Retrospective: The Videos of Suzanne Vega

Before the arrival of Tracy Chapman, Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, or others in the vanguard of the women in rock revolution of the 1980s and ‘90s, folk-pop singer Suzanne Vega released her eponymous 1985 debut album, which featured “Marlene on the Wall,” the lead-off single in this compilation of 16 music videos that closes with “Last Year's Troubles” off Vega's 2001 album Songs in Red and Gray. In between are a mostly musically solid (if visually uneven) set that includes the title cut from Vega's breakout album Solitude Standing, as well as the mega-hit “Luka” (the best music video of the bunch—marrying the song's narrative about an abused child to a solid visualization mixing live-action and animation). Other standout tracks here include “Men in a War” (a mediocre music video—shelved just before the U.S. went to war with Iraq in 1990), “Blood Makes Noise” (a decent effort with a Fritz Lang-Metropolis vibe), and the haunting 1998 “Book and a Cover” (with its eerie images of a plane crossing in front of the Twin Towers, seen in a turned-upside-down Manhattan skyline). Unfortunately, besides being a primer in music video evolution (from the bad hair/lame storyline ‘80s to the digital video dawn of the 21st century), the selections are notable for their music, not imagery. Presented in DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1, and PCM stereo, DVD extras here include a personal playlist option, an alternate version of the music video for “Caramel,” and—oddly unmentioned on the DVD jacket—commentary by Vega on all of the music videos. Optional. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)