Iggy Pop- Beat Em Up (2001)

Iggy Pop- Beat Em Up (2001)

By: Ghost Writer

Some people saw Iggy Pop collaboration with QOTSA main man Josh Homme, Post Pop Depression as a return to the Lust for Life days of Pop, in fact, I saw the record as a more The Idiot type of record, more streamlined and pop oriented, less wild, and obviously, without the great songs on The Idiot, but if comparisons are valid, and we speak of bug returns in Iggy Pop's discography, we all would have to look at 2001's brutal return to form named Beat Em Up, a record that sounds like Iggy playing with hardcore legends Black Flag, trying to get the sound of the classic Raw Power Lp.

With the exception of Raw Power or Fun House, there are no other such as powerful recordings in Pop discography, first track Mask with its devastating cave man like drums and screaming furious guitars really recapture the magic of early blistering Stooges, with Pop screaming at the top of his long just as in his Fun House days, just check out the evil crushing guitar riff on Lost, a completely stellar tune, a little bit odd for Pop, but with a wonderful groove proving Pop to be more daring and risky than most of his contemporaries.

What is great about Beat Em Up first tracks, is that they build up an impressive momentum one by one, so by the time of Howl, literally all hell breaks loose, great nasty riffing and Pop holding on a great vocal line, sometimes impossible to understand, but powerful anyway, going really insane at times, Pop, a really wild guy, set completely free here.

After the wild ride of the first three tracks comes a softer moment, one of those intimate naked and confessional songs, Football, it might not be majestic, but is Pop going really sincere and exposing himself like always but in a more subtle way, Pop metaphors might be a little dumb, but they are direct and immediate, the guys simply bares his soul and signs, accompanied here by great guitars.

The title track sounds like a heay version of the Chilli Peppers circa the great Mother's Milk, and the record loses its focus after that track, is not that it goes completely downhill from there, but although energy is preserved, Pop talent for memorable lines gets a little lost, Death is Certain shows power, but is too loose, just like in the case of Go for the Throat with Iggy completely out of control, barely regaining focus for the killer Drink New Blood, although Beat Em Up is far from a perfect album, it contains many tracks worth a listening, it has and Iggy wild and unpredictable just like in the old days, it's a refreshing take on Iggy past as an Stooge, and it obviously paved the way for the return of the best rock n roll band ever, a must listen.