Played this constantly back in the day. Voting "Gypsy", her most tender and beautiful song. On another day I might have gone for "Wooden Horse", a surprisingly avant song that led me to check out Herzog's film.
― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Saturday, 1 December 2012 22:39 (eleven years ago) link
Should I just get this album already?
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, December 1, 2012 9:07 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Absolutely!
I have never listened to her; never mattered to me. Should I bother?
― Duke, Saturday, December 1, 2012 10:35 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I'd at least give this album a go before deciding whether or not you want to go any further... I have to admit, it's not very often that I dig out a Suzanne Vega album to listen to, but whenever I do it's usually this one, and I've always found Solitude Standing to be a great listen at the very least!
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Saturday, 1 December 2012 22:43 (eleven years ago) link
Wooden Horse for me, I think. Goodness, I played this to death when I was 19.
― Michael Jones, Saturday, 1 December 2012 22:43 (eleven years ago) link
Ironbound/Fancy Poultry, without hesitation
― MaresNest, Saturday, 1 December 2012 23:01 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah, very tempted to vote for 'Ironbound/Fancy Poultry' myself, because man those guitars sound beautiful. Then I remember the bassline on 'In The Eye' and I become stumped all over again!
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Saturday, 1 December 2012 23:45 (eleven years ago) link
I only know the singles, unfortunately...
― Raymond Cummings, Sunday, 2 December 2012 00:28 (eleven years ago) link
tom's diner. the rest is waste.
― jed_, Sunday, 2 December 2012 02:27 (eleven years ago) link
nah wait. fancy poultry is good and so is luka. i think.
― jed_, Sunday, 2 December 2012 02:29 (eleven years ago) link
XP - I was never too fussed about IB/FP at first, and I rarely went back to the album. Then a couple of years ago I was doing some Christmas shopping in London on a very cold and pale day and for some reason the track totally clicked, esp the cyclical guitars at the end.
― MaresNest, Sunday, 2 December 2012 09:34 (eleven years ago) link
Turrican, have you taken the time to listen to the re-recorded versions she's been putting out?
― MaresNest, Sunday, 2 December 2012 09:38 (eleven years ago) link
I haven't I'm afraid, are they worth bothering with?
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Sunday, 2 December 2012 16:03 (eleven years ago) link
loved this album. would still fuck with fancy poultry
― surm, Sunday, 2 December 2012 17:24 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah, went for 'Ironbound/Fancy Poultry', after much thought!
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Sunday, 2 December 2012 21:29 (eleven years ago) link
which is a ... weird thing to come back to, after all these years. Tom's Diner is also wonderful tho.
― surm, Sunday, 2 December 2012 23:19 (eleven years ago) link
Haven't thought about most of these songs for ages. "Ironbound/Fancy Poultry" is good for sure, "Wooden Horse," I think I remember liking "In the Eye" but I'd have to go back and listen to see.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Monday, 3 December 2012 03:02 (eleven years ago) link
OK yeah, "In the Eye" is really good, too. I dunno. Probably still vote "Tom's Diner."
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Monday, 3 December 2012 03:04 (eleven years ago) link
'in the eye' probably
― GAY HIPSTER BATMAN ON HIS WAY TO A CIRCUIT PARTY (donna rouge), Monday, 3 December 2012 04:18 (eleven years ago) link
Interesting to see 'Wooden Horse' mentioned a couple of times. I love it, of course, but I'll admit that it was the last song on this album to click for me!
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 02:07 (eleven years ago) link
"Night Vision" and surprisingly "Luka" are getting slept on a bit here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-IP2p3WK24
― 2 Chain Pizzas (to go) (Eazy), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 03:15 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah, this is hard - but I'll go with Wooden Horse because I loved it so much when I was 14.
The rerecorded albums (there are four now!) are really fantastic.
― derrrick, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 06:43 (eleven years ago) link
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Sunday, December 2, 2012 4:03 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Indeed, they have been recorded starkly and she's stripped out the production elements that may have tied the original recordings to the 80's/90's, it's arguably a *little* precious, I'd love to have heard her go for it in a Nina Nastasia way production wise. However, some versions are better than the originals by virtue of the lack of tasteful eighties sessions dudes.
― MaresNest, Tuesday, 4 December 2012 12:34 (eleven years ago) link
Great stuff, I'll check them out - although, I have to say that the 'dated' production on Solitude Standing and the tasteful playing of the "'80s session dudes" are two of the reasons why I like the record so much!
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Thursday, 6 December 2012 03:26 (eleven years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Friday, 7 December 2012 00:01 (eleven years ago) link
urgh - was obsessed with this album as a 12 year old - my gateway to "alternative" music I suppose.Anyway, pretty impossible to pick. Apart from the singles, I could go for any of the songs. Might vote for "Language" just bcs no one mentionned it yet.
― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Friday, 7 December 2012 12:32 (eleven years ago) link
BBC radio doc about SS
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nq1c0
― MaresNest, Friday, 7 December 2012 12:59 (eleven years ago) link
Title track. Used to love this album - same friend who got me into REM was a massive Vega fan.
― Deafening silence (DL), Friday, 7 December 2012 13:17 (eleven years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Saturday, 8 December 2012 00:01 (eleven years ago) link
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Thursday, December 6, 2012 3:26 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Yea, she didn't suffer too much at the hands of ESD's pity though that she wasn't pals with Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot or Joey Baron.
I have a boot somewhere from around the time of the first record where the keyboard player gamefully 'recreates' the gypsy violin at the end of Some Journey.
― MaresNest, Saturday, 8 December 2012 00:01 (eleven years ago) link
Calypso would have been my second choice.
― MaresNest, Saturday, 8 December 2012 00:02 (eleven years ago) link
― Deafening silence (DL), Friday, December 7, 2012 1:17 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Yeah, it doesn't really surprise me that someone who is into REM rates this album also!
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Saturday, 8 December 2012 00:23 (eleven years ago) link
Overall, decent results - wasn't surprised at all that 'Luka' and 'Tom's Diner' got votes, but great to see that almost every track got at least one... especially all of my four favourites from the record. I think that both 'Calypso' and 'Language' are both great, though, but maybe it's that there are stronger tracks here that those didn't get votes.
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Saturday, 8 December 2012 00:27 (eleven years ago) link
Anyone who likes this album should check out this Smithereens album cut recorded around the same time, on which Suzanne Vega duets with Pat DiNizio. Great song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlOVlqUcB8A
― Lee626, Saturday, 8 December 2012 05:49 (eleven years ago) link
man this album rules so hard - spend the whole of last night cherry picking on iTunes store the re-recordings scattered on the Close-Up albums. I also discovered in the process that she performed live the whole album two years ago and released the recording. How did I miss that?
― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Wednesday, 23 April 2014 09:58 (ten years ago) link