Search - Iggy Pop :: Zombie Birdhouse (Bonus CD) (Dlx)

New Reissue Worth Rebuying!

Jason Tharp | Wolverine, MI United States | 09/23/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Before "Avenue B", there was "Zombie Birdhouse". Actually, this isn't as much of a departure as "AveB" considering the album that came before it: "Party". There is more of an emphasis on his poetry reading (I've heard that the Doors wanted him to replace Morrison 30 years ago) & concepts rather than attempts at hit songs. The side openers "Run Like a Villain" & "Eat or be Eaten" sure are catchy though & "Bulldozer" is hard enough it sounds like he should have kept it for "Instinct" (which for me is a good thing). He has more to say here. Even though some of the later songs don't work very well, "Villain" especially seems to equate the jogging craze that started in the eighties with running away from responsibility for the greed & corruption of that decade. "Street Crazies" is another favorite, talking about the homeless being those left behind "as we try for the better, for the higher in man... they may as well be apes". The best moment, I think, is at the end of "Watching the News" when he starts to sing "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" as a tribute to Simon & Garfunkel. The album might seem softer, but it's heavier in another way. The live disc turns in heavier versions of most of "Z.B"'s songs, but knowing Iggy, they're also sloppier. They start off strong with an improvement on "The Villagers" which I always thought was a little too dance-y. From there it's the usual Iggy banter (i.e. obscenities) & clumsy versions of Stooges songs. The big surprise is the absence of "Lust For Life" or "The Passenger" which I thought he was required by law to play. The bottom line I guess is that if your a big fan, you're thrilled by anything new that comes along, & if not, it's a pretty good value for the few songs you'll like right away & then "discover" it later in your collection."

Weird but fun

K. Suzuki | New York | 07/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I always liked Zombie Birdhouse. With it's flying saucer guitar on The Horse song and the LMAO lyrics of bulldozer it is just representative of what I like about Iggy. Off the wall and fun, with more than a tiny bit of darkness to it (street crazies, the villagers, etc). I would splurge and get this edition because you get a live concert cd recorded in Toronto in 1983. The negative of this is Iggy must have had a cold because his throat sounds messed up, the quality of the recording is rather bootleggish, but still after a few listens you get used to the negatives and get into it. So I would definitely count the additional cd as a pretty cool bonus."

Really 3 1/2 stars - bonus for the live disc

ifutureman | NJ | 06/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After the fairly bland-sounding "Party" with its failed attempt at a big dance hit ("Bang Bang"), Iggy and Arista Records went their seperate ways. Retooling with members of Blondie, Pop turned in a solid album that is occasionally very catchy and funky, but also suffers at times from really awful singing. Nobody expects Iggy Pop to sing like Pavarotti, but even so he could have made a bit more effort to stay on pitch ...



Having said that there are some good rockers here, like the opening track "Run Like A Villain," and some softer tunes like "Ordinary Bummer" which rank among Iggy's prettiest. The bonus track, "Pain & Suffering," is just plain weird.



The bonus disc is a warts-and-all live recording of a Toronto show from the tour of this album. Virtually the entire "Zombie Birdhouse" track list is represented, along with a handful of older solo/Stooges tunes. Sound quality is so-so at best ... It sounds like a sound-board recording. But it's still a neat audio snapshot from this period of his career. I just wish we could get a live disc of the "Soldier" tour.



Not the best Iggy solo album - That would be either "Soldier" or "The Idiot" in my opinion - but one of his better efforts."