Being iconic doesn't always go hand in hand with a strong discography. While many fans consider all three proper (
Iggy and the)
Stooges records essential listening,
Iggy Pop, the original proto-punk, has a far spottier solo catalog. This would make a well-curated highlights collection all the more necessary, but
Essential falls short by focusing mostly on
Lust for Life and
The Idiot-era
Iggy. The remainder is a random spattering of later-period work with little regard to theme or flow. The collection is made slightly more coherent with the inclusion of minor alt-radio hits "Candy" and "Home" from 1990's
Brick by Brick, but the track list doesn't reflect a chronology or even a sense of sustained mood. While this jagged presentation isn't completely void of
Iggy's essence, the failure to include anything from fan-favorite albums like
New Values or
Zombie Birdhouse is puzzling. ~ Fred Thomas