By now the two were located in Berlin, where Bowie would make this ‘Berlin Trilogy’ of albums and also help Iggy set off on a solo career. And although Pop was still on heroin, it wasn’t as bad as before was obviously able to carry on through the albums. The first album of Pop’s solo career was The Idiot, released in the spring of 1977 and was practically given equal credits between Pop and Bowie, with the former writing the lyrics and the latter writing the music. The album itself was raw, atmospheric, generally mid-tempo and somewhat darker than later releases from his, and has been cited has influences for many post-punk acts to follow. Lust For Life, the latter of the two released in 1977 (not counting ‘Kill City’) was released months later. Lust For Life has a much more rock and roll driven sound rather than the experimentations of The Idiot and is said to be a better reflection of Pop himself. The album, along with The Idiot, remains two of the most popular in the Iggy Pop catalogue.
Much like its predecessor, the lyrics are written by Pop while the music is for the most part written by Bowie with contributions from the other members of the band including Brothers Tony and Hunt Sales and guitarist Ricky Gardiner. Lyrics on the album sometimes reflect Pop’s current state of mind, as in most writers. He was still into heroin and these lyrics are portrayed in songs such as the seven minute Turn Blue and Tonight, both two of the gloomier songs found here. However, the title track and Success have much more positive and less abrasive messages. The Passenger has some of the best lyrics on album has Pop sings from a point of view of an outcast and was supposedly written while on a train in Germany.
The rock and roll vibe of the album, reminiscent of some Stooges material, is immediately felt with the familiar drumbeat leading into the title track. The song should be known to anyone, if not by Pop then by the numerous number of bands that have ‘slightly’ altered it in the future, mostly noticeably in the mainstream with Jet’s Are You Gonna Be My Girl. The track is an obvious standout and extremely catchy and upbeat due to the keen drum work throughout. The song has since been covered by many groups including The Damned, Yo La Tengo and The Pretenders. But to contrast with the rather happy feeling title track is another one of Pop’s best known tracks of his career. The Passenger is a dreary, haunting and indeed memorable song and is key here. With such simple, yet highly effective guitar, Pop’s monotone vocals and the lingering ‘la la la’s’ in the chorus the song could have been placed and fit right in on The Idiot and is my pick for best on the album. These two tracks are two of the main reasons why the album is remembered and remain two of Pop’s best.
Other, lesser known songs showcase some of his best work and add to the albums overall consistency. Some Weird Sin is a solid rock song with that raw feel to that echoes through much of the album, highlighted by a catchy guitar riff and one of Iggy’s best vocal outings. Neighborhood Threat follows along similar lines to Some Weird Sin and was later re-recorded for Bowie’s 1984 album entitled ‘Tonight’, something that Bowie started with China Girl from ‘The Idiot’. The song Tonight is a lovely ballad with one of Gardiner’s best guitar playing on the album. The addition of bothers Hunt and Tony Sales for the album, who play drums and bass, respectively, was a great choice. Sales bass really shines though on tracks such as Some Weird Sin and The Passenger and Hunt’s aggressive style is best shown on the title track. Success, which was actually released as the single for the album, is one that stands out, but not necessarily for the better. Bowie contributes greatly to the song by playing piano and lending a good deal of backing vocals, however the song does drag even if it does add some diversity to the record. The album finale Fall In Love With Me is a six and a half minute song which almost comes off as a jam session seeing how the guitars don’t really fit with the vocals at all. The song is perhaps overly monotone and mid-tempo but nevertheless a fitting end to an excellent album.
Iggy Pop’s second solo effort Lust For Life is impressive and shows him and Bowie make a good team, which could be why this and his debut are often said to be Pop’s best post-Stooges albums. The album delivers some of Iggy’s best rock songs, but at the same time it is an early punk album in many ways. Dubbed the name ‘The Godfather of Punk’, Pop carries on the feel of his early work with The Stooges and a new sound that influenced countless punk acts after with his raw sound, gritty nihilistic attitude and outrageous stage performances. While not the most diverse or easiest album to get into, Lust For Life is an excellent and influential album good for fans of The Stooges, proto punk or simply some rock and roll.
Tracklist for Lust For Life:
1. Lust for Life
2. Sixteen
3. Some Weird Sin
4. The Passenger
5. Tonight
6. Success
7. Turn Blue
8. Neighborhood Threat
9. Fall In Love With Me
Much like its predecessor, the lyrics are written by Pop while the music is for the most part written by Bowie with contributions from the other members of the band including Brothers Tony and Hunt Sales and guitarist Ricky Gardiner. Lyrics on the album sometimes reflect Pop’s current state of mind, as in most writers. He was still into heroin and these lyrics are portrayed in songs such as the seven minute Turn Blue and Tonight, both two of the gloomier songs found here. However, the title track and Success have much more positive and less abrasive messages. The Passenger has some of the best lyrics on album has Pop sings from a point of view of an outcast and was supposedly written while on a train in Germany.
The rock and roll vibe of the album, reminiscent of some Stooges material, is immediately felt with the familiar drumbeat leading into the title track. The song should be known to anyone, if not by Pop then by the numerous number of bands that have ‘slightly’ altered it in the future, mostly noticeably in the mainstream with Jet’s Are You Gonna Be My Girl. The track is an obvious standout and extremely catchy and upbeat due to the keen drum work throughout. The song has since been covered by many groups including The Damned, Yo La Tengo and The Pretenders. But to contrast with the rather happy feeling title track is another one of Pop’s best known tracks of his career. The Passenger is a dreary, haunting and indeed memorable song and is key here. With such simple, yet highly effective guitar, Pop’s monotone vocals and the lingering ‘la la la’s’ in the chorus the song could have been placed and fit right in on The Idiot and is my pick for best on the album. These two tracks are two of the main reasons why the album is remembered and remain two of Pop’s best.
Other, lesser known songs showcase some of his best work and add to the albums overall consistency. Some Weird Sin is a solid rock song with that raw feel to that echoes through much of the album, highlighted by a catchy guitar riff and one of Iggy’s best vocal outings. Neighborhood Threat follows along similar lines to Some Weird Sin and was later re-recorded for Bowie’s 1984 album entitled ‘Tonight’, something that Bowie started with China Girl from ‘The Idiot’. The song Tonight is a lovely ballad with one of Gardiner’s best guitar playing on the album. The addition of bothers Hunt and Tony Sales for the album, who play drums and bass, respectively, was a great choice. Sales bass really shines though on tracks such as Some Weird Sin and The Passenger and Hunt’s aggressive style is best shown on the title track. Success, which was actually released as the single for the album, is one that stands out, but not necessarily for the better. Bowie contributes greatly to the song by playing piano and lending a good deal of backing vocals, however the song does drag even if it does add some diversity to the record. The album finale Fall In Love With Me is a six and a half minute song which almost comes off as a jam session seeing how the guitars don’t really fit with the vocals at all. The song is perhaps overly monotone and mid-tempo but nevertheless a fitting end to an excellent album.
Iggy Pop’s second solo effort Lust For Life is impressive and shows him and Bowie make a good team, which could be why this and his debut are often said to be Pop’s best post-Stooges albums. The album delivers some of Iggy’s best rock songs, but at the same time it is an early punk album in many ways. Dubbed the name ‘The Godfather of Punk’, Pop carries on the feel of his early work with The Stooges and a new sound that influenced countless punk acts after with his raw sound, gritty nihilistic attitude and outrageous stage performances. While not the most diverse or easiest album to get into, Lust For Life is an excellent and influential album good for fans of The Stooges, proto punk or simply some rock and roll.
Tracklist for Lust For Life:
1. Lust for Life
2. Sixteen
3. Some Weird Sin
4. The Passenger
5. Tonight
6. Success
7. Turn Blue
8. Neighborhood Threat
9. Fall In Love With Me
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