Iggy Pop - Avenue B
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Because Ivlander asked for this, here it is.
Say what you will, but Iggy Pop is a crooner. He's cut from the same cloth as his predeescessors - Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Jim Morrison (who he has cited as one of his biggest influences). As much as he is known for rolling in broken glass or smearing himself with peanut butter, his real power is comanding the mike, and getting you to listen. Even if he is in the process of throwing that mike at your head.
Unfortunately, as is the case with Avenue B, Iggy falls back a little into the role of his predescessors, and litterally croons away most of the album. Backed by Knitting Factory luminaries Medeski, Martin, and Wood on a few tracks, Pop takes his sound in a different direction a direction we don't really need to hear.
The thing with Iggy Pop is, lets face it, some times his lyrics can be just plain dumb. Let's look at a classic like "1969".
"Last year I was 21, I didn't have a lot fun"
Kind of sophmore huh? But the delivery and intensity of the song makes it forgivable.
Unfortunately when you have a 50 year old Iggy doing a spoken word piece, "No Shit", and then leading into a Harry Chapin sounding track called "Nazi Girlfriend", in which he is Iggy in spirit, but he has no noise or bombast to hide behind.
"I wanna fuck her on the floor, among my books of ancient lore"
These are rhymes a grade schooler could make. Unfortunately it's Iggy without the balls, so just sounding silly.
Iggy's cover of Johnny Kid and The Pirates "Shakin' All Over" is pretty straight forward, and Pop-esque, but no other tracks on the album really ever seem to capture that energy.
If your a completist or a covers junkie, you may want to search this one out in the cut out bin, but I would say it's only for the truest Iggy Pop fans, and even then it's a dud.
Locating MOG account...
Comments (8)
As a die-hard Iggy fan, you'll get no argument from me, although I still think "Avenue B" is a better effort than "Brick By Brick" (another Don Was effort) even though the former is universally lauded as a "mature" effort by the man. Besides, since when are Iggy's lyrics NOT sophmoronic?! Sorry, but I never confused " I Wanna Be Your Dog" with a Leonard Cohen tune lol....it's part of what makes Iggy fun!
Avenue B sounds good when I'm in the garage doing stuff. And what's wrong with that Nazi Girlfriend lyric? It's the "ancient lore" bit that lifts it. There's also the one about the 'desert in her eyes'...Ig is always good for a lyrical fillip. I'm waiting for the album of Sinatra covers - he'd do that one great. :-_)
Garage - I think only those of use who ar used to Iggy's rather loose editing for his lyrical style aren't thrown off by albums like Avenue B. I rather enjoyed this side of Iggy when the album came out, but listening to it again, years later, it really didn't hold up for me. Like most Iggy ventures, it's got it's moments, and it disapoints as well.
Jonh - I certainly hope the Rod Stewart-esque jazz standards album isn't on it's way! If it is I'll have to drive down to Miami Beach and punch him in the face!
I had not checked this out, but based on your post I will have to give it a whirl
I luvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv peanut butter. But Iggy could not smear enough on to get me to listen to his music.
I like Corruption, and recently got a kick from Iggy's "Repo Man" song for the flick of the same name, with lyrics such as -
"Life crawls by you in a blur...
Page out of a comic book,
a suicide, a certain look...
using my hand for an ashtray..."
Iggy's title song begins at around 7 mins in (cue ff)
Repo Man is one of my favoritees, as is the soundtrack. I own both, and love them dearly. I've said it before, it's delicously quotable!
"Let's Do Some Crime!"
Have been into Iggy Pop for my entire life. The guy is flat out amazing and I will always give a listen to whatever he does.
I saw Iggy (and the Stooges) most recently when he headlined Little Stevens Garage Fest at Randalls Island a few years ago. The guy is still one of the most compelling performers out there.