It’s been almost seven years since Alan Vega slipped off this mortal coil, leaving behind not only much-revered oeuvre by SUICIDE – the art-punk duo he formed with Martin Rev in 1970 but also a string of less known solo albums whose number didn’t include any on-stage recordings. That’s the situation set to be remedied on May 19th with the release of “Live At Rockpalast 1982” which bundles together a vinyl platter and a DVD preserved for posterity in Cologne.
That show was part of the tour that saw the veteran promote his second individual offering, “Collison Drive” from 1981, and take it on the road with the same musicians who played on the album. The DVD in the new package isn’t limited to the concert film, though: there’s also a footage from the art exhibition “Alan Suicide: Collision Drive 2002” which took place in New York, Vega’s first exhibition after 18-year hiatus on this front. As his influence doesn’t diminish, the importance of such an issue is impossible to underestimate.
Live At Rockpalast 1982
The gig in question, it needs to be noted, didn’t feature any SUICIDE tracks; instead, performed were pieces from Alan’s first two LPs, one from yet-to-be-out third album, and a couple of cuts that didn’t seem to appear anywhere else. Whether a CD release is planned remains to be seen.
1. Magdalena
2. Goodbye Darling
3. Jukebox Babe
4. Je T’Adore
5. Bongo Bongo
6. Outlaw
7. Be Bop A Lula
8. Sexy
