I’ve pretty much given up on the new Iggy album. Concept – A+, Execution – D+. But in interviews about the new album, Josh Homme goes on and on about the genius of Iggy’s The Idiot and Lust For Life – two albums I never had nor heard.
So, since they’re real cheapos on Amazon, I bought both. Listened to The Idiot for the first time yesterday and it’s pretty good, initially. Homme talks of the two albums being almost one, with The Idiot as the dark side and Lust For Life the lighter side.
What struck me most about Idiot is Iggy’s China Girl, which, believe it or not, I don’t think I’ve ever heard before.
Don’t know if it’s because I’ve heard the Bowie version a billion-trillion times at this point, but the Iggy version sounds good to me. I always thought Iggy wrote the song and Bowie covered it, but, in actuality, they wrote it together and both recorded it.
What do you think?
I have no opinon. The guitars crank and the drums pound. How Rock ‘n’ Roll.
But also, you’re the only person who didn’t know this. Nk.
China Girl was first released by Iggy. I remember waiting a LONG time for The Idiot to be released – the guy working in my main record store was a fan and it was late getting into the stores – then listening repeatedly with an effort to be open-minded. Because I didn’t like it much and still don’t. It struck me as Iggy’s attempt to be an intellectual, the kiss of death to rocknroll unless you’re Roxy Music. The Idiot’s mechanized music sounds more natural today in the wake of what followed, and it must be conceded that it was an influential album especially for Brit post-punk. But I prefer Iggy the Utterly Abandoned, when two-syllable words were the exception. Much more intellectual if that makes sense.
I like Lust for Life a lot more, although it too gets a mite “meaningful” at times.
Great stuff on both discs. Berlin period, if I am not mistaken. Earlier this year Iggy talked about Bowie’s influence on him during this phase. NY Times article.
Trivia: Iggy went to the same high school as Bill Kirchen, Twangster and former guitarist former member of the Commander’s Lost Planet Airmen.
I highly recommend reading Please Kill Me.
Oh yeah on “Please Kill Me.” Perhaps the best rock oral history ever.
A crime that Iggy didn’t perform at the Grammys to honor Bowie. Lady Gaga?!?!? An abomination.
I watched the Grammys once in the early 1980s. It was awful. Never again.
A moment of silence for the late Merle Haggard.
boy are you an elitist Steve. nothing against Iggy: that would be fine. but, Gaga is awesomely wonderful. Now, Taylor Swift or Toby Keith…