," staccato vocals delivered with velvety precision against a crisp but folksy background. I was hooked. That led me to her debut album and my friends probably wishing I'd shut up already about this great new record I'd discovered. From that debut album on, gratefully, Suzanne Vega never remained stuck in a mold. She grew in confidence (the a cappella opening to "Tom's Diner" being particularly gutsy) and courage to tackle weightier topics, such as the abused child of "Luka."

"Book Of Dreams" was one of the most peculiar pop records I recall from 1990. The album it came from, "Days Of Open Hand" was almost hallucinatory in its consistent referral to dreams and vague impressional memories. Oddly enough, there were no hits here after the massive success of "Luka," but "Tired Of Sleeping" catches the weariness of stardom better than a screaming heavy metal away-from-home song ever could. Stranger still, it was the bootlegged DNA remix of "Tom's Diner" from the previous "Solitude Standing" that became Suzanne's final big hit.

That success gave her even more incentive to push the envelope. Maybe it was the influence of Nine Inch Nails at the time, but "99.9 Degrees" played with distortions and electronica to make an album that - while still firmly rooted in folk - stretched its world view. "Blood Makes Noise" may be one of the best songs about AIDS ever written, complete with the denial that goes with "the thickening of fear."

A four year wait eventually gave us 12 songs of "Nine Objects of Desire." Suzanne returned to relationships with the terrific "World Before Columbus" (featuring a couple of Elvis Costello's Attractions) and the jazz inflected "Caramel." It was about as far removed from "99.9 Degrees" as that album was distant from "Solitude Standing." Although based on her marriage to Mitchell Froom, their collapsing relationship became the fodder for 2001's "Songs In Red And Gray." That album was on a par with Phil Collins' "Face Value" and "Hello I Must be Going" as an unflinching look at the demise of a relationship. Sung both from resilience ("(I'll Never be) Your Maggie May") and confused disillusionment ("Penitent"), it is an unheralded masterpiece.

The extra benefits of having this retrospective are the inclusion of "Left Of Center" from "Pretty In Pink" (featuring Joe Jackson on piano), the first appearance of the hit mix of "Tom's Diner" on a proper Suzanne Vega album, and an ok live rendition of "The Queen and the Soldier" (originally from the debut). The songs that pull this down from five stars are the lackluster "Rosemary" and the experimental "Woman On the Tier" (from "Dead Man Walking") that closes the disc on an unnecessarily harsh note.

Excluding those two distractions, you get 19 amazing performances. And given the amount of whispered grace and nuanced strength that Suzanne Vega has covered in six albums and eighteen years, this is still a highly recommendable collection.

What a superb collection of songs by this fascinating singer/songwriter/storyteller. The collection not only spans her career but also takes you through at least 4 different styles of music! Here are some of my impressions:

"Luka" was the breakout hit that introduced Vega to radio listeners. A bit folk and a bit of sophisticated tailoring with words and production. A heartfelt story about a child coping with abuse.

"Tom's Diner" offers a slice of life depicting a morning at a diner having coffee and peoplewatching. Originally accapella this collection has the DNA hit remix.

"Marlene On The Wall" has a fast paced vocal delivery over strumming guitars making this a fan fave at concets.

"Caramel" from the album NINE OBJECTS OF DESIRE came to me as a complete surprise! A beautiufl soft vocal over samba jazz which will remind listeners of the early 60's movement of Brazillian jazz and lounge music. It sits comfortably with other Latin lounge hits like "Corcavado" and "Girl from Ipanema". This song is indeed.....a treat.

"99.9F", "Blood Makes Noise" and "Woman on the Tier" show off Vega as an extraordinary industrial music artist. The first is catchy, the second is brilliantly strange, and the third is a disturbing piece from the film DEAD MAN WALKING..

"Left of Center" has an urgent beat that will have you singing this hit from PRETTY IN PINK all day long!!

"(I'll Never Be Your) Maggie May" is a reaction to the song by Rod Stewart! Very interesting lyrics and a neat notion to answer someone else's song!

"Solitude Standing" and "The Queen and the Soldier" show off Vega's folk infuence in epic storytelling.

There are many other gems including "In Liverpool", "Small Blue Thing", and "Book of Dreams".

This is a fine collection for any devout Vega fan or the newcomer to intelligent songwriting. You will enjoy this great CD!

I can't believe that this Retrospective came out last week, and it isn't even in the top 1000 sellers. Too bad for all those people that don't realize how talented Suzanne Vega is. This is an amazing, and lengthy collection of her best songs from her first album to her last. Whether you're a fan of her folkier stuff, or her more upbeat songs like "Blood makes noise" and "99.9 farenheit degrees", this has got it all. Included of course is her breakthrough hit "Luka", and "Tom's Diner" featuring DNA. My current favorite is "(I'll never be) your Maggie May". It's Suzanne's take (not cover), on the Rod Stewart Song. So good. This also has her songs from the movies "Dead man walking" and "Pretty in Pink". I saw her live this week, and she put on a great show. She was very nice and down to earth. Of my past 10-20 cd purchases, I might just enjoy this one the most.

For those that remember 'Luka' or Tom's Diner and always wanted a copy, but the thought of buying a whole album seemed a bit much, this is the ticket. If you heard 'Caramel' in The Truth about Cats and Dogs, here is a chance to hear more of that smooth voice. This is also a great chance for an old fan to catch up. Great gift CD, Best-of's are generally well received.
For the American fan, this is a great chance to hear the hidden jewel "Rosemary". Rosemary was recently voted as a top pick by her fans. Rosemary is perhaps the best combination of her lyric writing talent, music writing and performance, and vocal work. This would be money well spent.

It seems that Suzanne Vega has always been bubbling away in the background - though, for a long time, I quietly wondered what all the fuss was about. When she first broke through with "Marlene on the Wall", all the cool kids at school seemed to really like her. I also remember the really cool fans discussing what was really going on in "The Queen and the Soldier" (and, generally, just how nasty the Queen was). "Luka", released a couple of years later, proved much more popular - and this time, with a much wider crowd. A year or two later, a holiday in France saw "Small Blue Thing" become so associated with a certain girl that, even now, I can't think of one without thinking of the other. After that, the DNA remix of "Tom's Diner" hit the charts just as I was discovering the joys of Guinness. When "No Cheap Thrill" was released, the radio only seemed to play it on Friday evenings as I was driving home from the worst job in the world. Even now, it brings a smile to my face.

I'm not sure if my musical tastes have changed as I've grown older or if it's nostalgia having some sort of effect. Whatever it is, the indifference I once had is now gone. I was about to start picking up her back-catalogue, when I discovered she'd released this Greatest Hits album - just the perfect time for me. All the songs I mentioned above make their appearances, and would form the main highlights for me. (In fact, "Tom's Diner" manages it twice, as both the original version and the DNA remix are included).

The version I have comes with a 'bonus' CD. With 21 tracks on the 'main' CD and a further 8 on the bonus CD, you certainly get your money's worth with this album. It also means that - given this is the first album by Suzanne I've bought - there's a lot of material I'm not familiar with. It's also interesting to hear the different styles she's produced - something I certainly didn't expect. There's a big difference, for example, between "Solitude Standing" (a folk-based song, the style I would most have associated Vega with) and "Blood Makes Noise" (taken from "99.9F" - which won a New York Music Award as Best Rock Album of 1992). Of the songs I hadn't heard before, "Blood Makes Noise" (with its industrial influences) would be one of those I prefer.

Six of the tracks on the bonus CD were taken from a concert, recorded in May 2003. Only one of these tracks, "Widow's Walk" doesn't feature on the main CD - and, of all the songs I hadn't heard before, is the one I like best. It also features two versions of "In Liverpool" (a spoken word version and a song) in addition to the version on the main CD. This would probably be the only criticism I have - three versions of essentially the same thing is a bit much. It also features a new song, called "Anniversary", which is more of the traditional Vega song - an acoustic number, no whistles and bells, with Suzanne singing.

All in all, an excellent package - of all the "Best Of" albums in my CD rack, this is the one I'd rate highest. While this may have been the first album by Suzanne Vega I've bought, it certainly won't be the last.

"Haven't you ever heard Suzanne Vega before?" my friend asked me about 2 years back. And when I replied in the negative, he hummed the tune of 'Tom's Diner' to me and I was like, "That sounds familiar..." He lent me his copy of 'Retrospective' and today it's one of my favorite albums!

See, when I like particular albums or music, especially if it's a female artist, it's usually because their lyrics, their beliefs as expressed in their music, their philosophies and so on, appeal to me in some way. That's the reason I've long liked arists like Madonna, Sarah McLachlan, Enya, Dido...to mention a few among the female artists I like... With Suzanne Vega it was and still is a bit different because I don't actually understand her songs to be very honest... Perhaps I'm not old or mature enough to understand them but still I've enjoyed listening to this album SO much, I listen to it over and over again! I just like her music - every song is different and has a new thought to offer... I like that her songs are at times pensive (Small Blue Thing), wistful (I'll never be your Maggie May, Caramel), whimsical (Gypsy..), nostalgic (Rosemary), some are plain eccentric (Blood Makes Noise) and then there are the "everyday" songs like 'Tom's Diner' or 'In Liverpool'. I find almost all her songs wonderfully reflective. I love 'Penitent' for its music, 'Solitude Standing' for her personifictaion of Solitude as a woman who's been through so much in life.. 'Tom's Diner', besides it's great catchy tune, captures a regular experience so simply and vividly! 'Calypso' reminds me of Dido's 'My Lover's Gone' - both have kind of a similar mythological strain to them that I like a lot. There's 'Rosemary' which is nostalgic enough to give one goose bumps and 'Gypsy' which is so enchantingly dreamy...such an unabashedly comfort-seeking little ode! And then there's 'Luka' of course which is so hummable and also subtly moving...

Suzanne Vega is a difficult artist to understand. She's certainly a gifted, original artist with a very good voice. I hope that gradually as I keep listening to this album I'll realise things that I hadn't realised before...and new insights into her music will keep coming... I give this album a thumbs up! Great music, great reflections and a refershing alternative to some of the other music currently around...

As a huge fan, I'm inclined to agree with the person below who suggested buying the original albums instead. They each have distinctive sounds and rarely a bad song. But everyone isn't a Suzanne Vega fanatic, and there should be a good compilation of her best songs.

This one would disappoint me. It leaves out many of her best songs and includes lesser numbers. It skips back and forth chronologically and stylistically, potentially annoying given the diversity of Ms. Vega's musical evolution over the years, from stark folk music to pop sounds to electronica and back to a warmer singer-songwriter style.

A best-of-Suzanne-Vega collection is bound to include songs that won't flow together they way her albums do, barring a huge box set. But putting them in chronological order and selecting the songs more judiciously would make for a better listening experience. This is a lasting artist who's likely to wind up with several best-of collections - I'd wait for another or go for the pricier "deluxe" edition that contains a second CD containing quite a few tracks I consider Suzanne Vega's absolute best, and essential to any "best-of" collection.

Listening to Retrospctive, you begin to forget that it's a compilation of previously released music. The songs flow so well from one to the next you start to believe they were meant to go together this way. Starting with the familiar Luka and moving to the DNA club mix of Tom's Diner and to the rhythmic (folk-rap?) percussiveness and conflict of Marlene on the Wall and beyond, you're at once comforted, unsettled, and challenged by an amazing woman at the top of her art. Even if you own all her previous albums, it's worth the price just to feel the motion as Suzanne puts together an original work from what was already there.

After new wave, dance and more agressive sound of the early 80's, Suzanne came on the music scene during the mid 80's as the return of more acoustic, folk and new age music was on the rise. Suzane's vocals were quiet and her arrangements were simple, making her mark with her debut as a cross between her past Joni Mitchell and her contempoaries Tracy Chapman & Enya. With songs like Marlene On The Wall, Freeeze Tag, The Queen & The Soldier and Crackling from her debut and her classics from Solitude Standing Luka, Tom's Dinner and the title track, have lead her to more experimental types of music.

This collection pulls it all together and includes rare tracks like Left Of Center (feat. Joe Jackson, from Pretty In Pink) and Woman On The Tier from Dead Man Walking. It even includes the track Rosemary from her first Collection called Tried And True. It contained 17 songs. This one has 21 and includes most of them.

I bought this CD because I couldn't find "Caramel" anywhere. I keep this CD in my player because I fallen in love with it. As much as I knew of Suzanne Vega for "Tom's Diner" back in my club days and learned more about her on "99.9" back in my dorm days, I have to say "Marlene on the Wall" has become my favorite song on the whole disc these days. And the whole disc is to be celebrated. The thing follows my mood: stays sad with me until it has no choice but to make me happy; it makes me contemplative when I'm going entirely too fast; and it makes me happy I spent the money. She's a good girl singer and you'll like her.