The first time I heard Suzanne Vega was a dj only copy of "Marlene On The Wall," staccato vocals delivered with velvety precision against a crisp but folksy background. I was hooked. That led me to her debut album and my friends probably wishing I'd shut up already about this great new record I'd discovered. From that debut album on, gratefully, Suzanne Vega never remained stuck in a mold. She grew in confidence (the a cappella opening to "Tom's Diner" being particularly gutsy) and courage to tackle weightier topics, such as the abused child of "Luka."

"Book Of Dreams" was one of the most peculiar pop records I recall from 1990. The album it came from, "Days Of Open Hand" was almost hallucinatory in its consistent referral to dreams and vague impressional memories. Oddly enough, there were no hits here after the massive success of "Luka," but "Tired Of Sleeping" catches the weariness of stardom better than a screaming heavy metal away-from-home song ever could. Stranger still, it was the bootlegged DNA remix of "Tom's Diner" from the previous "Solitude Standing" that became Suzanne's final big hit.

That success gave her even more incentive to push the envelope. Maybe it was the influence of Nine Inch Nails at the time, but "99.9 Degrees" played with distortions and electronica to make an album that - while still firmly rooted in folk - stretched its world view. "Blood Makes Noise" may be one of the best songs about AIDS ever written, complete with the denial that goes with "the thickening of fear."

A four year wait eventually gave us 12 songs of "Nine Objects of Desire." Suzanne returned to relationships with the terrific "World Before Columbus" (featuring a couple of Elvis Costello's Attractions) and the jazz inflected "Caramel." It was about as far removed from "99.9 Degrees" as that album was distant from "Solitude Standing." Although based on her marriage to Mitchell Froom, their collapsing relationship became the fodder for 2001's "Songs In Red And Gray." That album was on a par with Phil Collins' "Face Value" and "Hello I Must be Going" as an unflinching look at the demise of a relationship. Sung both from resilience ("(I'll Never be) Your Maggie May") and confused disillusionment ("Penitent"), it is an unheralded masterpiece.

The extra benefits of having this retrospective are the inclusion of "Left Of Center" from "Pretty In Pink" (featuring Joe Jackson on piano), the first appearance of the hit mix of "Tom's Diner" on a proper Suzanne Vega album, and an ok live rendition of "The Queen and the Soldier" (originally from the debut). The songs that pull this down from five stars are the lackluster "Rosemary" and the experimental "Woman On the Tier" (from "Dead Man Walking") that closes the disc on an unnecessarily harsh note.

Excluding those two distractions, you get 19 amazing performances. And given the amount of whispered grace and nuanced strength that Suzanne Vega has covered in six albums and eighteen years, this is still a highly recommendable collection.

I can't believe that this Retrospective came out last week, and it isn't even in the top 1000 sellers. Too bad for all those people that don't realize how talented Suzanne Vega is. This is an amazing, and lengthy collection of her best songs from her first album to her last. Whether you're a fan of her folkier stuff, or her more upbeat songs like "Blood makes noise" and "99.9 farenheit degrees", this has got it all. Included of course is her breakthrough hit "Luka", and "Tom's Diner" featuring DNA. My current favorite is "(I'll never be) your Maggie May". It's Suzanne's take (not cover), on the Rod Stewart Song. So good. This also has her songs from the movies "Dead man walking" and "Pretty in Pink". I saw her live this week, and she put on a great show. She was very nice and down to earth. Of my past 10-20 cd purchases, I might just enjoy this one the most.

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.

Listening to Retrospctive, you begin to forget that it's a compilation of previously released music. The songs flow so well from one to the next you start to believe they were meant to go together this way. Starting with the familiar Luka and moving to the DNA club mix of Tom's Diner and to the rhythmic (folk-rap?) percussiveness and conflict of Marlene on the Wall and beyond, you're at once comforted, unsettled, and challenged by an amazing woman at the top of her art. Even if you own all her previous albums, it's worth the price just to feel the motion as Suzanne puts together an original work from what was already there.

I bought this CD because I couldn't find "Caramel" anywhere. I keep this CD in my player because I fallen in love with it. As much as I knew of Suzanne Vega for "Tom's Diner" back in my club days and learned more about her on "99.9" back in my dorm days, I have to say "Marlene on the Wall" has become my favorite song on the whole disc these days. And the whole disc is to be celebrated. The thing follows my mood: stays sad with me until it has no choice but to make me happy; it makes me contemplative when I'm going entirely too fast; and it makes me happy I spent the money. She's a good girl singer and you'll like her.