#38
Reviewed by Scott Von Doviak
February 1 1980
Iggy Pop
Soldier
Genre: Punk/New Wave/Novelty Pop
Allen’s Rating: 2 out of 5
Scott’s Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Scott’s Highlights:
Knockin ‘Em Down (In the City)
Take Care of Me
Soldier isn’t one of the Iggy albums you hear a lot about, with good reason. He seems to be flailing around for a new sound here and the results are mixed at best. That might be fine if the songs were better, but for the most part that’s not the case. A lot of them are almost novelty tunes, starting with “Loco Mosquito,” an attempt at new wave that’s at least catchy-dumb. “Ambition” doesn’t have much, but “Knockin’ ‘Em Down (In the City)” could be mistaken for Jane’s Addiction a few years early. “Play It Safe” is unfortunately titled and features Bowie and Simple Minds singing backup, but never really gets going. That’s true of a lot of the material here—one or two simple ideas and then onto the next. An Iggy song called “Mr. Dynamite” should be a hellraiser, but it’s just kind of a slog. “Dog Food” is another stupid-catchy number, short enough to avoid becoming too annoying. “Take Care of Me” sounds like the bid for a mainstream hit, anthemic and fully realized. “I’m a Conservative” needs wittier lyrics. “I Snub You” is snotty pop-punk. “Drop a Hook” wraps the whole thing up with a surfy instrumental. It feels like a shrug, as does the whole album.
https://open.spotify.com/album/1mz7w42DNJMwuGbdPILPFV?si=wTKwDDYCRbmA4jaJyLjzYQ
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