Search - Iggy Pop :: Heritage Collection

No lust and just a little life

John B. Maggiore | Buffalo, NY United States | 04/15/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is a compilation of "the best" of three of Iggy Pop's more obscure albums from around 1980, "New Values;" "Soldier;" and "Party." This is not Iggy at his best. "Raw Power" is louder and faster, "Lust for Life" has more energy, "The Idiot" is more intelligent, and "Blah, Blah, Blah" is more accessible. Still, the songs on "The Heritage Collection" are worthwhile and interesting. Songs from 1979's "New Values," such as "Girls" and "I'm Bored," (the antithesis of "Lust for Life") evoke the feel of the birth of MTV. Think Lou Reed meets "Video Killed the Radio Star." 1980's "Soldier's" songs, like "Loco Mosquito" and "I'm a Conservative" feature Iggy trying to be aggressive again. His efforts here fall far short of the standard set by the Stooges. "Play it Safe" apparently features David Bowie, but you need to read that to know. At about the same time, Bowie was releasing "Scary Monsters," one of his best. Since the two had produced such great work together in the 70's, these songs are especially disappointing because of what they could have been. The three songs from 1981's "Party" are better. Iggy returns some life to his sardonic sneer here. His version of "Bang Bang" is far superior to Bowie's from "Never Let Me Down," and his version of "Sea of Love," while less respectful than Robert Plant's cover, is also more subtle than Sid Vicious' cover of "My Way." On the whole, "The Heritage Collection" isn't really a "best of," but a good fifth or sixth additional CD to an Iggy collection. In this respect, Arista does us a favor by providing an alternative to buying re-issues of three adequate albums."

A Nice Compilation

Sheldon S. Kohn | 09/07/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

""The Heritage Collection" includes selections from "New Values," "Soldier," and "Party," three of Iggy's albums from the late 70s and early 80s. One could argue with the choices of cuts from each album. I would rather see "Billy is a Runaway" than "Tell Me a Story" from "New Values." Likewise, I prefer "Houston is Hot Tonight" over "Sea of Love" from "Party." It also seems strange that "Play it Safe" is included from "Soldier" while "I Need More," a song that is close to an Iggy anthem, is left off. However, these are the choices that must be made for a compilation like this one, and overall this is a nice CD.Also, anyone who wants complete copies of these three albums can get them in quite nice re-issues. Personally, this compilation is enough for me.The aspect of "The Heritage Collection" I like the most is that it gives a sense of those times and those parties. I remember (barely) going to a lot of late 70s and early 80s parties where "New Values" was playing long and loud. This music also reminds me of the scene we had in Atlanta at the time, centered around the 688 club. This is my heritage.Iggy performed in Atlanta in 1980, after the release of "New Values" and before "Soldier" came out, for an entire week, giving a concert at the 688 every night. The highlight was an infamous "All Ages Show" that no one who attended is ever likely to forget. Those days, liking Iggy was a Shibboleth for knowing who was cool, and who was not. Iggy led our charge, and anyone who listens to the songs on "The Heritage Collection" is not likely to forget who we were, or why we were the way we were. If you are ready to rock, put this CD on your player and run from track 2 through track 10. Listen as Iggy tells how difficult it is to find "one new value." Decide how you feel about corporate life while Iggy claims to be "Chairman of the Bored." Have a laugh at people who are too dense to know if Iggy really means it when he claims that "I'm a Conservative."Iggy always gave us Punk with a Purpose. Now more than ever, we really need his voice one more time."