Official reissue of Suicide's seminal 1977 debut. By the time this pioneering self-titled album was released, Alan Vega (RIP) and Martin Rev had already been performing around the Lower East Side art scene for about seven years. In that time Vega, an artist turned vocalist, and Rev, who played primitive drum machines and electronic instruments, developed a raw and confrontational sound unlike anything heard before. The duo was truly ahead of their time, not only being the first to use the term "punk" to describe their sound, but ultimately paving the way for punk, industrial, hip-hop, noise, and more. These seven tracks embody their raw, don't give a f*** style, and still sound stunning to this day. Every song here is a classic including "Ghost Rider," "Rocket USA," "Cheree," "Girl," and Bruce Springsteen's favorite song of all time, the terrifyingly real "Frankie Teardrop." This 2019 Art Of The Album edition on red colored wax features remastered sound, presented in repro packaging inspired by the original Red Star release, photos and extensive liner notes covering the context, craft, impact and legacy of the album. Recommended.

• red colored vinyl
• remastered sound
• deluxe packaging w/ extensive liner notes
• limited edition
• music label: Mute Records 2019

reviewed by sewer rat 08/2016