Released
in July of 1979, Iggy Pop's third solo studio LP, New Values, turns 45
years old this month. After a duo of relatively successful "come back"
albums produced by David Bowie during his "Berlin" era in 1977 (The
Idiot & Lust for Life), Iggy opted to work with former Stooges
collaborator, James Williamson, as producer for New Values. Iggy had
last worked with Williamson on the Kill City album, which was an attempt
to revive the Stooges that kinda burned out before it could really
catch fire, albeit it has since become a cult favourite in Pops
catalogue. Though Williamson was previously known for his guitar work,
that job would predominantly land in the hands of former Stooges piano
player, Scott Thurston. Both Williamson and Thurston would contribute
to the songwriting on the album. Their collective efforts would result
in an album that won a lot of critical praise, but its commercial appeal
lagged behind what Pop had achieved with his two Bowie produced prior
LPs.
New Values was my gateway
into the world of Iggy Pop, thanks to seeing the videos for I'm Bored
and Five Foot One on The Midnight Special. Those were enough to get me
to pick up the album, and once I did, I was further psyched by its
ferocious title track, which remains one of my all time favourite Songs
by Iggy. With its blistering guitar riff and ambivalent lyrics, it was
perfectly apropos of the era's burgeoning "Gen X" sense of disconnection
with the morals and priorities of a world that was about to dive
head-first into a decade of "Reaganism" inspired greed and sociopathy.
