Name: Live at the Speakeasy
Brand: All Access
SKU: 54357953
Price: 17.47 USD
Availability: InStock

Live at the Speakeasy

Rating

Performer Notes

Personnel: Suzanne Vega (vocals, guitar).
Recording information: The SpeakEasy, New York City, NY (04/17/1985).
Recorded at the influential Greenwich Village club The Speakeasy, this live set from Suzanne Vega is a rare snapshot of an artist just coming into her own. Captured in April 1985 during the same week her self-titled debut album was released, it has the feeling of a hometown record release party as Vega, accompanied only by her guitar, runs through a sharply-honed set list of early material like "Some Journey," "Marlene on the Wall," and "The Queen and the Soldier." At a time when mainstream music was often a highly processed product, both her subtle delivery and thoughtful acoustic songwriting set her apart as she opens this show with the a cappella "Tom's Diner," a signature track that wouldn't appear on record until her 1987 breakthrough Solitude Standing. Originally heard as a radio broadcast, Live at the Speakeasy is intimate and engaging, much like that artist herself. ~ Timothy Monger