99.9 F° (CD - 1992)

Personnel: Suzanne Vega (vocals, acoustic guitar); Richard Pleasance, Tchad Blake (electric guitar); Richard Thompson, David Hidalgo (guitar); Marc Shulman (bazouki); Sid Page, Joel Derouin (violin); Maria Newman (viola); Larry Corbett (cello); Greg Smith (baritone saxophone); Mitchell Froom (keyboards); Michael Visceglia, Bruce Thomas, Jerry Scheff (bass, acoustic bass); Jerry Marotta (drums, percussion).

Recorded at Dreamland Studios, Bearsville, New York; Sunset Sound Factory, Los Angeles, California; The Magic Shop, New York, New York.

This limited edition release contains an 18-page hardcover book with song lyrics, photographs, 2 pages from Vega's diary that inspired the song "In Liverpool," and an old newspaper clipping about a man called Billy Purl (a character from the song "Fat Man And Dancing Girl"). The CD is multi-colored and features the bonus track "Private Goes Public."

Personnel: Suzanne Vega (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar); Richard Pleasance, David Hidalgo, Tchad Blake (guitar, electric guitar); Richard Thompson (guitar); Marc Shulman (bouzouki); Joel Derouin, Sid Page (violin); Maria Newman (viola); Larry Corbett (cello); Greg Smith (baritone saxophone); Mitchell Froom (keyboards); Michael Visceglia (fretless bass); Jerry Marotta (drums, percussion); Mark Shulman (percussion).

Unknown Contributor Roles: Suzie Kattayama; Suzie Katayama.

Arranger: Mitchell Froom.

Suzanne Vega makes it clear from the cover inwards that she's up to something different on 99.9 F. Her fiery red and yellow photo-manipulated hair and bandaged finger stand in stark contrast to the orderly mysticism conveyed on the front of her previous release, DAYS OF OPEN HAND. Producer Mitchell Froom surrounds her strong songs with surprises in instrumentation, arrangement, and mix. The set opens smartly with a couple of selections that stand in stark contrast to the more traditional folk bearing of her previous output. By the third song, "In Liverpool," things break open to reveal a lush and popish heart. The title song is a dazzling groove of fuzzy and staccato guitar chords cast over layered percussion and her lilting vocal. An array of superb players, including drummer Jerry Marotta, guitarists David Hidalgo and Richard Thompson, and bass player Bruce Thomas accompany her. While it represented a bit of an unexpected turn at the time of its release in 1992, 99.9 F is one of Vega's finest albums.

Suzanne Vega makes it clear from the cover inwards that she's up to something different on 99.9 F. Her fiery red and yellow photo-manipulated hair and bandaged finger stand in stark contrast to the orderly mysticism conveyed on the front of her previous release, DAYS OF OPEN HAND. Producer Mitchell Froom surrounds her strong songs with surprises in instrumentation, arrangement, and mix. The set opens smartly with a couple of selections that stand in stark contrast to the more traditional folk bearing of her previous output. By the third song, "In Liverpool," things break open to reveal a lush and popish heart. The title song is a dazzling groove of fuzzy and staccato guitar chords cast over layered percussion and her lilting vocal. An array of superb players, including drummer Jerry Marotta, guitarists David Hidalgo and Richard Thompson, and bass player Bruce Thomas accompany her. While it represented a bit of an unexpected turn at the time of its release in 1992, 99.9 F is one of Vega's finest albums. minimize