Alan Vega is best known as being half of the electronic duo Suicide, but he had an extensive solo career. Mauz in his requests asked for some of those. I had just been listening to Alan Vega's 2021 release After Dark (recorded at Renegade Studios , NYC in 2015). Thought I'd give this a go.
On his website at the time, Henry Rollins announced the July 16, 2016 death of Alan Vega. Rollins sez: "Vega died peacefully in his sleep at age 78".
In 2012 Vega had suffered a stroke that limited his mobility. He concentrated more on his visual artwork after that. However, he continued to work on his music. After only sending in vocal contributions to pre-recorded instrumentals for several years, Alan wanted to get back in a live studio environment. Thus the After Dark sessions.
Since Sacred Bones, Futurismo, Digging Diamonds & Real Gone Music (to name a few) have reopened the Vega vault & have released the long-lost (mid 90s) Mutator album as well as many other Vega reissues, I wasn't sure what to share. I was going to share his self-titled first release but realized it is available all over the web, so I settled on Collision Drive, Deuce Avenue, & Dujang Prang.
1981s Collision Drive is Vega sophomore solo release. It continues to explore the fractured rockabilly identity he had established in his debut self-titled work. Good place to start...
Side A -
Magdalena 82
Be Bop A Lula
Outlaw
Raver
Ghost Rider
I Believe
Side B -
Magdalena 83
Rebel
Viet Vet
In the mid-80s Vega had signed with Elektra Records at the prompting of long-time fan Ric Ocasek, but corporate relations had soured so much that during production for 1985's Just a Million Dreams Elektra had attempted to remove Vega from his own studio sessions..By the early to mid-90s, Vega had teamed up with the Universal Music Group French label Musidisc for a series of four albums. They were more experimental / electronic than his earlier solo works.
This CD version contains tracks "Sugee" & "No Tomorrow" not available on the vinyl. I've added an additional bonus track "Wacko Warrior" for a lucky 13.
Body Bop Jive
Sneaker Gun Fire
Jab Gee
Bad Scene
La La Bola
Deuce Avenue
Faster Blaster
Sugee (non-vinyl track)
Sweet Sweet Money
Love On
No Tomorrow (non-vinyl track)
Future Sex
bonus track -
Wacko Warrior
For his last release on Musidisc, 1995s Dujang Prang, Vega was rocking a much more industrial electronic style.
Dujang Prang
Hammered
Cheenaroka
Saturn Drive 2 (Subtalk)
Jaxson Gnome
Life Ain't Life
Flowers, Candles, Crucifixes
Big Daddy Stat's Livin' on Tron
Sacrifice
The Kiss
Mission accomplished,
NØ