RetroSpective - The Best Of Suzanne Vega [Box set, Limited Edition]

If you like Suzanne Vega you are not going to be disappointed with 'Retrospective'. Straight in with 'Luka', 'Tom’s Diner' (DNA version), and 'Marlene on the Wall' you’re reminded of the impact and fresh sound she brought to the late 80’s. This collection has been put together to make musical sense rather than simply sticking to the rails of a chronological order. There are twenty one tracks on the main CD and you’re well over halfway before the slightly less familiar songs start to find their way in. There’s no sense that they are fillers, rather they further illustrate the quality of her writing. What you do notice in listening to all these tracks together is the strange, low-key quality of Vega’s delivery. There’s no sense of the dynamics and emotional power you get from someone like Annie Lennox, and yet her voice and words manage to insinuate themselves into your mind. Inevitably though, with this number of tracks, I felt the album started to sag a little about three-quarters of the way through. Save half of it for another day and avoid too many rich treats all at once.

Or… you could put on the second disc! Here’s a bonus collection of six live tracks recorded in May 2003 that showcase Vega and her band at their very best. The quality of both the recording and performance is superb, the live 'Caramel' far more seductive than the studio version, a driving 'Widow’s Walk' that makes you go back and listen again, followed by a rockin’ 'Solitude Standing' and 'Blood Makes Noise', much better as a live track. 'In Liverpool' is introduced with a short poem, the inspiration, one supposes, for the song. It’s a personal memory, rich in the detail of Vega's particular view of the scene. Is this the way she writes? You want to see her live to find out more. A new song, 'Anniversary', harks back to the starker style of her early work and the disc is rounded off with the original, and best, 'a cappella' version of 'Tom’s Diner'.

The sleeve notes, although written in a slightly odd style, give interesting background information and include the words to all the songs on the main disc. All in all a good buy, but it’s the ‘live’ disc that makes it for me. When is she coming to Glasgow, again?

I'm not sure if my musical tastes have changed as I've grown older or if it's nostalgia having some sort of effect. Whatever it is, the indifference I once had is now gone. I was about to start picking up her back-catalogue, when I discovered she'd released this Greatest Hits album - just the perfect time for me. All the songs I mentioned above make their appearances, and would form the main highlights for me. (In fact, "Tom's Diner" manages it twice, as both the original version and the DNA remix are included).

With 21 tracks on the 'main' CD and a further 8 on the bonus CD, you certainly get your money's worth with this album. It also means that - given this is the first album by Suzanne I've bought - there's a lot of material I'm not familiar with. It's also interesting to hear the different styles she's produced - something I certainly didn't expect. There's a big difference, for example, between "Solitude Standing" (a folk-based song, the style I would most have associated Vega with) and "Blood Makes Noise" (taken from "99.9F" - which won a New York Music Award as Best Rock Album of 1992). Of the songs I hadn't heard before, "Blood Makes Noise" (with its industrial influences) would be one of those I prefer.

Six of the tracks on the bonus CD were taken from a concert, recorded in May 2003. Only one of these tracks, "Widow's Walk" doesn't feature on the main CD - and, of all the songs I hadn't heard before, is the one I like best. It also features two versions of "In Liverpool" (a spoken word version and a song) in addition to the version on the main CD. This would probably be the only criticism I have - three versions of essentially the same thing is a bit much. It also features a new song, called "Anniversary", which is more of the traditional Vega song - an acoustic number, no whistles and bells, with Suzanne singing.

All in all, an excellent package - of all the "Best Of" albums in my CD rack, this is the one I'd rate highest. While this may have been the first album by Suzanne Vega I've bought, it certainly won't be the last.

The chance to hear the new track Anniversary? Wow! A jam packed best-of (you couldn't squeeze even half a song more on the CD) and a live EP how great for the price!

For the American fans shopping here, this is a great chance to hear the hidden jewel "Rosemary". Rosemary was recently voted as a top pick by her fans. Rosemary is perhaps the best combination of her lyric writing talent, music writing and performance, and vocal work. This would be money well spent.