A succinct view of Iggy's A&M years
stephen botha | Johannesburg, South Africa | 03/27/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This compilation contains selections from the two albums Iggy Pop recorded for A&M Records, Blah-Blah-Blah and Instinct. The former is an album of stylish, danceable art-punk, the latter an album of crunching hard rock. Blah-Blah-Blah saw Iggy re-uniting with David Bowie and once again the two forged a successful partnership, resulting in the hits Real Wild Child and Cry For Love. Wild Child is a synthed-up stomper, a feel-good version of the Buddy Holly romp. Cry For Love is a dramatic, powerful song, the more emotive side of the former Stooge wild man. The other Blah tracks, while quite similar in feel, are solid pop songs and quite gritty below Bowie's polished production. The powerful Winners And Losers and the infectious Baby It Can't Fall, in particular, are fine songs. On the flipside of the coin, the Instinct songs verge on full on metal. Cold Metal, Tuff Baby and Easy Rider roll over you like a steam roller. Nevertheless, there still isn't the meltdown of the albums Iggy made with the Stooges. The songs thrash and burn at the right moments, but there isn't the raw power (had to slip that in) of the young Ig nor the intensity and lyrical insight of albums like American Caesar. Still, this collection makes for fine listening and is the bridge between Iggy's erratic Arista years and his mature rebirth on Virgin Records. I love all of Iggy's work so naturally I do love all these songs. But if you are a newcomer and want to discover Iggy, start at The Idiot and Lust For Life and go mad on the Stooges."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1