Big news just landed—Alan Vega’s first two solo albums are coming back in brand new editions.
Sacred Bones and the Vega Vault Project teamed up to re-release both Alan Vega from 1980 and Collision Drive from 1981, all freshly remastered and set to show up on January 23. This time, fans get to hear them on LP, classic 8-track, and for the first ever, you’ll be able to stream them digitally. There’s also a fancy deluxe double-vinyl of Alan Vega that comes packed with a bunch of never-before-heard demo versions. If you’re curious right now, you can already check out “Ice Drummer” in a new video directed by Douglas Hart, plus listen to “Outlaw”—so much goodness all at once.
According to Liz Lamere, Alan’s partner in both life and music, “Alan’s music thrived on interpretation,” and she said he’d rather people decide for themselves what it all meant. His songs were kind of a mystery on purpose—he never wanted to spell things out. “He believed the meaning of his songs belonged to the listener. His lyrics painted emotional and conceptual landscapes but he resisted explaining them. He always wanted the listener to bring their own experiences, imaginations, and emotions into what listening to his music and words meant to them, and ultimately that openness is part of its power.” Sometimes just closing your eyes is the best way to listen to his stuff.
Fans kind of wish all old albums got this much love when they come back.
Vega’s music didn’t stop after he was gone. After he passed in 2016, close friends and collaborators started pulling together all the things he’d finished but never released. That led to 2017’s It and later even more surprise albums, like Mutator—which he’d made with Lamere way back in the ’90s—and Insurrection, which just came out last year. Funny how music hangs around even after people don’t.
Some days I wonder if Alan ever expected to be on streaming apps.
Here’s the list for the new Alan Vega (Deluxe Remastered Edition) you’ll get soon:
01 Jukebox Babe
02 Kung Foo Cowboy
03 Fireball
04 Love Cry
05 Speedway
06 Ice Drummer
07 Bye Bye Bayou
08 Lonely
09 Ice Drummer (Demo)
10 Fireball (Demo)
11 Speedway (Demo)
12 Love Cry (Demo)
13 Kung Foo Cowboy (Demo)
14 Lonely (Demo)
15 Bye Bye Bayou (Demo)
And over here’s Collision Drive (Remastered), but honestly, it’s easy to get lost in the names.
Sometimes just thinking about all these “lost tapes” makes people wonder—what other music is hiding out there, just waiting to surprise us all?
