By the time his third solo album was released in 1983, Suicide frontman Alan Vega had decided he wanted to escape the punk art ghetto he had confined himself to and seek the mainstream success Suicide had never had. So for Saturn Strip, Vega signed a major contract, his first with Elektra Records, and did everything he could to make it a success.

He used producer and Suicide fan Ric Ocasek to produce the album, who gave it the blaze and finish of albums released by Ocasek’s most successful band, the Cars. He also brought in a then-unknown aspiring synth-pop musician, Alain Jourgensen, who would later become the creative force behind Ministry, to add a sleek synthesizer sound. Furthermore, all of Vega’s songwriting ideas were geared towards concise four-minute pop songs rather than the extended pieces that dominated his first two albums and his work with Suicide, such as Viet Vet and Frankie Teardrop.

While such a move may seem like an incomprehensible betrayal of his previous artistic direction, it actually leads to the best album of his career, which at times even surpasses his work with Suicide. By releasing his authoritarian tendencies and focusing on simple song structures, Vega’s talent for evocative lyrics and clever melodies is met with his ever-clear, charismatic and captivating vocals, which are at their best. Unfortunately, the album did not find the commercial success it deserved, and Vega eventually returned to the dark sounds. Still, compared to most synth-pop albums of the era, Saturn Strip was just as impressive when it was released, and those who want to dig deeper to appreciate a truly lost gem of the era or get a taste of Vega’s unique talent should definitely seek it out.

The album opens with the raspy texture of Saturn Drive and continues with the hypnotic and dreamy “Video Babe”, which features a perfect blend of guitars and synthesizers. “American Dreamer” is simply a mix of keyboards and drums, but quite atmospheric, with its persistent rhythmic and danceable tempo as well as Vega’s evocative vocals, full of sounds of laughter and kisses. The faster-paced “Kid Congo” is another catchy pop song, while “Goodbye Darling” is also fast-paced, but with more of a rock feel. Other good tracks on the album are the slow synthesizer tempo “Je T’adore” and “Angel” as well as the rhythmic “Wipeout Beat”. This wonderful album concludes with a cover of Hot Chocolate’s “Everyone’s A Winner”. Saturn Strip ranks in the highest ranks of the pantheon with the best synthpop groups such as Eurythmics, Human League and Kraftwerk.

Through this album I select “Wipeout Beat”.

Tracklist

1. Saturn Drive 5:36
2. Video Babe 3:17
3. American Dreamer 5:04
4. Kid Congo 2:37
5. Goodbye Darling 2:38
6. Wipeout Beat 5:59
7. Je T’adore 3:40
8. Angel 5:06
9. Every 1’s A Winner 4:10