Suicide: Classic Or Dud

i don't think i'd go as far as saying suicide were classic, but they were very good

But that first record is an easy classic, for the sound of the thing alone. Yes, "Frankie" can get a bit cringe-inducing, but that aside, it has such a great sound. What a feat that is, totally dependant on cheap technology from 25 years ago, and yet it still sounds cool. And I like he repe

But that first record is an easy classic, for the sound of the thing alone. Yes, "Frankie" can get a bit cringe-inducing, but that aside, it has such a great sound. What a feat that is, totally dependant on cheap technology from 25 years ago, and yet it still sounds cool. And I like he repetition.

The first album is a classic, especially if you can find the re-issue with "Keep Your Dreams" and "96 Tears" on it. Does their 2nd one measure up ?

Nobody mentioned Angel Corpus Christi - she's cool too. In fact I prefer her version of 'Dream Baby Dream'...

except primal scream of course.

I like "A Way of Life" - I don't think the production is as good as the second album, but I do like the songs. Most of them are sort of in the "Harlem"-type vein, though if you've heard Martin Rev's "Clouds of Glory", the song "Surrender" is, I think, just his song "Whisper" with singing added to it; quite lovely.

I haven't heard "American Supreme" - for some reason, I'm not so excited to.

People here will vouch for Martin Rev's "Strangeworld" as being a lost brilliant classic. I downloaded it last night, haven't heard it yet.

The Blast First reissue of the second album contains a bonus CD of the complete early demos, which is amazing - fragmentary songs which seem finely balanced between a Phil Spector epic and the sound of a broken air-conditioning unit.

" A Way of Life" is bleak, massive and wonderfully overwhelming. Rev and Vega's solo material contains much of interest. I particularly enjoyed Vega's early incarnation as a techno-rockabilly, a sound ineptly ripped off by Sputnik, and his later take on hip-hop beats.

Live stuff better than "23 Minutes": ROIR's official "Ghost Riders", a nicely done vinyl boot "We never said we are music" and (somewhere) I have a market stall tape of an amazing "reunion" show at the Camden Palace in the late eighties. (I think it was the Camden Palace anyway. I was there, so I should really know.)

"America, America is killing it's youth."

"We've just sat and listened to Rev turn his effects pedals on and off for five minutes . . fuckin' genius"

Fuckin' genius.

lol, "audio verite"

I've got quite a few Suicide bootlegs and I'm tempted, but I'll wait for a review.

On the plus side, the songs are different every time, and sometimes they'll take what seems like a throwaway piece and turn it into an epic. On the minus . . "23 Minutes Over Brussels" is awful quality, so what's the rest of this stuff likely to sound like?

just from a formalist point of viewm their first album is ace, lovely fuzzy sound textures and busted granny-organ beats: love it.

I can't get past how overwrought/silly some of the vocals are

ban shakey

i like to think he's a bit nuts, so the vocals are ok.

Overwrought vocals are very much Vega's thing, like it or not.

"Frankie Teardrop" would've been kinda underwrought without all that insane reverb. I like that debut a lot, but more for Rev's contributions than Vega's.

Insane reverb is one of the many very cool things about Suicide.

No argument here!

Complete classic. Ground breaking, original, melodic, expressive...

I can't seem to decide how I feel about these guys now. I thought I was pretty crazy about them for awhile, but then played that first album sober and somehow the magic disappeared and I shelved it like the second one. I'll likely go back to them eventually, though.

. . so don't listen to 'em sober! (Works for me with AC/DC.)

Classic. Especially for the second album. Especially for "Mister Ray".

I'd discuss the Suicide Live 1977-78 box here but it seems like ILM is filled with just as many idiots as their audiences on this thing

No, go on, I still want to know what its like.

I was very tempted by it, I must admit.

well, if you didn't like 23 Minutes Over Brussels, you probably won't like 6 Hours Over Earth

The sound quality is poor, but I could go for six hours of the same quality of performances, regardless.

I love that he was already officially over the hill (in youth culture terms) when Suicide started releasing albums. I love that his rap was like a hustler who figured out that America was the biggest fucked up hustle on every level. RIP.

Sad times. RIP Alan. Loved this guy ;_;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GnLtfDSAYQ

Have always referred to this thread to remind myself when I made my first ever ILM post (Wednesday, April 4, 2001 12:00 AM (15 years ago))

RIP beautiful dreamer.

Awwww RIP motorcycle hero

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6Vrf-CjnLo

Glad i did get to see both suicide and the 5 piece Alan Vega Band in the mid 80s.

Would love to hear some Reverend B so wonder if there is anything recorded

A visionary, a provocateur, a poet. Life well spent.

somehow he/they still looked.. youthful, if not young even recently

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pYhH4nd7_c

can't believe he was 78. that's my parent's generation. pre-boomer punks are rare. debbie harry is 70, i think. he was born the same year as my mom.

This is a fantastic read (if you skip a little of the A.R.E. Weapons mythologising) - http://bombmagazine.org/article/3181/alan-vega

http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=205&v=qCRTCqgAkfg

always did love this song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCRTCqgAkfg

don't know why this isn't working on the last link

Charlie Harper is in his 70s too

RIP, an American original

From FB:

Over here on E Street, we are saddened to hear of the passing of Alan Vega, one of the great revolutionary voices in rock and roll. The bravery and passion he showed throughout his career was deeply influential to me. I was lucky enough to get to know Alan slightly and he was always a generous and sweet spirit. The blunt force power of his greatest music both with Suicide and on his solo records can still shock and inspire today. There was simply no one else remotely like him.

Bruce Springsteen

Nice. The Boss's version of "Dream Baby Dream" not too shabby.

Cheree's gotta be one of the most perfect songs ever

the twinkling piano melody that fades away and then comes creeping back in the last third of the song. the dynamics could not be better.

can't believe he was 78. that's my parent's generation. pre-boomer punks are rare. debbie harry is 70, i think. he was born the same year as my mom.

― scott seward, Sunday, July 17, 2016 2:09 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

He was only three years younger than Elvis.

Jet Black from the Stranglers is 77

Alan @ 21. Serious Sal Mineo vibe going on here.

http://imgur.com/a/tPRZj

http://i.imgur.com/gR6UawW.jpg

lol whatever happened to A.R.E. Weapons?

Vega was an inspiration

wow @ young alan vega

in other news, the suicide 'comeback' record from the mid 1980s is actually quite good, i've discovered this week

American Supreme is really good, too. Listening to it again now. (I reviewed it for Alternative Press when it came out.)

Surprised me that he was that old too. My mother was born that year too.

Haven't seen much of his artwork, is there a book or anything compiling images of it?

Love American Supreme. Intense.

I saw Martin Rev last night and he was definitely classic

another call for "american supreme" which i haven't listened to since it came out iirc. but i remember that it was very intense. "cubist blues" together with alex chilton and ben vaughn is even better. tribal night music going deep. what does ilm think of his last album, "it"? i will try to stream it tonight. it's a shame there is no alan vega thread here...

IT is excellent. You couldn't ask for a better final album. Marty's latest, otoh, is really too dense for me at the moment but will give it another listen soon.

So "Dream baby dream" is being used to advertise perfume. I should be annoyed but I'm not as now I am being reminded about how awesome it is.

But do I own it? Ah discogs tells me its in box 9 on the 2cd set "The Second Album"

"The Rip" by Portishead was used too recently for the same purpose. There's a perfume ad executive somewhere with alright taste. Classic btw.

a lost Alan Vega album out April 23

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p63uxLCI260

Promising first track. Do we know when the songs were made?

95/96

Better than anything on Station imo and for the life of me I can't remember whether IT was any good or not.

xxxxp I heard Dream Baby Dream on a Marc Jacobs perfume advert last night

I was watching The Act the other day and surprised by the use of Surrender off Way Of Life.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/15/arts/music/alan-vega-mutator-vault.html

"It’s the first in a planned series of archival releases, drawn from what the singer called “the Vega vault,” that will be issued by Sacred Bones Records. The vault, a vast catacomb of Vega’s writings, paintings, drawings and music, includes a cassette tape that Artaud calls “the Holy Grail of the archive”: a soundboard recording of Suicide’s September 25, 1971, performance at Lincoln Center."

Yeah, it's pretty unlikely the archive will surpass a recording of a '71 show.

uh wow

This is a fun and really interesting listen.

Heard "Nike Solider" off "Mutator" and really like it. I've never delved into his solo work, can anyone point me to the best stuff?

idk abt best but the first three are solid, and I love Etant Donnes so I appreciate Re-Up and Sniper as well, but haven't heard anything else

yea I like the first two a lot and the record he did with Alex chilton also great

classic

First three albums for sure, I really like Zero Hour too. In terms of collabs, Alex Chilton, the two PanSonic and the Revolutionary Corps of Teenage Jesus definitely.

Listening to that first album now, still amazing as hell

I once was at a brewpub with that album on the jukebox and wanted to pay it to play Frankie Teardrop as I left. Alas, I'm a coward.

did we hear anything more about that 1971 recording in the vaults?

( https://www.fromthearchives.com/av_mr/VR25_Sep_71b.jpg + "About 8 people are in the audience, sitting on the park benches." https://www.fromthearchives.com/av_mr/chronology.html )

"ghost rider" has been my default "first song to play when i'm going to work and i've heard some utterly depressing political news" track for a good number of years now.

idk if they're still doing it but the "frankie teardrop" challenge tom scharpling and the best show did was an all-timer.