I HEAR HER
HEART BEATING
LOUD AS THUNDER
SAW THE
STARS CRASHING
The Idiot
is the debut solo
studio album
by the American musician
released on
March 18, 1977,
through
RCA Records.
It was produced by
David Bowie
and
primarily recorded at
the Château d'Hérouville
in Hérouville, France.
The album followed the
break-up of Pop's band
the Stooges
in 1974
and a period of
drug addiction
for both Pop and Bowie,
after which the two
moved to Europe
in an effort to
kick their addictions.
Described by
Pop as
"a cross between
James Brown and Kraftwerk",
The Idiot
marks a departure
from the proto-punk of
the Stooges
to a more subdued,
mechanical sound
with electronic overtones.
Recording for it began
at the château
in June 1976
and continued into July.
Further sessions
took place at
Musicland Studios
in Munich in August.
Bowie composed
most of the music
and contributed a
major portion of
the instrumentation.
Pop wrote most of the lyrics
in response to the music
Bowie was creating.
The album's title
was taken from
Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel
of the same name,
while Erich Heckel's
painting
Roquairol
inspired its artwork.
After the album was completed,
Bowie began recording
his next album
Low,
which features
a sound similar to
The Idiot.
Low
was released in
January 1977
and was a
commercial success,
compelling RCA Records
to release
The Idiot
two months later.
Upon its release,
the album
received divided,
albeit largely
positive reviews
from music critics,
many of whom noted
a change in musical tone
from Pop's
earlier work with
the Stooges.
It charted in the US,
the UK,
and Australia.
It was accompanied by
the release of two singles,
"Sister Midnight"
and
"China Girl",
in February
and May 1977,
respectively; B
owie later issued
his own version of
"China Girl"
as a single
in 1983.
Personnel
According to Thomas Jerome Seabrook:
Iggy Pop – vocals
David Bowie – keyboards, synthesizer, guitar, piano, saxophone, xylophone, backing vocals, Roland drum machine on "Nightclubbing"
Carlos Alomar – guitar
Phil Palmer – guitar
Laurent Thibault – bass guitar
George Murray – bass guitar
Michel Santangeli – drums
Dennis Davis – drums
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