Suicide (band)

This article is about the band. For the 1977 album, see Suicide (1977 album).
Suicide
Background information
OriginNew York City, New York, U.S.
Genres
Years active1970–2016 (intermittently)
LabelsRed Star, ZE, ROIR International, Blast First/Mute
Past members

Suicide was an American musical duo composed of vocalist Alan Vega and instrumentalist Martin Rev, intermittently active between 1970 and 2016. The group's pioneering music used minimalist electronic instrumentation, including synthesizers and primitive drum machines, and their early performances were confrontational and often ended in violence.[7] They were among the first acts to use the phrase "punk music" in an advertisement for a concert in 1970—during their very brief stint as a three-piece including Paul Liebegott.[8][9]

Though never widely popular among the general public, Suicide have been recognized as among the most influential acts of their era. Their debut album Suicide (1977) was described by Entertainment Weekly as "a landmark of electronic music",[10] while AllMusic stated that it "provided the blueprints for post-punk, synth pop, and industrial rock."[11]

  1. ^ Segal, David (2016). "Alan Vega, Agitational Vocalist for Synth-Punk Innovators Suicide, 1938-2016". The Stranger.
  2. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Alan Vega: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  3. ^ "All-Star Suicide Tribute". Clash. 25 June 2008. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  4. ^ Greene, Doyle (March 2016). Counterculture and the Avant-Garde, 1966-1970: How the Beatles, Frank Zappa and the Velvet Underground Defined an Era. McFarland. p. 101.
  5. ^ DK (2013). Music: The Definitive Visual History. Penguin. p. 337. ISBN 9781465421265.
  6. ^ Magazine, Various Mojo (2007-11-01). The Mojo Collection: 4th Edition - Various Mojo Magazine. Canongate Books. p. 394. ISBN 9781847676436. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  7. ^ "Suicide". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  8. ^ Reynolds, Simon (January 29, 2002). "The second gig took place at the Soho gallery OK Harris, where Vega also held his first show. "On the gig flyers, we announced it as a Punk Music Mass. We didn't invent the word—I probably got it from an article on the Stooges by Lester Bangs—but I think we were the first band to describe our music as punk."". Village Voice. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  9. ^ "Suicide - Chronology". From The Archives. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  10. ^ Romano, Nick. "n Vega, singer of electronic music duo Suicide, dies at 78". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  11. ^ Phares, Heather. "Suicide [First Album] – Suicide". AllMusic. Retrieved June 19, 2013.