Customer Reviews

Retrospective - The Videos of Suzanne Vega

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have all of Suzanne Vega's studio albums and have enjoyed her work over the years. But I have not seen many of her music videos as her popularity probably peaked with her big hit "Luka" in the late 80s (plus nobody shows videos anymore). So it was fun to see some of these efforts for the first time.

Suzanne graciously provides a commentary track for all the videos and although she stumbles along from time to time as if she was watching these videos for the first time in a long time herself (she even gets caught off guard once when she expects to see a scene that ends up not being there), she provides humor and insight into the videos and the songs. She makes fun of her "80s hairdos" for her debut album and "Solitude Standing" videos, comments about her concerns about making videos after she put on significant weight after having a baby (she looks great in my opinion) and expresses how her video to the song "Book and a Cover" (made in 1998) is creepy now due to the events of Sept. 11, 2001 as there is a scene where the skyline of New York, with the World Trade Center in view, is flipped upside down and a giant airplane flies under the Towers. I can see her concern, but the song (which was only released in an overseas collection) is really pretty good.

This DVD gives the range of Suzanne's music and talents. A must for the longtime fan.

For being the pioneer in renewing commercial interest in female singer/songwriters in the mid-80s, and paving the path for Tracy Chapman, Sarah McLachlan, and Jewel, Suzanne Vega is grossly overlooked. This almost-complete collection of her video clips is the biggest act of justice her former label A&M has performed on her behalf in years - these videos deserved and still deserve more exposure than they received when they were released.

Video highlights include the blue-tinted and chilling "Luka"; the perfectly realized "In Liverpool" (shot on the Princeton U campus); the classy, elegant "Caramel"; and the quirky, little-seen "Book & a Cover" (not to mention NYC-centric, a Vega trademark as a native).

Make sure to wathc with Vega's commentary. Her reminiscing about 80s hairstyles during "Marlene," "Left of Center," and "Book of Dreams" is rather amusing.

I've been a Suzanne Vega fan since high school (I'm 33 yo today). I have all of her six CDs and have seen her in concert. Unfortunately, other than "Luka" and the "Tom's Diner" remix, she's never gotten much airplay or the attention her smart music deserves; thus I've not seen many of her videos. This collection is utterly delightful! Even if one is not a Vega fan it would be worth a gander to see some stylish and fun videos. From the sepia-toned "In Liverpool" to the kaleidoscopic "99.9," the videos are a visual treat. Vega has quite a presence in front of the camera - this was a nice surprise considering that her image has always taken a backseat to her music. The sound on the DVD is fantastic. In addition, there's a video for the song "Book and a Cover" which was only released on a greatest hits collection. I'd never heard the song and it's another Vega gem.
This is a work of art and anyone would enjoy it. However, if you're a fan, it's a must-get.

Suzanne Vega is truly underated as a singer/songwriter, and this video collection (companion to the amazing "Retrospective" CD) shows us the wonderful, various musical styles that this talented woman can produce. Every music video collection should strive to be as great as this DVD. Not only are we, the audience, treated to 16 visually pleasing videos but we get some fun extras too! From an alternate version of one video (the gorgeous "Caramel"), to a series of album promo spots, to the most charming, amusing and interesting commentaries you'll ever hear. What a wild surprise that was! Ms. Vega comments on every one of her videos, and offers insight, anecdotes and technical information about each one. What a terrific addition to the collection! Buy this DVD now, even if "Luka" is the only video you're familiar with. You will soon fall in love with the Suzanne Vega retrospective.

I've enjoyed Suzanne Vega's music for quite some time and I have to say, watching these videos does not make me enjoy her music more. The DVD is meant to be a collection of her videos and as such includes sixteen videos with optional commentary by Suzanne that can be turned on or off as well as an assortment of bonus material including an alternate video for "Caramel" and some promotional video materials. It's a very generous DVD and very well done, particularly for the price and my rating reflects this. However, I don't think this is necessarily a must have for a fan. As a fan owning all her albums and her Live in Montreaux concert video, I could pretty comfortably live without this one. This being said, it became much more interesting to me after I discovered the commentary which is filled with little bits of behind-the-scenes information. The promotional film for Days of Open Hand in the bonus section has interview footage as well as some clips of Suzanne performing songs off the album and is interesting as well. Still, if I were to lose this collection tomorrow I probably wouldn't make an effort to replace it. Everything else I own by Suzanne I would. It's not that the videos themselves aren't good. It's just difficult after listening to the songs for so long, I think, to put much into someone else's visual interpretation of them.

Not having watched much MTV or VH1 as of late I was surprised to find a DVD of all of Suzanne's songs considering the fact that I didn't even realize how many videos she had done. It was very interesting to see the different approaches that were used for the videos and to see how Suzanne has changed over the years. I highly recommend adding to your collection

Yow! Foxy Lady, over here!

Suzanne inspired me to get off my butt and pick up a guitar again (and this time, learn how to play it!); this collection of vids covers nearly her entire career, from 'Suzanne Vega' to 'Songs In Red And Gray'.

The only omission from the collection is the original 'Tom's Diner', which she sung acapella, near a window at the cafe. In its place is the DNA-produced, British remix-video, with footage of Suzanne from 'Men In A War', thrown into the performances shot in England. Her commentary track is rather funny: she was entirely confounded that they didn't get her for the video; she would have done it with them.

Included on the dvd is a promo film for 'Days Of Open Hand' (a title culled from lyrics for 'Book Of Dreams', from the album), with a partial film clip of Suzanne performing 'Men In A War', onstage; promo spots for '99.9*', and 'Songs In Red And Gray'; a rarities section of foreign album covers; and, best of all, a feature-length commentary by the original mistress of folk/pop/alt herself!

So, for all you would-be folk smoothies out there, get off yer collective kiesters and get a look/listen at this here collection. You won't be dissipated!

I was totally unaware that Suzanne Vega had released a video collection, until searching for such on Amazon and I'm glad I did. The choreography and DTS sound is magnificent and I must add, the price isn't bad either. I didn't realize that Suzanne had this many videos, which are all very entertaining. It's fun watching how her hair styles changed over the years. "Luka" is just as I remember seeing it on VH-1 back in 1987 and the rest of the videos are equally as good or better. If you are a dedicated fan of Suzanne Vega, by all means purchase this DVD! When you finish watching it, you'll be saying "Thank You" instead of "More, more, more", because it is very satisfying.

I've been a silent child of the eighties all my life. As such, finding all the greatest hits from this guitar-wielding lady is truly rare! And they ARE IN MTV format no less! I've lost my Suzanne Vega-TRIED and TRUE album and I have to admit, this DVD is WAY better than that audio CD coz it blew away not just my sense of sound but sight as well!

Thank you Amazon for having it in the market. My walls of nostalgia are furthermore built with the addition of this rare gem! To listen to Vega's silken, thought provoking songs is a joy, to see them on screen is a DELIGHT!

This video covers Suzanne Vega's music and evolution of her musical styles over the years.
For Vega fans, it is a good addition to their collections.