IGGY POP & JAMES WILLIAMSON - KILL CITY

To say Iggy Pop had hit bottom in 1975 is an understatement; after the final collapse of the Stooges, Iggy sank deep into drug addiction and depression, and he eventually checked himself into a mental hospital in a desperate effort to get himself clean and functional again. At the same time, James Williamson, his guitarist and writing partner in the last edition of the Stooges, still believed their collaboration had some life in it, and he talked his way into Jimmy Webb's home studio to record demos in hopes of scoring a record deal. Iggy checked out of the hospital for a weekend to cut vocal tracks, and while the demos they made were quite good, no record companies were willing to take a chance on them. 

The tapes sat unnoticed until 1977, when Bomp! Records issued the 1975 demos under the title Kill City after Iggy launched a comeback with the David Bowie-produced The Idiot.

Kill City never hits as hard as the manic roar of the Stooges' Raw Power, the music is more open and bluesy than on that classic album, 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.

Kill City is rough, flawed, and dark, but it also takes the pain of Iggy's nightmare days and makes something affecting out of it, and considering its origins, it's a minor triumph. (AMG) 
         
        Tracklist:
        Kill City    2:20
        Sell Your Love    3:37
        Beyond The Law    3:03
        I Got Nothin'    3:25
        Johanna    3:05
        Night Theme    1:13
        Night Theme (Reprise)    1:05
        Consolation Prizes    3:16
        No Sense Of Crime    3:43
        Lucky Monkeys    3:38
        Master Charge    4:30