Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel includes: Suzanne Vega (vocals, guitar); Mitch Easter, Marc Shulman (electric guitar); Michael Visceglia (bass); Shawn Colvin (background vocals). | | Recorded at Bearsville Sound Studios, Bearsville, New York; RPM Sound Studios, New York, New York; A&M Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California; Clinton Recording Studios, New York, New York; Celestial Sound Studio, New York, New York; Carnegie Hill Studios, New York, New York. | | Personnel: Suzanne Vega (vocals, acoustic guitar); John Gordon, Steve Addabbo (guitar); Frank Christian, Marc Shulman (electric guitar); Anton Sanko (classical guitar, synthesizer); Michael Visceglia (synthesizer, bass guitar); Steve Ferrera, Sue Evans (drums, percussion); Shawn Colvin (background vocals). | | Audio Mixers: Mitch Easter; Shelly Yakus. | | Recording information: A & M Recording Studios, L.A; Bearsville Sound Studios, Bearsville, NY; Carnegie Hill Studios, New York, NY; Celestial Sound Studio, New York, NY; Clinton Recording Studios, New York, NY; RPM Sound Studios, New York, NY. | | Photographers: Matthew Vega; Paula Bullwinkel; Richard Croft. | | The songs on Solitude Standing, Suzanne Vega's second album, had years listed beside them on the lyric sheet, so you could see that some of them dated back to 1978. But that bold admission heralded the album's triumph -- its diversity was what made it so good. Partially, that was because the old songs were the equal of anything on the first album -- tunes like the a cappella slice-of-life "Tom's Diner" and the warmly romantic "Gypsy" simply wouldn't have fit thematically on the debut. On Solitude Standing, however, they became part of an album of story songs set in a variety of musical contexts; many had band arrangements, and in fact, members of Vega's touring band often were credited as co-writers. Additionally, Vega had developed more as a singer without losing the focused intonation that had made her debut -- one of many compelling elements which helped make "Luka," a character song about domestic abuse, a fluke hit. ~ William Ruhlmann | | For the follow-up to her groundbreaking debut album, Vega made a wise move by incorporating her band further into the arrangement process. Thus, instead of delving deeper into her own introspective muse, she reaches outward to pursue a musical vision markedly expanded from the friendly folk-rock of the previous album. The dark, brooding influence of Leonard Cohen is felt more strongly here, as songs like the title track and "Night Vision" take the listener into a dark, moody world where unsettling emotions are described with moody, poetic flair. | | SOLITUDE STANDING also featured Vega's breakthrough hit "Luka," a startlingly original, masterfully written first-person account of a young boy whose denial is the only way to deal with his parents' physical abuse. The song rightfully established Vega as an artist of the first order, and won her legions of international fans. |
Producer: Lenny Kaye; Mitch Easter; Steve Addabbo |
Engineer: Rod O'Brien; Steve Addabbo |
Musical Guests | | Mitch Easter |
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