Essential

Photographer: Gerard Malanga.
Being iconic doesn't always go hand in hand with a strong discography. While many fans consider all three proper (Iggy and the) Stooges records essential listening, Iggy Pop, the original proto-punk, has a far spottier solo catalog. This would make a well-curated highlights collection all the more necessary, but Essential falls short by focusing mostly on Lust for Life and The Idiot-era Iggy. The remainder is a random spattering of later-period work with little regard to theme or flow. The collection is made slightly more coherent with the inclusion of minor alt-radio hits "Candy" and "Home" from 1990's Brick by Brick, but the track list doesn't reflect a chronology or even a sense of sustained mood. While this jagged presentation isn't completely void of Iggy's essence, the failure to include anything from fan-favorite albums like New Values or Zombie Birdhouse is puzzling. ~ Fred Thomas