Iggy Pop is sometimes called the "godfather of punk". His original band, the Stooges, recorded only 3 records and they are 3 of the most classic of all rock and roll records, though you won't hear them, or any of his other records, on the "classic rock" radio stations. He has continued to tour and release solo records since the Stooges broke up in 1973. My favorite Iggy Pop record is Zombie Birdhouse, an overlooked masterpiece. I saw him on the Zombie Birdhouse tour at the Sooner Theatre in Norman, Oklahoma. I got there a little late and found him involved in some sort of ugly interaction with the crowd, with insults and spit flying back and forth. He had a spikey haircut, died black. The show was awesome. The band took a break halfway through but the drummer kept playing, like a 15-minute solo. His records feature different bands and are produced by different people and all sound different.
I've seen him on Letterman several times. He was on with Steve Jones after Instinct. Dave bumped off the last guest to keep talking to Iggy. He was on again after Brick by Brick. He sang a song with his band (I think he also played guitar), then there was a commercial and Iggy was seated next to Dave. I was hoping for another long conversation. Dave said "Well Iggy, what have you been up to?" Iggy said, "Well I've been out in California and you know, just licking and sucking." Dave immediately responded with "Uh... well it looks like it's time for a commercial" and when they came back Iggy was gone. (Dave gets uncomfortable with certain kinds of language). He was on again on August 2, 2001 (reran 10/26/01), performing the opening song from Beat'Em Up, one of the wildest performances I've seen on the show. There wasn't much time to talk with Dave afterwards. Dave said "Good to see you, good to see you're still gettin' it done, my friend."
Besides the regular releases listed below, there's plenty more - bootlegs, live records, etc. Other sites have giant lists. He also did the title track for Repo Man. The soundtrack is available on CD and includes lots of other cool music. He's been in a bunch of movies and there's a couple of autobiographical books. Check him out in the Jim Jarmusch film - Coffee and Cigarettes. Be sure to get ahold of Escaped Maniacs, a 2-disc DVD with a live show of the reunited Stooges in Belgium plus an hour-long documentary on Iggy, plus an hour-long interview with Iggy, plus shorter interviews with Ron and Scott Ashton. Much more info on the sites below.
Official Site: www.iggypop.com
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iggy_Pop
Iggy Pop - The Rock Iguana: Iggy-Pop.com
Iggy Pop: Experimental Design: IggyPop.org
Amazon Iggy Pop Store: www.amazon.com/Iggy-Pop/e/B000APUNOS/
The Records:
Funhouse (1970) Produced by Don Gallucci
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000005IU2/
Another super-classic.
Raw Power (1973) Produced by Iggy Pop
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000002AP1
And another super-classic, but the sound quality is kind of weird
(mixed by David Bowie and Iggy Pop). I think this has been reissued
with a different mix. This is also set to be reissued in April 2010 as
both a 2-disc "Legacy Edition" (original tracks + outtakes + a live show)
and a 4-disc "Deluxe Edition", which will include additional songs on a
3rd disc and a DVD with a documentary on the making of the record. See
www.iggyandthestoogesmusic.com.
The Idiot (1976) Produced by David Bowie
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000000WH7
Recorded in Berlin, David Bowie co-wrote the songs with Iggy.
Has the original version of China Girl, way better that Bowie's
version, which was a big hit later.
Lust for Life (1977) Produced by Bewlay Brothers
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000000WH8
Recorded in Berlin, David Bowie co-wrote songs with Iggy.
New Values (1978) Produced by Jame Williamson
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B00004TY93
"I'm bored, I'm the chairman of the bored".
Soldier (1980) Produced by Pat Moran
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B00004TY92
Party (1981) Produced by Thom Panunzio
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B00004TY95
No one seems to like this one much, but there is some cool stuff on it,
like Pumpin' for Jill and the first song, Pleasure, featuring
some cool horn arrangements.
Zombie Birdhouse (1982) Produced by Chris Stein
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B00000DHLD
Very interesting record! Super cool.
Blah Blah Blah (1986) Produced by David Bowie and David Richards
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000002GHD/
Kind of a slick sound, but some cool songs. Bowie co-wrote most songs with Iggy.
Instinct (1988) Produced by Bill Laswell
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B0000072ZK/
All the songs have a similar sound, kind of punk rock metal. Features
Steve Jones on guitar (he was the guitar player in the Sex Pistols).
Used to see this in the bargain bins alot.
Brick By Brick (1990) Produced by Don Was
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000000WHF/
Lots of variety. Excellent record. Kate from the B-52's
sings on Candy, which could have been a hit on the radio, if the
radio wasn't insane. Iggy plays some guitar on this record (and on the
next 3 also). The CD booklet is a cool fold-out poster by Charles Burns.
American Caesar (1993) Produced by Malcolm Burn
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000000W4H/
Some of the wildest stuff since the Stooges. Very cool record.
Naughty Little Doggy (1996) Produced by Thom Wilson and Iggy Pop
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000000WHF/
Kicks off with I Wanna Live followed by Pussy Walk.
Avenue B (09/21/1999) Produced by Don Was
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B00000K4FD/
Very introspective, not much wild rock and roll. There
is a cover of Shakin' All Over.
Beat Em Up (07/17/2001) Produced by Iggy Pop
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B00005KFVR/
Sounds great. Kicks right in. Maybe the best
Iggy Pop record since the Stooges.
Skull Ring (11/04/2003)
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B0000D9YE7/
Featuring many guest musicians.
The Weirdness (03/06/2007)
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000MTDRJU/
This is actually a Stooges reunion record.
Preliminaires (06/02/2009) Produced by Hal Cragin
Amazon: www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B0023HPI1E
Revised 02/13/10 All links verified 02/13/10