Alan Vega (Blue)

Alan Vega's self-titled debut solo album was released in 1980 during the sameperiod Suicide released their second album, Suicide: Alan Vega and Martin Rev.While Suicide's label ZE Records was interested in pushing the duo toward asynthetic disco sound inspired by Moroder's production on Donna Summer's"I Feel Love," Vega felt a pull in a different direction. He wanted to dig deeper intothe roots of his own sonic identity, fueled by blues, rockabilly, early rock n roll,and his enduring love for Elvis Presley. Filling the gaps between recording withSuicide, and fleshing out the songs he was writing on his own, Vega started creat-ing his first record and performing live to develop this sound.As with his visual art, Vega layered sound in a minimalist, dynamic and inten-tional way. The result was a fiercely singular album built from raw materials anddeeply rooted in Vega's artistic vision. Tracks like the classic anthem "JukeboxBabe" with it's jiving rhythm and minimalist swagger, captured that approachcompletely and went on to become a hit in France. "Kung Foo Cowboy" takes ona southern twist, strongly leaning into the blues, while the golden pop shine of"Ice Drummer" rings in melodic yet plaintive vocals, marching drums and a taste-ful harmonica solo. "Bye Bye Bayou" is a haunted slice of mutant rockabilly thatfuses 50s rock with Vega's eccentric performance style and was later reimaginedin the 2009 cover by LCD Soundsystem, introducing Vega's solo work to a newgeneration. Similarly, The Flaming Lips' cover of "Ice Drummer" paid homageto Vega's outsider spirit.Now remastered by Josh Bonati from the original tapes and available on stream-ing services for the first time, Alan Vega has been faithfully reissued by SacredBones Records, preserving the raw intensity of Vega's original recordings whilemaking them newly accessible to listeners around the world. Alan Vega is morethan a solo debut, it's a declaration of artistic independence and freedom fromone of New York's most influential and uncompromising artists. Stripped of Sui-cide's intense electronics yet retaining Vega's outsider energy and edge, the albumtranslates early rock 'n roll through an art-punk filter that stands the test of timeas a cult masterpiece in it's own right.