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Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega

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Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega
Greatest hits album by
Released2003
Genre
Length77:50
LabelA&M
Suzanne Vega chronology
Songs in Red and Gray
(2001)
Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega
(2003)
Beauty & Crime
(2007)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

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]

Reception

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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

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All tracks are written by Suzanne Vega, except where specified.

No.TitleWriter(s)Original releaseLength
1."Luka" Solitude Standing, 19873:52
2."Tom's Diner" (DNA remix) non-album single, 19903:49
3."Marlene on the Wall" Suzanne Vega, 19853:41
4."Caramel" Nine Objects of Desire, 19962:54
5."99.9F°" 99.9F°, 19923:15
6."Tired of Sleeping" Days of Open Hand, 19904:25
7."Small Blue Thing" Suzanne Vega3:56
8."Blood Makes Noise" 99.9F°2:29
9."Left of Center"Vega, Steve AddabboPretty in Pink, 19863:30
10."(I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May" Songs in Red and Gray, 20013:48
11."In Liverpool" 99.9F°4:44
12."Gypsy" Solitude Standing4:03
13."Book of Dreams"Vega, Anton SankoDays of Open Hand3:24
14."No Cheap Thrill" Nine Objects of Desire3:10
15."Calypso" Solitude Standing4:13
16."World Before Columbus" Nine Objects of Desire3:27
17."Solitude Standing"Vega, Sanko, Michael Visceglia, Marc Shulman, Stephen FerreraSolitude Standing4:39
18."Penitent" Songs in Red and Gray4:18
19."Rosemary (Remember Me)" Tried & True: The Best of Suzanne Vega, 19982:44
20."The Queen and the Soldier" (live, July 26, 1991, Nyon, Switzerland) previously unreleased5:02
21."Woman On the Tier (I'll See You Through)" Dead Man Walking, 19962:27
Total length:77:50

Charts

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Chart performance for Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega
Chart (2003) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[4] 27
Scottish Albums (OCC)[5] 23

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[6] Gold 100,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c McIntosh, Gregory. "Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega - Suzanne Vega". AllMusic. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  2. ^ "Suzanne Vega – Retrospective: The Best Of Suzanne Vega". Discogs. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Murphy, John (July 7, 2003). "Suzanne Vega – Retrospective". MusicOMH. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  4. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  5. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  6. ^ "British album certifications – Suzanne Vega – Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 5, 2019.