Personnel includes: Iggy Pop (vocals); Pete Marshall, Whitey Kirst (guitar); Lloyd "Mooseman" Roberts (bass); Alex Kirst (drums); Danny Kadar (Theremin).
Recorded at The Hit Factory Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida.
Iggy Pop's first album of the 21st century, BEAT EM UP, is a glorious return to the dense and raging rock of his acclaimed releases of the early '90s (BRICK BY BRICK, AMERICAN CAESAR), and his first solo album to be entirely self-produced. After issuing what was undoubtedly the most tranquil album of his long and winding career two years earlier (AVENUE B), Pop bounces back with all the vitriol and fire that we've all come to expect from him. This is evidenced by the album's first three stellar tracks--"Mask," "L.O.S.T.," and "Howl"-- as well as the slower but equally intense "Savior." Like most of Iggy's other solo releases, BEAT EM UP has its ups and downs from a consistency standpoint. Still, the aforementioned highlights prove to be the perfect antidote for those who are sick and tired of what MTV and radio has been trying to pass off as "punk rock."