Wiki
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Release Date
28 December 1977
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Length
7 tracks
Suicide is the debut album from the American rock band Suicide. It was released in 1977 on Red Star Records and produced by Craig Leon and Marty Thau. The album was recorded in four days at Ultima Sound Studios in New York as the group already had practiced and created songs from their previous five years of music gigs. The album featured songs about urban life and people who vocalist Alan Vega knew in New York. Vega's vocals on the album were influenced by 1950s rock musicians such as Elvis Presley while the backing music was provided by Martin Rev who provided a "dense unnerving electronics" sound.
It is often cited as one of the first synth pop albums, although it has a harsher, more industrial leaning than many well-known albums of the genre. In 2003, the album was ranked number 446 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
“Frankie Teardrop” is one of the songs featured in Nick Hornby’s 2002 book 31 Songs, and appears in Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1978 film In a Year of 13 Moons. “Cheree” is featured in the closing scene of Downtown 81 with artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. “Girl” briefly appears in Nick Zedd’s 1979 film They Eat Scum. “Ghost Rider” was featured on the soundtrack of the 2006 video game Driver: Parallel Lines and also appears on True Crime: New York City. “Ghost Rider” has been covered by R.E.M., The Horrors, The Gories, Rollins Band, The Sisters of Mercy, Merzbow and The Young Gods, and was featured in a Brazilian deodorant commercial in 2005.
In September 2009 the album was performed live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow’s Parties-curated Don’t Look Back series. It's been played again in London in May 2010 when the band supported The Stooges performances of Raw Power.
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