By Maria Bailey
The year was 1975. The Stooges had split and Iggy Pop was at his worst. No record contract, depressed, suicidal and smacked of his tits on heroin. He spent most of his time confined within a mental home battling his demons and trying to get some sort of normality back into his famously abnormal life. Good medicine arrived when former Stooges guitarist James Williamson proposed the idea for a demo album to help get Iggy’s legendry vocals back into the studio, back on the radio and back within the hearts of punk rockers across the world. Two years passed and in 1977 former Stooges front-man teamed with musical genius David Bowie to produce Iggy’s first solo records “The Idiot” and “Lust for Life.” Riding on their success, Kill City finally found recognition from Los Angeles based label Bomp! Records.

Now 33 years on, Kill City has been remixed, remastered and re-released to the digital generation. Co-released by Alive Naturalsound and Bomp! Records, James Williamson and engineer Ed Cherney at Capitol Records, Hollywood have collaborated to bring the album a cleaner, heavier sound compared with the original garage band feel. In all honesty, this album has been 33 years in the making. The 1977 release was made on a shoestring budget and for today’s technology savvy audience it would sound like listening to a legendary rock band through a cheap pair of headphones. The 2010 remix has brought a new depth to the album. Williamson’s guitar steps up to the plate, emerging from the background with a new lease of life giving an instantly noticeable 3D feel compared with the original album. From the wild anarchistic vocals to the cymbal crashes and splashes, every aspect has been tweaked and tuned to bring a deeper, powerful, more energetic sound.

Finally, Kill City has justice.

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