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Iggy takes a stab at the Top 40,
Iggy Pop
BLAH BLAH BLAH
A&M
Ann Arbor's favorite "street -
walkin' cheetah with a hidefull of
napalm" is finally living up to his
last name- Pop- and that's what
this album is: pop.
Side one is for the most part
completely Bowie-ized, but not the
good stuff. We're talking outtakes
from "Let's Dance." It's just a
shame to see someone like Iggy,
who has had such a major musical
influence on others, so blatantly
rehashing the Bowie formula for
Top 40 success. David might be a
good friend, but these musical
collaborations have got to stop.
You don't even have to look at the
record's credits to realize that five of
the nine songs are co-written by
Blue Jean Bowie. The bottom line
is, if I wanted another copy of
"Let's Dance," I would have bought
another copy of "Let's Dance."
But don't worry, this record is
literally only half bad. Side two is
strong, but not in the sense of
"Rawpower" or "Fun House," but
instead offers solid pop songs.
"Hideaway" is still a la Bowie but
effective. It's packaged like Bowie,
but the real Iggy shines through.
The album's best two songs are
"Cry For Love" and "Winners and
Losers," two of Iggy's col-
laborations with ex-Sex Pistol
guitarist Steve Jones. They're not
your run of the mill happy dappy
pop songs-they have a dark
underside to them. In "Winners and
Losers," Middle Eastern-sounding
string arrangements and plunky
guitars beef up the song's sound.
"Cry For Love" highlights Iggy's
full, deep voice, which shines
throughout the record.
"Blah Blah Blah" marks Iggy's
attempt to crack into the world of
Top 40; it's his stab at the big
money. Hopefully he'll make it,
because if anybody deserves it, he
does. Besides, the single "Cry For
Love" is top notch for the pop
world.
-Danny Plotnick
and Dana Mendelssohn

with Bowie's

help

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Government Issue
GOVERNMENT ISSUE
Fountain of Youth Records.
Government Issue has been
around for awhile (six years and five
records), but unlike many hardcore
bands who sell out, get boring, or
just put out sucky albums after a
number of years, GI still remains
Continued on Page 5

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David Bowie's influence is all over the latest LP by Iggy Pop (above): he co-wrote five of the album's songs.

PAGE 4 WEEKEND/OCTOBER 31,1986