Lust for Life, the title track of the 1977 album by Iggy Pop, wasn’t released as a single back in the day, except in the Netherlands and Belgium, where it reached #3 and #6 or #26 in the latter, depending on the region (#6 in Flanders and #28 in Wallonia – and please don’t expect me to offer any sort of rational explanation).
In due course, it became one of the better-known and best-loved tracks of that phase of Iggy’s career, and would reach an entirely new audience in the UK when it was used in the dynamic ans unforgettable opening shots of the film Trainspotting, released to great critical acclaim and commercial success in 1996.
It was no surprise that the record company to whom Iggy was now attached and who held the right to the song, decided that a cash-in would do very nicely. A compilation album, Nude & Rude: The Best of Iggy Pop was issued in November 1996, just in time for cashing-in on the Christmas market. It contained 17 songs, five of which went back to the era of The Stooges, six from The Idiot/Lust For Life era of the late 70s, with the remaining six coming from albums released between 1986 and 1993.
The album was something of a commercial failure, only spending one week in the charts at #99. The spin-off single to help with the promotion of the album fared a bit better, coming in at #26. Indeed, there’s a chance that the single actually managed to sell more copies than the album
mp3: Iggy Pop – Lust For Life
A well-known song was selected for the b-side of the 7″ vinyl version of the single (one which goes for about £25 on the second-hand market, which is no surprise given how very few were likely pressed in an era when CD ruled)
mp3: Iggy Pop – Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine
It’s not very good. It sounds like a wedding band going through the motions.
The CD version of the single, which I picked up at some point in time after the fact for just 50p, had two live tracks on it
mp3: Iggy Pop – Lust For Life (live)
mp3: Iggy Pop – I Wanna Be Your Dog (live)
The former dates from 1993 when Iggy was the headliner on the first night of the three-day Féile Festival held in Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland.
The latter dates from 1995 at the Rock For Choice Benefit Concert staged at the Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, USA.
Both songs kind of confirm the widely-held view that no live recording can truly capture the feeling of actually being there.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
I’m not sure Iggy’s been that well served by his various record companies over the years. The B-sides of this single add to the cash in feel of this release. Lust For Life though… what a song