Alan Vega - Vocals
Martin Rev - Instrument
All arrangements by Suicide
Produced by Craig Leon and Marty Thau
Engineered by Larry Alexander
Recorded at Ultima Studios, New York
Cover art by Timothy Jackson
Photography by Michael Robinson.
This reissue has the same tracks as the UK Original.
Front Sleeve changes - "Splatter" below the "S" and "I" of "Suicide predominantly black.
Rear Sleeve changes - Track Listing and Credits printed on a Pink background.
BigTone, Jun 13, 2008
I was first exposed to Suicide by John Peel's BBC Radio show in the UK in 1977. The way he introduced the track immediately grabbed my attention - "Now, I first played this track a few weeks ago, and I've since had a number of requests from listeners NEVER to play it again. So, for all of you, here are Suicide - and "Frankie Teardrop".. (Probably not his exact words, but close to them). What followed was ten minutes of gruesome, desperate anguish brought into stark life, even through a cheap mono transistor radio.
Simply a milestone record in Rock history. People working with cobbled-together electronics and a sprit of independence, who somehow managed to translate raw emotion and imagery into the sound coming out of your speakers more powerfully than anyone before (or arguably since). This record makes movies in your head; escapist, voyeuristic, sleazy, right-on-the-edge ones in glorious widescreen super-high-def.
Often described as "ahead of it's time", I'd simply call it timeless. Wait 'till dark, draw the curtains, turn out the lights and absorb it. It'll force you to inhabit extremely vivid worlds, some you might not be too comfortable with, some you might want to stay in forever. Warm and cosy this ain't. Beware. Danger lurks within...
4.8/5 (