Jukebox Babe/Collision Drive

Track Listings

1. Jukebox Babe

2. Fireball

3. Kung Foo Cowboy

4. Love Cry

5. Speedway

6. Ice Drummer

7. Bye Bye Babyou

8. Lonely

9. Magdalena '82

10. Be-Bop-A-Lula

11. Outlaw

12. Raver

13. Ghost Rider

14. I Believe

15. Magdalena '83

16. Rebel Rocker

17. Viet Vet

Jukebox Babe/Collision Drive,Alan Vega,Warner Bros / Wea,Electronic,Popular Music,Prog-Rock/Art Rock,Rock

Tracks:

Jukebox Babe
Fireball
Kung Foo Cowboy
Love Cry
Speedway
Ice Drummer
Bye Bye Babyou
Lonely
Magdalena '82
Be-Bop-A-Lula
Outlaw
Raver
Ghost Rider
I Believe
Magdalena '83
Rebel Rocker
Viet Vet

Customer Reviews:

Two electrobilly classics.......2005-12-11

This set contains Vega's albums Jukebox Baby and Collision Drive, of which the second is the greater. The title track Jukebox Baby is a lilting, melodic number with a hint of rockabilly. Despite its name, Fireball is an understated midtempo number, whilst Kung Fu Cowboy has a slightly faster tempo and more of Vega's howls. Love Cry is a subdued slow ballad whilst the pace picks up with Speedway with its attractive handclaps and catchy tune. Ice Drummer has atmospheric guitars, soulful vocals and even something that sounds like a harmonica! It is quite a poetic, moving and memorable song. The long track Bye Bye Bayou has an interesting arrangement with plenty of instrumental and vocal variation. This great album concludes with the rock ballad Lonely.

The track Magdalena 82 opens the Collision Drive album, a classic through and through. It has all of Vega's trademarks: a nervous rockabilly beat, soulful voice and breathtaking guitar. Be Bop A Lula has that same electro-rockabilly power, a brilliant marriage of the 1950s and the 1980s, whilst Outlaw has an urgently droning, hypnotic quality that veers closer to the work of the band Suicide. Guitars and drums take over on Raver, an anthemic song with a powerful hook, once again a seamless and gripping blend of rockabilly with synthesizer rock, with particularly beautiful guitar embellishments.

Ghost Rider is a highlight of this remarkable album, another impressive electronic drone overlain by driving guitar and Vega's soulful vocals, including gasps and yelps. The mood turns sorrowful on the moving torch song I Believe. The extended piece Viet Vet is harrowing and anguished and a stunning display of his remarkable vocal dexterity. This double album is a must for all Suicide and Vega fans. I also highly recommend his Saturn Strip album. Overall, these solo classics by Vega are more accessible than a lot of Suicide's output.

Average customer rating:

Brilliant blend of synthrock and rockabilly
A more organic approach.

Jukebox Babe/Collision Drive
Alan Vega
Manufacturer: Celluloid Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004SBU0
Release Date: 1997-03-25

Tracks:

Jukebox Babe
Fireball
Kung Foo Cowboy
Love Cry
Speedway
Ice Drummer
Bye Bye Bayou
Lonely
Magdalena
Be Bop A Lula
Outlaw
Raver
Ghost Rider
I Believe
Magdalena
Rebel Rocker
Viet Vet

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant blend of synthrock and rockabilly.......2004-10-18

This set contains Vega's albums Jukebox Baby and Collision Drive, of which the second is the greater. The title track Jukebox Baby is a lilting, melodic number with a hint of rockabilly. Despite its name, Fireball is an understated midtempo number, whilst Kung Fu Cowboy has a slightly faster tempo and more of Vega's howls. Love Cry is a subdued slow ballad whilst the pace picks up with Speedway with its attractive handclaps and catchy tune. Ice Drummer has atmospheric guitars, soulful vocals and even something that sounds like a harmonica! It is quite a poetic, moving and memorable song. The long track Bye Bye Bayou has an interesting arrangement with plenty of instrumental and vocal variation; this great album closes with the rock ballad Lonely.

Magdalena 82 opens the Collision Drive album, a classic through and through. This track has all of Vega's trademarks: a nervous rockabilly beat, soulful voice and breathtaking guitar. Be Bop A Lula has that same electro-rockabilly power, a brilliant marriage of the 1950s and the 1980s, whilst Outlaw has an urgently droning, hypnotic quality that veers closer to the work of Suicide. Guitars and drums take over on Raver, an anthemic song with a powerful hook, once again a seamless and gripping blend of rockabilly with synthesizer rock, with particularly beautiful guitar embellishments.

Ghost Rider is a highlight of this remarkable album, another impressive electronic drone overlain by driving guitar and Vega's soulful vocals, including gasps and yelps. The mood turns sorrowful on the moving torch song I Believe. The extended piece Viet Vet is harrowing and anguished and a stunning display of his remarkable vocal dexterity. This double album is a must for all Suicide and Vega fans. I also highly recommend his Saturn Strip album. Overall, these early classics by Vega are more accessible than most of Suicide's output.

A more organic approach........2003-12-20

This two-fer is worth hunting down for Suicide fans. Most of Alan Vega's work is difficult to find, but this one seems to pop up in used form every once in a while.

It's a bit of a shock at first to hear Vega's Elvis-in-hell voice supported by guitars and drums, but the hypnotic minimalism that made the first Suicide album so compelling is present throughout most of "Jukebox Babe"; it's just relayed differently. This is more like a kind of disturbed rockabilly, as opposed to the monolithic dronetronica of "Suicide". On something like "Ice Drummer", Vega even sings in a (for him) somewhat conventional manner. The results are almost creepy. Rockabilly soul on a cocaine binge.

The second half of the CD is devoted to "Collision Drive", which doesn't have the cohesion or magnetism of the first eight tracks, but finds its saving grace in "Viet Vet". A one-chord nightmare of a song, it's almost in the same class as "Frankie Teardrop", if not quite as terrifying.

The copy I have also features copious liner notes that appear to be quite informative. Unfortunately, they're in French, and I've forgotten most of the mechanics of the language.

Jukebox Babe/Collision Drive
Average customer rating:

Two electrobilly classics

Jukebox Babe/Collision Drive
Alan Vega
Manufacturer: Warner Bros.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music
Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000025KZS
Release Date: 1996-03-05