ALAN VEGA 'Alan Vega' LP

Visionary provocateur, vocalist and poet Alan Vega’s first two solo albums found the New York legend not so much reinventing his signature sound as reinforcing it. By replacing Suicide co-founder Martin Rev’s icy synthesizers with rock instrumentation, Vega distills his mutant punk-rockabilly style - equal parts Charlie Feathers and Iggy Pop - to its very essence.

Vega’s 1980 self-titled debut, on which he is joined only by guitarist Phil Hawk, begins with one of Vega’s signature songs, “Jukebox Babe,” a deceptively straightforward Sun Studios-style rave-up complete with finger snaps. Elsewhere, the haunted “Bye Bye Bayou” predicts the Pentecostal aggro-goth of The Birthday Party, while the pleading “Love Cry” and the Elvis Presley homage, “Lonely,” provide a glimpse of Vega’s mellower side. Blending dystopian blues, Bowery punk, and amphetamized rockabilly, the album showcases Vega’s innovative and deconstructivist take on classic rock and roll.