walking upstream…
Suicide
Suicide were a New York duo — vocalist Alan Vega and keyboardist Martin Rev — who stripped rock and roll down to a drum-machine pulse and a distorted, often-screamed vocal, arriving at something close to punk before punk had a name. Their confrontational live shows and stark 1977 debut album made them one of the most argued-over and influential acts of the CBGB era, a direct ancestor of synth-punk and industrial music alike.
the sound in question
1977
Ghost RiderSuicide
walk the tributaries ↓
Elvis Presley1950s · Rock and roll / Rockabilly
Alan Vega named Elvis as part of his personal "triumvirate," and it surfaces less as sonic mimicry than as sheer self-mythologizing performance style — Vega framed himself as a corroded, art-damaged rock-and-roll frontman in the Elvis mold.
listen: upstream & heresource: Autre Magazine — Alan Vega ↗
1956
Heartbreak HotelElvis Presley
1977
ChereeSuicide
listen forSet the crooned, echo-drenched loneliness of Elvis's 'Heartbreak Hotel' against the reverb-soaked, doo-wop-damaged vocal on Suicide's 'Cheree' — both are essentially torch songs wearing different decades' production.
Roy Orbison1960s · Rock and roll / Pop / Rockabilly
Vega placed Roy Orbison in his personal triumvirate of formative influences, and it shows up in Suicide's more melodic tracks as a taste for melodramatic, operatic vocal delivery over a minimal backing.
listen: upstream & heresource: Autre Magazine — Alan Vega ↗
1961
CryingRoy Orbison
1977
Frankie TeardropSuicide
listen forThe building, orchestral melodrama of Roy Orbison's 'Crying' is echoed in the tortured, extended vocal performance on Suicide's 'Frankie Teardrop.'
Jerry Lee Lewis1950s · Rock and roll / Rockabilly / Country
Jerry Lee Lewis rounds out Vega's stated triumvirate of foundational influences, and his manic energy resurfaces in Suicide's more frantic, rockabilly-tempo tracks.
listen: upstream & heresource: Autre Magazine — Alan Vega ↗
1957
Great Balls of FireJerry Lee Lewis
1977
Rocket USASuicide
listen forThe pounding, runaway-train piano of 'Great Balls of Fire' has a jittery electronic counterpart in the propulsive, rockabilly-tempo synth pulse of Suicide's 'Rocket USA.'