Description
Label Review.
The story of Iggy’s 1977 on seven discs and 40 page book. CD1: The Idiot. CD2: Lust For Life. CD3: TV Eye Live. CD4: Demos & Rarities.* CD5: Live at Rainbow Theatre - Finsbury Park, London 7th March 1977. CD6: Live at Agora Cleveland 21st March 1977.* CD7: Live at Mantra Studios, Chicago 28th March 1977.* All remastered. *Exclusive to the box.
Our Overview.
This new box set from punk legend Iggy Pop is the first time his first two solo albums recorded with David Bowie have been remastered and expanded. Iggy was the lead singer in the trailblazing Detroit band The Stooges who issued three albums between 1969-1973 which were largely ignored at the time but their legend grew and helped by Iggy’s solo reappearance in 1977, are today renowned as undisputed classics and seen as inspirational not only to Punk Rock’s ascendance in the late 1970s but to countless bands ever since.
In 1976, Iggy Pop was experiencing drug issues and David Bowie who was a big fan and wanting to kick his own drug problem collected him and decamped to Berlin. Together they fashioned ‘The Idiot’ which would become Iggy’s debut solo album and Bowie got Iggy a record deal with RCA Records who he was with at that time. ‘The Idiot’ was a complete departure from the sound of the Stooges and was if anything a dry run for Bowie’s next album ‘Low’ which was recorded straight afterwards but released first. Bowie’s rhythm section played on ‘The Idiot’ and the overall sound could best be described as “icy” with Bowie’s keyboards offering a cold sheen against Iggy’s baritone vocals. The albums best known track, “China Girl” was re-recorded by Bowie himself for his 1983 album ‘Let’s Dance’ where it became a single and a big hit.
The follow-up came quickly with ‘Lust For Life’ and again Bowie produced although a more orthodox rock sound was heeded for this one and the rhythm section of brothers Tony & Hunt Sales propelled Iggy through what is still seen today as his best solo album. The title track and “The Passenger” are Iggy’s most popular songs and belatedly became hits in their own right in the 1990s after their use in the British film ‘Trainspotting’.
Both the albums are remastered in this new package alongside a disc of previously unreleased alternate mixes and rare single mixes. Also included is his final album for RCA: ‘T.V. Eye Live’ a rather roughly recorded live album plus three live performances all released officially for the first time. This set has been mastered from the best possible sources, and contains a 40-page booklet written by the Guardians Michael Hahn with contributions from the musicians who played on the records and fans who talk about the influence the albums had on them.
Tracklisting.
Disc 1. The Idiot: Sister Midnight / Nightclubbing / Funtime / Baby / China Girl / Dum Dum Boys / Tiny Girls / Mass Production
Disc 2. Lust For Life: Lust for Life / Sixteen / Some Weird Sin / The Passenger / Tonight / Success / Turn Blue / Neighbourhood Threat / Fall in Love with Me
Disc 3. T.V. Eye Live: T.V. Eye / Funtime / Sixteen / I Got A Right / Lust for Life / Dirt / Nightclubbing / I Wanna Be Your Dog
Disc 4. Demo’s and Rarities: Sister Midnight - Mono Single Edit / Sister Midnight - Single Edit / China Girl - Single Edit / Dum Dum Boys - Alt Mix / Baby - Alt Mix / China Girl - Alt Mix / Tiny Girls - Alt Mix / I Got A Right - Single / Lust for Life - Edit / Interview with Iggy about Recording the Idiot
Disc 5. Rainbow Theatre - Finsbury Park, London 07/03/1977: Raw Power / TV Eye / Dirt / 1969 / Turn Blue / Funtime / Gimme Danger / No Fun / Sister Midnight / I Need Somebody / Search and Destroy / I Wanna Be Your Dog / Tonight / Some Weird Sin / China Girl
Disc 6. Agora Cleveland 21/03/1977: Raw Power / TV Eye / Dirt / 1969 / Turn Blue / Funtime / Gimme Danger / No Fun / Sister Midnight / I Need Somebody / Search and Destroy / I Wanna Be Your Dog / China Girl
Disc 7. Mantra Studios, Chicago 28/03/1977: Raw Power / TV Eye / Dirt / 1969 / Turn Blue / Funtime / Gimme Danger / No Fun / Sister Midnight / I Need Somebody / Search and Destroy / I Wanna Be Your Dog / China Girl