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Subj: Re: Greatest Hits
Date: 95-07-26 20:40:17 EDT
From: woj@remus.rutgers.edu
To: undertow@law.lawlib.emory.edu

Robert King sez:

>Done well, a collection can be valuable in giving a non-fan a
>picture of what an artist is about, how he/she has developed over the
>years, etc.

good point. just the other day, i was hanging out in a local record store and overheard two men talking about music and such. one of them said, "i'll just buy the collection since i don't want to go overboard on their albums."

that made me realize that there is some value to these kinds of releases for some people. however, for the most part, i don't qualify.

>I happen to like Kate Bush's _The Whole Story_ collection
>better than either of the actual albums by her that I own (_The Sensual
>World_ and _The Red Shoes_).

well, there's a good reason for that - but i'll save that debate for love-hounds/rec.music.gaffa.

queen's greatest hits album is another example of a good collection.

>But basically, this Best Of project isn't really aimed at fanatics like us.

that pretty much sums it up.

woj

Subj: Re: 'Greatest hits' suggestions
Date: 95-07-27 16:54:04 EDT
From: paolo.bugna@intesys.it (Gian-Paolo Bugna)
To: Undertow@law.lawlib.emory.edu

>Only a few changes from Rob's list:
>
>I agree with all choices except take out Knight Moves and add The Queen and
>the Soldier instead
>

Sorry Wendy, I really don't agree with you ! The Queen and the Soldier is a really good "folk" tune (in 1985, when I first listen to SV songs, it was my favourite).

But Knight Moves is intense, cryptic, strong. And, really strange, it's one of the few SV songs where explicitly appears the word "love". The more, a lot of times.

Gian-Paolo

Subj: Greatest Hits
Date: 95-07-29 17:34:17 EDT
From: ahikb@netvision.net.il (Ahik Berman)
To: undertow@law.emory.edu (undertow)

-- [ From: Ahik Berman * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --

Hi,

I've been around for a month now, enjoying the ideas and reflections. I became familiar with Suzanne Vega's work 6.5 years ago, when I was 16. Suzanne held a concert in Caesaria's Roman amphitheater (Israel) - it was her first (and only) performance here, and I listened to it on the radio... As they say, there's a silver line etc., so - in spite my disappointment that I wasn't in the audience, at least it hooked me to Suzanne's music.

There aren't too many Vega fans around here; people who like Industrial music argue that 99.9'F didn't go far enough; people who enjoy light-dance can do without Suzanne, and most MTV oriented ones (no offense...) are 'strangers in a strange land' when it comes to her songs. But as you know, mass- popularity seldom characterizes quality. As many of you stated, it's kind-of strange to imagine a 'best-of' Suzanne Vega collection, but IMHO it's mainly because we've got used to the commercial artists who's compilations are usually based on hits, knowing this is the best way to sell. If you take a quality artist such as Suzanne you'd hardly expect a 'hits album'.

Here's a list of my favorite Suzanne Vega tracks:

Bad Wisdom
Solitude Standing
Marlene on the Wall
In Liverpool
Blood Makes Noise
The Queen and the Soldier
Rock in this Pocket
Gypsy
Ironbound
Book of Dreams
As a Child
Calypso

This mailing list is shared by many people from distant places, but still - when it came to supplying the 'Greatest' lists, there's a great similarity - around 80% of the songs appear in (almost) all the lists. Not all of them can be described as 'hits' in the common sense of the word - neither commercially nor melodically. And yet, we all seem to love them. So maybe Suzanne Vega can produce a 'different' compilation, just the way she knows how to write 'different' hits ?

Glad to be in Undertow;
greetings and be seeing you.

ahik.

Subj: greatest hits & etc
Date: 95-07-29 22:30:27 EDT
From: Suzanne Vega
To: undertow@law.emory.edu

Hi gang --

you all did get my last message thanking you for the birthday greetings, didn't you? I got a copy of it myself, but the Internet sent me a message recently saying they had "killed" the message because it was "undeliverable". Bizarre.

Anyway -- regarding the "greatest hits": obviously if it were a true greatest hits package it would have 2 songs on it; Luka and Tom's Diner. So it is really intended to be a "retrospective".

I think that to go back and take some songs from each album and place them together in one collection would be interesting because it would change the context of the songs. To me, a song like "Cracking" is not that different in concept from "Blood Makes Noise". One is obviously -- well, noisier. But neither are really "folk songs". To me they are more similar than they are different. And that would change the way people perceive the songs.

Most people think of the first album as "more folk" and the last album as "more industrial" when actually all the albums are a mixture of acoustic guitar and synthesizors (how the hell do you spell that?)

I'm also thinking of including other projects that were never included on any album -- "Left of Center", "Salt Water", possibly "Ignorant Sky", a song I recently sang for Philip Glass (though I didn't write the lyrics). A retrospective is meant to give perspective. (I want to get the "Squeeze " one myself.)

If I could I'd release one every year, whenever I find I'm looking back and trying to make sense of it all. They could all have different slants like; "The Mental Health Collection ." featuring Cracking, Blood Makes Noise, and others; "The Folk Songs of SV." featuring The Queen and The Soldier, Night Vision, Bad Wisdom, Gypsy; "Love Songs." with Night Moves.( that would be a very short retrospective so far, I'm afraid). "SV Rocks Out" with Men In a War, Neighborhood Girls. And so forth.

I'm getting silly now, sorry. But I enjoy hearing what you would like and your reasons, though I don't know that I will please everyone. (The DNA version will probably be on it, and it will probably be called something witty like "Retrospective").

I'm still trying to balance the "tried and true" with the "odds and ends". Maybe it will be a 2 CD set -- one with "tried and true" and the other with "odds and ends". But first I have to finish the current one.

As to the "Covers" tape, of course, I am tickled that you would want to undertake such a project. I hope you are free and imaginative in your interpretations. I really liked some of the ones on Tom's Album ( though the REM one was probably my least favorite).

Talk to you soon.

Suzanne Vega

Subj: Re: greatest hits & etc
Date: 95-07-30 07:44:17 EDT
From: schuster@panix.com (Michael Schuster)
To: undertow@law.emory.edu (Suzanne Vega)

> you all did get my last message thanking you for the birthday greetings,
> didn't you? I got a copy of it myself, but the Internet sent me a message
> recently saying they had "killed" the message because it was
"undeliverable".
> Bizarre.

Yes, it went out. This mailing list is strange in that if there is an error in delivery to **any** list member the bounce goes back to the sender. Lots of people leave jobs, school, etc and the accounts are cancelled.

And thanks sooooooooo much for stopping to write in again.

> I'm also thinking of including other projects that were never included on any
> album -- "Left of Center", "Salt Water", possibly "Ignorant Sky", a song I
> recently sang for Philip Glass (though I didn't write the lyrics). A
> retrospective is meant to give perspective. (I want to get the "Squeeze "
> one myself.)

Please! and this has been mentioned before: while you're thinking along those lines, how about a studio version of "Black Widow Station". Yes it's an oldie, but it's a favorite of many of us - especially those lucky to have it on that live Australian album from way back.

> If I could I'd release one every year, whenever I find I'm looking back and
> trying to make sense of it all. They could all have different slants like;
> "The Mental Health Collection ." featuring Cracking, Blood Makes Noise, and
> others;
> "The Folk Songs of SV." featuring The Queen and The Soldier, Night Vision,
> Bad Wisdom, Gypsy;
> "Love Songs." with Night Moves.( that would be a very short retrospective so
> far, I'm afraid).
> "SV Rocks Out" with Men In a War, Neighborhood Girls. And so forth.

Actually it's the variety and willingness to experiment which makes your recent albums interesting to listen to! But you're right in that people lose the sense of similarities between songs of the same style which may have been released years apart.

> I'm getting silly now, sorry. But I enjoy hearing what you would like and
> your reasons, though I don't know that I will please everyone. (The DNA
> version will probably be on it, and it will probably be called something
> witty like "Retrospective").

Hey, it worked for Jackson Browne :-)

> I'm still trying to balance the "tried and true" with the "odds and ends".
> Maybe it will be a 2 CD set -- one with "tried and true" and the other with
> "odds and ends".

Yes!!

Subj: Re: greatest hits & etc
Date: 95-07-30 13:38:07 EDT
From: Paul_Lebeau@equinox.gen.nz (Moeroa)
To: undertow@law.lawlib.emory.edu

Suzanne wrote:
> ... A retrospective is meant to give perspective. and further down the page...
> ...and it will probably be called something witty like "Retrospective").

Far be it for me to suggest album titles Suzanne, but the obvious answer just jumped out of the page and slapped me a couple of times:

'Retroperspective'

Paul

PS. > As to the "Covers" tape, of course, I am tickled that you would want to
> undertake such a project. I hope you are free and imaginative in your
> interpretations.

This sounds like a lot of fun.. anyone on this list in my part of the world (Christchurch, NZ) who wants to talk about doing something? (preferable as many people as possible so that my voice can be drowned out ;)

Subj: Re: greatest hits & etc
Date: 95-07-30 16:34:53 EDT
From: paolo.bugna@intesys.it (Gian-Paolo Bugna)
To: Undertow@law.lawlib.emory.edu

> ...
> If I could I'd release one every year, whenever I find I'm looking back and
> trying to make sense of it all. They could all have different slants like;
> ...
> "Love Songs." with Night Moves.( that would be a very short retrospective so
> far, I'm afraid).
> ...

Yes, I know! I wrote only a couple of times to the list, both times speaking about Knight Moves. Sorry, I really appreciate all your threads: simply I LOVE this song.

But what happened to the "K in the front of the night"?

Ciao!
Paolo

Subj: Re: Greatest Hits & etc
Date: 95-07-30 19:58:10 EDT
From: pmurf@ix.netcom.com (Paul Murphy)
To: undertow@law.lawlib.emory.edu

Hey everyone,

I've been out on vacation and when I got back I found my mailbox full of all these threads and discussions. So, I've been reading and trying to find a good opening for joining in (kinda like pulling out into a crowded traffic lane). Funny, one of the last messages before I left out of town was from Suzanne concerning the b'day messages. This morn- ing she's responded again. So, thought this'd be a good opportunity to get involved.

I've been intrigued about the "Greatest Hits" collection. I like Su- zanne's idea of possibly combining the rare ones with those more well known. Perhaps songs of similar themes could be grouped together, as Suzanne was saying. I believe that Bob Dylan did a similar project with his "Biograph" CDs a few years ago. I think this gives a fresh slant to songs recorded years apart with similar motifs. Whatever you choose to do, Suzanne, I'm sure those of us on this list will support it :-)

Since everyone has made suggestions for their favorites I might as well give mine. However, since I'm unable to pare them down to a man- ageable size I'm going to list those from each album I like and trust Suzanne to pick from them! I'd accept substitutions from rare material I've not heard, of course. Here goes:

Freeze Tag
Tom's Diner
Tired of Sleeping
Marlene On The Wall
Luka
Book of Dreams
Small Blue Thing
Ironbound
Room Off The Street
Undertow
In The Eye
Fifty Fifty Chance
Some Journey
Night Vision
Pilgrimage
TQATS
Language
Men In A War
99.9 F
Rock In This Pocket
Left Of Center
In Liverpool
Stay Awake
99.9
Blood Sings
As Girls Go
Song Of Sand

Guess I'm not very good at making choices! Got enough here for 3 disks. Well, so be it!

Paul
pmurf@ix.netcom.com

Subj: Re: greatest hits & etc
Date: 95-07-31 18:34:45 EDT
From: rwalters@lafayette.unocal.com (Rob Walters)
To: undertow@law.emory.edu

Hello again,

(Suzanne wrote):
>Anyway -- regarding the "greatest hits": obviously if it were a true greatest
>hits package it would have 2 songs on it; Luka and Tom's Diner. So it is
>really intended to be a "retrospective".
>I think that to go back and take some songs from each album and place them
>together in one collection would be interesting because it would change the
>context of the songs....

Yes!! Thanks, Suzanne, for responding. As the one who initially posted a list, I now realize that 'greatest hits' is not the best term for it...

(Suzanne again)
>I'm also thinking of including other projects that were never included on any
>album -- "Left of Center", "Salt Water", possibly "Ignorant Sky"...

Great! How about 'Men Will Be Men' (has there been a discussion of this one yet?) and the bonus track only available on the 99.9F special edition - 'Private Goes Public'? Kind of like R.E.M's 'Dead Letter Office', maybe, minus the drunken covers of old Roger Miller songs, of course :) (sorry for that 'inside' reference...)

>If I could I'd release one every year, whenever I find I'm looking back and
>trying to make sense of it all. They could all have different slants like;
>( funny stuff deleted )...
>"SV Rocks Out" with Men In a War, Neighborhood Girls. And so forth.
>I'm getting silly now, sorry. But I enjoy hearing what you would like and
>your reasons, though I don't know that I will please everyone...

Ha! This is hilarious! See Suzanne poke fun at herself! :) I've always thought the two best 'rockers' were from Solitude Standing - those being the title track, and 'In the Eye'. Thanks again, Suzanne, for wading through all the suggestions. What a nice sense of humor and perspective about her own work! This response made my day!!

-Rob
rwalters@lafayette.unocal.com

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