The Month of Mauz...What Happens in Vega Stays in Vega

 

Alan Vega is best known as being half of the electronic duo Suicide, but he had an extensive solo career. Mauz in his requests asked for some of those. I had just been listening to Alan Vega's 2021 release After Dark (recorded at Renegade Studios , NYC in 2015). Thought I'd give this a go.

On his website at the time, Henry Rollins announced the July 16, 2016 death of Alan Vega. Rollins sez:        "Vega died peacefully in his sleep at age 78". 

In 2012 Vega had suffered a stroke that limited his mobility. He concentrated more on his visual artwork after that. However, he continued to work on his music. After only sending in vocal contributions to pre-recorded instrumentals for several years, Alan wanted to get back in a live studio environment. Thus the After Dark sessions.

Since Sacred Bones, Futurismo, Digging Diamonds & Real Gone Music (to name a few) have reopened the Vega vault & have released the long-lost (mid 90s) Mutator album as well as many other Vega reissues, I wasn't sure what to share. I was going to share his self-titled first release but realized it is available all over the web, so I settled on Collision Drive, Deuce Avenue, & Dujang Prang.

1981s Collision Drive is Vega sophomore solo release. It continues to explore the fractured rockabilly identity he had established in his debut self-titled work. Good place to start... 

 

Alan Vega - Collision Drive, Celluloid CEL 5001, 1981.
all decryption codes in comments

Side A -
Magdalena 82
Be Bop A Lula
Outlaw
Raver
Ghost Rider
I Believe

Side B -
Magdalena 83
Rebel
Viet Vet

 

 

 

In the mid-80s Vega had signed with Elektra Records at the prompting of long-time fan Ric Ocasek, but corporate relations had soured so much that during production for 1985's Just a Million Dreams Elektra had attempted to remove Vega from his own studio sessions..By the early to mid-90s, Vega had teamed up with the Universal Music Group French label Musidisc for a series of four albums. They were more experimental / electronic than his earlier solo works.

This CD version contains tracks "Sugee" & "No Tomorrow" not available on the vinyl. I've added an additional bonus track "Wacko Warrior" for a lucky 13. 

 

Alan Vega - Deuce Avenue, Musidisc CD 105582, 1990.

Body Bop Jive    
Sneaker Gun Fire    
Jab Gee    
Bad Scene    
La La Bola    
Deuce Avenue    
Faster Blaster    
Sugee (non-vinyl track)
Sweet Sweet Money    
Love On    
No Tomorrow (non-vinyl track)    
Future Sex
bonus track -
Wacko Warrior

 

 

 

 

For his last release on Musidisc, 1995s Dujang Prang, Vega was rocking a much more industrial electronic style.

 

 

Alan Vega - Dujang Prang, Musidisc CD 118132, 1995.

Dujang Prang    
Hammered    
Cheenaroka    
Saturn Drive 2 (Subtalk)    
Jaxson Gnome    
Life Ain't Life    
Flowers, Candles, Crucifixes    
Big Daddy Stat's Livin' on Tron    
Sacrifice    
The Kiss

 

 

 

Mission accomplished,
NØ