Iggy Pop as close as he will get to pop music!
This album, yet again another collaboration with David Bowie is also a sneak peek to Bowie's next album Never Let Me Down. Both are undoubtedly the same style of music, written the same way, and put together in a similar fashion. However, I believe Blah Blah Blah is a much better album then Never Let Me Down. Bowie seemed rushed on Never Let Me Down. On Blah Blah Blah, Bowie and Pop seemed to be relaxed and there's no tension in the air. I believe Bowie would have muched rather preferred put effort and time into Blah Blah Blah, but with his binds to the contract with EMI, he had to move on. Blah Blah Blah seems like an album Iggy Pop would be terrible at writing and performing. Wrong! Iggy seems to fit in on this album more than on any of his previous albums! He seems straightforward, something we didn't always see from Iggy in the early days with The Stooges. And this new found sense of directness really helps out on songs like "Shades", "Real Wild Child", "Isolation", and "Cry For Love".
Great rock and roll...
There are always die-hard, hardcore fans, who usually prefer the first offerings of an artist, and then, when commercial success ensues, write everything else off as a sell out.
Yes, this is a commercial album. Commercial meaning that it is well-written, well-conceived, well-produced. With crystal clear sound that will make your speakers pop.
I played this CD at parties when it came out, and always had people asking me what it was and where they could buy it. I'd say 8 of the 10 songs are keepers; from rockers like "Baby It Can't Fail" to a simple teenage love song like "Shades", which is almost perfect in its cadence...You gave me a present
The paper was blue and green
I unwrapped it with pleasure
These are the best shades I've ever seen
You can be my girlfriend
Forever and a day
I never thought I was worth much
Or that anyone would treat me this way
[Chorus]
I'm not
The kind of guy
Who dresses like a king
And a really fine pair of shades
Means everything
And the light that blinds my eyes
Shines from you
It makes me come in the night
It makes me swim with delight
I like this pain
I like this mirror
I like these shades
I could have had a problem
I might have never followed through
The other guys are in trouble
They wouldn't listen to a girl like you
These shades say something
I'll bet they cost a lot
I hope I don't break 'em
I hope we don't break up
Blah, Blah, Bleck
So many have connected this album to Bowie, and they are correct. Now throw in the fact that Bowie has said the 80's were without a doubt the lowest point in his career and he absolutely hates the junk he made. That should give you a little insite on this album. Ig needed to appeal to as many people as he could with this album, and I think he did a great job at that. It's pure junk food for the mind and spirit. Perfect for the time's it was created. Actually, Iggy, in my opinion, has never recovered from this uninspired album. With few exceptions, most music Iggy has made since Zombie Birdhouse has catered to a fan with a bland palate. I had such hopes for Skull Ring. Disappointed again. Don't bother with this album if you like a wild Iggy, he's just a parody of himself.
Iggy Flop?
Wow. I guess the experts have spoken! But for the not-so-angry crowd with open minds, let me just say that Blah, Blah, Blah is a fun and energetic recording. I recommend it for any Iggy Pop fan whose head is not buried six feet in the sand. And don't worry, you can still be an Iggy fan while adding this recording to your collection. Please don't listen to the hyperbole of the hyperactive minds below. Can you say "growing pains" boys?
Real Wild Child and a bunch of crap
I give it one star for Real Wild Child, a truly great pop song that I couldn't stop playing when I was a DJ at my college radio station. After that, it goes downhill fast. Real downhill. Real fast. Imagine a curveball thrown by a great curveball pitcher. That's how fast and how far this one drops.
I think it's funny that Real Wild Child and Lust For Life appear in numerous TV ad campaigns these days, including such un-Iggy businesses as 1-800-FLOWERS and Royal Carribean Cruises. Now, 30 years ago, how many people watched Iggy on stage with the Stooges, puking on his microphone and slicing himself with glass shards, and thought to themselves, "someday, this man will sell flowers and cruises?"
