Suzanne Vega - Solitude Standing POLL

Very tough one for me, this. At the moment it's a tie between 'Luka', 'Ironbound/Fancy Poultry', 'In The Eye' and the title track.

Should I just get this album already?

I have never listened to her; never mattered to me. Should I bother?

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.

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!

Wooden Horse for me, I think. Goodness, I played this to death when I was 19.

Ironbound/Fancy Poultry, without hesitation

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!

I only know the singles, unfortunately...

tom's diner. the rest is waste.

nah wait. fancy poultry is good and so is luka. i think.

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.

Turrican, have you taken the time to listen to the re-recorded versions she's been putting out?

I haven't I'm afraid, are they worth bothering with?

loved this album. would still fuck with fancy poultry

Yeah, went for 'Ironbound/Fancy Poultry', after much thought!

which is a ... weird thing to come back to, after all these years. Tom's Diner is also wonderful tho.

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.

OK yeah, "In the Eye" is really good, too. I dunno. Probably still vote "Tom's Diner."

'in the eye' probably

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!

"Night Vision" and surprisingly "Luka" are getting slept on a bit here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-IP2p3WK24

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.

I haven't I'm afraid, are they worth bothering with?

― 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.

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!

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

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.

BBC radio doc about SS

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nq1c0

Title track. Used to love this album - same friend who got me into REM was a massive Vega fan.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

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, 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.

Calypso would have been my second choice.

Title track. Used to love this album - same friend who got me into REM was a massive Vega fan.

― 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!

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.

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

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?