Brick by Brick is the ninth studio album by American singer
Iggy Pop, released in June 1990 by
Virgin Records.
Production and content
After attracting mixed reviews for much of his 1980s output, Pop hired producer
Don Was, who was a longtime fan of Pop's earlier group
The Stooges, as producer and opted for a
hard rock sound.[1] Many songs on the album incorporate a lyrical theme of the United States facing dangers of cultural decay and implosion.[1]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.[3] 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. Was would go on to produce Pop's album Avenue B (1999).
Release
The album peaked at number 90 on the
Billboard 200 and stayed on the charts for 37 weeks.[4] 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.[5] "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.[5]
The album gave Pop some of his strongest reviews since his
David Bowie collaborations,[citation needed] 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".
"Butt Town" received high praise from the MTV animated duo
Beavis and Butt-Head; the latter stated, "This song has the best lyrics I've ever heard."[citation needed]
Track listing
All songs written by Iggy Pop, except where noted.
David Lindley – violin, mandolin on "Main Street Eyes"; slide guitar, bouzouki on "I Won't Crap Out" and "Moonlight Lady"; electric guitar, slide guitar on "Starry Night"; saxophone on "My Baby Wants to Rock & Roll"
Ed Cherney – "annoying vocal whine" on "Something Wild"
Sweet Pea Atkinson, Sir Harry Bowens, Donald Ray Mitchell – backing vocals on "Neon Forest" and "Starry Night"
Alex Brown – backing vocals on "Pussy Power"
The Leeching Delinquents (Tom Black, John James,
Whitehorn Kirst, Kreg Sludgemottom, Scott Slam, Joe Cooper, Josh Richmond, Paul H. Saylor, Scott Philips, Joel Randell, Darrell Spades, Brian Small, Ewreck Benson, Mickey Finn, Billy Rowe, Man Ray Wheaton, Mike Savage, E. Shepherd Stevenson, Bobby Durango) – backing vocals on "The Undefeated"