Though the artists recorded under their own names, they had a deep influence on each other’s work.
But what began as a retreat from the world eventually turned into an explosion of creativity that resulted in classic albums like Bowie’s Low and Pop’s wildly divergent solo debut, The Idiot. (1976)įew musical partnerships have borne richer fruit than the unlikely pairing of Iggy Pop and David Bowie, both of whom had moved to Berlin in 1977 to kick their various drug addictions. The Provocateur “Louie Louie” from Metallic K.O. Describing his musical mission in militaristic terms doesn’t actually seem that crazy. As would become clear on The Stooges’ 1976 live album Metallic K.O., every time Pop went on stage he was at war with his audience.
Though its title comes from a headline about the Vietnam War, “Search and Destroy” is less interested in politics than in co-opting the language of war (“runaway son of the nuclear A-bomb,” “heart full of napalm,” “love in the middle of a firefight”) to describe Pop’s own self-destructive mentality. Opening track “Search and Destroy” breaks down the door like a bulldozer, then slices through any remaining rubble with a trebly guitar lead that ranks among the most recognizable in punk rock.
Pop was struggling to kick heroin and retreated to London, where he reformed the band and recorded what would become their most iconic album, 1973’s Raw Power. The Stooges were a band in turmoil after the limited success of their self-titled debut and follow-up, Fun House. Heart Full of Napalm “Search and Destroy” from Raw Power (1973) The Stooges would go on to title their next album Raw Power, but they never sounded rawer or more powerful than they do in the final five minutes of Fun House. There’s not even the slightest pretense of pop structure, thank god, because such a structure would only serve to impose an artificial limit on what sounds like a limitless brand of aggression. Blues”, a jazz punk freak-out that finds Pop screaming his lungs out amidst a hurricane of distorted guitars, atonal saxophones, and haphazard snare beats. To call this album merely difficult is to deny the raw pleasures of a song like “L.A. Whereas The Stooges’ self-titled debut scratched the primal itch so insistently that it seemed almost anti-intellectual, Fun House demands that all critical faculties be fully engaged. Sexual Subversion “I Wanna Be Your Dog” from The Stooges (1969)įun House is Pop’s most gleefully anarchic album, a feverish, ferocious mess that happened to be miles ahead of its time when it was released in July of 1970. Let’s look back on 10 songs that define Iggy Pop’s long career, from his early years with The Stooges to his solo work, including his wildly productive sojourn with David Bowie in Berlin. Iggy will forever be one of rock music’s greatest live performers, but he has also delivered a body of work that has highly influenced generations of music acts, not to mention legions of fans. More than a half century since his debut with The Stooges, and at the age of 75, the prolific punk provocateur remains as vital as ever. Pop’s physique might belong in a museum or an art class, but his music still belongs on stage, or at least in a car stereo set to an ear-splitting volume.
Every sinewy muscle, every scar inflicted by a shard of broken glass is a product of a bygone era when sex, drugs, piss, and vinegar were the key ingredients in a rock ‘n’ roll song. Iggy Pop has been hanging around the punk-rock conversation for so long that even his body has become a sort of living artifact, a street-walkin’ cheetah for naturalists to study in the flesh. It has been updated in celebration of the punk icon’s 75th birthday (April 21st, 2022). Take it.Įditor’s note: This feature first ran in 2016 upon the release of Iggy Pop’s album Post Pop Depression. The post Iggy Pop in 10 Songs appeared first on Consequence.Įver felt overwhelmed by an artist’s extensive back catalog? Been meaning to check out a band, but you just don’t know where to begin? In 10 Songs is here to help, offering a crash course and entry point into the daunting discographies of iconic artists of all genres.