Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega

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It's the rare singer-songwriter whose emotional confessions rise above bathos to find true resonance with their listeners; rarer still the one who can connect their audience with the plight of everyday strangers. Suzanne Vega not only managed that feat on her unlikely, child-abuse themed breakthrough hit "Luka" in ‘88, but opened the door for a renaissance of intelligent, female folk-oriented music in the decade that followed. This 21-track anthology spans Vega's career before and since, a chronicle of cool, sharp-eyed detachment infused by a restless, oft-underrated sense of musical invention that spans club-mixes (the "Tom's Diner" here was originally a "pirate" deejay mix by DNA that Vega wisely adopted), Latin jazz ("Caramel"), electro-percussive rhythm explorations ("Blood Makes Noise," "99.9F," and ""Woman on the Tier" from the Dead Man Walking soundtrack) neo-classicism ("Small Blue Thing") and a sharp-edged pop sense ("I'll Never Be Your Maggie May," "Book of Dreams") that can't be denied. That it's all still clearly rooted in a diverse pantheon that includes Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Woody Guthrie is all the more remarkable. Rarities include "Left of Center" from the Pretty in Pink soundtrack, a live "Queen and the Soldier" and previously import-only "Rosemary." Also features all lyrics and the insightful recollections of Vega colleague/Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye. --Jerry McCulley

Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega,Suzanne Vega,Interscope Records,Adult Alternative Pop/Rock,Alternative Folk,College Rock,Contemporary Folk,Folk-Rock,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop,Singer/Songwriter

Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega

Average customer rating:

If you want to discover one of the most under-rated artists out there, start here...
Moving
A Generous Retrospective & Fair Assessment Of Works
An Introspective RETROSPECTIVE!
A wonderful compilation

Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
Manufacturer: Interscope Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Beauty & Crime
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Ultimate Collection
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Suzanne Vega

ASIN: B00008PRS4
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Tracks:

Luka
Tom's Diner - DNA
Marlene On the Wall
Caramel
99.9 Degrees Farenheit
Tired Of Sleeping
Small Blue Thing
Blood Makes Noise
Left Of Center
(I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May
In Liverpool
Gypsy
Book Of Dreams
No Cheap Thrill
Calypso
World Before Columbus
Solitude Standing
Penitent
Rosemary
The Queen And The Soldier (Live)
Woman On The Tier (I'll See You Through)

Amazon.com

It's the rare singer-songwriter whose emotional confessions rise above bathos to find true resonance with their listeners; rarer still the one who can connect their audience with the plight of everyday strangers. Suzanne Vega not only managed that feat on her unlikely, child-abuse themed breakthrough hit "Luka" in `88, but opened the door for a renaissance of intelligent, female folk-oriented music in the decade that followed. This 21-track anthology spans Vega's career before and since, a chronicle of cool, sharp-eyed detachment infused by a restless, oft-underrated sense of musical invention that spans club-mixes (the "Tom's Diner" here was originally a "pirate" deejay mix by DNA that Vega wisely adopted), Latin jazz ("Caramel"), electro-percussive rhythm explorations ("Blood Makes Noise," "99.9F," and ""Woman on the Tier" from the Dead Man Walking soundtrack) neo-classicism ("Small Blue Thing") and a sharp-edged pop sense ("I'll Never Be Your Maggie May," "Book of Dreams") that can't be denied. That it's all still clearly rooted in a diverse pantheon that includes Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Woody Guthrie is all the more remarkable. Rarities include "Left of Center" from the Pretty in Pink soundtrack, a live "Queen and the Soldier" and previously import-only "Rosemary." Also features all lyrics and the insightful recollections of Vega colleague/Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

If you want to discover one of the most under-rated artists out there, start here..........2006-10-08

Because Suzanne Vega has, over the past 20 years, produced some of the very best rock-poetry you'll find. An artist that's prepared to push things out to the edge lyrically without losing sight of the fact that what makes a song work is a great tune, an exciting, carefully executed arrangement and... beautifully sincere delivery. And, when she gets it right, as this compilation more than adequately shows, the results are quite stunning.

So, if you want to be introduced to the joys on offer start with this and, once you've taken it all in, get ready for a pleasant surprise because, so far, there are only six albums to spend you're hard earned money on. And, unlike most artists' output all of them contain enough "gems" that aren't included here to justify the expense. Sometimes less is better and in Suzanne Vega's case the vast majority of what she's released deserves inclusion in any comprehensive "retrospective" - which, of course, means that an album like this can only be a "sampler" for her superbly consistent and intriguing music.

Moving.......2005-10-03

How relevant could the female, quasi folk, New Yorkish musical perspective be to a man in Australia? I don't know but I love it. She is moving, personal, "feministic", sensual, chameleonistic, and above all- the tunes rock. She is not mainstream but will leave a legacy that is second to none. Nearly every track on every album is a gem or simply a pleasant few minutes of this short life. If any artists songs convey pleasure and pain concurrently it hers. Go for any of it!

A Generous Retrospective & Fair Assessment Of Works.......2005-09-15

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.

An Introspective RETROSPECTIVE!.......2005-07-23

"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...

A wonderful compilation.......2005-07-15

This is the first Suzanne Vega album I have bought. Some reviewers say that the choice of songs here are disappointing and that better tracks could have been lifted. All I can say is that the track list here in my opinion is outstanding. There is a lot of material here that I was unfamiliar with and yet these tracks have now become such favourites of mine that I find I am humming them at work! These tracks include:

- Tired of sleeping
- Caramel
- Gypsy
- Columbus
- Small blue thing

Yes, we all know Suzanne for the 80's hits (ie. Tom's Diner, Luka, Marlena on the Wall, Left of Centre etc) but she is so much more than this. Take a listen, you will be pleasantly surprised. If anything, it will wet your appetite and you will want to hunt down her other albums (I plan to).

Overall - an impressive collection which you won't regret adding to your library.

Average customer rating:

I normally don't like "Greatest Hits" albums...
suzanne at her best
A great starter kit + great live tracks

Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
Manufacturer: Umvd Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Best Of Tried & True

ASIN: B00009YOUE
Release Date: 2003-07-14

Tracks:

Luka
Tom's Diner - The DNA Disciples, Suzanne Vega
Marlene on the Wall
Caramel
99.9F
Tired of Sleeping
Small Blue Thing
Blood Makes Noise
Left of Center [From Pretty in Pink]
(I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May
In Liverpool
Gypsy
Book of Dreams
No Cheap Thrill
Calypso
World Before Columbus
Solitude Standing
Penitent
Rosemary
Queen and the Soldier [B-Side][Live]
Woman on the Tier (I'll See You Through) [From Dead Man Walking]

Tracks:

Caramel [Live][*]
Widow's Talk [Live][*]
Solitude Standing [Live][*]
Blood Makes Noise [Live][*]
In Liverpool (Intro/Narrative) [Live][*]
In Liverpool [Live][*]
Anniversay [#][*][Demo Version]
Tom's Diner [Original Version][*]

Album Description

Limited edition double CD compilation. Disc one includes all of her hits & signature tracks. Disc two features live recordings, 'Caramel', 'Widow's Walk' 'Solitude Standing', 'Blood Makes Noise', 'In Liverpool' (Intro/Narrative), 'In Liverpool', one previously unreleased track, 'Anniversary' & the original version of 'Tom's Diner'. 29 tracks. Universal. 2003.

Album Details

Limited Edition with Bonus CD of Six Live Tracks Recorded in Wisconsin April 2003 plus a New 2003 Unreleased Song 'anniversary' and the Original Version of 'tom's Diner'

Customer Reviews:

I normally don't like "Greatest Hits" albums..........2005-09-08

...but "Retrospective" is very well arranged and lsitenable. I have all of Suzanne's albums, and bought this one in order to get the 2nd disc of rare live songs. That disc alone makes the whole package worth it. ("Anniversary" is an amazing new acoustic song, which hopefully will be the centerpiece of a new studio album.) Suzanne Vega does have enought high quality live recordings to put out a great "Live Retrospective" album - hopefully she'll do so in the future! But this 2-disc studio retropective and live EP can suffice for now. Despite the distinct styles of her 6 studio albums, "Retrospective" plays very smoothly; there's no awkward, stylistic changes from track to track that distract you from enjoying Suzanne's beautiful song writing.

suzanne at her best.......2003-08-14

when this cd was released in the u.s i bought it almost immeadiately. i later then found out they were releasing a u.k. version. now i already had this cd but i wanted this othe u.k version for the 2nd disc. i just wasn't willing to pay for it again. but i ended up doing that and well i am glad that i did. i have doen many searches on kazza for any good live material from her and i can't find much, esp the ones offered here. the songs are great esp. blood makes noise. i also love the new song included anniversary. is this cd worth the price? paid $$$$ for it and i can easily say yes. the 7 new tracks unavailible anywhere else make up for the price. i just only wish that either i had known about this earlier, as to avoid buying 2, or they did the same with u.s release as with the u.k one. this cd deserves more than 5 stars.

A great starter kit + great live tracks.......2003-08-07

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. This is prehaps the best way for a fan to introduce friends to Suzanne's work. It give a full spectrum: from the early days, to the era of deep introspection, to her work with Mitchell Froom, to her new era of revitalization.

The chance to hear the new track Anniversary? Wow! A jam packed best-of (you couldn't squeeze even half a song more on the CD) and a live EP how great for the price!

Tracks:

Luka
Tom's Diner - The DNA Disciples, Suzanne Vega
Marlene on the Wall
Caramel
99.9 F
Tired of Sleeping
Small Blue Thing
Blood Makes Noise
Left of Center
(I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May
In Liverpool
Gypsy
Book of Dreams
No Cheap Thrill
Calypso
World Before Columbus
Solitude Standing
Penitent
Rosemary
Queen and the Soldier [Live]
Woman on the Tier (I'll See You Through)

Album Description

Import pressing of their greatest hits collection packaged in a slidepack. Part of the Universal 'Just the Music' Campaign. 2006. * Please note, no liner notes are included.