Style: classic 60's/70's, hard rock, punk
Label: Virgin
Year: 1996
Home: Michigan
Members of the Stooges: Iggy Pop ~ vocals/guitar
Ron Asheton ~ bass/b. vocals
Scott Asheton ~ drums
Dave Alexander ~ bass
James Williamson, Ron Asheton ~ guitar/b. vocals
Additional: Waddy Wachtel, Jay Joyce, Eric Schermerhorn, Phil Palmer ~ guitar
Leigh Foxx, Charley Drayton, Laurent Thibault, Hal Cragin, Chuck Domanico, George Murray ~ bass
Kenny Aronoff, Paul Garisto, Dennis Davis, Michel Santangeli ~ drums
Nicky Skopelitis, Seamus Beaghen, Jamie Muhoberac ~ keyboards
Scott Hackwith, Sweet Pea Atkinson, Sir Harry Bowens, Alex Brown, Ray Mitchell ~ b. vocals
John Harden, David McMurray ~ saxophone
Kevin Armstrong, Ricky Gardiner ~ guitar/b. vocals
Malcolm Burn ~ guitar/keyboards/harmonica
David Lindley ~ violin/mandolin
Tony Sales ~ bass/b. vocals
Hunt Sales ~ drums/b. vocals
Scott Thurston ~ bass/guitar/harmonica/keyboards/b. vocals
Brian Glascock ~ percussion/drums/b. vocals
Erdal Kizilcay ~ synthesizer/bass/drums/b. vocals
Guests: Kate Pierson, John Hiatt, Henry Rollins ~ vocals
Jeff Bova ~ programming
John Cale ~ piano/sleighbell/viola
Larry Mullen, Jr. ~ drums
David Bowie ~ keyboards/guitar/saxophone/xylophone/b. vocals
Carlos Alomar ~ guitar/b. vocals
Steve Jones, Slash ~ guitar
Duff McKagan ~ bass
I have mixed feelings on Iggy Pop. He's such an interesting character, an obvious showman, intimately tied up with my favorites the iconic Lou Reed & David Bowie ... but other than his work with the Stooges I've found his solo output to be often unlistenable if not just tedious experiments in poor lyrics & musical boredom. A few albums are good but none are really great. For every great song there's a couple that drown in shallow waters. Iggy is to me an ongoing musical experiment with no identity of his own, though he does a great Bowie imitation. So, with that in mind I both joyfully & disappointingly recommend this album for those wanting to hear what all the fuss is about. I'd prefer to have a studio album rather than a compilation to recommded, which is the disappointing part. But, all the hits are here & he had many, though maybe recognizable songs is a better phrase than chart-topping hits. This collection goes right through his solo career to the 90's, while opening with the Stooges (i.e. "I Wanna Be Your Dog", "Search & Destroy", "Gimme Danger" & "No Fun"). The Stooges stuff is some of the strongest with the rest being a demonstration of someone with multiple personality syndrome trying to discover themselves while retaining all the energy & unpredictability of youth. The first time I heard the guitar solo on "I Wanna Be Your Dog" I was in love with the Stooges. I've always loved following favorite musicians out of their bands & into their solo careers & it's always been disappointing that I've not been able to come to terms with Iggy's solo career outside this one greatest hits collection. As long as you're okay with the fact that if you like one song there probably won't be too many more that sound like it, you're probably going to greatly enjoy this collection. I'm sure you'll even like the album so much that you'll fall into the trap of wanting to hear the individual albums. I did. Don't imitate me. Stick with this introduction & you'll have the essential Iggy. & definitely check out the Stooges. Though the interesting thing about this album is it totally skips a few albums unlike other bands' comps that pull something from every album. Hmmm. What's that say about his solo work? Though ... if you really want the best of Iggy hit youtube for some live concerts. That's where the magic really is, let alone the fact this guy just keeps going with no letting up.
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