Soldier | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 1980 | |||
Recorded | August 1979 | |||
Studio | Rockfield (Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales) | |||
Genre | Punk rock, new wave | |||
Length | 37:00 | |||
Label | Arista | |||
Producer | Pat Moran | |||
Iggy Pop chronology | ||||
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Soldier is the fourth studio album by American rock singer Iggy Pop. It was released in February 1980 by record label Arista.
For the album Iggy collaborated with ex-Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock.
Ex-member of The Stooges James Williamson was originally hired to produce the album, but a conflict between Williamson and David Bowie (who was assisting as a friend of Pop) over recording techniques led to Williamson walking out on the project.
Bowie and Simple Minds provide backing vocals on "Play It Safe".
There has been some debate over the lack of lead guitar on the final mix, which has been criticized by Glen Matlock. In Pop's biography, Matlock claims that the lead guitar was stripped after Bowie was punched by Steve New for hitting on his girlfriend of that time, Patti Palladin. [1]
Soldier was released in February 1980 by record label Arista. The album peaked at number 125 on the Billboard charts. Videos were made for the songs "Loco Mosquito", "Knocking 'Em Down (In the City)" and "Dog Food".
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | B+ [3] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Record Mirror | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Soldier has received a mixed-to-favorable reception from critics.
In her retrospective review, Charlotte Robinson of PopMatters wrote "Instead of a punk masterpiece, [...] Soldier turned out to be an uneven and sometimes plain silly recording." [7]
Rolling Stone's David Fricke reviewed the album positively, calling attention to Iggy Pop's successful weathering of his own self-destructive persona. Of the album, Fricke wrote: "Soldier, like all of his albums, is a hard-fought battle in a war that Iggy Pop is determined to win. Call him Ig noble." [8]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Loco Mosquito" | Iggy Pop | 3:13 |
2. | "Ambition" | Glen Matlock | 3:25 |
3. | "Knocking 'Em Down (In the City)" | Iggy Pop | 3:20 |
4. | "Play It Safe" | David Bowie, Iggy Pop | 3:05 |
5. | "Get Up and Get Out" | Iggy Pop | 2:43 |
6. | "Mr. Dynamite" | Glen Matlock, Iggy Pop | 4:17 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
7. | "Dog Food" | Iggy Pop | 1:47 |
8. | "I Need More" | Glen Matlock, Iggy Pop | 4:02 |
9. | "Take Care of Me" | Glen Matlock, Iggy Pop | 3:25 |
10. | "I'm a Conservative" | Iggy Pop | 3:55 |
11. | "I Snub You" | Barry Andrews, Iggy Pop | 3:07 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "Low Life" | Ivan Kral, Iggy Pop | 2:57 |
13. | "Drop a Hook" (instrumental) | Iggy Pop | 4:25 |
Specific regions and the 1991 Arista CD reissue had the following alternate track order:
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Loco Mosquito" | 3:13 |
2. | "Ambition" | 3:25 |
3. | "Take Care of Me" | 3:25 |
4. | "Get Up and Get Out" | 2:43 |
5. | "Play it Safe" | 3:05 |
6. | "I'm a Conservative" | 3:55 |
7. | "Dog Food" | 1:47 |
8. | "I Need More" | 4:02 |
9. | "Knocking 'Em Down (In the City)" | 3:20 |
10. | "Mr. Dynamite" | 4:17 |
11. | "I Snub You" | 3:07 |
with:
Technical
Chart (1980) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [9] | 78 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [10] | 20 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [11] | 36 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [12] | 27 |
UK Albums (OCC) [13] | 62 |
US Billboard 200 [14] | 125 |
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Trynka, P. (2007). Iggy Pop: Open Up and Bleed. New York: Broadway Books.