| Kill City | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1975 | |||
| Studio | Maconnel (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | Punk rock [1] | |||
| Length | 32:00 | |||
| Label | Bomp! | |||
| Producer | James Williamson | |||
| Iggy Pop and James Williamson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Kill City | ||||
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Kill City is a studio album by the American musicians Iggy Pop and James Williamson, both formerly of the rock band the Stooges. It was recorded as a demo in 1975 but released in altered form in November 1977 by record label Bomp!.
"Johanna" and "I Got Nothin'" were both performed live during 1973–74 by the Williamson-era Stooges.
Kill City was originally recorded in 1975 after the disintegration of the Stooges. It was to be used as a demo 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 he was staying in at the time for treatment of his long-standing heroin addiction.[ citation needed ]
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.
Pop biographer Paul Trynka said that rock writer Ben Edmonds "played the first mixes to Seymour Stein in late January 1975". [3]
There would be no takers for the album until 1977 when, following the success of Pop's solo albums The Idiot 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.[ citation needed ]
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.[ citation needed ] 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 TV series, aired on May 22, 1990. [4]
In 2010, Williamson and engineer Ed Cherney 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. [5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [6] |
| Blender | [7] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B [8] |
| Drowned in Sound | 6/10 [9] |
| Mojo | [10] |
| Record Collector | [11] |
| Sounds | [12] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 6/10 [13] |
| Uncut | [14] |
Kill City has been generally well received by critics. Nick Kent of New Musical Express called it "a great album". [15]
Mark Deming of AllMusic called the album "a minor triumph", writing: "The music is more open and bluesy than on Raw Power , 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". [6] Martin Aston of BBC Music praised the album, calling it "Iggy's most underrated album" and one that "helped him get back to real life". [1]
The Wire placed Kill City in their list of "100 Records That Set the World on Fire (While No One Was Listening)". [16]
All songs written by Iggy Pop and James Williamson, except "Master Charge", by Williamson and Scott Thurston.
The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, and also known as Iggy and the Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexander. Initially playing a raw, primitive style of rock and roll, the band sold few records in their original incarnation and gained a reputation for their confrontational performances, which often involved acts of self-mutilation by Iggy Pop.
James Newell Osterberg, known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor, and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who were formed in 1967 and have disbanded and reunited many times since. Often called the "Godfather of Punk", he was named one of the 50 Great Voices by NPR. In 2010, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of the Stooges. Pop also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, for his solo work.
Raw Power is the third studio album by American rock band 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 records in favor of a more anthemic hard rock approach inspired by new guitarist James Williamson, who co-wrote the album's eight songs with singer Iggy Pop. Pop produced the recording sessions himself and David Bowie assisted with post-production work, though the team were allotted only one day to mix the album and the resulting fidelity was poor. Later reissues have attempted to either correct or enhance the original mix, most notably Pop's 1997 remix which became notorious for its extreme volume and compression.
Lust for Life is the second solo studio album by the American musician Iggy Pop, released on September 9, 1977, through RCA Records. It was his second collaboration with English musician and friend David Bowie after The Idiot, released in March the same year. Shortly after Bowie released his own album Low in January, Pop went on a tour to support The Idiot with Bowie as his keyboardist. At the tour's conclusion, Pop and Bowie regrouped in Berlin to record the former's next solo album.
Soldier is the fourth studio album by American rock singer Iggy Pop. It was released in February 1980 by record label Arista.
Brick by Brick is the ninth studio album by American singer Iggy Pop, released in June 1990 by Virgin Records.
The Idiot is the debut studio album by the American musician Iggy Pop, released on March 18, 1977, through RCA Records. It was produced by David Bowie and primarily recorded at the Château d'Hérouville in Hérouville, France. The album followed the break-up of Pop's band the Stooges in 1974 and a period of drug addiction for both Pop and Bowie, after which the two moved to Europe in an effort to kick their addictions.
New Values is the third studio album by American musician Iggy Pop. It was released in July 1979 by record label Arista.
Metallic K.O. is a live recording by American hard rock band The Stooges. In its original form, the album was purported to contain the last half of a performance at the Michigan Palace in Detroit, on February 9, 1974—the band's final live performance until their reformation in 2003. The performance was notable for the level of audience hostility, with the band being constantly pelted with pieces of ice, eggs, beer bottles and jelly beans, among other things, in response to Iggy Pop's audience-baiting.
Le Tigre is the debut studio album of American music trio Le Tigre. It was released October 25, 1999 on Mr. Lady Records. The album combined pop music with the band's feminist political lyrics. It received positive reviews from music critics.
James Robert Williamson is an American guitarist, songwriter, record producer and electronics engineer. He was a member of the iconic proto-punk rock band The Stooges, notably on the influential album Raw Power and in the reformed Stooges from 2009 to 2016. Between his stints in music, Williamson worked in Silicon Valley developing computer chips. Most recently he has continued as a solo artist.
"Search and Destroy" is a song by American rock band the Stooges, recorded for the group's third album Raw Power (1973). Lead singer Iggy Pop said that the title was derived from a column heading in a Time article about the Vietnam War.
The Weirdness is the fourth studio album by American proto-punk band The Stooges. Released on 5 March 2007, it was the first Stooges album of new material since Raw Power in 1973, and is also the final album to feature guitarist Ron Asheton, who died in early 2009. Founding members Iggy Pop (vocals), Ron Asheton (guitar), and Scott Asheton (drums) are featured, along with new band member Mike Watt, formerly of Minutemen, and returning guest musician Steve Mackay (saxophone), who appeared on The Stooges' 1970 album, Fun House.
Open Up and Bleed! is a live album by Iggy and the Stooges that was released in 1995. The copy on the CD cover shows a subtitle – "The Great Lost Stooges Album?" – and suggests a line-up of songs that the band had been performing in their live shows, which might have been collected into a fourth studio album by the band that was never released.
Thomas "Zeke" Zettner was a member of the American rock band the Stooges. Zettner had originally been a roadie for the band, but replaced original Stooges bassist Dave Alexander after their second album Fun House until the end of 1970. Alexander's drinking problem had made him an unreliable performer. Jimmy Recca soon replaced Zettner as bass player.
Have Some Fun: Live at Ungano's is a live album by the rock band The Stooges. It was originally recorded on August 17, 1970 as an audience recording by Danny Fields, who had signed the band in 1968.
Ready to Die is the fifth and final studio album by American rock band The Stooges. The album was released on April 30, 2013, by Fat Possum Records. The album was the band's biggest success on the Billboard 200 chart, where it debuted at number 96.
The Original Modern Lovers is an album of songs recorded by American rock band the Modern Lovers. The sessions were produced by Kim Fowley in 1973 and first released in 1981 by Fowley's short-lived Mohawk Records label, a subsidiary of Bomp! Records.
Re-Licked is the first solo album by the guitarist, songwriter, record producer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee James Williamson released in October 2014. It features tracks originally performed and demoed between 1973 and 1975 during Williamson's first tenure with Iggy and the Stooges.
The Iguanas were an American garage rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1963. Beginning as a duo, the group is best-remembered as the launching pad for the musical career of influential punk rock artist Iggy Pop. The band was one of the most popular acts in Michigan during 1965, and recorded one single, a cover version of Bo Diddley's "Mona", along with additional material later released on compilation albums.
