IggY P0P - Heroin Hates You

This 1979 live album, recorded at the Stardust Ballroom in Los Angeles, captures Iggy Pop backed by an all-star punk band that features Damned guitarist Brian James, ex-Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock, and keyboardist/guitarist Ivan Kral. The group kicks up a chaos of sludgy noise that recalls the Stooges at their raunchiest, while also displaying a nervy speed and angularity apropos of the times (note Kral's wiry, New Wave-inspired keyboard lines on "Real Cool Time" and "New Values"). The sound here, although remastered for the record's 1997 release, is somewhat distant and muted, lessening the sonic avalanche of the band's attack. Still, Iggy and crew tear through his solo material from the '70s (the surreal, romantic ballad "China Girl" and the rocking rave-up "5 Foot 1"), covers (the Kinks' "You Really Got Me"), and Stooges classics (a breakneck version of "T.V. Eye" and a monstrous take on "I Wanna Be Your Dog"). Despite its problematic sound quality, the energy and anarchy one associates with Iggy shine through unhindered here, making HEROIN HATES YOU a memorable, worthwhile live document.