Iggy Pop, as you probably know, invented music. This has been widely reported in many popular magazines. He is solely responsible for the existence of punk, post-punk, metal, new wave, no-wave, and, oddly enough, trip-hop (okay, I made that last one up). On this two-disc retrospective, it’s easy to see where that reputation comes from. These are some great songs. There’s just a lot of them. Too many, really.
At this point in music history, there’s really nothing left to say about Iggy Pop. Lines have been drawn. Opinions have been formed. This review will not make you like the man, but just let me state for the record that I do like him a decent amount. He found a way to be hopeless and defiant at the same time, and that’s tough to pull off. My favorite thing about Iggy are the little tossed-off lines he yelps from time to time that seem to put everything in a nutshell perfectly. Whether it’s “Somebody gotta save my soul” from “Search and Destroy,” “Alright, doll face, come out and bore me,” from “I’m Bored,” or just the simple “I don’t mind” from “Gimme Some Skin,’ the man could always convey wellsprings of emotion in just a few words. He appreciated brevity.
Which means he would have hated this anthology. Greatest hits albums have an obligation to the people. They are Cliff’s Notes for music – concise and time-saving, great for the novice, lightweight and easy to carry around. The two-disc anthology, by definition, is cheating. One disc. That’s all you get. Sorry. I’m not saying that poor-quality songs were included here (I always hated “Nightclubbing,” but that’s just me), I just think that these collections should cut to the quick – the ten or fifteen most blinding moments of absolute brilliance. Would a dozen-song Iggy Pop best-of leave some great tunes out? Of course it would, but that’s part of the fun. Collections are really all about exclusion. Hell, this one still managed to leave out my favorite Iggy jam (“I Need Somebody”). The man wrote enough good songs to fill a four-disc anthology, but, at that point, aren’t you just better off buying the actual albums? The neophyte wants a crash course, and the aficionado already has all this stuff on vinyl, anyway. Who does the two-disc set appeal to?
When the aliens land, and they ask about Iggy Pop (and they will, eventually), will you answer, “Oh, he’s the guy that did ‘Candy’ with Kate Pierson”? Of course not. It’s a good song, but it’s non-essential, and the aliens will have no time for nonsense. You will tell them about “Lust for Life” and “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and maybe even “Some Weird Sin.” You will tell them how Iggy was maybe the most dynamic frontman of all-time, how he somehow remains in absolutely chiseled physical shape despite existing on nothing but heroin for whole decades. You will tell them that he invented music, and, if the aliens like music, maybe they will spare our planet. Yes, Iggy Pop could be our only hope. I just hope we come up with a better anthology before it’s too late. |