Suzanne Vega (1985) Review | Blushing Queens and Scarlet Empresses
Kronomyth 1.0: The red thread of fate.
Suzanne Vega is a singer-songwriter with the emphasis on writer. (See? I even put that in italics to show you the emphasis.) Her songs are vignettes: isolated scenes from broader tapestries. Sometimes, it feels as though the songs are drawn from the same tapestry. Queens, soldiers and knights, for example, are a recurring theme. Although Vega emerged from the NYC folk-rock circuit, her music defies such a simple categorization. Her eye for observation and sometimes deadpan delivery invite comparison to Laurie Anderson. Her ear for melody and ease in an electric setting suggest Joan Armatrading. Her gift for poetry and poignant narratives no doubt owe at least a small debt to Joni Mitchell. And yet Suzanne Vega is not a composite of what came before, but an indication of what lie ahead for female singer-songwriters in the 80s. While her stories make a strong connection with the listener, they’re only that: stories. You can feel Marlene Dietrich’s mocking smile from a poster, sympathize with the immutable destinies of queen and soldier, but Vega is observing these characters, not inhabiting them. In fact, by album’s end, you may not know any more about Suzanne Vega than you did at the beginning. This can make her seem detached, even unemotional at times, while still generating genuine pathos for her characters. Take The Queen and the Soldier, one of the prettiest, saddest and most profound songs you’ll ever hear. In a way, it’s the culmination of everything that Vega is building toward on her first album: snapshots of sympathetic characters who feel deeply, observed from an analytical distance. Suzanne Vega established her as an artist to watch who liked to watch.
The Product
A1. Cracking (2:47)
A2. Freeze Tag (2:39)
A3. Marlene on the Wall (3:37)
A4. Small Blue Thing (3:53)
A5. Straight Lines (3:47)
B1. Undertow (3:25)
B2. Some Journey (3:37)
B3. The Queen and the Soldier (4:37)
B4. Knight Moves (3:34)
B5. Neighborhood Girls (3:19)
Music and lyrics by Suzanne Vega.
The Players
Suzanne Vega (acoustic guitar, vocals), Steve Addabbo (background vocal, Synclavier guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar), Paul Dugan (bass), Sue Evans (drums, percussion), Jon Gordon (electric guitar), Frank Gravis (bass), with Darol Anger (electric violin on B2), Frank Christian (acoustic guitar on A2/B4, electric slide guitar on B5), Peter Gordon (string arrangement on B1), Shem Guibbory (violin on B1), Mark Isham (synthesizer on B2), John Mahoney (Synclavier programming on B1), Maxine Neuman (cello on B1), C.P. Roth (synthesizers, piano and organ), Roger Squitero (percussion on B2). Produced by Lenny Kaye and Steve Addabbo.
The Pictures
Album design by Corey & Company. Cover photography by Charles Reilly. Sleeve photography by Matthew Vega.
The Plastic
Released on elpee, cassette and compact disc on May 1, 1985 in the US and Canada (A&M, SP/CS-6/CD-5072), the UK (A&M, AMA/AMC 5072/395 072), Australia (A&M, L-38490), Israel (Helicon/A&M, AMA 5072) and Japan (A&M, AMP-28141) with lyric inner sleeve. Reached #91 on the US charts and #11 on the UK charts.
- Re-issued on remastered compact disc on June 9, 2014 in France (Culture Factory).
