Soldier (album)

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Soldier
Soldier (album) cover.jpg
Studio album by
Iggy Pop
ReleasedFebruary 1980 (1980-02)
RecordedAugust 1979
StudioRockfield Studios, Wales
GenreRock
Length36:19
LabelArista
ProducerPat Moran
Iggy Pop chronology
New Values
(1979) 		Soldier
(1980) 		Party
(1981)

Soldier is the fourth studio album by American rock singer Iggy Pop. It was released in February 1980 by record label Arista.

Recording[]

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.

David 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 Iggy Pop's biography, Matlock claims that the lead guitar was stripped after David Bowie was punched by Steve New for hitting on his girlfriend of that time, Patti Palladin.[1]

Release[]

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".

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic3/5 stars[2]
Robert ChristgauB+[3]
Rolling Stonefavorable[4]

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."[5]

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."[6]

Track listing[]

Side A
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Loco Mosquito"Iggy Pop3:13
2."Ambition"Glen Matlock3:25
3."Knocking 'Em Down (In the City)"Iggy Pop3:20
4."Play It Safe"David Bowie, Iggy Pop3:05
5."Get Up and Get Out"Iggy Pop2:43
6."Mr. Dynamite"Glen Matlock, Iggy Pop4:17
Side B
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Dog Food"Iggy Pop1:47
8."I Need More"Glen Matlock, Iggy Pop4:02
9."Take Care of Me"Glen Matlock, Iggy Pop3:25
10."I'm a Conservative"Iggy Pop3:55
11."I Snub You"Barry Andrews, Iggy Pop3:07
2000 remastered reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Low Life"Ivan Kral, Iggy Pop2:57
13."Drop a Hook" (instrumental)Iggy Pop4:25

Alternate track listing[]

Specific regions and the 1991 Arista CD reissue had the following alternate track order:

No.TitleLength
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

Personnel[]

with:

  • Simple Minds – backing vocals on "Play It Safe"
  • David Bowie – backing vocals on "Play It Safe"
  • Henry McGroggan – chorus on "Loco Mosquito"
Technical
  • Pat Moran – production
  • Thom Panunzio – mixing, production on "Low Life"
  • Peter Haden – engineering
  • Joe Brescio – mastering
  • Brian Griffin/Rocking Russian – sleeve design

References[]

  1. ^ "Clean on the Dirty: An Interview With Steve New -". 5 December 2006. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  2. ^ Deming, Mark. "Soldier – Iggy Pop | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Iggy Pop". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  4. ^ Fricke, David (February 7, 1980). "[Soldier review]". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  5. ^ Robinson, Charlotte (February 5, 2003). "The Weird Trilogy: Iggy Pop's Arista Recordings | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  6. ^ Fricke, David (February 7, 1980). "Soldier – Album Reviews – Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 26, 2013.

Trynka, P. (2007). Iggy Pop: Open Up and Bleed. New York: Broadway Books.

External links[]

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