Suzanne Vega - Cover Versions, Volume 1: 1986-1997 | ALBUMS THAT SHOULD EXIST

 

Suzanne Vega - Cover Versions, Volume 1: 1986-1997

Paul says: Generally speaking, Suzanne Vega has filled her albums with originals, and almost no cover versions. But that doesn't mean she's never performed covers, it's just that she's usually done them in concert or for non-album projects. She has an appealing, unique voice, and great taste in covers, so I've collected all the cover songs I could find (with worthy sound quality, that is). I was able to find enough for two albums. Here's the first one.

The first song here, "In a Lonely Place," needs an explanation. It was written by the Smithereens, and appears on the 1986 Smithereens album "Especially for You." The vocals were mainly sung by the band's lead singer Pat DiNizio, but Vega added prominent backing vocals. Musical associate Lil Panda is a big Suzanne Vega fan, and wanted to hear a version with just Vega singing. Using the latest audio editing technology, he somehow managed to nearly completely remove DiNizio's vocals. The other version is perfectly fine, but it's interesting to hear it done this way too. So that's why this song has "[LilPanda Vega Mix]" in the title.

The other songs here generally come from tribute albums, or appearances on albums by other musical acts. (And they're presented in chronological order by year, as I usually do for albums like this one - see the mp3 tags for year and source details.) But there are a couple of exceptions, which are unreleased live versions. For "Chinese Bones," Vega had the honor of being a guest vocalist at a Grateful Dead concert. She chose to sing this Robyn Hitchcock song. And "Beyond Belief," maybe my favorite Elvis Costello song, comes from one of her own concerts.

This album is 43 minutes long. 

01 In a Lonely Place [LilPanda Vega Mix] (Smithereens & Suzanne Vega)
02 Stay Awake 
03 Chinese Bones (Grateful Dead with Suzanne Vega)
04 Beyond Belief 
05 China Doll 
06 Cassidy 
07 The Long Voyage (Hector Zazou with Suzanne Vega & John Cale)
08 Story of Isaac 
09 Angel (Joe Jackson with Dawn Upshaw & Suzanne Vega)
10 Buy and Sell 

 (all tracks Suzanne Vega unless indicated otherwise)