Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega
Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega is a greatest hits album by the American singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega, released in 2003.[2] This album is an updated version of her previous greatest hits album Tried & True: The Best of Suzanne Vega, with a few more songs ("Tired of Sleeping", "Calypso", "Solitude Standing", "(I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May", and "Woman on the Tier (I'll See You Through)") but without "Book & a Cover".[1] Bonus CD from UK release includes live performance with another not published earlier song, "Anniversary".[3]
| Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | 2003 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 77:50 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Suzanne Vega chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Reception
John Murphy from MusicOMH considered the album to have a "much more representative track listing" than Tried & True and had a positive view on it, writing: "With material this good it's hard to level any criticisms at Retrospective." The only problems he saw were "pretentious sleeve notes" not written by Vega herself and "the lack of a chronological order", but for him these were just "minor quibbles".[3]
Gregory McIntosh from AllMusic thought that "the overall collection feels a little bit more hearty with a total of 21 tracks instead of 17" compared to Tried & True and gave it a 4.5/5 stars.[1]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Suzanne Vega, except where specified.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Luka" | Solitude Standing, 1987 | 3:52 | |
| 2. | "Tom's Diner" (DNA remix) | non-album single, 1990 | 3:49 | |
| 3. | "Marlene on the Wall" | Suzanne Vega, 1985 | 3:41 | |
| 4. | "Caramel" | Nine Objects of Desire, 1996 | 2:54 | |
| 5. | "99.9F°" | 99.9F°, 1992 | 3:15 | |
| 6. | "Tired of Sleeping" | Days of Open Hand, 1990 | 4:25 | |
| 7. | "Small Blue Thing" | Suzanne Vega | 3:56 | |
| 8. | "Blood Makes Noise" | 99.9F° | 2:29 | |
| 9. | "Left of Center" | Vega, Steve Addabbo | Pretty in Pink, 1986 | 3:30 |
| 10. | "(I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May" | Songs in Red and Gray, 2001 | 3:48 | |
| 11. | "In Liverpool" | 99.9F° | 4:44 | |
| 12. | "Gypsy" | Solitude Standing | 4:03 | |
| 13. | "Book of Dreams" | Vega, Anton Sanko | Days of Open Hand | 3:24 |
| 14. | "No Cheap Thrill" | Nine Objects of Desire | 3:10 | |
| 15. | "Calypso" | Solitude Standing | 4:13 | |
| 16. | "World Before Columbus" | Nine Objects of Desire | 3:27 | |
| 17. | "Solitude Standing" | Vega, Sanko, Michael Visceglia, Marc Shulman, Stephen Ferrera | Solitude Standing | 4:39 |
| 18. | "Penitent" | Songs in Red and Gray | 4:18 | |
| 19. | "Rosemary (Remember Me)" | Tried & True: The Best of Suzanne Vega, 1998 | 2:44 | |
| 20. | "The Queen and the Soldier" (live, July 26, 1991, Nyon, Switzerland) | previously unreleased | 5:02 | |
| 21. | "Woman On the Tier (I'll See You Through)" | Dead Man Walking, 1996 | 2:27 | |
| Total length: | 77:50 | |||
Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[4] | 27 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[5] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- McIntosh, Gregory. "Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega - Suzanne Vega". AllMusic. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- "Suzanne Vega – Retrospective: The Best Of Suzanne Vega". Discogs. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- Murphy, John (July 7, 2003). "Suzanne Vega – Retrospective". MusicOMH. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- "British album certifications – Suzanne Vega – Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 5, 2019.