Brick by Brick
Encyclopedia
Brick by Brick is an album
released in June 1990 by the American
singer Iggy Pop
. After attracting mixed reviews for much of his 1980s output, Pop hired longtime Stooges
fan Don Was
as producer, who would later produce Avenue B
, and opted for a hard-rock sound. Many songs on the album incorporate a lyrical theme of the United States facing dangers of cultural decay and implosion.
Slash
and Duff McKagan
of Guns N' Roses
fame were featured on the album as songwriters and performers. The cover was drawn by American cartoonist Charles Burns
. The album's personnel includes studio musicians Waddy Wachtel
and Kenny Aronoff
. The album is the first studio album that features Pop contributing guitar. He plays a majority of the guitar parts along with Wachtel and Slash.
The album gave Pop some of his strongest reviews since his David Bowie
collaborations, and "Candy
", with the B-52's vocalist Kate Pierson
, became his first MTV
hit. The video for the song found fairly heavy rotation on that station. Videos were also made for "Home", "Butt Town" and "Livin' On the Edge of the Night".
The album peaked at number 90 on the Billboard 200
and stayed on the charts for 45 weeks. The song "Livin' On the Edge of the Night" was released before the album as a soundtrack for the hit movie Black Rain starring Michael Douglas
and Andy García
. The song reached number 16 on Modern Rock Tracks. "Candy" reached number 30 on Mainstream Rock Tracks, number 5 on Modern Rock Tracks
and number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100
. The first single from the album, "Home", reached number 2 on Modern Rock Tracks.
Brick by Brick became Iggy's first RIAA certified gold album
with more than 500,000 copies sold. After completing the album, Iggy conducted a successful world tour; his 1991 performance in Paris
was recorded and later released on DVD. Several famous fans appeared on stage with Iggy during the tour, including longtime fan Johnny Depp
.
PRCD BUTT
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
released in June 1990 by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
. After attracting mixed reviews for much of his 1980s output, Pop hired longtime Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
fan Don Was
Don Was
Don Was is an American musician, bassist and record producer.-Life and career:Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year...
as producer, who would later produce Avenue B
Avenue B (album)
-Personnel:*Iggy Pop - guitar, vocals*Peter Marshal - guitar*Lenny Castro - percussion*Hal Cragin - bass*David Mansfield - violin*John Medeski - Hammond organ, wurlitzer*Larry Mullins - drums, tabla, vibraphone, treated 808*Billy Martin - drums...
, and opted for a hard-rock sound. Many songs on the album incorporate a lyrical theme of the United States facing dangers of cultural decay and implosion.
Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
and Duff McKagan
Duff McKagan
Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan is an American musician and writer. He is best known for his twelve-year tenure as the bassist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
of Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
fame were featured on the album as songwriters and performers. The cover was drawn by American cartoonist Charles Burns
Charles Burns (cartoonist)
Charles Burns is an American cartoonist, illustrator and film director.-Life:Burns is renowned for his meticulous, high-contrast and creepy artwork and stories. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, painter Susan Moore, and their two daughters Ava and Rae-Rae.His father was an oceanographer for...
. The album's personnel includes studio musicians Waddy Wachtel
Waddy Wachtel
Robert "Waddy" Wachtel is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work...
and Kenny Aronoff
Kenny Aronoff
Kenny Aronoff is an American drummer. He has played drums for many musicians, including John Mellencamp, Bob Seger, Belinda Carlisle, Elton John, John Fogerty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Meat Loaf, The BoDeans, Gregg Alexander, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tony Iommi, Jon Bon Jovi, Vasco Rossi, Cinderella and...
. The album is the first studio album that features Pop contributing guitar. He plays a majority of the guitar parts along with Wachtel and Slash.
The album gave Pop some of his strongest reviews since his David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
collaborations, and "Candy
Candy (Iggy Pop song)
"Candy" is a song by Iggy Pop from his ninth solo album, Brick by Brick. The song is a duet with Kate Pierson of The B-52's, and was released as the album's second single in September 1990...
", with the B-52's vocalist Kate Pierson
Kate Pierson
Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Pierson is an American vocalist and one of the lead singers and founding members of The B-52's. One of the multi-instrumentalists in the band, Pierson played guitar, bass and various keyboard instruments...
, became his first MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
hit. The video for the song found fairly heavy rotation on that station. Videos were also made for "Home", "Butt Town" and "Livin' On the Edge of the Night".
The album peaked at number 90 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and stayed on the charts for 45 weeks. The song "Livin' On the Edge of the Night" was released before the album as a soundtrack for the hit movie Black Rain starring Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
and Andy García
Andy García
Andrés Arturo García Menéndez , professionally known as Andy García, is a Cuban American actor. He became known in the late 1980s and 1990s, having appeared in several successful Hollywood films, including The Godfather: Part III, The Untouchables, Internal Affairs and When a Man Loves a Woman...
. The song reached number 16 on Modern Rock Tracks. "Candy" reached number 30 on Mainstream Rock Tracks, number 5 on Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
and number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The first single from the album, "Home", reached number 2 on Modern Rock Tracks.
Brick by Brick became Iggy's first RIAA certified gold album
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
with more than 500,000 copies sold. After completing the album, Iggy conducted a successful world tour; his 1991 performance in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
was recorded and later released on DVD. Several famous fans appeared on stage with Iggy during the tour, including longtime fan Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Iggy Pop, except where noted- "Home" – 4:00
- "Main Street Eyes" – 3:41
- "I Won't Crap Out" – 4:02
- "CandyCandy (Iggy Pop song)"Candy" is a song by Iggy Pop from his ninth solo album, Brick by Brick. The song is a duet with Kate Pierson of The B-52's, and was released as the album's second single in September 1990...
" – 4:13 - "Butt Town" – 3:34
- "The Undefeated" – 5:05
- "Moonlight Lady" – 3:30
- "Something Wild" (John HiattJohn HiattJohn Hiatt is an American rock guitarist, pianist, singer, and songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including New Wave, blues and country. Hiatt has been nominated for several Grammy Awards - although he has never won- and has been awarded a variety of other...
) – 4:01 - "Neon Forest" – 7:05
- "Starry Night" – 4:05
- "Pussy Power" – 2:47
- "My Baby Wants to Rock and Roll" (lyrics: Pop, music: SlashSlash (musician)Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
) – 4:46 - "Brick by Brick" – 3:30
- "Livin' on the Edge of the Night" (Jay RifkinJay RifkinJay Rifkin is a music and film producer.Rifkin created the company Media Ventures with Hans Zimmer, a childhood friend, whom he partnered with to produce and compose with. Media Ventures is a diverse entertainment group that includes music, new media, film and television...
) – 3:07
Alternate Versions
- "Pussy Power" (Acoustic Demo Version Released On "Candy" Single) - 2:38
- "My Baby Wants To Rock N' Roll" (Acoustic Demo Version Released On "Candy" Single)
- "The Undefeated" (Acoustic Demo Version Released On "Candy" & "The Undefeated" Singles) - 3:37
- "Butt Town" (Acoustic Demo Version Released On "Candy" Single)
- "L.A. Blues" (Acoustic Demo Version Released On "The Undefeated" Single) - 2:21
- "Brick By Brick" (Acoustic Demo Version Released On "The Undefeated" Single) - 3:32
- "Livin' on the Edge of the Night" (Remix) - 3:11
Demo Version
There's a demo version of the album titled "Butt Town" which contained 11 tracks (most presumably released on various versions of "Candy" & "The Undefeated" singles) that is released promotional and considered rare by Iggy Pop fans.- "Butt Town (Album Version)"
- "Butt Town (Acoustic Demo)"
- "Foolish Dreams (Acoustic Demo)"
- "Beggar (Acoustic Demo)"
- "When Dreaming Fails (Acoustic Demo)"
- "The Wind (Acoustic Demo)"
- "Starry Night (Acoustic Demo)"
- "Brick by Brick (Acoustic Demo)"
- "I Am (Acoustic Demo)"
- "Think Alone (Acoustic Demo)"
- "L.A. Blues (Acoustic Demo)"
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Personnel
- Produced by Don WasDon WasDon Was is an American musician, bassist and record producer.-Life and career:Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year...
- Engineered by Ed Cherney
- Mastered by Greg FulginitiGreg FulginitiGregory Fulginiti is an American recording and mastering engineer.In a career spanning three decades, Fulginiti was nominated for the TEC Awards by Mix magazine 6 times, earned 175 Gold and Platinum Awards, 25 Multi-Platinum Awards, 100 Number One recordings, 135 Grammy nominees, including the...
- Iggy Pop - vocals, guitar
- Waddy WachtelWaddy WachtelRobert "Waddy" Wachtel is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work...
- guitar - Charley DraytonCharley DraytonCharley Drayton is an American multi-instrumental musician and producer, who has played as a drummer and bass guitarist for many bands and artists and is currently the drummer in Australian rock bands Divinyls and Cold Chisel....
- bass - Chuck DomanicoChuck DomanicoCharles Louis Domanico , better known as Chuck Domanico, was an American jazz bassist, playing both acoustic and electric bass on the West Coast jazz scene.Domanico was born in Chicago...
- bass - Duff McKaganDuff McKaganMichael Andrew "Duff" McKagan is an American musician and writer. He is best known for his twelve-year tenure as the bassist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
- bass - SlashSlash (musician)Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
- lead guitar - Jamie MuhoberacJamie MuhoberacJamie Muhoberac is a session keyboardist with numerous credits, including The All-American Rejects, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones , Backstreet Boys, Aly & AJ, Bob Dylan, Goo Goo Dolls, Chris Cornell , My Chemical Romance, Paradise Lost, Girlfriend, Carmen Rizzo and Pet Shop Boys...
- keyboards - Kenny AronoffKenny AronoffKenny Aronoff is an American drummer. He has played drums for many musicians, including John Mellencamp, Bob Seger, Belinda Carlisle, Elton John, John Fogerty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Meat Loaf, The BoDeans, Gregg Alexander, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tony Iommi, Jon Bon Jovi, Vasco Rossi, Cinderella and...
- drums - David LindleyDavid Lindley (musician)David Perry Lindley is an American musician who is notable for his work with Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, and other rock musicians. He has worked extensively in other genres as well, performing with artists as varied as Curtis Mayfield and Dolly Parton...
- violin, mandolin - David McMurray - saxophone
- Kate PiersonKate PiersonCatherine Elizabeth "Kate" Pierson is an American vocalist and one of the lead singers and founding members of The B-52's. One of the multi-instrumentalists in the band, Pierson played guitar, bass and various keyboard instruments...
- duet on "Candy" - John HiattJohn HiattJohn Hiatt is an American rock guitarist, pianist, singer, and songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including New Wave, blues and country. Hiatt has been nominated for several Grammy Awards - although he has never won- and has been awarded a variety of other...
- duet on "Starry Night" - Scott HackwithScott HackwithScott Hackwith is an American composer-producer-musician whose career has progressed from work as a professional guitarist and singer to recording producer and scoring motion pictures...
- background vocals - Sweet Pea Atkinson - background vocals
- Sir Harry Bowens - background vocals
- Alex Brown - background vocals
- Ray Mitchell - background vocals
- Suchi Asano Osterberg - Production Coordination