It seems that Suzanne Vega has always been bubbling away in the background – though, for a long time, I quietly wondered what all the fuss was about. When she first broke through with “Marlene on the Wall”, all the cool kids at school seemed to really like her. I also remember the really cool fans discussing what was really going on in “The Queen and the Soldier” (and, generally, just how nasty the Queen was). “Luka”, released a couple of years later, proved much more popular – and this time, with a much wider crowd. A year or two later, a holiday in France saw “Small Blue Thing” become so associated with a certain girl that, even now, I can’t think of one without thinking of the other. After that, the DNA remix of “Tom’s Diner” hit the charts just as I was discovering the joys of Guinness. When “No Cheap Thrill” was released, the radio only seemed to play it on Friday evenings as I was driving home from the worst job in the world. Even now, it brings a smile to my face.

I’m not sure if my musical tastes have changed as I’ve grown older or if it’s nostalgia having some sort of effect. Whatever it is, the indifference I once had is now gone. I was about to start picking up her back-catalogue, when I discovered she’d released this Greatest Hits album – just the perfect time for me. All the songs I mentioned above make their appearances, and would form the main highlights for me. (In fact, “Tom’s Diner” manages it twice, as both the original version and the DNA remix are included).

The version I have comes with a ‘bonus’ CD. With 21 tracks on the ‘main’ CD and a further 8 on the bonus CD, you certainly get your money’s worth with this album. It also means that – given this is the first album by Suzanne I’ve bought – there’s a lot of material I’m not familiar with. It’s also interesting to hear the different styles she’s produced – something I certainly didn’t expect. There’s a big difference, for example, between “Solitude Standing” (a folk-based song, the style I would most have associated Vega with) and “Blood Makes Noise” (taken from “99.9F” – which won a New York Music Award as Best Rock Album of 1992). Of the songs I hadn’t heard before, “Blood Makes Noise” (with its industrial influences) would be one of those I prefer.

Six of the tracks on the bonus CD were taken from a concert, recorded in May 2003. Only one of these tracks, “Widow’s Walk” doesn’t feature on the main CD – and, of all the songs I hadn’t heard before, is the one I like best. It also features two versions of “In Liverpool” (a spoken word version and a song) in addition to the version on the main CD. This would probably be the only criticism I have – three versions of essentially the same thing is a bit much. It also features a new song, called “Anniversary”, which is more of the traditional Vega song – an acoustic number, no whistles and bells, with Suzanne singing.

All in all, an excellent package – of all the “Best Of” albums in my CD rack, this is the one I’d rate highest. While this may have been the first album by Suzanne Vega I’ve bought, it certainly won’t be the last.