1001 Other Albums<p><strong>Self-Titled Summer | Suzanne Vega (1985, US)</strong></p><p>Our next Self-Titled Summer spotlight is on number 820 on <a href="https://1001otheralbums.com/the-list/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The List</a>, submitted by shiawase. Here’s a quick rundown:</p><ul><li><em>Point of origin(s)</em>: Born in California (in 1959) and raised in New York City, as a college student singer-songwriter Vega became part of the folk music revival and Greenwich Village music scene boom of the early 80s. Vega was part of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Hardy_(singer-songwriter)" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Jack Hardy</a>‘s songwriters’ group at the Cornelia Street Cafe, from which a cooperative and monthly anthology (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Folk" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>The CooP</em>/<em>Fast Folk Musical Magazine</em></a>) arose to give an outlet for independent artists to perform and put out their first recordings. Vega’s first was “Cracking” on the inaugural <em>Fast Folk</em> comp (<a href="https://www.discogs.com/master/3624878-Various-The-CooP-The-Fast-Folk-Musical-Magazine" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">February 1982</a>), followed by a handful of other songs on subsequent <em>Fast Folk</em> issues over the next three years.[1] A year after Vega was signed to A&M Records, in May 1985 she released this, her debut album, which includes most of those <em>Fast Folk</em> songs (with the exception of “Tom’s Diner” and “Gypsy”, both of which would end up on Vega’s second album) plus more. Vega also performed the entire album (plus “Tom’s Diner” and “Gypsy”, as well as some great monologues) as a solo acoustic set at the SpeakEasy club in Greenwich Village the week the s/t came out. This lovely performance was released as a radio broadcast to promote the album; in 2014, the recording was finally released as an album (though possibly unofficially?), <em><a href="https://album.link/ca/i/1837244696" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Live at the Speakeasy</a></em> (also found under the title <em>Live in New York 1985</em>). </li><li><em>Tasting notes</em>: Masterful storytelling via stripped-back contemporary folk/neo-folk, acoustic guitar</li><li><em>Standout track</em>: The album’s first single, “Marlene on the Wall”; also “Small Blue Thing” and “The Queen and the Soldier”. I also really dig all the live <em>Speakeasy</em> versions.</li><li><em>Where are they now?</em>: Vega’s s/t was a hit, as was her addition to the <em>Pretty in Pink </em>soundtrack (“<a href="https://song.link/ca/i/1440839076" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Left of Center</a>“) in 1986 and then her second album, <em><a href="https://album.link/ca/i/1444012381" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Solitude Standing</a></em> (1987). In 1989, she became the very first woman to headline the Glastonbury Festival. The following year then saw Vega’s biggest hit – indeed what most people know her for – being a remix of “<a href="https://song.link/ca/i/1443836345" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Tom’s Diner</a>” by British electronic dance duo DNA. Though originally showing up in clubs as an unsolicited bootleg titled “Oh Susanne”, Vega soon gave DNA permission for an official release. Around the same time, this song garnered Vega fame for a rather random reason, as the original a cappella version was used as the test song when the MP3 format was being developed by Karlheinz Brandenburg, particularly to see how the human voice fared with its compression algorithm. Brandenburg refined the algorithm until Vega’s voice sounded right, and christened Vega “Mother of the MP3”. <br>Vega has gone on to do many other wonderful things, including: experimenting with the folk genre, winning many awards, being featured on a number of soundtracks, becoming a published author, becoming a playwright (with “Barely Breathing” Duncan Sheik!), hosting a Peabody Award-winning radio series, acting in an off-Broadway musical, and starting her own recording label and re-recording her back catalogue. <br>Vega just released her 10th studio album this last May, <em>Flying with Angels</em>, and is currently <a href="https://www.suzannevega.com/tour" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">touring</a> it with dates in Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, England, and Scotland still to come.</li><li><em>Websites</em>: <a href="https://www.suzannevega.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Artist website</a>, <a href="https://suzannevega.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Vega" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></li></ul><p>Happy listening!</p><ul><li><a href="https://album.link/ca/i/1429191144" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Songlink: Suzanne Vega – <em>Suzanne Vega</em></a></li><li><a href="https://www.discogs.com/master/31638-Suzanne-Vega-Suzanne-Vega" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Discogs: Suzanne Vega – <em>Suzanne Vega</em></a></li></ul><ol><li>“Gypsy” and “Night Moves” (<a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/7213232-Various-The-CooP-The-Fast-Folk-Musical-Magazine" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Jun</a> and <a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/14045084-Various-The-Coop-The-Fast-Folk-Musical-Magazine-September-82-Vol-1-8" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sep ’82</a> comps), “The Queen and the Soldier” and “Some Journey” (<a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/14038322-Various-The-Coop-Fast-Folk-Magazine-1st-Anniversary-Vol2-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Feb</a> and <a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/14162961-Various-The-Coop-The-Fast-Folk-Musical-Magazine-Love-Songs-June-83-Vol-2-5" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Jun ’83</a>), “Tom’s Diner and “Knight Moves” (<a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/13271565-Various-Fast-Folk-Musical-Magazine-January-1984-Vol1-No1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Jan</a> and <a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/14163057-Various-Fast-Folk-Musical-Magazine-April-1984-Vol-1-No-4-Live-At-The-Bottom-Line" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Apr ’84</a>), and finally “Small Blue Thing” (<a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/8322973-Various-Fast-Folk-Musical-Magazine-May-1985-Vol-2-No-5-Live-At-Arlington-Town-Hall" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">May ’85</a>). ↩︎</li></ol><p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/1980s/" target="_blank">#1980s</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/fast-folk-musical-magazine/" target="_blank">#FastFolkMusicalMagazine</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/folk/" target="_blank">#folk</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/folk-music/" target="_blank">#folkMusic</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/greenwich-village/" target="_blank">#GreenwichVillage</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/listen-to-this/" target="_blank">#ListenToThis</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/music/" target="_blank">#music</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/music-discovery/" target="_blank">#musicDiscovery</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/selftitled/" target="_blank">#selftitled</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/singer-songwriter/" target="_blank">#singerSongwriter</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://1001otheralbums.com/tag/suzanne-vega/" target="_blank">#SuzanneVega</a></p>