''Kill City'' is a studio album by American musicians Iggy Pop and James Williamson, both formerly of the rock band

the Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Da ...

. It was recorded as a demo in 1975 but released in altered form in November 1977 by record label Bomp!.

Background

"Johanna" and "I Got Nothin'" were both performed live during 1973–74 by the Williamson-era Stooges.

Recording

''Kill City'' was originally recorded in 1975 after the disintegration of the Stooges. It was to be used as a

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

to give to record labels in hopes of getting Pop a new contract. His vocals were recorded on weekends when he received permission to leave a

mental hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

he was staying in at the time for treatment of his long-standing

heroin addiction Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder characterized by cravings for opioids, continued use despite physical and/or psychological deterioration, increased tolerance with use, and withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing opioids. Op ...

. The original 1975 "demo" mix of the album remains unheard, with the exception of three tracks which have been released on various compilations (including '' A Million in Prizes: The Anthology'' and ''Original Punks''): "Johanna", "Consolation Prizes" and "Kill City". These tracks sound markedly different from those on the final version of the album, with different guitar parts and, in the case of "Johanna", no

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

. Pop biographer

Paul Trynka Paul Trynka is a British rock journalist and author. He was the editor of the music magazine ''Mojo'' from 1999 to 2003, and has also worked as editorial director of '' Q'' and editor of ''International Musician''. In 2004, he edited publisher D ...

said that rock writer Ben Edmonds "played the first mixes to

Seymour Stein Seymour Stein (born April 18, 1942) is an American entrepreneur and music executive. He co-founded Sire Records and was Vice President of Warner Bros. Records. With Sire, Stein signed bands that became central to the new wave era of the 1970s ...

in late January 1975".

Release

There would be no takers for the album until 1977 when, following the success of Pop's solo albums ''

The Idiot ''The Idiot'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Идиот, Idiót) is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal ''The Russian Messenger'' in 1868–69. The title is an ...

'' and '' Lust for Life'', Williamson got an advance from Bomp! to release the album, some of which was used to fund studio time to finish off the original recordings by adding overdubs and remixing. The master tapes were lost shortly after the release of the original album and all subsequent CD releases were mastered from the original poor quality green vinyl pressing. This partly accounts for the somewhat muddy sound of the album. Pop appeared as himself, performing the album's title track, on the "For Cryin' Out Loud" episode of the ''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'' TV series, aired on May 22, 1990. In 2010, Williamson and engineer

Ed Cherney Edward Cherney (1950 – October 22, 2019) was an American recording engineer and record producer, based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Over his career, he earned four Grammy awards, one Emmy Award, and five TEC Awards. Cherney was a ...

remixed the album once more from the original multitracks. The resulting mixes formed a new version of the album, released on Bomp! on October 19, 2010.

Reception

''Kill City'' has been generally well received by critics.

Nick Kent Nick Kent (born 24 December 1951) is a British rock critic best known for his writing for the '' NME'' in the 1970s, and his books ''The Dark Stuff'' (1994) and ''Apathy for the Devil'' (2010). Early life Kent, the son of a former Abbey Road S ...

of '' New Musical Express'' called it "a great album". Mark Deming of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

called the album "a minor triumph", writing: "The music is more open and bluesy than on ''

Raw Power ''Raw Power'' is the third studio album by American rock band the Stooges (credited as Iggy and the Stooges), released on February 7, 1973 by Columbia Records. The album departed from the "groove-ridden, feel-based songs" of the band's first two ...

'', and while Williamson's guitar remains thick and powerful, here he's willing to make room for pianos, acoustic guitars and saxophones, and the dynamics of the arrangements suggest a more mature approach after the claustrophobia of ''Raw Power''". Martin Aston of

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...

praised the album, calling it "Iggy's most underrated album" and one that "helped him get back to real life".

Legacy

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2 ...

'' placed ''Kill City'' in their list of "100 Records That Set the World on Fire (While No One Was Listening)".

Track listing

All songs written by Iggy Pop and James Williamson, except "Master Charge", by Williamson and

Scott Thurston Scott Troy Thurston (born January 10, 1952) is an American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and session musician. He was a member of the Stooges, and of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, in which he sang harmony vocals and played guitar, bass, ...

. ;Side one # "Kill City" – 2:20 # "Sell Your Love" – 3:36 # "Beyond the Law" – 3:00 # "I Got Nothin'" – 3:23 # "Johanna" – 3:03 # "Night Theme" – 1:20 ;Side two # "Night Theme (Reprise)" – 1:04 # "Consolation Prizes" – 3:17 # "No Sense of Crime" – 3:42 # "Lucky Monkeys" – 3:37 # "Master Charge" – 4:33

Personnel

* Iggy Pop – vocals * James Williamson – guitar, backing vocals * Scott "Troy" Thurston – keyboards, bass guitar ("Kill City", "Beyond the Law", "Johanna" and "Night Theme"), backing vocals, special effects, harmonica *

Brian Glascock Brian Glascock (born 17 July 1948) is an English rock drummer for The Gods, Toe Fat, Carmen, Captain Beyond, Soy Cowboy, and primarily for The Motels. He also played on albums by Dolly Parton, Iggy Pop, and Joan Armatrading. He performed ...

– drums, congas, African beaters, backing vocals, guiro * Steve Tranio – bass guitar ("Sell Your Love", "I Got Nothin'" and "No Sense of Crime") * Tony "Fox" Sales – backing vocals and bass ("Lucky Monkeys" and "Master Charge") *

Hunt Sales Hunt Sales (born March 2, 1954) is an American rock drummer, who has played with Todd Rundgren, Iggy Pop and Tin Machine with David Bowie. He has often worked with his brother Tony Sales, a bass guitarist. Personal life Hunt Sales is a son o ...

– backing vocals and drums ("Lucky Monkeys" and "Master Charge") * John "The Rookie" Harden – saxophone * Gayna – backing vocals on "Night Theme" ; Technical * James Williamson -

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

, mixing * Peter Haden, Tony Gottlieb - assistant engineers * David Allen – album cover

References

External links

* {{Authority control Iggy Pop albums 1977 albums Radar Records albums Albums produced by James Williamson (musician)