Iggy Pop – Lust For Life (1977)

This is another of those albums that's been on my radar for a couple of decades, yet only bought (from a charity shop) in the past few weeks. The second of the Bowie / Pop productions of 1977, this was probably the one which made more people take him more seriously as an artist.

Since Trainspotting, everyone knows the title track Lust For Life, and it's still a banging song, exquisitely produced and a fine way to start things off. Sixteen, well, let's ignore for a moment the problematic subject of the song. No, let's not - while it's a great tune, done in a dirty style, it's a 30 year old man singing about a 16 year old girl in leather boots and I can't listen without a little discomfort. Some Weird Sin is a great little rocker, and sets up the Pop classic The Passenger, with its relentless guitar riff and Iggy's vocals sounding menacing. We end the first half down a couple of notches on the volume scale with Tonight, the Bowie touch shining through, a lovely song.

Success kicks off the second half, a bright opener, before the longer Turn Blue, a slow, drawn out affair which doesn't have the impact at first, but grows as the song progresses. Neighbourhood Threat is fairly ordinary, listenable but also forgettable, before Fall In Love With Me closes the album nicely, a solid, if unremarkable rock song.

This is definitely a great rock'n'roll album, although 'hits' apart, there's not too much that grabs initially. However repeat listening opens the ears to some of the lesser known songs. Could Iggy have come up with this on his own? I doubt it.

Link to full album

4* - A great protopunk album which highlights Bowie's ability to mould, adapt and lead.