Iggy Pop's Post-Seventies Output

the late 80s sounds more "dated" to me in a lot of ways than any earlier period

I think there were particular production techniques and sounds (specific drum machines, synth patches, etc.) that tie songs and albums to that era more strongly than other songs and albums are tied to their era, particularly because those sounds have not really continued to be imitated in the way that late '60s psychedelia and/or slick pop, or early '70s bare-bones hard rock production styles have continued to be emulated by later artists. Singer-songwriters are still trying to sound like Joni Mitchell's and James Taylor's and Carole King's early '70s work; rock bands are still trying to sound like Led Zeppelin's first four albums; but nobody's really consciously setting out to make an album that sounds like, for example, Robert Plant's Shaken 'n' Stirred.

'Real Wild Child' is a cool track, but Blah Blah Blah sounds very much of its particular time, production wise very 80s. It's not very Iggy. It's got that 80s too clean sheen.

Instinct turns up the guitars but it's cut in a weird 80s studio built up way I think with a drum machine or built up click. It doesn't groove and would have sounded better recorded more live.

I'd say these two albums were cut in the age of the click track built track by track, not really a live band ever played it all together. It sounds stiff, but not in a good way.

xp I think that's it - the choices of synths, drum machines etc from that period just didn't stick, and I often (not always!) dislike those sounds when I hear them again now, whereas synths and drum machines from the early 80s or earlier still sound good, and from 1990-ish onwards technology meant that dated-ness for want of a better word mostly went away. I dunno, that's my perspective as someone who was a teenager in the early 90s. Maybe everyone feels like this about the period just before they were paying attention to music.

I asked the following on another Iggy/stooges thread, it was not answered, and so perhaps Grawlix, Scott S or someone knowledgeable will oipine…

so last year, there was a double album version of 2005's Heavy Liq…not 25 takes of "I got a right" but presumably the best take of that, and a bunch of other songs that they played live but ain't on Raw power.

https://www.discogs.com/The-Stooges-Heavy-Liquid/release/10175378

I listened to it on Spotify, but I am curious if Scott S or someone who is more knowledgeable about the Williamson era considers this the closest thing to a followup to Raw Power as exists (not including Metallic KO and gods knows how many shitty live recordings all over the place). I think I wanna get a voy-null copy but this came out limited edition and is slightly more expensive than I would like…if Scott or someone can advise that this is like Raw power part II or the closest to it, or not, I'd be much obliged.

I quite like Kill City, but that's obviously Williamson saying "look we can do a stones-ish record, let's try to be slightly conventional and maybe we'll make it big." My admiration for Williamson has increased lately: he's the american Jimmy page to me and I'm sorry that he didn't do more— or perhaps I should be happy that he appeared to have had a good post-heroin life and career and is healthy. He sounded pretty good when he came back after Ron died, but it was a bit of a shock to see that he was this fairly rotund gray-hair after last seeing him look so fucking amazing in those '72-'75 photos.

I think there were particular production techniques and sounds (specific drum machines, synth patches, etc.) that tie songs and albums to that era more strongly than other songs and albums are tied to their era, particularly because those sounds have not really continued to be imitated in the way that late '60s psychedelia and/or slick pop, or early '70s bare-bones hard rock production styles have continued to be emulated by later artists. Singer-songwriters are still trying to sound like Joni Mitchell's and James Taylor's and Carole King's early '70s work; rock bands are still trying to sound like Led Zeppelin's first four albums; but nobody's really consciously setting out to make an album that sounds like, for example, Robert Plant's Shaken 'n' Stirred.

― grawlix (unperson), Friday, March 2, 2018

I get this, but when I hear late '70s Doobie Brothers or Kenny Loggins or Player I think "Oh, it's 1978" or whatever yet I don't see many people going EW IT'S DATED.

I'm using the thread as an excuse to say, again, that "dated" is not pejorative; it's value-free. A song recorded in January 2015 is dated. A song recorded yesterday is dated.

x post: uh, bizarrely, that shit was posted before I was done… 2005's Heavy Liquid is a box very much like the Rhino Funhouse sessions, comprised of probly every studio take of the songs they did 72-74 that they did live but was not on Raw power…

Great article here: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/02/the-survival-of-iggy-pop

I haven't heard anything since "Skull Ring", is there really greatness is Iggy's last decade or so of material?

Greatness, no, but a few good songs here and there.

I gotta say I was really disappointed in the live album from the Post Pop Depression tour, for one big reason: they were playing "Repo Man" on that tour, but didn't include it on the album.

New album in January. The new song has a very Floodland vibe. I don't hate it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbQHlQ-tubY

Listening to Zombie Birdhouse for the first time ever. What an absolutely bonkers record.

Damn you weren't kidding about the Sisters vibe.

I was going to say I kinda hear Red Lorry Yellow Lorry but yeah

[Listening to Zombie Birdhouse for the first time ever

i just heard it for the first time a couple of years back and it blew me away. i'm not sure why it isn't way more praised.

on a different tangent, i posted this a while back on another iggy thread but i still can't get over how good this live version of neu!'s hero, fearuring michael rother is - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTB0lpDFbkY

New one out today.... Thoughts?

Ah, that’s why he has a recent NY Times interview

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/01/02/magazine/iggy-pop-interview.html

Haven’t heard new one yet

Oh, he’s got a new one out, has he?

The song I posted above is the only one I really like. It's kind of Brick By Brick-ish in its (to my ear) craven present-day alt-rock melodicism, and the lyrics are some of the worst of his career, down there with American Caesar and The Weirdness. I'll probably never listen to it again.

Sounds bad.