Album: Lust For Life
Artist: Iggy Pop
Born: Muskegon, Michigan
Released: August 1977
Genre: Rock
Influenced: Siouxsie & the Banshees, Nick Cave, White Stripes, Libertines, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Serendipitous might be the word to describe how in 1977, the year punk rock finally exploded, proto-punk pioneer Iggy Pop recovered from his drug and mental health problems to release not one, but two, brilliant solo albums. Bowie loomed large over his first solo album, The Idiot, which like Low was conceived in Paris and Berlin with producer Tony Visconti. Bowie's main contribution to Iggy's follow-up album, Lust For Life, was the melody of the title track. Bowie also shared production duties with Iggy and Colin Thurston, while adding vocal and piano parts. Compared to The Idiot's more experimental approach, Lust For Life sees Iggy put his own personal stamp on the sound, creating a more straight-up rock & roll record. Iggy's new-found confidence is evident in the lyrics of the title track, on which he sings of survival and a desire to move on from his troubles ("no more beating my brains / with the liquor and drugs"), while remaining aware that "people with real enthusiasms are vulnerable to getting really f*&ked up", as he puts it in this brilliant South Bank Show documentary.
I'm pretty sure that my first exposure to the title track was watching Trainspotting in 1996, when it was used to brilliant effect over the opening credits. The Passenger is the other track from the album that has been covered extensively and used widely in TV & film. Brothers Tony & Hunt Sales on bass and drums provide the song's brilliant groove, while Iggy sings about cruising the streets of Berlin, absorbing the nightlife and observing the "city's ripped backsides". Other highlights on the album are Turn Blue, a heartfelt vocal performance in which Iggy explores the pitfalls of heroin abuse, and Neighbourhood Threat, which just sounds fantastic. The improvised jam and autobiographical lyrics of Fall In Love With Me end the record on a high. As well as Lust For Life and The Idiot, it's also worth checking out Iggy's overlooked record with James Williamson, Kill City, which was recorded in 1975 when Iggy was on weekend release from the Neuropsychiatric Institute in LA. This has the same dark themes but also the same vitality, underscoring why Iggy remains one of pop's great survivors.
Serendipitous might be the word to describe how in 1977, the year punk rock finally exploded, proto-punk pioneer Iggy Pop recovered from his drug and mental health problems to release not one, but two, brilliant solo albums. Bowie loomed large over his first solo album, The Idiot, which like Low was conceived in Paris and Berlin with producer Tony Visconti. Bowie's main contribution to Iggy's follow-up album, Lust For Life, was the melody of the title track. Bowie also shared production duties with Iggy and Colin Thurston, while adding vocal and piano parts. Compared to The Idiot's more experimental approach, Lust For Life sees Iggy put his own personal stamp on the sound, creating a more straight-up rock & roll record. Iggy's new-found confidence is evident in the lyrics of the title track, on which he sings of survival and a desire to move on from his troubles ("no more beating my brains / with the liquor and drugs"), while remaining aware that "people with real enthusiasms are vulnerable to getting really f*&ked up", as he puts it in this brilliant South Bank Show documentary.
I'm pretty sure that my first exposure to the title track was watching Trainspotting in 1996, when it was used to brilliant effect over the opening credits. The Passenger is the other track from the album that has been covered extensively and used widely in TV & film. Brothers Tony & Hunt Sales on bass and drums provide the song's brilliant groove, while Iggy sings about cruising the streets of Berlin, absorbing the nightlife and observing the "city's ripped backsides". Other highlights on the album are Turn Blue, a heartfelt vocal performance in which Iggy explores the pitfalls of heroin abuse, and Neighbourhood Threat, which just sounds fantastic. The improvised jam and autobiographical lyrics of Fall In Love With Me end the record on a high. As well as Lust For Life and The Idiot, it's also worth checking out Iggy's overlooked record with James Williamson, Kill City, which was recorded in 1975 when Iggy was on weekend release from the Neuropsychiatric Institute in LA. This has the same dark themes but also the same vitality, underscoring why Iggy remains one of pop's great survivors.
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