Preliminaires

Iggy Pop | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 2, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Astralwerks
• ASIN: B0023HPI1E
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,559 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2009 album from the Alt-Rock/Punk legend. Iggy Pop takes on the language of romance and puts a decidedly French twist on Pr‚liminaires. Produced by longtime collaborator Hal Cragin, Pr‚liminaires highlights another facet of the Iggy Pop persona, focusing more on Jazz arrangements and the distinctive, rich baritone heard on classics like 'Nightclubbing' and his duet with French legend Fran‡oise Hardy on the song 'I'll Be Seeing You'. The album themes and texts have been inspired by Iggy's reading of controversial French novelist Michel Houellebecq and his book The Possibility Of An Island. On the record, Iggy even sings one song in French, a cover of Jazz standard 'Les Feuilles Mortes (Autumn Leaves)', a song widely associated with French legends Yves Montand and Edith Piaf. There are also more raucous moments like the Swamp Rock stylings of 'Nice To Be Dead'.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a one-trick dog June 4, 2009

By Charles Miller

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you are expecting Skull Ring or The Stooges, don't buy this. And don't bitch about it either. If that's what you want to hear, just put those albums on and be happy there's so much of it. It's about time the world was treated to more of the "other side" of Iggy Pop... the part where he can write intelligent lyrics and back it up with strong musical content, albeit not hard rock.

Preliminaires was written, and in some cases, sung for the French, where Iggy has his biggest following. Pre-release hype claimed it be Iggy's first jazz album. Well, yes, there's Euro jazz here, but there's also plenty of rock and lots of acoustic work too. And perhaps most importantly, some of the most unusual lyrics ever recorded: premeditated, yet sounding completely spontaneous as the finished product.

No, this is not The Stooges or Skull Ring... this is utterly different material for Iggy Pop, closer to Avenue B than anything else, but still completely unique. Listen to the samples to get an idea. It will give you the gist, but remember, those are 30 second excerpts that do not give you the complete picture. Listening to the complete tracks in complete album form leaves you wanting for more in the future and wondering why a project as great as this was not done sooner.

It's very short; clocking in at 36 minutes with flimsy packaging. This is reflected in how inexpensive it is. But that does not deminish the overall impact of this most different of Iggy Pop releases, something I hope there will be more of in the future. Highly recommended to those who can appreciate ALL the talent that Iggy Pop has... this man is no one-trick-dog.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Le nouveau record de Iggy Pop, Préliminaires, est magnifique! July 9, 2009

By Jason Rose

Format:Audio CD

For the first time since 1999's Avenue B. We see the mellow jazzy soul of Iggy Pop.

First off, for the record, I don't understand why critics universally put down Avenue B as a failure. I'm an Iggy fanatic, and even though Ave B is his least Iggy-like album, I personally loved it. He hooked with Medinski, Martin & Wood, and a bunch of other real musicians, and showed his senstive side. He didn't mention his [...] getting stuck deep inside anything even once. Everyone hated it, but I thought it was the best thing he's done since the 70s.

That is until Préliminaires came along. This album may even surpass the great Avenue B. But I have to listen a few more times to be certain.

Iggy employs some diverse ingedients on this album.

"King of the Dogs" is backed by some suprisingly authentic dixieland jazz. Satchmo shares a writing credit.

Iggy also tries his hand at bossanova and applies his trademark croon to Antonio Carlos Jobim's timeless chestnut "How Insensitive."

And just like Ave B had a searing cover of "Shaking All Over" for the rockers, Préliminaires includes "It's Nice To Be Dead" as it's sole asskicker.

I love the blues number "He's Dead She's Alive." The production is as rustic as some dusty old Blind Lemon Jefferson recording from the Mississippi delta. The acoustic guitar is so shrill and so raw--like my speakers somehow transformed into a shanty of rusty corregated iron. I don't know how that would actually sound, but imagine it would be real creaky.

The rest of the cuts are a bouillabaisse of French pop chanson old and new. Aromatic notes of Edith Piaf mingle with musty Air with an icy broth recalling both The Idiot and 80s Leonard Cohen. Mwah! C'est magnifique! It's a superb dish!...

If there can be anything negative to say about this record, it would be about it's short length. It's only 36 minutes and two songs are performed twice in two different arrangments. But like they say, it ain't the size of your oar but the motion in the ocean. I think albums these days are too long anyway. In the vinyl era, albums were only 35-40 minutes and that was perfect. Besides, gourmet French cusine is always served in neat small portions with no filler. Brief is good. I don't need no forty hour Sandinista.

In conclusion, Préliminaires is Iggy's classiest, most mature record to date. He should explore this side of his music further. A man in his 60s can continue to be a howling shirtless wildman for only so long. This is the sound of Iggy finally growing old gracefully. Et ça sonne bien. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Pop have never been better November 21, 2009

By Peter F. Tregilgas

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Iggy Pop new CD is possible his best. Like Leaonard Cohen, Tom Waits et al these old buggers just keep getting better. The French quarter sound and the use of the New Orleans Funeral Band add to the mood and highlight of Pop's now very gruff voice. Check out the King of the Dogs interactive video on You Tube while your at it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars It's easy to see why the French love Iggy! August 12, 2009

By Joanne M. Buyniski

Format:Audio CD

I'm a late convert to Iggy Pop (a listener for only the past two years or so), so his music with the Stooges is relatively new to me. I bought Preliminaires because I love his more mature voice (shown to splendid effect on this CD's 'Autumn Leaves'); a bonus was discovering the sense of humor with which he regards himself (the lyrics of 'I Want to Go to the Beach,' for instance). Other attractions: the Dixieland flavor of 'King of the Dogs'; bass chord progressions -- and additional humor -- of 'She's a Business' (a darned fine 'driving song'). On the other hand, the emphasis on death gets a little old ('Spanish Coast' especially). Still, Iggy has certainly earned the right to have some fun while expressing himself musically in a very different way. I really enjoy listening to this album!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I keep playing it August 6, 2009

By GB

Format:MP3 Music

Okay this album is more interesting than great but for some reason I keep playing it over and over. It is sort of a cross between a Tom Waits cd and a Leonard Cohen cd. At least it has the pretensions of being like those great artists. Something is missing here and I am not certain what it is. Perhaps it is a certain sort of soul that those artists have that is not revealed here I can not say for sure. But regardless of whether it reaches that sort of height I keep playing it and enjoying it which is why I would recommend it and why I finally broke down and gave it four stars. This album is interesting and fun. It has the Gainsburg/Piaf style, Louis Armstrong horns, acoustic blues, and a playful love throughout of these and other sounds. Not since Tom Waits's 'Rain Dogs' cd have I heard as much eccleticism. It may not be as brilliant as that one but if you already own that one and you don't have this one...you might want to put your money down. As I think I said...

I keep playing it.