Second Album + the First

Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 2
EAN: 5016027611629
ASIN: B00000JR2B

Release Date: 1999-06-28

Second Album + the First

Related Categories:

General

| Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Punk

| Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Alternative Rock

| Imports | Stores | Music

Rock

| Imports | Stores | Music

Tracks:

Diamonds, Fur Coat, Champagne
Mr. Ray
Sweetheart
Fast Money Music
Touch Me
Harlem
Be Bop Kid
Las Vegas Man
Shadazz
Dance
Super Subway Comedian
Dream Baby Dream
Radiation
Speedqueen
Creature Feature
Tough Guy
A-Man
Sneakin' Around
Too Fine For You
See You Around
Be My Dream
Space Blue Bambo
Spaceship
Into My Eyes
C'Mon Babe
New City
Do It Nice

Similar Items:

Suicide (First Album)
A Way of Life
Cut
Silver Apples/Contact
Second Edition

Album Description

Reissue of the 1980 & second album by Martin Rev & Alan Vega's influential post-modern rock duo. Contains all of the tracks from the original release, plus two unmarked bonus tracks, 'Dream Baby Dream' & 'Radiation', added to the end of it. Also included is a 14 track collection of 1975 recordings entitled 'The First Rehearsal Tapes', for a total of 16 bonus tracks. A grand total of 27 selections. Double slimline jewel case. 1999 release.

Album Details

Reissue of their Second 1980 Album. Produced by Ric Ocasek. Includes a Second 45 Min. Disc of Unreleased Tracks. Deluxe Liner Notes and Printed Interview in the CD Booklet.

Customer Reviews:

Up from the Underground .......2006-06-24

Sometimes slagged as a sell-out, Suicide's second effort bore the imprint of pop star producer Ric Ocasek yet stayed true to the band's urban roots. Though updated (for its time) electronics replaced Martin Rev's thrift store gear, the sound retains the monotonous urgency that defined Suicide as a pacesetter two years prior. Alan Vega delivers brilliant, madcap vocal performances, most often on the tracks that blast street atmosphere into the mix (Mr. Ray, Harlem).
Here we also see the duo venturing into starry-eyed fascination with fame and riches, which is strangely in line with its blighted vision -- when Vega croons about Diamonds, Fur Coat, Champagne and Fast Money Music, it sounds like the daydreams of a rotter. Dreams go sour on Las Vegas Man, a haunting and ultra-sedated exploration of gambling's self-defeating lure.
Vega unintentionally summed up the vibe of this album when he told an interviewer that he knew the band was nearing success when he saw a go-go dancer do a striptease to the glossy beat of Diamonds, Fur Coat, Champagne. That must have been a thrill but Suicide's mainstream appeal never went much further, an eventuality perhaps ensured by a wretchedly sentimental single release, Dream Baby Dream, here included as an obligatory but bum bonus track.
The powerfully morbid B-side, Radiation, is also included and is far better. Super Subway Comedian rounds out the extras with Vega's take on the lighter side of city life.
For contrast, the bonus circa-1975 second disc gives all us lo-fi junkies something to mull over and is impressively creepy.

The Dark Side of Early Electropop.......2001-08-11

At long last Suicide's second LP has become available to the general public and it's value to you will depend on what you want out of pop music. If you want your pop music that is a pleasure to listen to, this is not your record. Much has been written about how accessible and smoothed out this album is compared with the band's first LP. And while this is indeed true, listeners expecting a relatively easy listen to a seminal synth-pop record will be sorely disappointed.

Thief of fire.......2000-11-02

Suicide's first studio album was the highly acclaimed "First album", a somewhat cold and manic record which fired off a sonic assault of electronic noise and angst-ridden, morbid lyrics. Despite the purely synth-driven sound, it was still a punk album - and a very influential one, too. Connected with the famous "CBGB's scene" at that time, the duo's live performances in the late-'70s were still intact, but their "Second album" and nearly every following studio effort confirmed that Suicide were inclined to take the 'easy option'. For their much-delayed second outing they entered the studio with Ric Ocasek, and "Second album" indeed is given the same immaculate and slick production that was the trademark of several other Ocasek products. The abrasive nature of the first release has been replaced by a somewhat laid-back, more accessible sound which makes clear why Suicide are often considered as forerunners of all these '80s pop duos, for example, Erasure, Soft Cell, Pet Shop Boys, and OMD. On the other hand, this makes it all stranger because the band doesn't really write pop songs on "Second album" instead of coming up with layers of atmospherics and arrangements which employ more details and a stronger rhythmic foundation.

Given the still primitive equipment at that time, the effects and sounds Martin Rev manages to wrangle from his machines are still awesome. "Fast money music" is worth of comparison to some of Aphex Twin's gentler ventures, particularly "Analogue bubblebath Vol.1". "Diamonds,..", "Mr.Ray", and "Harlem" are magnificent electro-pop classics. "Sweetheart" and "Dream baby dream" are moderately paced love songs which almost border on saccharine. Alan Vega's vocals are much calmer than on "First album", but they still have a somewhat menacing aura. However, the variations and changes Suicide can create with their formula are limited, towards the end of the album it all sounds a little to similar. Nevertheless, this is a worthy successor to "First album" and Suicide even experienced some commercial success with this second outing. The bonus disc is a grave disappointment, though. It features home recordings from the early-'70s which are so poor in audio quality that their inclusion seems pointless. Although titles like "Speedqueen" and "Spaceship" appear interesting, it's almost impossible to work out what's going on and it only gets slightly more rewarding after repeated listening. All in all, 4 stars for "Second album" and 2 stars for "The first rehearsal tapes". OK?

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