Maps of Music

TV Eye Live 1977 (1978)

Where the lyrics of TV Eye Live 1977 take you, and where it was really made.

Iggy Pop made this live album to end his RCA contract, and the soundboard tapes were patched up in a German studio for about $5,000.

Key places

Cleveland Agora nights (1978)

Live show Agora Theatre and Ballroom — Recordings from the Agora in Cleveland, Ohio were used on this album. The concerts were held on 21 and 22 March 1977. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Chicago at the Aragon (1977)

Live show Aragon Ballroom — The album includes a recording from the Aragon in Chicago, Illinois, dated 28 March 1977. The track I Wanna Be Your Dog came from this show. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Kansas City at the Uptown (1977)

Recording site Uptown Theater — Recordings from the Uptown Theater in Kansas City, Missouri were used on this album. The concert took place on 26 October 1977. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Mixing in Berlin (1978)

Recording site Deutsches Filmorchester — The album was mixed at Hansa Tonstudios in Berlin, Germany. The place is shown at city level, so the exact building is not fixed here. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Live album by Iggy Pop, originally released in 1978
• Assembled from soundboard tapes of 1977 concerts in Cleveland, Chicago and Kansas City
• Iggy took a $90,000 advance from RCA Records to finish his contract with a live album
• Released May 1978; the album did not appear on the Billboard 200 or the UK Albums Chart

Background

• Iggy wanted to leave RCA Records after Lust for Life was poorly handled in the United States
• He had released Idiot and Lust for Life in 1977, both commercially and critically successful
• Recordings were drawn from the Idiot and Lust for Life tours
• The live album was a way to fulfil the remaining contract without making a new studio album
• David Bowie plays keyboards and sings backing vocals on selected tracks
• The lineup partly prefigures Bowie's Tin Machine lineup, with the Sales brothers

Recording

• Soundboard recordings were reworked at Hansa Tonstudios in Berlin, which Iggy had used for his previous two albums
• Engineer Eduard Meyer followed Iggy's instructions to polish each recording into the master given to RCA
• Iggy Pop doctored the tapes in a German studio, quickly and cheaply for around $5,000
• The Agora in Cleveland hosted the 21 and 22 March 1977 concerts
• The Aragon in Chicago hosted the 28 March 1977 concert
• The Uptown Theater in Kansas City hosted the 26 October 1977 concert

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

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

• AllMusic's Mark Deming: better quality than bootlegs, but not worth releasing for anyone except completist collectors
• Robert Christgau in the Christgau's Record Guide: gave it a low rating
• Paul Trynka, Iggy's biographer: said Kill City would sound more suitable as an official release

Reappraisal

• Iggy himself said the album was made to end the RCA contract and admitted it was rushed and unfinished
• Official recordings of the Idiot tour with Bowie on keyboards and backing vocals are rare, so the album still has value for that reason
• Until the 2020 box set, this was the only clearly official recording from the 1970s Iggy and Bowie collaboration

Records

• The album did not chart on the Billboard 200
• The album did not chart on the UK Albums Chart
• Release date: May 1978

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Iggy Pop used a $90,000 advance from RCA Records to finish his contract with a live album.
• David Bowie plays keyboards and sings backing vocals on selected tracks, which makes this one of the few official Idiot-tour recordings with him.
• After the release, Iggy asked the Sonics' Rendezvous Band, then a central Detroit rock group, to back him on a promotional tour.
• The lineup prefigures part of Bowie's Tin Machine lineup, with the Sales brothers.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

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