Blah-Blah-Blah

by Iggy Pop

Overview

In 1983, Iggy Pop's career was in shambles, but an unexpected windfall arrived thanks to Iggy's frequent benefactor David Bowie. Bowie recorded "China Girl," a song Bowie and Pop co-wrote, for his album Let's Dance, earning Iggy some large (and much-needed) royalty checks. Wisely realizing he was running out of second chances, Iggy decided to make the most of his good fortune; he steered clear of drugs, learned to cook his own meals, started putting money in the bank, and used his savings to bankroll a new album. David Bowie offered to help, and together they came up with Blah Blah Blah, the most calculatedly commercial album of Iggy's career. Like The Idiot, Blah Blah Blah was heavily influenced by Bowie's input; however, while The Idiot was made by a man creating intelligent and ambitious art rock, Blah Blah Blah is the work of a popmeister looking for hits and not afraid to sound cheesy about it. In the liner notes, a member of Duran Duran is thanked for the loan of a drum machine, and that speaks volumes about the production; Blah Blah Blah is slick in a very '80s way, dominated by preprogrammed percussion and swirling keyboards. And in the four years since Zombie Birdhouse, Iggy hadn't come up with much in the way of material; the only truly memorable tracks are "Real Wild Child (Wild One)," a neat bit of electro-processed rockabilly (previously a hit for Australian rocker Johnny O'Keefe), and the moody "Cry for Love," co-written by former Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones. Both of these songs were minor hits, so Blah Blah Blah succeeded on its obviously commercial terms, but that doesn't change the fact it's one of Iggy's least interesting albums, and has dated worse than almost anything he's ever recorded. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	10/25/1990
Label:	A&M
UPC:	0075021514522

Tracks

1. Real Wild Child
2. Baby, It Can't Fall
3. Shades
4. Fire Girl
5. Isolation
6. Cry for Love
7. Blah-Blah-Blah
8. Hide Away
9. Winners and Losers
10. Little Miss Emperor

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Iggy Pop   Primary Artist,Vocals (Background),Vocals,Lead Vocals
Kevin Armstrong   Vocals,Vocals (Background),Guitar
Erdal Kizilcay   Bass,Drums,Vocals,Synthesizer,Vocals (Background)
Erdal Kizilgay   Bass,Drums
Steve Jones   Guitar,Lead Guitar

Technical Credits

David Greenan   Composer
Erdal Kizilcay   String Arrangements
Greg Norton   Composer
David Richards   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Phil Lynott   Composer
Johnny O'Keefe   Composer
O'Keefe   Composer
Owens   Composer
David Bowie   Mixing,Composer,Producer
Nick Egan   Design,Art Direction
Michael Halsband   Photography
Stephen Jones   Composer
John Greenan   Composer
David Morris Owens   Composer
John Vincent Greenan   Composer
Justin Case   Tape Operator
William "Mickey" Stevenson   Composer
David Owens   Composer
Steve Jones   Composer
Iggy Pop   Composer
Bob Mould   Composer