Surprise

Syd Straw | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 19, 1989)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin
• ASIN: B00000DP77
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,236 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Think Too Hard

2. Heart of Darkness

3. Chasing Vapor Trails (His Turn to Cry)

4. Almost Magic

5. Crazy American

6. Hard Times (Come Again No More)

7. Future 40's (Sting of Pearls)

8. The Unanwered Question

9. Sphinx

10. Racing to the Ruins

11. Golden Dreams

12. Learning the Game [*]

13. If You Don't Want My Love [*]

Editorial Reviews

Jewel case with inserts, CD is very clean with clear sound

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Syd's solo debut shines with some talented friends, March 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Surprise (Audio CD)

When this album first came out over ten years ago it made many Golden Palominos fans very happy. With the help of Richard Thompson, Van Dyke Parks, Michael Stipe and others, Syd finally delivered the goods with a full album of her songs. What makes this album very different from her 2nd effort "War & Peace" is that it is mainly made up of collaborations with other artists -- continuing in the same vein as the two previous records she made with the Golden Palominos. Syd has a remarkable voice and a one of a kind sense of humor. A decade later she continues to make wonderful music with a much more golden voice and an even funnier outlook on life and the world. Anyone who appreciates great songwriting and an even greater production value should pick up a copy of Surprise - possibly the most overlooked album of the late 80's/early 90's.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Surprise in a long time, March 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Surprise (Audio CD)

The re-issue of this gem is the best surprise in a long time (with bonus tracks to boot). Straw's velvety vocals and sharp wit are matchless. The songs range from quirky rockabilly rambles to beautiful heartfelt ballads. The musicians on this album are a brilliant eclectic mix. Add to that inspired lyrics, sparkling melodies and an infectious beat and you have one of the best CD's of the 90's (and it was recorded in 89!).

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A virtually unknown gem, June 7, 2003

By 

Richard Moose "graphics geek" (Santa Ana, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Surprise (Audio CD)

I was waiting for a David Lindly show to begin (I *think* it was at The Whiskey circa 1989/90) and the DJ played "Think Too Hard" and it blew me away. I worked my way up to the booth and asked the guy guarding the door if he knew who it was. He looked at me like I was crazy so I gave him a five and asked him if he would ask the DJ for me. That night we went from the Whiskey directly to Tower Records (open until midnight) and I picked up Surprise. It's been a staple in my collection ever since.

Think Too Hard - Great upbeat rocker about how easy it is to get lost in your mind, especially when it comes to love. "Go thinking all the time and You'll probably lose your mind"

Heart of Darkness - If this wasn't Syd, the music could almost be called pop, but it is Syd, so the music has more depth. It's about how sometimes we see others more clearly than they see themselves. "I'm looking through your heart of darkness, Past the grey to the light on the other side..."

Chasing Vapor Trails - People talk like Shania Twain invented County Pop. Trust me, this song could be rearranged just a bit and be a country smash. But the arrangement is perfect as it is. Great Lyrics: "I gave you ten second chances, You gave me nine alibis. Now I'm gone like a memory."

Almost Magic - Thoughtful pace. Love out of sync. "Oh no you can't be going -- I'm just beginning -- your change of heart took me by surprise. I never knew. Now you tell me that you've lost the feeling of whatever it was. It was Almost magic."

Crazy American - A bit of a remix and this could be a dance/trance hit, but it's pure Syd. "Please forgive the way I live and how the dust surrounds us. I remain the crazy Amercian."

Hard Times - How many other artists would even *think* to cover a Stephen Foster song from 1859? Syd makes it her own.

Future 40's (String of Pearls) - Easy countryish rocker. Again, arrange it differently and you'd have a hit for Shania. "Hey man I'm making moves and I am so much strong than you"

Unanswered Question - This song almost reminds me of Poco. "...we strike a delicate balance defy gravity's challenge this is a story with a girl who never touches the ground alone up in the air where the answers are found to the Unanswered Question"

Sphinx - Syd wrote the tagline for this song: "SOME STORIES ARE TOO SAD TO TELL - THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM." Quirky lyrics, easy rocker with country undertones.

Racing to the Ruins - Straight up rocker - "Love is only human and we're racing to the ruins"

Golden Dreams - Slower paced ballad fitting as the album closer. "I can't hold on to what I cannot see And you're far away but I remember yes I remember you in a golden dream" If Syd's voice doesn't move you in this one, call the undertaker, you're dead.