Maps of Music

Party (1981)

Where the lyrics of Party take you, and where it was really made.

Party was Iggy Pop's album with a guitarist best known for playing with Patti Smith, and critics received it poorly.

Key places

Recorded at Record Plant, New York (1981)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The album was recorded at The Record Plant in New York. The point sits at city-center level, so the exact studio building is not fixed here. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Party is the fifth solo studio album by American rock singer Iggy Pop
• Released June 1981 by Arista Records
• It is the last of Pop's three albums with Arista, following New Values and Soldier
• Pop collaborated with Ivan Kral, best known as the guitar and bass player for Patti Smith in the 1970s
• Ivan Kral is credited as guitarist and song co-writer; he was absent from the tour

Background

• According to Pop's autobiography I Need More, Arista wanted a single and Pop promised them a commercial album
• Pop originally wanted Phil Spector or Mike Chapman to produce the song Bang Bang
• After Arista heard the album, they brought in former Monkees producer Tommy Boyce to remix Bang Bang

Recording

• The album was recorded at The Record Plant in New York
• Eggs On Plate was originally known as Don't Put the Brakes On Tonight and was originally written for Mick Ronson
• Bang Bang was released as a single in the same month as the album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• James Newell Osterberg Jr., born April 21, 1947 in Muskegon, Michigan, known as Iggy Pop.
• Began as drummer in Ann Arbor high school bands, including the Iguanas and the Prime Movers, where he got the nickname "Iggy".
• Formed the Psychedelic Stooges with Ron Asheton, Scott Asheton and Dave Alexander; he became the lead vocalist, nicknamed "Pop".
• Signed with Elektra Records in 1968, following the Doors.

Members

• Original Stooges lineup: Iggy Pop (vocals), Ron Asheton (guitar), Scott Asheton (drums), Dave Alexander (bass).
• Later lineup included James Williamson (guitar) and Scott Thurston; the band reunited with Mike Watt and Steve Mackay in 2003-2005.

Career

• The Stooges' albums sold poorly, but they became known for confrontational live performances, including self-mutilation and stage-diving.
• Raw Power (1973) became influential on the Sex Pistols, the Smiths and Nirvana.
• Solo debut with David Bowie: The Idiot and Lust for Life (1977), with Bowie producing; "China Girl" was later a hit for Bowie in 1983.
• Only Top 40 US hit "Candy" (1990), a duet with Kate Pierson of the B-52's.
• "Lust for Life" was featured in the film Trainspotting (1996).
• The Stooges were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010; Pop received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.
• Also an actor and voice performer in films and television, and hosts the radio show Iggy Confidential on BBC Radio 6 Music.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Charlotte Robinson of PopMatters called Party "a bizarre train wreck of an album"
• Mark Deming of AllMusic wrote that Party, one of the strangest albums of Pop's career, shows that the man doesn't seem to know how to sell out
• Party has been poorly received by critics overall
• The album was released in June 1981 by Arista, and Bang Bang came out as a single the same month

Reappraisal

• Deming saw the record as living proof of Pop's unique integrity, even when he tries to sell out
• Robinson's review took the opposite view, calling the album a train wreck
• Critical reception is described as poor, with the two reviews pulling in different directions

Records

• Peaked at number 166 in the Billboard Top 200
• Bang Bang charted at number 35 on the Billboard Club Play Singles Chart
• Last of Pop's three albums with Arista Records, after New Values and Soldier
• Buddha reissued the album in 2000 with two bonus tracks: Speak to Me and a cool jazz rendition of One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)
• Released by Arista in June 1981 as Pop's fifth solo studio album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Arista asked for a single, and Pop promised a commercial album, according to his autobiography I Need More
• Iggy Pop said he got the idea for Bang Bang from reading The Right Stuff at a local bookstore
• Eggs On Plate was originally called Don't Put the Brakes On Tonight and was written for Mick Ronson
• The song Pumpin' for Jill was featured in the second-season episode Chuck Versus the Ex of Chuck

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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