You're right, The Stooges debut is a garage album that's gone psychedelic. By 1969 there were not as many garage bands around. And music got heavier. Not many garage bands were influenced by The Doors, they would've been more into the British Invasion groups. Some of the songs here are a little longer than most garage and punk songs. I used to skip "We Will Fall" but I have learned to love it and enjoy it. I have the 2016 black swirl reissue, and it sounds pretty good. Will give it another spin. Recordings should be as hi-fi as possible. The distortion usually comes from the guitar amps and from the mic preamps. Great video. Love all the mastering Kevin Gray does.
Yes the Cale Mix was released by VMP and then is now pretty easily available with a different cover. But the guitars on the Cale mix aren’t as hot, so Jac and Iggy did a great job IMHO. Can’t wait to hear this Hi-Fi version.
The easy answer is: some. As with every genre, some records stand out as being sonically dynamic, despite the limitations of the recording. Some can benefit from the polishing of the rough edges, to make it less grating. I think sometimes simpler instrumentation can benefit from a high fidelity boost, to give it more life. I guess the answer comes down to commerce, and what the buying public will spend their money on. I personally love the Rhino reissues I’ve heard so far. I have Sabbath, Candy-O, and the Stooges, and they are easily the best sounding copies I own.
I have a butterfly label self titled Stooges and it is mind blowingly good! Dare I say a “hot stamper. It’s a Canadian press too for whatever that’s worth. I’d definitely strongly recommend it for those looking for a brilliant AAA vintage cut.
The Rhino High Fidelity series along with the QUADIO (Blu-ray) series are amongst the best reissue series to come to market, ever! The care taken in mastering and packaging for BOTH series given their respective price points is simply astonishing! What a great way to get first class representations of classic albums as well as the opportunity to get exposed to new music. As a former record store employee/manager myself (The Record Factory) this is a "no brainier win-win"!!!
Vinyl Me Please reissued the John Cale mix in 2020. I haven’t listened to it for a while but recall that I liked it. The mastering is by Bernie Grundman and it can be had for around $30 on Discogs. I’ve got an early 1970s French pressing of the original cut, will do a comparison one of these days.
MC5 - Sensational Alex Harvey Band (first 3 albums) - The Deviants (esp."Ptoof!" LP - (First 3 x) Pink Fairies LP's - The 1st & 3rd Ramones LP's - The Saints "I'm Stranded" - Radio Birdman... ?!? AND - a great sounding re-master of Iggy & the Stooges "Raw Power". It's criminal that there still isn't a seriously powerful, full-range version of this landmark LP available. However, I have 0% 'FOMO', and 0% OCD disorder. I've got copies of the LP's I've listed above, so I'm not going to pay 50 bucks or more via flippers on eBay or Discogs to have multiples of the same album. I'll spend the money on new LP's by new artists instead. **I'd just like the albums I've listed to be re-released, sounding as dynamic as poss, for the Gen. Z'er's who've never heard them and have just recently discovered the joys of LP's & turntables.... Who knows? it might just inspire some of them to decide to start their own band and give the present music scene(s) a good kick up the arse - just like the albums I listed did for me...**. Pass the torch...
Remember those Radio Shack “Super Tweeters” which could be daisy chained off your main speakers? The John Cale mix sounds like a pair of those wired straight to your amp and the main speakers are out on the curb. It’s interesting for a listen, but I find it nausea inducing otherwise.
Great video Mazzy. I have a 'deluxe' CD edition of the first Stooges album from 2005. It includes four tracks from the original John Cale mix. Apparently Iggy Stooge found the Cale mix a bit too low key and went back in the studio to beef up those noisy guitars. I totally agree that The Stooges are a garage rock band. Probably as good as 60s garage rock ever got!
To my knowledge, half of the songs on The Stooges' debut album were written at short notice under time pressure. The band had emerged from their experimental noise performance phase not too long ago and their performances as a suppot for the MC5 were cut tight. The record deal with Elektra came a bit as a surprise. Therefore, the band was short of song material. Several song were created shortly before and even while the recordings did take place. "We Will Fall" is edited from a free form session in the studion featuring John Cale on viola. Other short term compositions include "1969" (with the guitar riff lifted from The Byrds' "Gathering Of Tribes" fom "Notorious"), "Real Good Time", "Ann", and "Not Right". (I might be wrong about one or another track.) The conditions of creation don't make the songs worse though. How do you solve a problem? Ideally, with flying colors!
Nice review. I have the 2016 Stooges Rocktober reissue and am pretty happy with it, but your review has me tempted. The 2 Rhino Hi-Fi issues I have, American Beauty and Black Sabbath, are both outstanding. This series really hits the sweet spot of price/quality.
I bought my original pressing in a cut out bin around 1970 on the red Electra without lyric sheet. I was on the fence as to getting another copy, but after a recent listen I think I’m good with what I have . I also have the John Cale mix VMP released a few years ago, and it too sounds great. I love this Rhino series and that’s where the FOMO kicks in 😊. Thanks for the review.
I have an original Ramones Road to Ruin on yellow vinyl and while I love it, there is too much crackle on those quieter songs so I purchased the Rhino High Fidelity. It just came, but I haven't listened to it yet, but cannot wait to blast She's The One! I'm all in on Rhino High Fidelity, I don't need double 45's for $60 or to spend $125 for a record in a box, Rhino does it just as good at a great price! I'm so looking forward to The Doors High Fidelity releases.
I really like the Rhino HiFi reissues, though when sent to germany with shipping and custom fees, it is kind of an expensive pleasure. I already liked the Television debut, which was way better than my german pressing. Also the Inlay & information are nice and well done. I am really forward to these reissues as a Ramones & Ig fanatic 😅
Very enjoyable video on two excellent albums. A few things--"The Ramones probably wouldn't exist if it wasn't for bands like the Stooges" That is HIGHLY debatable. I prefer to give them all the credit. Just like the Stooges seemed to drop out of nowhere in 1969 smack dab in the middle of the hippie flower children music, so did the Ramones in 1976 smack dab in the middle of the big production, stadium era bands with their endless wanking soloing....lol. Nothing sounded like these two bands on the debut releases. Second, as far as I know I Wanna Be Sedated was not a hit. The only 3 sort of hits they had in America were Sheena is a Punk Rocker, Rockaway Beach and Do You Wanna Dance And I don't see I Wanna Be Sedated showing up on the charts of any other country. Maybe I'm mistaken. If I am please let me know And I know you said both albums are well recorded. Thanks for mentioning this. I frequently hear the old "You know, most punk albums sound shitty." Nothing could be further from the truth. All the best punk albums I know sound thrilling on a good playback system. Maybe some have only hear a poorly mastered CD of the LP and in that case the music can sound harsh and tiring.
Are these High Fidelity or "audiophile" worthy? That's a good question. I don't consider myself to be an audiophile. I'm not picking apart notes, instrument decay or soundstage depth. I just want to listen to the music and not have a sound issue distract me from the music. Two weekends ago here In Portland, Numero Group had a pop-up store in the local mall. Prices were well-discounted for new, sealed records and I grabbed six. They all have surface noise issues. One of the albums is by a noise-rock band so the surface noise is barely noticeable. One the two Blonde Redhead albums - both pressed at Smashed Plastic in Chicago (Numero's home base) the surface noise is overwhelming in the quieter parts and snaps me out of the music. Two of the albums were by PNW band Unwound and are mostly loud music, but there are quieter parts where the surface noise is distracting. The Duster album Stratosphere which is very atmospheric gets overwhelmed by surface noise in quiet parts - there are a lot of them - and there's a bit of a dish warp. I assume the non-Smashed Plastic ones are pressed by a GZ plant based on the runouts. So if we circle back to Rhino High Fidelity, if the album isn't destroyed by Kevin Gray (ie Marquee Moon)... the vinyl is quiet. I shouldn't have to pay $39.98 just for.a record to be quiet during the quiet parts, but it's the (vinyl) world we live in right now. If the record is at 33-1/3, it's flat and the vinyl is quiet, I'll fork over the 40 bucks. It's a shame that that is the bar, but I can live with it. And yes, I do get plenty of Bandcamp releases that were not from the Big Three, and they often do not suffer from noisy vinyl. They just sound... dull. Oh, and you forgot to mark this video as Paid Promotion. 😆 Best, Tom
I have both these albums, an original Ramones and the early seventies Stooges butterfly label, both sound fantastic. I’m cutting down on new reissues and for the new year I will limit the amount even more. I just don’t like these new reissues, they never stand up to the originals. Just my opinion, ✌️
I'm ALWAYS for the BEST rendition of an album or even a song. Meaning if Kevin Gray got access to the master tape / original mix tape of LOUIS LOUIS, and put it out on 12 inch vinyl ....... I'd buy it IN A HEARTBEAT. It DOESN'T need to sound like AJA or FRAGILE ffs ...... It just needs to evoke EMOTIONS at HIGH VOLUME, without inducing EAR FATIGUE (due to crappy deaf eared 'mastering') My supposedly AAA McMaster pressing of FUNHOUSE desperately NEEDS to be replaced. I never play it cuz it's not balanced EQ wise .... not enough bass, essentially, which makes it unpleasant to listen to when cranked up. I actually DO like my older RHINO AAA cut of the S/T debut tho ..... I've got my eye on that RAMONES. I ignored them growing up so I have ZERO vinyl of them, and the CDs I bought always sound to SHRILL to REALLY enjoy ....... How boring would 'music' be if it all SOUNDED like DSOTM and AJA ffs ......
Informative video. For some reason your lighting seems to have changed - the background is dark, as if the overhead lights in your record room are off. Gives kind of a gloomy vibe.
What is proto-punk? I didn’t know. The first Stooges album I purchased was in Bali as a pirate tape when I was 18. I had already heard the Birthday Party cover Loose and other Melbourne bands had cited The Stooges. I like the rawness and trash ones of the pirate tape, but as an older guy now if I can buy something that is reasonable, packaged well and if it sounds good sure I may buy it as I may have sold the original or earlier pressing. Don’t forget The Saints who came out the same time as The Ramones and were supposedly the Aussie Punk representatives. So different in all of them, but if it’s good I will try to buy it. Why not.
@kjbiz The Saints, just like the Ramones, were playing in a punk style as far back s 1974!! The similarities between these two bands are many, including both had original lineups for only their first 3 GREAT albums. IMO the Saints debut, (I'm) Stranded is one of the 20 greatest punk albums ever, as is Rocket To Russia
@ yeah got to see The Saints in the 80’s but only with Chris Bailey and Ivor Hay. Ed Kuepper had left for Laughing Clowns. Ed Kuepper was playing Saints with Mark Arm - Mudhoney singing soon or recently and Ed Kuepper is getting a lot of Saints stuff re-released I think. Agree both great bands 🙏
Personally punk should be raw and trashy, but if someone wants a hi if version I say why not. They’re not for me, but I can’t buy everything that gets released anyway 😂
Hmmm, I get the impression you are talking about music you barely cared about in 1969 and 1978. And that's not an obi. From Japanese, obi translates to belt and that's not an obi. "Dumping" original Stooges albums...that's a harsh toke.
It’s a modern US obi. Not a Japanese Obi. As I said got into the stooges in 76 or so and the Ramones right at the beginning. So yes I was into them and the punk scene throughout. My Stooges records were not OGs. They were 70s pressings.
Two great albums that should get any treatment that people want.
You're right, The Stooges debut is a garage album that's gone psychedelic. By 1969 there were not as many garage bands around. And music got heavier. Not many garage bands were influenced by The Doors, they would've been more into the British Invasion groups. Some of the songs here are a little longer than most garage and punk songs. I used to skip "We Will Fall" but I have learned to love it and enjoy it. I have the 2016 black swirl reissue, and it sounds pretty good. Will give it another spin. Recordings should be as hi-fi as possible. The distortion usually comes from the guitar amps and from the mic preamps. Great video. Love all the mastering Kevin Gray does.
Yes the Cale Mix was released by VMP and then is now pretty easily available with a different cover. But the guitars on the Cale mix aren’t as hot, so Jac and Iggy did a great job IMHO. Can’t wait to hear this Hi-Fi version.
The easy answer is: some. As with every genre, some records stand out as being sonically dynamic, despite the limitations of the recording. Some can benefit from the polishing of the rough edges, to make it less grating. I think sometimes simpler instrumentation can benefit from a high fidelity boost, to give it more life. I guess the answer comes down to commerce, and what the buying public will spend their money on.
I personally love the Rhino reissues I’ve heard so far. I have Sabbath, Candy-O, and the Stooges, and they are easily the best sounding copies I own.
I have a butterfly label self titled Stooges and it is mind blowingly good! Dare I say a “hot stamper. It’s a Canadian press too for whatever that’s worth. I’d definitely strongly recommend it for those looking for a brilliant AAA vintage cut.
Sounds cool ✌🏼
The Rhino High Fidelity series along with the QUADIO (Blu-ray) series are amongst the best reissue series to come to market, ever! The care taken in mastering and packaging for BOTH series given their respective price points is simply astonishing! What a great way to get first class representations of classic albums as well as the opportunity to get exposed to new music. As a former record store employee/manager myself (The Record Factory) this is a "no brainier win-win"!!!
Vinyl Me Please reissued the John Cale mix in 2020. I haven’t listened to it for a while but recall that I liked it. The mastering is by Bernie Grundman and it can be had for around $30 on Discogs. I’ve got an early 1970s French pressing of the original cut, will do a comparison one of these days.
MC5 - Sensational Alex Harvey Band (first 3 albums) - The Deviants (esp."Ptoof!" LP - (First 3 x) Pink Fairies LP's - The 1st & 3rd Ramones LP's - The Saints "I'm Stranded" - Radio Birdman... ?!? AND - a great sounding re-master of Iggy & the Stooges "Raw Power". It's criminal that there still isn't a seriously powerful, full-range version of this landmark LP available.
However, I have 0% 'FOMO', and 0% OCD disorder. I've got copies of the LP's I've listed above, so I'm not going to pay 50 bucks or more via flippers on eBay or Discogs to have multiples of the same album. I'll spend the money on new LP's by new artists instead.
**I'd just like the albums I've listed to be re-released, sounding as dynamic as poss, for the Gen. Z'er's who've never heard them and have just recently discovered the joys of LP's & turntables.... Who knows? it might just inspire some of them to decide to start their own band and give the present music scene(s) a good kick up the arse - just like the albums I listed did for me...**. Pass the torch...
I think someone should do an audiophile box set of the GG Allin discography.
Hahaha
Remember those Radio Shack “Super Tweeters” which could be daisy chained off your main speakers? The John Cale mix sounds like a pair of those wired straight to your amp and the main speakers are out on the curb. It’s interesting for a listen, but I find it nausea inducing otherwise.
Great video Mazzy. I have a 'deluxe' CD edition of the first Stooges album from 2005. It includes four tracks from the original John Cale mix. Apparently Iggy Stooge found the Cale mix a bit too low key and went back in the studio to beef up those noisy guitars. I totally agree that The Stooges are a garage rock band. Probably as good as 60s garage rock ever got!
To my knowledge, half of the songs on The Stooges' debut album were written at short notice under time pressure. The band had emerged from their experimental noise performance phase not too long ago and their performances as a suppot for the MC5 were cut tight. The record deal with Elektra came a bit as a surprise. Therefore, the band was short of song material.
Several song were created shortly before and even while the recordings did take place. "We Will Fall" is edited from a free form session in the studion featuring John Cale on viola. Other short term compositions include "1969" (with the guitar riff lifted from The Byrds' "Gathering Of Tribes" fom "Notorious"), "Real Good Time", "Ann", and "Not Right". (I might be wrong about one or another track.)
The conditions of creation don't make the songs worse though. How do you solve a problem? Ideally, with flying colors!
I would have killed to get a Fun House reissue as is one of my favorite albums of all time
Nice review. I have the 2016 Stooges Rocktober reissue and am pretty happy with it, but your review has me tempted. The 2 Rhino Hi-Fi issues I have, American Beauty and Black Sabbath, are both outstanding. This series really hits the sweet spot of price/quality.
I bought my original pressing in a cut out bin around 1970 on the red Electra without lyric sheet. I was on the fence as to getting another copy, but after a recent listen I think I’m good with what I have . I also have the John Cale mix VMP released a few years ago, and it too sounds great. I love this Rhino series and that’s where the FOMO kicks in 😊. Thanks for the review.
Just a heads up . John Cale has a deluxe 2 album set of Paris 1919 coming on 11/15/24
I have an original Ramones Road to Ruin on yellow vinyl and while I love it, there is too much crackle on those quieter songs so I purchased the Rhino High Fidelity. It just came, but I haven't listened to it yet, but cannot wait to blast She's The One! I'm all in on Rhino High Fidelity, I don't need double 45's for $60 or to spend $125 for a record in a box, Rhino does it just as good at a great price! I'm so looking forward to The Doors High Fidelity releases.
Hi Mazzy, Thanks for the review.
I passed on these. I would have considered buying Fun House.
I think the true sound of the Stooges album is best realized with a twice copied cassette
The original Stooges LP is an excellent recording to begin with.
I really like the Rhino HiFi reissues, though when sent to germany with shipping and custom fees, it is kind of an expensive pleasure. I already liked the Television debut, which was way better than my german pressing. Also the Inlay & information are nice and well done. I am really forward to these reissues as a Ramones & Ig fanatic 😅
"The aural equivalent of Chuck Berry's airmobile after theives stripped it for parts." Greil Marcus on The Stooges.
I also love the Sex Pistols live version of No Fun Song. Awesome Video Mazzy!!!
Very enjoyable video on two excellent albums.
A few things--"The Ramones probably wouldn't exist if it wasn't for bands like the Stooges" That is HIGHLY debatable. I prefer to give them all the credit. Just like the Stooges seemed to drop out of nowhere in 1969 smack dab in the middle of the hippie flower children music, so did the Ramones in 1976 smack dab in the middle of the big production, stadium era bands with their endless wanking soloing....lol. Nothing sounded like these two bands on the debut releases.
Second, as far as I know I Wanna Be Sedated was not a hit. The only 3 sort of hits they had in America were Sheena is a Punk Rocker, Rockaway Beach and Do You Wanna Dance And I don't see I Wanna Be Sedated showing up on the charts of any other country. Maybe I'm mistaken. If I am please let me know
And I know you said both albums are well recorded. Thanks for mentioning this. I frequently hear the old "You know, most punk albums sound shitty." Nothing could be further from the truth. All the best punk albums I know sound thrilling on a good playback system. Maybe some have only hear a poorly mastered CD of the LP and in that case the music can sound harsh and tiring.
kick out the jams...m-fkr
Well they were initially called The Psychedelic Stooges
Are these High Fidelity or "audiophile" worthy? That's a good question. I don't consider myself to be an audiophile. I'm not picking apart notes, instrument decay or soundstage depth. I just want to listen to the music and not have a sound issue distract me from the music.
Two weekends ago here In Portland, Numero Group had a pop-up store in the local mall. Prices were well-discounted for new, sealed records and I grabbed six. They all have surface noise issues. One of the albums is by a noise-rock band so the surface noise is barely noticeable. One the two Blonde Redhead albums - both pressed at Smashed Plastic in Chicago (Numero's home base) the surface noise is overwhelming in the quieter parts and snaps me out of the music. Two of the albums were by PNW band Unwound and are mostly loud music, but there are quieter parts where the surface noise is distracting. The Duster album Stratosphere which is very atmospheric gets overwhelmed by surface noise in quiet parts - there are a lot of them - and there's a bit of a dish warp. I assume the non-Smashed Plastic ones are pressed by a GZ plant based on the runouts.
So if we circle back to Rhino High Fidelity, if the album isn't destroyed by Kevin Gray (ie Marquee Moon)... the vinyl is quiet. I shouldn't have to pay $39.98 just for.a record to be quiet during the quiet parts, but it's the (vinyl) world we live in right now. If the record is at 33-1/3, it's flat and the vinyl is quiet, I'll fork over the 40 bucks. It's a shame that that is the bar, but I can live with it. And yes, I do get plenty of Bandcamp releases that were not from the Big Three, and they often do not suffer from noisy vinyl. They just sound... dull.
Oh, and you forgot to mark this video as Paid Promotion. 😆
Best, Tom
@@highrantdistrict nobody paid me. I bought one got one free.
I have both these albums, an original Ramones and the early seventies Stooges butterfly label, both sound fantastic. I’m cutting down on new reissues and for the new year I will limit the amount even more. I just don’t like these new reissues, they never stand up to the originals. Just my opinion, ✌️
I'm ALWAYS for the BEST rendition of an album or even a song. Meaning if Kevin Gray got access to the master tape / original mix tape of LOUIS LOUIS, and put it out on 12 inch vinyl .......
I'd buy it IN A HEARTBEAT. It DOESN'T need to sound like AJA or FRAGILE ffs ...... It just needs to evoke EMOTIONS at HIGH VOLUME, without inducing EAR FATIGUE (due to crappy deaf eared 'mastering')
My supposedly AAA McMaster pressing of FUNHOUSE desperately NEEDS to be replaced. I never play it cuz it's not balanced EQ wise .... not enough bass, essentially, which makes it unpleasant to listen to when cranked up.
I actually DO like my older RHINO AAA cut of the S/T debut tho .....
I've got my eye on that RAMONES. I ignored them growing up so I have ZERO vinyl of them, and the CDs I bought always sound to SHRILL to REALLY enjoy .......
How boring would 'music' be if it all SOUNDED like DSOTM and AJA ffs ......
Informative video. For some reason your lighting seems to have changed - the background is dark, as if the overhead lights in your record room are off. Gives kind of a gloomy vibe.
The John Cale is worse, but great at the same time. Less rock, more experimental. Great stuff and I think VMP has it
This made me feel a little sedated
As it should ✌🏼
What is proto-punk? I didn’t know. The first Stooges album I purchased was in Bali as a pirate tape when I was 18. I had already heard the Birthday Party cover Loose and other Melbourne bands had cited The Stooges. I like the rawness and trash ones of the pirate tape, but as an older guy now if I can buy something that is reasonable, packaged well and if it sounds good sure I may buy it as I may have sold the original or earlier pressing. Don’t forget The Saints who came out the same time as The Ramones and were supposedly the Aussie Punk representatives. So different in all of them, but if it’s good I will try to buy it. Why not.
Proto means before. So pre punk. But you don’t know it’s pre until the next thing happens.
@@mazzysmusic got it. Thanks for the explanation
@kjbiz The Saints, just like the Ramones, were playing in a punk style as far back s 1974!! The similarities between these two bands are many, including both had original lineups for only their first 3 GREAT albums. IMO the Saints debut, (I'm) Stranded is one of the 20 greatest punk albums ever, as is Rocket To Russia
@ yeah got to see The Saints in the 80’s but only with Chris Bailey and Ivor Hay. Ed Kuepper had left for Laughing Clowns. Ed Kuepper was playing Saints with Mark Arm - Mudhoney singing soon or recently and Ed Kuepper is getting a lot of Saints stuff re-released I think. Agree both great bands 🙏
The Stooges Rhino is ordered but I’ll skip The Ramones album.
Mazzy
That’s my name ✌🏼🤠
Sure, why not.. 🤷🏻
This channel needs some Whitesnake.
Yeah. That’s for others to showcase 🤠
Personally punk should be raw and trashy, but if someone wants a hi if version I say why not. They’re not for me, but I can’t buy everything that gets released anyway 😂
Hmmm, I get the impression you are talking about music you barely cared about in 1969 and 1978. And that's not an obi. From Japanese, obi translates to belt and that's not an obi. "Dumping" original Stooges albums...that's a harsh toke.
It’s a modern US obi. Not a Japanese Obi. As I said got into the stooges in 76 or so and the Ramones right at the beginning. So yes I was into them and the punk scene throughout. My Stooges records were not OGs. They were 70s pressings.