AMG Review of Lust for Life [Single]

Matt Whalley
All Music Guide

This CD single was taken from the Nude and Rude -- The Best of Iggy Pop album in order to capitalize on Iggy Pop's newfound popularity in the late '90s. The use of "Lust for Life" in the film #Trainspotting brought Iggy Pop's earlier works back into the mainstream. This single appears to be rather straightforward with the title track accompanied by two live tracks. The "Lust for Life" single is a point of interest because of Iggy Pop's rare cover of James Brown's "Sex Machine." Through his career, Iggy Pop himself has written numerous raunchy sex anthems, so appropriately he chose to cover the quintessential sex jam. Iggy Pop does the James Brown standard justice then adds a personal touch that only he could add. He ad-libs about smashing his home computer than brings the song back to its intended lyrics. The songs that accompany "Lust for Life," which originally appeared on Iggy Pop's album of the same name, make the single very interesting and entertaining, leaving the songs the way they should be without various unnecessary alternate mixes. The live version of "Lust for Life" is taken from the ~Feile Festival in Ireland in 1993, showing a rawer version but with equal intensity. The following live track, "I Wanna Be Your Dog," taken from a ~Rock for Choice benefit, sounds surprisingly similar to the studio version of the song originally recorded by the Stooges. The "Lust for Life" single is a great sample of Iggy Pop at his best coupled with a rather unique rare track.