Suicide [Live]

Whereas Kraftwerk navigated the Autobahn at a fairly moderate pace, Alan Vega & Martin Rev often break all speed limits. Controlled, even disembodied vocals characterize the German band's music while Suicide's is pierced by whoops, hollers & gasps. Most of these songs are so beautiful and tuneful that they would have been chart material had they been toned down to the level of say, OMD or Eurythmics. With the exception of the 10 harrowing minutes of Frankie Teardrop, a real piece of "psychobilly," the melodies & hooks are irresistible.

The pulsating Ghost Rider with its ominous drone is quite anthemic, more minimalist than Alan Vega's later solo version. Although still appealing, Rocket USA is eerie & doom-laden while Cheree is a mid-tempo ballad with an enchanting chiming melody unfolding behind the drone. There are lighter, more accessible and highly catchy tracks like Johnny and Girl, another slow number with a hypnotic arrangement & richly textured sounds. The remix of Cheree sounds more soulful & romantic than the original. Its chugging rhythms & yearning vocals give I Remember a melancholic air. Then follows Keep Your Dreams, an addictive ditty with a lilting flow.

Disc 2 consists of 6 live performances recorded at CBGB's. Mr Ray is a heavy but surprisingly subdued interpretation of the Velvets' Sister Ray, Las Vegas Man a musically monotonal but vocally exuberant excursion, and the cover of the 60s pop hit 96 Tears is punctured by crashing sound effects & Vega's yelping. There's a slower and warmer rendition of Keep Your Dreams where the synth sounds like an organ, and a menacing rather than mournful I Remember with some blood-curdling screams and echoing vocals. Sparks fly on the spectacular Harlem with its driving beat where Vega growls & bellows instead of the usual gasping & yelling.

The brutal Brussels performance is cacophonic, dissonant and marred by feedback. Tension builds up through the swearing, booing, chanting and scattered clapping, culminating in the dispute over the microphone. It was quite a riot according to the sleeve-notes, making Elvis Costello for whom they opened, even more caustic than he was in those days.

The band's sound on this album ranges from a unique type of electronic rockabilly to experimental like one of their Mute label-mate bands, The Normal (Warm Leatherette & TVOD), to the accessible territory later explored by The Human League, Eurythmics & OMD. The main difference with Kraftwerk is that in unifying man & machine, the German band restrained the emotions while Suicide does just the opposite by using the electronics to amplify emotions to the extreme. On the later CD A Way of Life, they did take a more pop approach but sacrificed most of the passion. This seminal album remains a masterpiece of electronic pop-rock.

There really is no way that Suicide's music can be described to someone who hasn't heard it, but I'm going to try... Alan Vega's vocals are always compared to Elvis, but it's almost like an Elvis whose sneers are for real with a dark, brooding delivery. In contrast, Martin Rev produces a droning electronic backing that is sometimes distorted guitar-like and sometimes something like a wind-up nursery toy. The drums are very primitive and verging on the cheesy, and there is rarely a snare sound.

Does this sound like something that you could listen to? Probably not, but when you hear it, you can see how hard it is to put your finger on what it is that makes this band great. The comparisons to other bands just aren't relevant. They are far more minimalist than Kraftwerk, and if they influenced synthesizer duos in the 80's, then there is little evidence of it in 80's music. What they are is an absolutely unique act.

Their first outing is a very primitive affair, but with an approach that says "we don't give a shit about conventions - this is the way we want to do it!". The first thing I wanted to do after I heard it for the first time was play it again, first to see if I really heard what I heard, and because you just need to keep listening to it to take it all in.

The second CD is a worthwhile bonus, giving you some idea of why they were both loved and hated live. The CBGB's set shows why they were loved by their audience, and the '23 Minutes Over Brussels' shows you why they were hated by people whose heads were too filled with the conventions set by the music industry.

Just don't play this before you go to sleep!

I bought this album after seeing Suicide opening for Elvis Costello and the Attractions in Paris a million years ago. Despite real howls of loathing from the crowd (not yet prepared for Sartrean, or rather Camus-ian nihilism by the Cure and other gothic popsters), Suicide pounded out their hypnotic, psychotic dance music. Suicide had the true punk disdain for all conventions, including those already carved in stone by the punk/new wave nomenklatura. Disturbing and refreshing in equal parts, Suicide, Pere Ubu and Devo all brought an inspired, warped intelligence to bear on the new wave. This album is the forerunner of just about all non-rockist music we listen to today.