Country: USA
On 1 April 1987, the greatest album of the eighties was released, and it came from an unexpected place. The best albums of the previous two decades had both originated from the United Kingdom; this one was from New York, USA. And more importantly, the best albums of the previous two decades had come from giants of progressive rock. This one came from a female singer-songwriter who had nothing to do with prog and had released only one album previously. And, I might add, one that had given absolutely no indication of the greatness that was to come.
A cappella opening song Tom's Diner already caused my jaw to drop back when I heard it for the first time. It is hardly the greatest achievement on the album, but I remember thinking already in 1987 that it was a truly original - can I even say ballsy? - way to open an album. In those days, there were no streaming services: those who were considering buying an album often listened to how it began in a record store, from a real disc. An anti-commercial opening like this hardly improved the odds of a sale.
But, of course, there were other ways of getting acquainted with new music even in those days. One was radio play; the other, music video. The second track of the album is also its best known and probably more widely associated with the album. Selected as a single, Luka wasn't a difficult choice for radio stations to play in a pop/rock rotation. Also, the music video below played on MTV and other satellite channels of the era. It gives the random listener a more accurate impression of what the rest of the album would be like than Tom's Diner.
The somehow light sounding, beautiful song carries a weighty message about domestic violence that gives it a bittersweet feel. The young boy subjected to said violence has not yet given up hope, nor should we, implies the optimistic sounding ending. Don't get me wrong - I like Luka very much and it is essential listening for 1987. But no, I don't think even the best known song on the album is among its very best tracks. Perhaps a bit too easily accessible for my taste, it is nonetheless a fitting choice for a single release.
So, even though I had really liked the first two tracks of Solitude Standing, at this point I still wasn't fully convinced. It took track number three to finally hit me on the head with your proverbial sledgehammer, to finally realize that I was listening to a major masterpiece. Ironbound / Fancy Poultry is a two part song that is not only Suzanne Vega's greatest work ever; it also belongs to my personal all time top 10 list of musical achievements. (Strangely enough, it is NOT my number one song of the eighties; we will get back to that anomaly when we reach 1988.)
Much like Tom's Diner was about creating a realistic sounding memory imprint of a certain place and time, Ironbound does the same in a much more complicated and satisfying way. I have been criticized for labeling Suzanne Vega as art rock, and maybe rightly so when considering her entire recorded output. But for both Luka and Ironbound this label fits perfectly - just listen to that impeccable light rock instrumentation. The electric guitar ends up on top, sounding cold but not soulless.
The second part of the song, Fancy Poultry begins with a much simpler arrangement. Now there are only the singer-songwriter's voice and her acoustic guitar. The long instrumental finale that closes the track is one of the most astonishingly beautiful ever composed, and wisely takes its time to slowly fade out. Even when you think it is over, you can still hear faint echoes, and kind of want it still not to have ended. Jaw, meet floor.
And the most pleasant surprise of all is that, even after rising to unimaginable heights, the album continues on nearly the same quality level for several next tracks. I specifically remember that this was what finally sold Solitude Standing to me as the best album of the decade so far, well before it was even over. Irounbound / Fancy Poultry was its greatest masterpiece, but it is one thing to write one great song and another to follow it up with others that don't pale next to it.
The fourth track In the Eye has been embedded above. It is very much like Luka, only better. And there is never a misstep on the first side of the vinyl version. I will not embed everything so you will need to find some gems on your own. Suffice to say that the fifth song Night Vision is a definite step towards a less accessible direction. An acoustic track with a less immediately memorable tune requires two or three repeated listenings before you can fully appreciate it.
The sixth track that closes the vinyl's A side is the title track and that I will once again embed because there is a music video for it. Another great song with a peculiar, even slightly ominous (or is it just me?) atmosphere would be much better off without that embarrassing "one, two, three, four" at the beginning of the video. It certainly isn't there on the album. And then, this near perfect album side is over. There are a further five tracks on B side.
Of the remaining tracks, three are fully on par with the first six and one of them is such a masterpiece that I will have to embed it. Track number 10, Wooden Horse (Caspar Hauser's Song) is the other key song on the album that you must hear to believe; Calypso and Language are solid pieces of work if not quite on the same extraordinary level as Wooden Horse.
This leaves us with only two tracks that I am able to criticize, if only a little bit. Track number 9 called Gypsy is a perfectly fine song, but sounds average-ish in this group of near or full masterpieces. It feels like it would have been a better fit on Suzanne Vega's self titled debut album that contained several similar songs. Even that said, the melody in the chorus is very beautiful.
And finally, there is the closing track, an instrumental reprise of Tom's Diner. It is still very good, but here it no longer has the strong punch that it had at the beginning because of its completely unexpected format. The instrumental version is not bad, but feels a bit unnecessary. If there was nothing left to say, perhaps Wooden Horse could have ended this masterpiece equally well.
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