From the Vault...

09/08/2013
#1376

info
Iggy Pop
"Soldier"


© Arista Records

Year of Release: 1980
Rating:

track listing
  • Loco Mosquito
  • Ambition
  • Take Care Of Me
  • Get Up And Get Out
  • Play It Safe
  • I'm A Conservative
  • Dog Food
  • I Need More
  • Knocking 'Em Down
    (In The City)
  • Mr. Dynamite
  • I Snub You

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    Iggy Pop
    "Soldier"



    Iggy Pop returns as our Album Pick of the Week, being his second appearance here. His 1980 release, Soldier gets the nod. Iggy's music you either tend to like or dislike. His music is considered Rock, yet many claim him as a Father of Punk. There are many punk sounding tracks here, as some are your familiar sounding Iggy Pop tracks, and there are some comparisons to other rockers (whether they be classified as Rock, Punk, Glam or Glitter).


    Iggy Pop had been battling his own demons before this release, and he shows it on the album cover. Whether it be from drugs (which most rockers commonly dealt with, or with the competition of other rockers), his "pose" on the Soldier album cover looks as if he is hanging himself in self-suicide. (According to a review I read, for the past ten years he had been trying to outdo his fellow rockers with every source he could come up with, preferably money.)


    The album leads off with a rock (or is it punk) track -- "Loco Mosquito." This song can easily grow on you. "Ambition" sounds almost Dylanish (?), and (like other tracks here) it's a track than can be compared to the Alice Cooper years after he left his "Billion Dollar Babies" band. "Take Care Of Me" has the punkish-David Bowie atmosphere. Those familar with the comon sounds of Iggy, can agree on "Get Up And Get Out." Speaking of Bowie, he co-wrote the next track, "Play It Safe," a punkish sounding tune.


    The familiar (and crazy) "I'm A Conservative" (a song in which many critics enjoyed), has the common Iggy, and crazy he is, and expected. The next two tracks are catchy and punkish: "Dog Food" and "I Need More." (The latter of the two could be another track in which Alice Cooper is compared to.) Punkish also has the sound style of "Knocking 'Em Down (In The City)." The last two tracks just seem strange (crazy? strange? Yeah, that's all Iggy.) -- "Mr. Dynamite" and "I Snub You."


    Some additional information to add: The Sex Pistols' Glen Matlock helped out on this album, as musician and writer. David Bowie helped out too, by co-writing one track ("Play It Safe") and providing vocals. Likewise on vocals, the band Simple Minds provided their vocals (along with Bowie) fson "Play It Safe."


    I give Soldier only two stars, because Iggy's music is sometimes often hard to cipher. It's Rock, it's Punk, it's different. Some can easily say his music may not be for everyone. There weren't any popular tracks from this release, yet I'm sure there are the die-hard Iggy fans who praise every album he did. (And yes, the critics did favor this release.)


    I never really grew up listening to Iggy's music, as some of his songs became more famous in decades later in television (and/or radio) commercials. His music can often be confused, sounding like either David Bowie and Billy Idol. Yet, when you learn that it is Iggy Pop, you often want to dig into more of his music (as I often do, with many artists). Iggy Pop's Soldier is a fair album; it can be a party album. It can come out as crazy, strange, Punk. Again, This Is IGGY POP.


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    Previous Review: #1375
    Ella Fitzgerald--Ella In Rome: The Birthday Concert
    Next Review: #1377
    Enoch Light--Persuasive Percussion Volume 3