Smash It Up: The Anthology 1976-1987
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (22 October, 2002)
list price: $21.98
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Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (5)

Very good, worth getting for any Damned fan
This is a great CD, as it picks some of the best songs from all their albums over the years (Damned Damned Damned, Music for Pleasure, The Black Album, Machine Gun Etiquette, Strawberries, Phantasmagoria). The first CD is their earlier stuff, with stuff like New Rose and Problem Child, while the second CD has some of their later songs like Eloise (some Damned fans may hate it, but I love it!) and Grimly Fiendish. Someone else who reviewed this CD said that they hated the fact that they put all seventeen minutes of Curtain Call. The reason for all seventeen minutes is that it's a psycadelic masterpiece, and I love the song so much I want it played at my funeral, which hopefully won't be for a long time!

Very good, but missing a few classics.
While Smash It Up: The Anthology 1976-1987 is a very good CD, with classics such as Curtain Call and the fantastic Eloise, a few very good songs are missing, such as (to name a few): Disco Man, Nasty, Stranger on the Town and Shadow of love. Despite that, it is a very good album, and well worth buying for any Damned fan.

wouldv'e scored higher if it included other songs.
to my dismay, this cd didn't include such obscure classics like politics,liar,one way love or even lively arts. ARRGGH!! sanctuary shouldv'e omitted the 17 minute curtain call and made room for these songs instead. )0= bummer!! oh wellz, at least i can listen to generals and creep. now that's music for pleasure.(0; ... Read more

Asin: B00006LI2E
Sales Rank: 7101
Subjects:  1. British Punk    2. Goth Rock    3. Pop    4. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    5. Punk    6. Rock   

Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 October, 2002)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $14.99
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Editorial Review

Holy countercultural confluence! For the cause of fundraising for the defense of a trio of legally bound Arkansas headbangers--one of whom is currently on death row on the basis of hearsay testimony--Henry Rollins has resurrected the sacrosanct songs of his legendary former Los Angeles hardcore band Black Flag. Much as he first joined the popular Flag by jumping on stage and grabbing the microphone, Rollins here assigns lead vocals to a bewildering array of guests, including Iggy Pop, Dean Ween, Corey Taylor of Slipknot, Tom Araya of Slayer, Queens of the Stone Age, and Ice T. The Rollins Band convincingly serves as caustic backing band throughout. Protest music godfather Chuck D. of Public Enemy appears as well, though simply to introduce the album. Many of the singers, whether inspired by the cause itself or the muscular caliber of Black Flag's music, deliver the rebellious message with heartfelt intensity. Motorhead leader Lemmy's ripping version of "Thirsty and Miserable" is a stunning highlight, as is Hank Williams III's psychotic "No Values." Former Flag singers Keith Morris and Chuck Dukowski bring their veteran intensity, and Rollins himself shouts "My War," "TV Party," "Black Coffee," "Annihilate This Week," "Slip It In," and the title track. (Flag guitarist-lyricist Greg Ginn is notably absent, though his trademark clear Lucite guitar joins the West Memphis Three defendants on the cover artwork.) The participating musicians' anger and frustration over the West Memphis Three case, which has been detailed in HBO's Paradise Lost documentaries, is well matched with the giant fury of this band. --Ian Christe ... Read more

Features

• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (21)

Truth or complacency?The choice is yours.
Those who will enjoy this disc are people who have both an understanding of great music and a respect for the law.Those who do not care about either probably will not care for this.Certainly this is for fans of Black Flag, Henry Rollins, and all the artists compiled here.(Ryan Adams contributes a great version of "Nervous Breakdown" and Hank III does "No Values," which is simply incredible.)

This is not for fans of ignorance or complacency in any of its forms.Certainly NOT for fans who think Henry Rollins is just trying to "free convicted murderers."And certainly NOT for fans who think that people who read Stephen King books are all Satanic killers.

Watch the "Paradise Lost" HBO documentaries, read "Devil's Knot" and "Blood of Innocents" and form educated opinions.Don't impugn Rollins or any of these musicians for having higher standards for OUR legal system and wanting to make sure we have the truth.When three people are convicted on hearsay and circumstantial evidence and one is sentenced to death, you can expect people from all over the country to take notice and want to get involved, because some of us still believe in justice and the separation of church and state.Anything less is un-American.

This is Henry Rollins' attempt to raise money for the truth, whatever it may be.Rollins told one victim's family as much.If the WM3 are proven guilty, at least we will have more to rely on than hearsay and Satanic Panic (you know, like actual, concrete evidence, which has been absent from this case since the start).The phrase "innocent until proven guilty" simply does not apply to this case.The prosecution proved nothing, except that West Memphis, Arkansas is a place free-thinking people probably shouldn't visit.Pardon the rest of America for thinking Metallica CDs aren't quite enough to prove someone is a murderer.

This is a great effort on the part of all the musicians involved, and it proves that ignorance still has opposition in America.

English as a second language for Americans
(...) The WM3 were convicted of the crimes. This is true. They were convicted based on hearsay and circumstantial evidence, not to mention a healthy dose of christian (ugh) fundamentalism. The truth is out there, but the ignorant sit in their churches and ignore it because it is easier to do.

This a compact disc full of MUSIC, however, and that is the real point here. You can't get much better than this with Henry Rollins being joined by Black Flag alums like Chuck Dukowski and Keith Morris, as well as Hank Williams III (the best REAL country musician working today), Lemmy from Motorhead, Exene from X, Ryan Adams, Tom from Slayer, Nick from Mondo Generator, and plenty more. The music is all provided by Mother Superior, a terriffic caustic rock trio with plenty of CDs of their own out there. They are best known as the Rollins Band, mach II, of course. They became his backing band a few years ago, although this is no longer the case. Henry is set to reveal a new band soon. They tear it up here, and the guitar sound is nearly perfect since the Dan Armstrong guitar donated to the cause was used for the recording, getting close to that classic Greg Ginn sound.

Black Flag are one of the ten most important bands in the history of music, and these songs should not be missed. Check this disc out, then check out some of the original releases for a real lesson in rock and roll.

And check out the Paradise Lost films for a lesson in how easily the US court system can break down when it is allowed to be placed in the hands of ignorant rednecks who don't understand that church and state are required BY LAW to remain separate and distinct.

If the victims in this case were my family, I would want the real killer or killers to be found. I would not want to find the nearest scapegoat and ruin that person (or in this case persons) life. Punishing scapegoats is what the nazis did, isn't it?

a testament to the surviving power of music
I had never heard of the west memphis three case until this benifit CD came out. It wasn't until recently that I bought the CD, and ever since I've purchased it, I've been blown away by the intensity and quality. I think it's a testament to the still surviving power of music, and especially Black Flag style punk rock that so much talent has come together for such a controversial but noble cause. If you're a Black Flag, Rollins Band, Henry Rollins, etc., fan, buy this CD. If you're not a rock fan, at least check out the case, or at least how it's laid out by the CD insert. Without voices like Rollins, there will never be hope for justice in America. ... Read more

Asin: B00006JBKR
Subjects:  1. Alternative Metal    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. American Underground    4. College Rock    5. Hardcore Punk    6. Pop    7. Punk Revival    8. Tribute Albums    9. V/a Compilations   

Sweat Box
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 June, 1992)
list price: $18.98
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Reviews (4)

YOU TELL THEM HANK.....
SPOKEN WORD AT ITS BEST. ITS LIKE, MY STORIES ARE IN NEED OF A RE-EDIT AFTER LISTENING TO THIS STUFF. AMONG THE HIGHLIGHTS ARE ROLLINS PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT AN APPEARANCE ON LETTERMAN MIGHT BE LIKE FOR HIM....YOU WANT SOMEENTERTAINMENT, COME IN AND BURN...COMMENTS WELCOME AT nick82e@hotmail.com

Solid.
Yet another record whose full enjoyability is hampered by poor sound quality, "Sweatbox" is a damn fine collection of spoken word otherwise.Get this record for three of the best bits Rollins has everdone: "Getting Home", "Running/Crawling" and themomentous "Blueprints for the Destruction of Earth".Blueprintsis Rollins' groundbreaking (window, bone, concrete, mountain-breaking) rantthat spits in the face of all political correctness and whiny tiptoeingaround hot-button issues.Is he kidding?Maybe.Is it funny? DEFINITELY.

"Getting Home" is fast-paced, well-written, and ahilariously funny description of all the tribulations Rollins sufferedwhile attempting to get home from a particularly difficult tour.I saw himre-visit the piece last year, and it lacked the same power and humor, itbeing several years after the actual event.

Other standout bits include"Sex Ed", "Friction" and "Late Night PhoneBlues".Rollins is more than a funnyman, he is also one of thespokesmen for the disenfranchised young.Like Jello Biafra, Henry hearsfrom youth whose parents can't/don't wish to deal with them, people whohave had hard roads to follow, and can identify with the man they hear onthe records.Henry leads his listeners from laughter to thought, toself-examination (never pretty), and back to laughter again.You finishone of these cds feeling spent, worn out, because you cannot listen to whatRollins says without having it change you a little bit each time.

Herny, I Want Your Job.
Seriously.The only reason this cd gets only four stars is because of the sound quality.Mr. Rollins is one helluva storyteller, and he's got lots of tales to spin... after you've listened to this or any of his otherspoken word stuff, you'll feel as though you know the guy. and you'llprobably want his job, too.this stuff will make you laugh, and then hehits you with something that makes you ponder existence... quiteremarkable. always remember... Henry is an optimist, but his optimism"wears heavy boots and is loud". ... Read more

Asin: B0000037MQ
Sales Rank: 143970
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Spoken / Comedy / Radio Shows   

Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $8.99
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Editorial Review

Recognizing that there's no such thing as bad publicity, manager-Svengali Malcolm McLaren molded the Pistols into the most confrontational, nihilistic band rock & roll had ever seen. Propelled by Johnny Rotten's maniacal vocals, Steve Jones's buzz-saw guitar, and (most importantly) bass player Glen Matlock's hook-filled compositional skills, the Pistols' early singles "Anarchy in the U.K." and "God Save the Queen" defined the raging style of British punk. By the time they recorded their lone 1977 album, Matlock had been bounced, replaced by the image-correct but utterly untalented (and ultimately group-dooming) Sid Vicious. Not a 10th as good as the singles, the album nontheless remains a bile-filled emblem of the times. --Billy Altman ... Read more

Reviews (320)

Revolutionary
I used to hate punk music...until someone played Never mind the Bollocks for me. It's amazing, and the Sex Pistols remain my favorite punk band, followed by the Clash and the Ramones. And I also happen to like Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, the Who, Yes, and Pink Floyd. I don't like to limit myself to liking certain styles. I'd like to point out to a previous reviewer that it was Sid Vicious who killed his girlfriend, not Johnny Rotten, and that's not actually been proven, though it seems highly likely. And it's not like he wasn't remorseful - he committed suicide afterwards.

Back to the album, the music is great; it's almost entirely built around simple three-chord blasts of rage. The best songs are "Holidays in the Sun," "God Save the Queen," "Anarchy in the U.K." and "EMI," in my opinion, but there are no bad tracks at all. The lyrics are about as offensive as you can possibly get. Johnny Rotten basically screams his way through lyrics about communism (and not anti-communist lyrics, either), abortions, emotionlessness, his hatred of the Queen, anarchy, among other things. A set of simple, loud guitar riffs backs him up - the performances may be messy, but they're definitely energetic. This album officially began the British punk era, even if Damned Damned Damned was released a short time earlier. The singles "God Save the Queen" and "Anarchy in the U.K." are two of the best songs ever, period, and it gave them a lot of publicity. It's too bad that the band imploded after only eighteen months of existence, but listening to this album, it's not surprising. Sid Vicious could not play bass - most of these parts were played by other people, and the band never really got a chance to come together. By the time of Vicious' death, even Rotten had no desire to remain in the band, and everything fell apart.

If you're looking for a great punk album, this is it. The only two albums to give it competition are The Clash, and Rocket to Russia, and this belongs in any rock fan's collection.

OH MY GOD
PUNK IS THE WORST MOST UNTALENTED GENRE EVER. PUNKS ARE THE DUMBEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. YOU PEOPLE ARE UNEDUCATED AND YOU TALK ABOUT WESTERN GOVERNMENT AS IF YOU HAS A CAREER IN POLITICS. YOU PEOPLE ARE THE STUPIDEST MORONS EVER. GO LIVE IN YOUR FILTHY HOUSES, DON'T BATHE, AND DON'T CONTRIBUTE ANYTHING TO SOCIETY, BUT PLEASE KEEP YOUR RETARDED POLITICAL VIEWS AND YOUR TERRIBLE MUSIC TO YOURSELF.

ANARCHY DOESN'T WORK STUPID.

Most influential punk album of the 70s
1977 was a great year for punk rock as bands such as The Sex Pistols, The Clash, and Black Flag emerged. After that there were countless imitators such as Crass, The U.K. Subs, The Misfits, Minor Threat, The Circle Jerks, The Subhumans, and many more. While all of these bands had their own distinct sound, they all followed in the footsteps of The Sex Pitols and Black Flag. Even though The Sex Pistols were a very mainstream band there is no denying the effect they had on the punk rock community. They may have even been able to last longer if they had not made the mistake of replacing Glen Matlock with Sid Vicious. ... Read more

Asin: B000002KIE
Subjects:  1. Britain    2. British Punk    3. Pop    4. Punk    5. Rock   

Flogging a Dead Horse
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (27 April, 2004)
list price: $17.49 -- our price: $17.49
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Features

• Import

Reviews (2)

If you've got "Never Mind The Bollocks"...
OK, if you've got that great album "NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS", there's the only thing left to be done - buy this album. Just because their next album "The Great R'n'R Swindle" turned out to be disappointing, but it had a few real good tracks (contributed by Sid Vicious), which all are included here.

This is a collection of all the Pistols' singles from 1976 to 1979, so besides the tracks from "The Swindle" (and "Never Mind..."), there is a great deal of famous tracks omitted from "Never Mind...": "No Fun", "I Wanna Be Me", "Did You No Wrong", "Steppin' Stone" and "Anarchy In The UK" - in its raw original version. You wouuld be enough satisfied.

[This collection originally was released in 1979 in the U.K.]

Great for any true fan!
Though this doesn't have the attitude and fury of "Never Mind The Bollocks", it is essential for any hardcore fan of the Sex Pistols.Mostly a collection of covers, "Flogging A Dead Horse" isdefinitely memorable and fun to listen to.What's most reassuring is thatit's not all "Bollocks" rehash, like so many other Pistolsalbums.The most memorable performances are Sid Vicious' heartfelt andfurious butchering of Frank Sinatra's "My Way", and the Monkees'"Stepping Stone (I'm Not Your)", and among the worst are"Something Else" and "No Fun". I only gave this fourstars because it is mostly non-Pistols material, yet it still rocks outlike the Pistols should.This album shows the inspirations of the SexPistols' rage filled punk anthems, and gives insight into their musicalbackgrounds.Though not their best, it is recomended for the true fan. ... Read more

Asin: B0000073PP
Sales Rank: 97871
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock    3. Rock/Pop   

London Calling
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 January, 2000)
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Editorial Review

Bursting at the seams with creative energy, the Clash's stunning 1979 double album more than made up for the artistic and commercial disappointment of its predecessor, 1978's tried-too-hard Give 'Em Enough Rope. With ex-Mott the Hoople producer Guy Stevens harnessing their sound as never before, the band yielded what proved to be the best work of their career. Bouncing from hard rock (the apocalyptic vision of the title track) to rockabilly ("Brand New Cadillac") to reggae ("Rudy Can't Fail") topop (the Top 40 hit "Train in Vain"), the Clash knocked down all musical walls and, in the process, ended the argument over punk's viability in the U.S. --Billy Altman ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (346)

this...this is really really awesome
I pretty much hated all punk music, but i got this album and was extremely impressed.It goes way beyond the limited vision of all other punk music, with Strummer and co combining many musical differences and styles into a powerful mixture that is clear, idealistic, and inspiring.I can do without any other punk album, but not this one.I will always have a copy, it is an essential rock classic that everyone should own.They really transcended the limits of punk to create a funky and fun album that is also serious and revolutionary.go get it now!Its just as good as the other reviewers claim.

An excellent album
Don't listen to 1-star reviewby "The Heretic." Apparently this reviewer likes Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Janet Jackson (for all the wrong reasons. wink wink). This is a great album and a triumph of punk rock (which does not include such sex-craved fratboy reject bands like Blink 182, Sum 41, Yellowcard, Good Charlotte, the lists goes on and on).

a great punk classic
london calling was one of the greatest punk rock albums ever and is hugely recommended along with their self titled album containing the classic MARRAKESH EXPRESS.hugely recommended.five stars. ... Read more

Asin: B00004BZ0N
Subjects:  1. Britain    2. British Punk    3. England    4. Hard Rock    5. New Wave    6. Pop    7. Punk    8. Punk/New Wave    9. Rock    10. Rock & Roll   

Sandinista!
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 January, 2000)
list price: $24.98 -- our price: $22.99
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Editorial Review

What the hell is this? Though the two-record sprawl of London Calling--with its exploratory mutations of reggae, rockabilly, and even disco--proved that the Clash weren't content to lie fallow in a punk-rock ghetto, nothing prepares you for Sandinista's messy melange. For 36 tracks (the Clash originally released this as a three-record set for not much more than the price of one), the band tackles everything in sight, including waltz, gospel, disco, children's ditties, funk, reggae, dub, delicate instrumentals, psychedelic explorations--hell, they even play a Clash rocker or two. Though many have said there is a single great album hidden among the three here, it's the pure chutzpah of Sandinista that makes it such a particular pleasure and a brain drain at the same time. It's the document of a band that can do anything and tries to do everything. It's the glorious sound of failure. And if that ain't the Clash, what is? --Tod Nelson ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (136)

Anything and everything...
After their massively successful London Calling double-album proved they were clearly more technically and artistically proficient than other punk bands, the Clash set out to make another statement.

Sandinista! remains the fruition of everything that went right and everything that went wrong with this album. Surely not the best Clash album - that honor should always go to their debut, regardless of what version it is - but it does have moments that recall past glories. "Somebody Got Murdered" and "Hitsville U.K." remain two of my favorite Clash tracks, the latter featuring Ellen Foley on vocals. The real problem is that the band tried to do anything and everything, all the while failing to make any sort of cohesive musical statement. Melding rap, gospel, dub, and even children's choruses to their already eclectic blend of rock, jazz, and reggae should've made for an interesting album, but for every great song to be found amidst the chaos, there are two or three failed experiments best left forgotten. These failed experiments disrupt the flow of the album, and it would probably be beneficial to listen to the entire album, pick out one's favorites, and burn a different version in order to avoid ridiculous tracks such as the incredibly superfluous new take on "Career Opportunities," which just sounds stupid. I also hate their attempts at rap - not only do I dislike rap in its entirety, but tracks like "Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice)" are weak, even for that genre.

In the end, Sandinista!'s frustrating sprawl came as quite a shock after the triumph of London Calling. Whereas its predecessor was an artistic triumph as well as a superbly listenable album, Sandinista! fails to do either, and can be overlooked by anyone but the most devoted.

The Clash Ultimate Recording
It was 1980 and the Ultra Righteaous Right had won with Reagan at the Captain's Seat and here come The Clash singing what I consider one of the last protest recordings of our generation ( born in the 50`s ) . Because of it and the anxiety of the times , I left the Usa and moved into the Caribbean where I have been very happy indeed ... Look Here : Up in Heaven ... After Sandinista there was nothing until Big Audio Dynomite came along and very ahead of their time ... Enjoy ...

a classic
i bought this album about 2 weeks ago and it has hardly left my player.I understand that some people diss it because it isn't as much punk flavored as their first 2 but it's great.Take it as a great album, no matter who it is, just because it's the clash doesn't mean they can only play punk. This is a great album to have for the summer for driving around i'm glad i got it just in time, album is great all the way through ... Read more

Asin: B00004BZ16
Subjects:  1. British Punk    2. Hard Rock    3. New Wave    4. Pop    5. Punk    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll   

Truth and Soul
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

Truth & Soul is the most focused, most frenetic, and most political album in Fishbone's small but important catalog of ska/metal/funk/punk. They still party on this record (note "Bonin' in the Boneyard") but they also offer some serious doses of reality, and some fierce insight about growing up black in America.Much of the material (including "Slow Bus Movin'," "Ghetto Soundwave," and the potent, hopeful "One Day") was recorded on the 1988 birthdates of Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln. Madcap vocalist Angelo Moore is in good form on Truth, but guitarist Kendall Jones often threatens to steal the show, particularly on the amped-up cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Freddie's Dead." --Michael Ruby ... Read more

Reviews (28)

FISHBONE'S best--should have made them huge stars
This is Fishbone's best album--it has it all, the fun songs, the fast ones, the serious ones, the silly ones, the rockin' ones.

This album because (and remains) a cult hit--a staple of the well stocked music collection--but it should have made Fishbone into a huge, stadium packing rock band. They should have received the acclaim and sales that the Chilli Peppers and No Doubt (and, briefly, the MM Bosstones) received. Fishbone was better. They burned hot and in this album their flame was at its peak.

This one should be an Amazon Essential.

FISHBONE gets recognized and more mature,still fun!
I love FISHBONE's humor. It shows us all that life is NOT all that bad,especially when there are others worse off than us (the ones that can't buy CD's,etc...). FISHBONE tried to get serious some on their first full-length 'IN YOUR FACE' but the funk-filled fell on deaf ears (not def).

The seriousness comes from KENDALL JONES and CHRISTOPHER DOWD. The writers of songs like "Change","Pouring Rain" and "Ghetto Soundwave" are just heart-touching songs about piece (I mean peace) The songs you really don't hear much of since JOHN LENNON. The other songs written by various members of the band is more on an issue related like "Slow Bus Movin' (Howard Beach Party)","Ma And Pa","One Day","Deep Inside","Question Of Life" and "Subliminal Facism". The rest of the album is just funky fun. The hard-rocking cover of CURTIS MAYFIELD's "Freddie's Dead",the bass crazy,funked up to be damned "Bonin' In The Boneyard" and the rock bounce "Mighty Long Way".

6 freaky guys from L.A. putting knowledge,peace and fun all into one CD through different phases of music. The last song should be the title of this album because we do need a "Change".

A Rockin, Funky Treat of an Album
Being a "headbanger" in the 80s I probably would not have listened to these guys if it weren't for my brother (although Fishbone did write some heavy tunes). This album has a wide variety of songs ranging from funk to ballads. The lyrics are sometimes humorous and sometimes serious. I especially like Freddie's Dead, Bonin In The Boneyard, One Day, Slow Bus Movin, and Change. Every song is a keeper. You may have to give it several listens but you will become addicted to the bone! ... Read more

Asin: B0000026CV
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Funk Metal    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Ska-Punk   

In Your Face
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (27 August, 1991)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Reviews (4)

Best Fishbone cd
I love da Bone, but I got to say, this is their best album. Sure, it's a lot cleaner and mellower sounding than later albums, but that's part of the appeal.

It's one of those albums you can put on and relax to, not to mention, most of the songs here are funny, which I like much better than their later, more serious work.

The most over looked Bone release!
People can say all they want about their other albums.Maybe it doesn'thave the social message of the some of their others.But for pure fun,"In your face" is possibly one of thier best.How can you listento "Selection" and not smile when Angelo yells, "what? notoothpaste?". To this day (14 years after I first heard it) "whenproblems arise" is one of my single favorite tunes by any band!Thisis very good, and often times forgotted album, but one worth getting andenjoying the hell out of!

Fishbone with a little too much polish
An interesting name for the album, considering that of all their albums, this one is the least "in your face" with their trademark hard-funky-ska mix of music. Leave it to the music industry to try andtamper with Fishbone's sound.

Don't get me wrong, the songs on thisalbum aren't bad. It's a very solid selection of cuts. "Movement inthe Light" is one of the nicest songs they've ever released,"Knock It" is a straight-up funk jam, and "In the Air"should have been a hit single - well, it would have been if they werewhite. This is actually the album that got me into them, but after hearingthe band's other stuff, I realized how much it was overproduced. Fishbonestill constantly plays quite a few cuts from "In Your Face" live(#1, #2, #3, #4, #6, #9) because they're good songs, but I also think it'sa way to show how strong the songs were before they became squeaky clean onrecord. A bit of a middle finger to their previous record label, if youwill. "When Problems Arise" especially needs to be recorded livesometime. The studio version is very good, but it just catches fire liveand you can't help but get down.

I always thought it would be fun to hearthem re-record this album. I'm sure contractual stuff will prevent thisfrom happening, but it's a nice thought. ... Read more

Asin: B00000266X
Sales Rank: 68190
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Funk Metal    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Ska-Punk   

Bricks Are Heavy
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (14 April, 1992)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

Somewhat poppier than their previous album, Bricks Are Heavy still features the abrasive guitar riffs and punk inflections that gained L7 their following. "Pretend We're Dead" was the major hit from this album, and is the most commercial song of the lot; songs like "Wargasm&quot, "Everglade", and "Slide" are aggressive, roaring rockers. While "Diet Pill" and "This Ain't Pleasure" emphasize the group's feminist slant, this takes a backseat to their music, which is the main reason to pick up this album. L7 isn't women who play rock and roll; it's a rock and roll band that happens to be made up of women. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Features

• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (12)

Sounds even better today
Recently I heard Pretend We're Dead, I was struck by how 'up to date' a 13 year old song was. Rather than sounding dated songs like Pretend We're Dead and Wargasm sound like they came from today's headlines.

These chicks are heavy
L7 plays hard and heavy to be sure, but they didn't write very memorable songs.I enjoy the roaring guitars and hammering drums, but it's all in the service of some pretty pedestrian music.The hit "Pretend We're Dead" and "Everclear" are the best of the bunch.

grungey, grrly, groovy and just plain amazing
You need this CD!
L7 is set apart from the rest of the grunge and grrl movement. Others can not compare, the style is completely different from Hole, Nirvana and the rest.

Buy it!!!!! ... Read more

Asin: B000002LRV
Subjects:  1. Alternative Metal    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Grunge    4. Pop    5. Riot Grrrl    6. Rock   

Punk Planet
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A cut above your average 'zine.
Punk Planet, engineered by an all-around great cast of writers, features editorials from just about every background.You'll be sure to find a former male prostitute, a goody-two-shoes schoolgirl, and a small-label exec writing for this mag.It's not just about the music, it's about the way of life. ... Read more

Asin: B00006KU5B
Sales Rank: 3465
Subjects:  1. Music    2. Entertainment   

Rolling Stone
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Founder and publisher Jann S. Wenner's brainchild remains the standard by which rock & roll magazines are measured, though even its most fervent boosters would concede there've been some growing pains for RS as it's strived to remain relevant through the decades. The erstwhile baby-boomer bible mixes fleshy covers of today's alluring celebs with coverage of graying rockers from the magazine's heyday. In addition to celebrity interviews, stalwart features such as CD reviews and Random Notes (the mag's long-running gossip section) provide familiar reading for older readers, as does the publication's superior political and cultural coverage. But the bulk of Rolling Stone's features are aimed at the younger pop-culture set. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

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Corporate magazines still suck
Rolling Stone hasn't been a credible music journal for at least 15 years, and that's being extremely kind.Rather they are a marketing outlet for the corporate sponsors of whatever music is being pushed at the moment.That's of course when they deign to write about music at all.There are far too many politically oriented articles from an upper middle class armchair liberal point of view to catagorize Rolling Stone as strictly a music magazine.And let's not mention the extremely annoying fashion layouts.RS is more of a lifestyle journal that panders to white and mostly liberal middle class tastes and culture.I don't care about the political bent of the magazine so much as I care about the pop garbage that Rolling Stone writes about.They almost without exception shill for the flavor of the month rather than write any responsible criticism.Occasionally the articles are informative, but for the most part Rolling Stone is an irrelevant device to generate advertising dollars.

You get what you pay for
Isn't it amazing that the cost of a Rolling Stone subscription is barely enough to cover the cost of postage?The magazine is mostly advertisements, and the rest of it isn't worth reading.I grew up on Rolling Stone, but have realized that if I want a decent music review about music I care about, I'll go to pitchforkmedia.com.Even SPIN is better than this crap.

RS: "Music Experts" who don't know CRAP about music.
Anyone who would consider putting a list of the 100 Greatest Artists ever without Pink Floyd, Queen, or Metallica has no knowledge of music whatsoever.

Also who the hell would put Kurt Cobain and Jack White on a list of the 100 greatest guitarists ever above Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads? Also not to mention that they didn't even include Slash or Malmsteem on the list.

This magazine makes me sick to the stomach. Basically all they do is praise artists who have good lyrics but crappy music, like Bob Dylan. They also need to get over their constant worship of U2, because even when they put out those 2 awful albums 'Zooropa' and 'Pop', they did nothing but praise them for their over-produced experimental crap.

And what can we say about their devotion towards 'The White Stripes' and 'The Strokes' and hail them as the BEST NEW THING, while we've been waiting for years for these people to make albums worth their praise. Yet, Rolling Stone rather ignores great new artists like Muse, Franz Ferdinand, and Keane.

I know you guys are probably potheads, but perhaps you should consider putting the hash pipe to the side and think about what you write because it's hurting the REAL ARTISTS. ... Read more

Asin: B00005N7SJ
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Music   

Alternative Press Magazine
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do not subscribe to magazines through amazon.
I subscribed on august 27th. My magazine did not show up for six months! I emailed them to ask what the hell. Six months, come on. I was refunded to dollars. I finally recieved my first issue. Its been more than a month since then and i have yet to recieve my second. When people i know who subscribed from ap, have gotten their magazines. This is absurd, i'm cancelling my order.

sort of alternative press
Yes, I do read Alternative Press, or parts of it anyway. To their credit they do cover some great alternative bands and their new "unsigned band of the month" feature is pretty cool, but sadly the cover stories are usually misguided pieces about the likes of Good Charlotte or Yellowcard. Their bizarre marriage of punk/indie and uber-mainstream pop-punk make for a painful experience. The new "Big Takeover" issue speaks volumes of the diversity of their readership: Good Charlotte was in the top 5 for both the "Artist that I wish would Die" and "Artist with the Most Integrity" categories.

In short AP consistently makes me hate them by covering some of the crappiest, least alternative bands out their, but they draw me back in by putting the words "motion", "city", and "soundtrack" together on a regular basis.

Try a different magazine.
I used to really like "Alternative Press", but lately I have been incredibly irritated by it. A lot of the magazine has turned into fashion tips for how to be more hardcore. The magazine tries to have "shock value", I think, but being increasingly geared to younger people with gross taste in music, it's not shocking, its annoying.

Also, every month, the magazine has some column where they basically trash classic bands, like ELO and such. I find this ridicuous, considering the kind of junk they put in their magazine, and this particular column really irks me.

However, I do listen to some of the bands which they feature in their magazine, and I like to read the CD reviews and lists of CDs to be released. This does not save the magazine from being awful, though.

So, whatever your taste in music is, this magazine will most likely annoy you. Spare yourself the headache. ... Read more

Asin: B000060MHK
Sales Rank: 287
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Music   

Vibe
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Slicker and more uptown than competitors The Source and XXL, Vibe covers hip-hop culture in its many forms. The primary focus, of course, is music, but urban fashion also receives lavish treatment, and each issue contains a least a dash of movies, technology, sports, and politics. Celebrities tend to dominate its well-photographed and well-designed pages, but there's also room for more substantive fare (such as a touching report on "chickenheads"--rap-world groupies--who deserve better than they get from their often-abusive lovers). Covering a culture that is frequently misogynistic and homophobic, Vibe is both women- and gay-friendly, and surprisingly broad in its interpretation of who's cool enough for hip-hop: Elton John (for his Grammy duet with Eminem), maverick senator Jim Jeffords, and Seattle Mariners baseball star Ichiro Suzuki. --Keith Moerer ... Read more

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You can't beat the price
For the price Vibe is okay, but it lost it's sizzle somewhere during the last five years.I look forward to Vibe Vixen, perhaps it will stirup my interests again.True, there are a lot of ads now, but the articles are interesting.What I miss about the magazine is that it seems like they never "break" any news anymore.Perhaps it's the Internet's fault, but I remember a time when the details of an artists Vibe interview really created a buzz (like in 99 when Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes balked to Vibe her personal feelings about the "Fan Mail" album), but now everything is just pretty mediorcre with this magazine. It's also totally predictable.When someone they consider "hot" has a product coming out you know they will be on the cover, and when I saw Pharrell and Gwen Stefani on the cover I thought that was a bit of a stretch.It's still a good magazine but I find I enjoy Blender and Sister 2 Sister much better, but for the price I will continue to support this magazine.

VIBE has it going...
I'd been a long-time fan to VIBE since they been out. I 'member I first lay eyes on em by checking the covers on 'em but not reading by 'em. y'know. They such knockouts. Yeah they definitely keepin' it real no matter what. I believe they'll be around more and more since them magazines u read all the time like ESSENCE, EBONY and JET. I still have love for them also. But to say VIBE doesn't suck. I'd never been a subscriber since last year and I definitely enjoy it to this day. I actually read the XXL and Source magazine most often now. Same w/ Upscale, Campus Life, just to name others. I luv they magazine to death man, knahmsayin. Ya'll keep it rocked y'heard. Nobody's bringin' the hype on ya fellaz. Keep it UP!!!

Not The Same
Where are the critiques? The articles lack any critical substance. Whoever is hot at the moment will get their behind kissed. It doesn't matter that the album is usually not worth all the hype, VIBE will go along with the flow. On top of that, there are more ADs now than ever before. Even articles that could have been decent are cut down to a page or so for the sake of saving advertising space. ... Read more

Asin: B00005N7TE
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Music    3. Literature Of Music   

Spin
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Founded in 1985 by Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione's son, Bob Jr., Spin magazine aimed to occupy a space forged and outgrown by Rolling Stone, which had since moved on from counter-culture reporting to a more pop-culture focus. Due to its well-funded birth, Spin rode the wave of the burgeoning alternative rock movementand was afforded the luxury of being as controversial as it wanted, forsaking at times somewhat slanted reporting in favor of the punch and jibe. Nonetheless, it brought into America's peripheral vision early stories of the ravages of AIDS in Africa, in addition to standard artist interviews and album reviews. Switching from a tabloid format to a glossy perfect-bound publication, the magazine now reports on fleeting music trends and the Next Big Thing more than it unearths alternative-rock gems, but it still does a good job of uncovering behind-the-scenes-stories, such as the violent acts and deplorably unhygienic conditions of 1999's Woodstock III music festival, in a way no other music magazine does. When the Beastie Boys released Hello Nasty in 1998, Spin published three different editions of the magazine--each with a separate headshot of one member of the renegade hip-hop group. Three years later, Rolling Stone copied the gimmick, featuring the members of boy band 'N Sync individually on five different covers. If Spin's influence in rock journalism was ever in question, this event provides irrefutable proof. --Beth Massa ... Read more

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Decent overview
Ok - This is not pitchforkmedia.com - the online music review who's more concerned with prose rather than the actual reviewing of music BUT nevertheless the greatest source out there to new music. This ain't Rolling Stone neither, who'd have a better place in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame rather than the newstand, as it doesn't mean anything anymore to contemporary music fans. This is the guy stuck in the middle, between the one who does not want the intellectual crap of the one, neither the commercial junk from the other. Hence, a 3-star for ideal pulp, just what you want if you have 10 minutes to spend on the toilet! But then again, this is a daily occupation...

Egocentric Trash
I'm sure that this review isn't unique.Spin rotates the same ten bands on its cover, not to mention the ridiculous articles written within. By the time they get done describing the 'euro-punk-indie-pop artist that just slammed them in the face on their way to the train station with their jazzed up sound' I've completely forgotten the point of thier article.They must have the greatest time just sitting around finding how many contradictory adjectives they can tag onto useless music and still manage to say nothing. They sound like cyber-nerds who need to get out a little more and stop getting thier info from mtv.com. I'm sure that i've learned more about what thier editors do in the office on any given day than anything remotely close to music while reading spin.Next time you see it on the stands, I suggest you spin in another direction.

Where did my subsciption go?
I got my first month(a horrible Green Day issue)and then nothing! Uh,what up? Its not that good of a magazine,I just want what I paid for. ... Read more

Asin: B00005N7SU
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Music    3. Literature Of Music   

Kick Out the Jams
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Audio CD (26 November, 1991)
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Kick Out The Jams still sounds astonishingly powerful after almost 30 years. Recorded live at Detroit's Grande Ballroom in 1968, this relentless, aggressive set offers the frenzy of politicized garage punks blasting through giant stacks: a blitzkrieg of hard rock ignited from the dueling guitars of Wayne Kramer and Fred Sonic Smith and of the throttled vocals of Rob Tyner. The Stooges with barricade-busting ideals, the Five turned the Motor City into a Mecca of sonic excess and shattered the dazed dreams of hippie America. From the pounding of the title track to the eight-and-a half-minute weirdout of "Sun Ra's "Starship,"" Kick Out The Jams will rip your head to shreds. --Barney Hoskyns ... Read more

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An Inconsistent Classic
Here is a recording that comes with its share of baggage.Some
might say that once these songs were laid down in Oct 1968, then the
whole 1970s punk rock development was an inevitable historical
consequence.Who knows, history works in strange ways.But the
issues to cover here are simpler: how does the music on KOTJ sound
generally?, and some description of individual tracks.For brief
context my own taste is for hard, fast guitar-driven rock (be it punk
or more classic).I bought this CD after enjoying the title track
long ago, and being interested to hear more, especially considering the
many bands the MC5 have influenced.

The entire album is a live recording, with very good sound quality:
loud, clear, well balanced both over the audio spectrum, and between
the instruments, vocals etc.There is no annoying background noise
to speak of.The MC5 play quite coherently and energetically.I
arrive at my rating of 3/5 stars by rating each track out of ten (in
order 6, 8, 7, 9; 2, 7, 6, 3) and dividing by 16.This shows a
great variation in the tracks, and a much stronger "side A" than B.
In more detail:

1 [Ramblin' Rose] A decent, short kick-start to the concert, but
nothing special.2 [Kick Out The Jams] Their classic
straight-ahead rocker, powered by driving guitars.3 [Come
Together] Not the Beatles' tune, rather a song about physical
luv, slightly slower paced and below the quality of the adjacent
songs.Hindered by some stilted tame-explicit lyrics that seem
humorless and unimaginative.Well, they were probably bold in
1968.4 [Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)] The best
song on the CD to my ears.A no-nonsense straight-ahead rocker
fueled by scorching guitars, with the suggestive lyrics agreeably
more direct.5. [Borderline] A short bit of halting noise that
almost seems to have its moment for a few seconds.Sorry, I just
don't get it.6 [Motor City Is Burning] This is structured as a
blues-rocker (albeit with a strong rock emphasis), which slows
the pace down somewhat, though it picks up as it progresses.7
[I Want You Right Now] Back more to the style of side A,
musically pleasing but is interrupted by a somewhat overlong
quiet section where the singer toys with the audience amid slurpy
sexual onomatopoeia.8 [Starship] This song seems like a wasted
opportunity to do something good.The first 90 seconds are quite
promising, building up to what you fully expect will be a
thundering guitar blast off and full throttle rip through the
void.But sadly, as soon as the Starship leaves the solar system
it gets ... lost in space.One is left with 7 minutes of quiet,
discordant guitar screeches, drum crashes and vague narration,
which go nowhere except to lead my fingers to the STOP button.

Certainly, the MC5 influenced many punk bands, and in that sense
their music can be called proto-punk.But the punks arrived in
numbers some 8 years later, and as should thus be expected, the
songs here are very much more reminiscent of earlier 70's heavy/hard
rock -- played to an extreme.(By comparison, MC5 contemporaries
The Stooges sound closer to punk than KOTJ.)The only song that
sounds even vaguely "punky" to me is track 4, mostly because of the
aggressive guitar delivery.In fact, some of the songs here tend
towards having the tedious, overly drawn out death-throe endings
that are characteristic of bombastic 70's dinosaur rock -- which in
part motivated the punk rebellion.

In summary, this is a value-priced, creditable live debut and there
are some fine moments of raw rock'n'roll here. Though the overall
song quality is more uneven than one would like, the good still
outweighs the not so good.This CD may be more for devout fans and
historical completists.Most of the best parts (tracks 1-4) are
also found on the Big Bang "best of" compilation.

Never To Be Forgotten
Sorry to start off with a Wailers quote, but it's apropos. I just can't help feeling that somewhere out there in Elektra's forgotten tapes basement, there's the rest of this set, since it isn't complete. From what I have heard over the years, there are either three or four more songs that were recorded during the gig. Maybe Elektra figured, correctly, that AMERICA WASN'T READY FOR THIS, which it really isn't now either. The drive, power and obvious commitment to the music these guys present would make a whole album of Louie, Louie covers sound better than 98% of all the rock and roll ever recorded. The CD has marginally cleaner sound than my well-kept vinyl version, and thankfully the John Sinclair speech isn't the "clean" version that Elektra went back and issued when they figured out that most radio stations wouldn't play a song that starts "KICK OUT THE JAMS MOTHERF***ERS!". This was the first rock album in history ever released simultaneously in "clean" and "dirty" versions, please note.

It's an incredible recording. Timeless. And it'll put Linkin Park in perspective for any young listener as well. God bless the memory of Rockin' Rob and Sonic!

MC 5 - 'Kick Out The Jams' (Elektra)
Simply one of the BEST hard rock live albums EVER made.Recorded during the band's prime era,in 1968.Starts off with "Ramblin' Rose" and their sole hit "Kick Out The Jams" as the five members rip through,what proves to be a timeless as much as memorable blistering set.Who could turn away from "Motor City Is Burning" and their astounding cover of Sun Ra's "Starship"?Talk about a trend setting lp.It's safe to assume that without the MC 5,there probably wouldn't have been Motorhead,Sex Pistols,Melvins,Soundgarden,Monster Magnet.....you get the point.Comes with a full color two-sided six-way fold-out that includes some nifty band photos and memorbilia.Recommended. ... Read more

Asin: B000005IS1
Subjects:  1. Detroit Rock    2. Hard Rock    3. Pop    4. Proto-Punk    5. Rock    6. United States of America   

Nude & Rude: The Best of Iggy Pop
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Audio CD (29 October, 1996)
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Distilling Iggy Pop's work down to 17 songs is nearly impossible. Anyone with an interest in Mr. Pop should first pick up the Stooges albums before exploring his later solo years. This collection, however, includes enough highlights to satisfy a casual fan. The Stooges are lightly covered with the essential punk anthem "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and the manic "Search and Destroy."The inclusion of the slinking "Sick of You" is a nice touch.Pop's pop leanings pop up with "Nightclubbing," "China Girl," and "Lust for Life," tracks in which the guitars are toned down a notch and Iggy exhibits a slightly more mellow side. Of course, he ultimately returns with a vengeance befitting one of rock's original wild men. --Rob O'Connor ... Read more

Reviews (31)

Overrated.
I never really saw what was so great about Iggy Pop.

He was hyper and screamed.so what?So does my two year old son.

embarrassing evidence of how aging causes one to suck
When I got this album, I truly thought that Iggy Pop was the perfect candidate for a greatest hits compilation.He's got a dozen decent hits scattered across a dozen mediocre albums, and it would seem logical that gathering those songs together would produce one nearly perfect album.

How wrong I was.Instead, by sequencing these 17 songs in chronological order, "Nude & Rude" just provides a handy step-by-step guide for charting Iggy Pop's mortifying decline from Detroit wildman to crapola alt-rock crooner.Some of these songs are outright embarrassing."Kill City" borders on arena rock parody, and "Home"--the second single of Iggy's comeback "Brick by Brick"--is excrutiating.Listening to Iggy croon "home boy, home boy" is agony.The folky duet "Candy" is still a guilty pleasure, but "Real Wild Child"--arguably the biggest hit of Iggy's career--has fittingly become the theme song of Carnival Cruise Lines, where middle-aged porkers saddle up at all-you-can-eat buffet, before enjoying Kathie Lee Gifford on the ledo deck.

Some of the best songs here are still the one's David Bowie wrote."Lust for Life", "Nightclubbing", and "China Girl" all hold up nicely as perfect pop songs.Ironically, however, it's Bowie's mediocre mix of "Search & Destroy" and "Gimme Danger" present here, instead of the far superior remix that Iggy issued later.

For the most part , this is TRASH
I spun this disk only a few times before I decided to sell it back. This is mostly just trashy, unexciting rock n'roll without much in the way of decent songwriting. I might've held onto it to hear "Lust for Life," but that song has lost most of its swaggering power since it's become commercialized.

I also might've held on to this disk if it had my favorite Iggy track "Repo Man" which should've been in this collection. Alas, it's not and I just can't be bothered with the rest. I guess I'll just go get the "Repo Man" soundtrack which is far more enjoyable than this dreck. =) ... Read more

Asin: B000000WCM
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. American Punk    3. Detroit Rock    4. Hard Rock    5. New Wave    6. Pop    7. Post-Punk    8. Proto-Punk    9. Rock   

Lust for Life
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Audio CD (29 June, 1992)
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Editorial Review

The relentless, driving drums and thunderous bass of the opening title track are the magic components that make it the best song Iggy Pop ever recorded without the Stooges. They're also why this is Iggy's best solo album--which also includes the ominously upbeat "The Passenger," with its hilariously ennui-filled, sing-along chorus ("La la la la la la la la la..."). As with Pop's first solo album, The Idiot, David Bowie has his hands all over the proceedings (if not somewhere else as well) as the producer, songwriter, and general overseer of Iggy the popstar. The record reached 28 on the U.K. charts. Of course, as the jagged, dark guitars on "Sixteen" and "Neighborhood Threat" make clear, Iggy's version of pop music is anything but conventional, and anything but bland."Some Weird Sin" ("That's what I want...") could have been Iggy's theme song in 1977, heavy with innuendo and a dangerous joie de vivre. --Percy Keegan ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Legendary Creatures
LUST FOR LIFE has some terrific tracks, and real staying power, but I remember when it came out it seemed to lack the punch and "raw power" of The Idiot, which boasted some super Bowie-type tracks like CALLING SISTER MIDNIGHT and FUNTIME.Heard in the wake of THE IDIOT, LUST FOR LIFE seemed a little lacklustre.However today the positions reverse themselves.Maybe we were not yet ready for the stripped gears of Bowie's production approach when it came to LUST FOR LIFE.The goofy angelic grin Iggy wore on the cover seemed mindless back then, vapid in the face of THE IDIOT's Dostoevskyan take on fate, the state, the drive towards thanatos.But now I'll go for that grin and remind myself, "It's only a movie, Ingrid."Advertising spots and TRAINSPOTTING put that inane title tune in our minds all the time, and I bet when the sad day comes and Iggy dies that will be the song they play on CNN to accompany that cover photo with his dates on LED under his chin.For this is how we remember the legendary creatures of our youth.

Iggy's Best Solo Record
Note that I said solo record.Iggy of course created a revolutionary sound with the Stooges before flaming out in a vortex of drugs and madness.LUST FOR LIFEis volume two of the resurrection of iggy Pop under the tutalege of David Bowie and shows Iggy regaining his old strength.

LUST FOR LIFE is packed with great songs from the barreling title track (I crack up every time I hear it on a cruise commercial, do they know what they are selling?) to the heroic melodrama of FALL IN LOVE WITH ME.Stellar tracks include SUCCESS (Iggy and company joking about the trappings of stardom), THE PASSENGER (maybe even better than the title track) and NEIGHBORHOOD THREAT.The music is closer in spirit to 70's Rolling Stones or Bowie's ALADIN SANE than the proto-punk of the Stooges.

In my opinion this release is the highlight of Iggy's now long solo career.Though he would have a number of othe good songs over the years, he would never release an album as consistant as this.

forget the title track
Everyone's heard the song "Lust for Life" but most people don't realize that as good as that song may be, it's the worst on the record. This album will keep you happy for many years if it's the only one you have with you on the moon or a deserted island. Buy it. ... Read more

Asin: B000000WH8
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Detroit Rock    3. Hard Rock    4. Pop    5. Proto-Punk    6. Rock   

The Idiot
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Audio CD (29 June, 1992)
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Editorial Review

After several years of hard living and the commercial disappointment of his previous band the Stooges (occasional rave reviews do not keep the lights on), Iggy Pop continued his collaboration with David Bowie for his first solo album. Bowie serves as producer and cowriter, and his artsy, stylized hand can be felt negotiating the sessions. Unlike the explosive firepower of the Stooges, The Idiot centers on a moody, sometimes funky vibe that reflects the decadent aura of Berlin, where this album was recorded--and where Pop and Bowie attempted to tame their excesses. "China Girl" has since gone on to become a standard in both of their repertoires. However, it's Pop's mix of eerie nonchalance and passionate screams that defines the song. Tracks such as "Nightclubbing" and "Dum Dum Boys" are surprisingly subdued for Pop considering the subject matter. This is essentially Pop taking baby steps back into the world-at-large after years of self-abuse. --Rob O'Connor ... Read more

Reviews (20)

One of his best
Unlike his more recent albums, each song on this album has it's own unique flavor and there's not a bad song on it. Buy it if for no other reason than to have the original "China Girl." This album rocks the house, yo.

Iggy's best solo album
That's right, this album is far better than "Lust For Life", Iggy's best known and best loved solo album that came right after this. In contrast to the Stooges albums and "Lust For Life", this album does not solely rely on overdriven guitars and loads of heady attitude (although the distorted and wah-inflected lead guitar on "Dum Dum Boys" here kicks and lounges with perfected sleaze) to make its point. In contrast, there are synthesizers (Synthesizers? Iggy?) and creepy, sinuous bass and drums, courtesy of David Bowie, who lent his band (Carlos Alomar, Tony Sales, Hunt Sales, and himself), his production, his keyboards, and his songwriting talent to Iggy, who was trying to come back to the music industry again clean. Bowie wrote much of the music on this album, but it is wholly Iggy's - the lyrics are masterful on this album, and the wasted Ig wrote every word and more than a little of the music. The eight tracks on the album go like this.
1 Sister Midnight - A distinctive, kicking drum line, clever bass and guitar, and synth bleeps characterize this one. Pop uses a gravelly and incredibly melodic bass-baritone throughout this song and much of the album. Bowie's wacky backing vocals are high and make this a great song.
2 Nightclubbing - The title is self-explanatory. Do you recognize the beginning drum beat? That's right, they are very similar to the beginning drums on Nine Inch Nails' infamous hit "Closer". But the track is much more musically sophisticated than that animalistic rant, centering on a down-toned decadent feeling especially suited to the lyrical content.
3 Funtime - This is a kind of uptempo punky song with echoing drums. Iggy gets a bit Stooge-y here by sneering about having fun with Bowie wailing backup, although Ig's mood throughout the album is pretty subdued).
4 Baby - Creeping down the cold corridor of the Berlin studio accompanied by subtle drums and fuzzy bass, tinkling piano frames this rant about trying to repair a fracturing relationship.
5 China Girl - By far the most famous song off this album, thanks to Bowie's bubbly dance-pop cover hit, "China Girl" is much more abrasive and frightening here because of the way Iggy handled the ending. But there is no moment exactly like the one here where the girl oddly tells him to shut up and then shushes him to sleep. This is a famous classic. Throughout the album, Iggy has increasingly shown how well he can sing, and this remains the definitive showpiece for the range of his vocal quality.
6 Dum Dum Boys - By far the greatest song Iggy ever recorded without the Stooges, "Dum Dum Boys" has some of the best reptilian, snakelike distorted guitar ever recorded (it literally drips with sleaze and disgust). Bowie's cocktail piano is perfect, and the rhythm section just locks together with a beautiful force. And guess what the song is about...the Stooges. Iggy sings here with stunning power about how much he misses his old comrades. Thank God this song goes on for seven minutes.
7 Tiny Girls - Cringe-inducing title, especially given Iggy's sexual history, but great song. Ig's lyrics here are much more intelligent than he ever was before. Keeping to the jazzy, slightly funky electronic vibe, Bowie lays down a beautiful saxophone solo. If anything else proved this was not a Stooges album and never could be, this sax solo is it.
8 Mass Production - The longest song on the LP, this eight-minute dirge staggers along and begins with soundscapes straight out of Bowie's "Low" (which Bowie had just released) and more sleazoid guitar and sinuous bass and drums. Iggy's despair is at its worst here, and that's how the album ends.

So, there it is...not an album to listen to when you're feeling down. Just ask Ian Curtis, the lead singer of the great postpunk band Joy Division, who notoriously and infamously committed suicide after listening to this album (not that the LP caused his death - he had been having serious problems with depression and epilepsy before that). My favorite song is "Dum Dum Boys", which just lacerates everything in its path. This was one of Iggy and Bowie's artistic triumphs.

Essential Iggy!
Iggy Pop made his official debut as a solo artist with this record and has struggled to scale the heights of this brilliant album since. Drugged up & boozed up after The Stooges broke up, Iggy was in the midst of a downward spiral when Bowie dragged him off to Berlin, got him sobered up (somewhat) and helped him write a couple of rockin' albums (see Lust for Life). In 1977 when this was released, Iggy said in an interview "I'm not a punk anymore!"... when The Ramones, The Sex Pistols & The Clash were only beginning Iggy had already proved all he could to punk and was moving on. Bowie's influence is heavy here, providing brilliant and catchy music for Iggy to lay his lyrics on top of. Iggy has upwards of 15 solo albums (not counting live albums and compilations) and this is right at the top of the list of ones to own.

The pair's time spent enjoying the Berlin nightlife is covered here with 'Nightclubbing' & 'Funtime', both of which are regulars on Iggy's setlist thesedays. 'China Girl' was written about a girl Iggy was with at the time, and proved a huge hit for Bowie a few years later. Iggy's version is the definitive though, with his rougher vocals giving the song a different edge. 'Baby' touches on what can almost be considered glam-rock, and Iggy pays tribute to his former band on 'Dum Dum Boys', while yearning for them when he needed them ("Now I'm looking for/The dum dum boys/Where are you now/When I need your noise"). It's Iggy at his most personal and it's simply brilliant. Iggy set out to prove that he was more than his reputation, that he had musical talent and wasn't a burnt out case. He succeeded. This is not only great music, but it gives you a good understanding of Iggy's mindset at the time. ... Read more

Asin: B000000WH7
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Detroit Rock    3. Hard Rock    4. Pop    5. Proto-Punk    6. Rock