Bowie only mixed RAW POWER - Iggy said he ( Bowie ) had a long glass tube and he wanted to experiment with running the tracks through this thing and it made everything sound really weird - also Iggy said they had a lot of conflict over the drum sound - Bowie wanted to make the snare sound like " a log " - James Williamson also said it's a shame the bass is completely buried because Ron Asheton 's bass tracks were really great - I still think the horrible mix is part of its charm and gives the album a unique character - Iggy and James sound amazing - Iggy singing in a higher range and the trebly guitars that sound like razor blades - great riffs great songs - this album changed my life when I heard it and I still think it stands alone among rock records - their was nothing that sounded like this in 1973 and hasn't been anything since - thanks guys for doing the Stooges love you guys!!!
I like the more controlled tracks on Raw Power: "Gimme Danger" and "Penetration" but I prefer the swinging stomp of the original lineup with Ron on guitar, and the very underrated Dave Alexander on bass. It sounds looser and bigger and weirder.
What’s wrong with a little messy and lofi production? Especially if it fits the vibe of the album? I only know the originals: 3. Stooges 2. Raw Power 1. Fun House (everything is so good on this one. Even LA Blues ends with such a heavy impact, giving you the pure raw chaotic insanity at the heart of all the melodies and beats on the rest of the album)
“Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell” was originally titled “Hard To Beat”, and the title wasnt changed until it was reissued decades later. I agree that the sound quality on Raw Power is terrible, but some of the greatest albums suffer from terrible sound (“Surrealistic Pillow”, “All Things Must Pass”, “Kick Out the Jams”, etc). I think some of the best Stooges stuff is the unreleased material and outtakes, like “I Got a Right”, “Lost in the Future”, “Cock in My Pocket”, ʻʻOpen Up and Bleed”, and “Rubber Legs”
Joe definitely gets it here…Funhouse is a fng masterstroke of protopunk fury…the shite overdriven production is part of what makes these early Stooges records iconic. This stuff wouldn’t sound great produced any cleaner
I can't believe im going to like a video where Jason has the debut last and Kram gives Fun House (a 5-star record) 3 stars. I can't believe it, but I'm still gonna do it. smh
05) The Weirdness (3.25 stars) 04) Ready to Die (3.5 stars) 03) The Stooges (4.75 stars) 02) Raw Power (5 stars) 01) Fun House (5 stars) 0 stars - irredeemably terrible/insultingly bad/the worst .5 stars - terrible 1 star - bad 1.5 stars - between bad and fair 2 stars - fair 2.5 stars - meh 2.75 stars - "It's OK, but quit playing it." 3 stars - OK/decent 3.25 stars - pretty good 3.5 stars - good 4 stars - very good 4.5 stars - excellent 5 stars - heart full of napalm notes: * Been a long time fan of the Stooges, although it wasn't until my 30s when I got into them. I think they are fucking great. * The primal, psychedelic wah-wah guitar spilling all over the debut is pure ear cocaine. * The debut earns a rare 4.75 rating from me, which means it's essentially a 5-star album with one glaring flaw. In this case, it's the placement of the brilliant but endlessly droning "We Will Fall" as the third track which totally kills the rock n' roll momentum of the record. It's the obvious album closer. Iggy even says "goodbye" at the end of it. The fact that whoever decided the running order for this record didn't pick up on this somehow is astounding to me. Granted, it does close side 1 of the vinyl, but my point remains. The record is vastly improved simply by putting "We Will Fall" last and making the first side consist of 5 songs, otherwise maintaining the same order --> Side 1 - 1969 I Wanna Be Your Dog No Fun Real Cool Time Ann (the logical choice for closing Side 1) Side 2 - Not Right Little Doll We Will Fall * Fun House is even better. Even the subversive chaos of "L.A. Blues" is awesome. * Raw Power is also awesome and, given its reputation, some might be surprised to find not all of its songs are on full throttle (they're all great though). I prefer the Iggy mix over the Bowie mix which I feel neuters the power of these songs to some extent (in the bass and drums department). It's also missing the great celesta on "Penetration" played by Iggy which I think adds a nice exotic flavor. And I love the guitar solos splattering everywhere on "Death Trip." For me, the best Stooges album is a tossup between this one and Fun House. * Don't miss Kill City, the album Iggy did with James Williamson after Raw Power. There's also some great "lost album" tracks out there as well. * Iggy is one of those vocalists that gets by on attitude and personality as opposed to singing chops. His voice is diminished somewhat on the reunion albums and is arguably the weakest link on them, especially on the last album which has some mellow tracks not well suited for his voice, although he pulls off the mellow final track "The Departed" quite well. It's cool the way "The Departed" begins and ends with the appropriately doomy "I Wanna Be Your Dog" riff, bringing their recording career full circle. * Cheers mates!!!!!!!
My second favorite band since 1969. Saw them 9 times to include the original configuration with Dave Alexander in 1970 at the Electric Circus and again in 1971, every show at Max's Kansas City, Academy of Music, My Father's Place and one other venue (can't remember the name). (5) The Weirdness [1.5] (4) The Stooges [4.0] (3) Ready To Die [4.0] seriously underated (2) Raw Power [5.0] (1) Fun House [5.0]
I've never listened to the reunion albums, but I love the classics. 1. The Stooges- I am a bit perplexed by the reaction to this album because it is so different from my own. I've listened to this album seemingly countless times and it never gets old. 5 2. Raw Power- A very close second. 5 3. Funhouse- Last but I still love it. 4
1) Fun House: the ultimate Stooges record. It was years before anyone could come close to the dynamics of "Down on the Street" or "TV Eye." Thematically, "Dirt" was the ultimate Stooges song, and this became apparent during the early years of the Stooges reunion in the 2000s. The production is direct and powerful, and has everything is needs. 2) The Stooges: Yeah, it's uneven, and "I Wanna Be Your Dog" is played out 50 years later, but what a sound and vibe! The ultimate in basement rock. Kids getting high in the afternoon, locking in on a groove, and freaking out. Speaking of freaking out, Ron Asheton's apocalyptic wah-wah is a lot of what this album is about. "1969" is the standout along with "Ann" and "Little Doll." I even love "We Will Fall." When I first heard it in 1989, I had never heard anything like it. Imagine hearing it 20 years earlier! 3) Raw Power: Raw Power lacked a bit of Raw Power compared to Fun House. I never liked it when my favorite eccentric bands started to sound more normal. James Williamson's guitar playing seems like a compromise between Stooge craziness and regular rock. The production is kind of dumb, too. "Gimme Danger" is one of top five fave Stooge songs. "Penetration" picks up where "Dirt" and "Loose" left off, and "Search and Destroy" is an obvious banger, but he the rockers like "You're Pretty Face Is Going To Hell" and " Shake Appeal, and to a certain extent, even "Death Trip" sound distressingly normal compared the chaotic mystery of the first two albums. And the mix flat out sucks. 75% of the time, when you're working on a song and it sounds like that, all you gotta do to fix it is turn up the bass guitar, which they failed to do, despite having RON FUCKING ASHETON on bass! 4) Ready To Die: I like this one a lot. It doesn't have the bite of the 3 original albums, but James Williamson is a lot more welcome 40 years later. It sounds like the Stooges, but it has a solo Iggy vibe. 5) The Weirdness: The surviving original Stooges reunite with Mike Watt on bass!!! Unfortunately it's barely tolerable. The band sounds like they're ready to go, but Iggy seems to have forgotten to sing or write songs. Something like "My Idea of Fun" wouldn't even win a high school battle of the bands. Plus, they named it The Weirdness and it's the least weird Stooges album by far.
I listened to the first three albums quite a bit in college/ my early 20s but not really as much since then. I did expect going into this to rate all three of them higher than I did. I thought the battle for my #1 spot would be more intense but it actually ended up pretty clear to me on my first relisten of them which one was my favourite. I still enjoyed all three of them but yeah, they aren't without their issues. I think I always held them in a higher esteem because of their reputation, since The Stooges are so influential to much other music I love. I hadn't heard the reunion albums and I expected them to be worse than they are but I don't expect I will ever need to hear either of them again. I do have to laugh because when Jason gave his star rating on his #1, UA-cam went straight to an ad for me. Just funny timing. I definitely was not expecting a trifecta this week so that was a fun surprise. Anyway, here's my ranking: 5. The Weirdness - 2.5 (5.4) 4. Ready To Die - 3 (6.6) 3. Fun House - 4 (7.6) 2. The Stooges - 4 (7.8) 1. Raw Power - 4.5 (9.1)
I don't know The Stooges' albums but have listened to a lot of their songs but most songs I don't listen to again but for 6 or 7 very good songs with the top dog being "I Wanna Be Your Dog". The most amazing thing about Iggy and the Stooges is Todd Rundgren never produced any of their albums. Iggy is a great showman like James Brown. James did a great song "There was a Time" which Iggy was influenced by as well as John Coltrane, The Kinks, Dylan, MC5. Iggy was an only child and said "It made me lonesome and selfish, and both are potentially good for a writer and a performer, respectively. Lonesome for the writer, selfish for the performer. It's a shame being so selfish, and it's a shame being so lonesome sometimes." For me, Iggy impresses more with his charm, humor and conversation than with most of his records Iggy's favorite albums of all time: Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home The Rolling Stones - 12 X 5 David Bowie - Station to Station Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours Various Artists - The Indian Runner (1991 movie) with score by Jack Nitzsche. Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs - Marty Robbins James Brown - Star Time The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced The Beatles - Rubber Soul John Coltrane - The Heavyweight Champion Louis Armstrong - The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings, Vol. 1 R.L. Burnside - Too Bad Jim
*5 Stars* 1. The Stooges *4.5 Stars* 2. Raw Power 3. Fun House *3 Stars* 4. Ready to Die *2 Stars* 5. The Weirdness Bottom line: First three, classics. Last two, not so much.
I love The Stooges. Amazing band, one of my favorite. Here's my list : 1. Fun House. 9.75. The sound is richer and darker than the debut and it's more consistent. Some are annoyed by the free jazz sounds in a few of the songs, but this only makes me like the album even more. One of my favorite records ever. 2.Self-titled. 9. 25. It has some classics that more than 50 years later sound as raw, dangerous and compelling as when they were first released. But the low points are lower than those in Fun House. Way ahead of its time. 3.Raw Power. 9. Another great effort. Some classic songs. Iggy at its best. Cool guitar tones. Not crazy about the production though. 4.Ready To Die. 7.5. It's a pretty good rock and roll record. It's a bit front loaded but it's generally a good listen from start to finish. Burn almost makes my top ten songs. 5.The Weirdness. 5. I wish they hadn't released this album. None of the songs are memorable. Worst lyrics by far. Uninspired.
Also guys if you want to hear what the Stooges may have done after RAW POWER - check out the Iggy / James Williamson record " KILL CITY " recorded in 1975 - some of the post- RAW POWER material the group was working on ended up on this record - especially good tracks are 'beyond the law' and ' kill city' - check it out its a really interesting album with good production
1. Raw Power - one of my favorite albums of all time. So much energy and power and the songs are all incredible (5 Stars) 2: Funhouse - A great album and when it hits its incredible but it does start to taper off on the back half. (4.5) 3. They seem a little aimless and the production is a little too arty, but the atmosphere and the good songs more than make up for it (4 stars) 4. Ready to Die - Not much to say but it’s okay nothing special (2.5 stars) 5. The Weirdness - Same as ready to die but a little worse (2 stars)
Stooges influenced so many of the college underground bands in the 1980s like the great, underrated Mission of Burma. Fun House is their conceptual, atmospheric masterpiece, though Raw Power is one of the best rock n roll statements ever. Both five stars. No need to apologize Kram
I remember buying "Raw Power" on cassette. Yes, I'm old. I popped it in my jam box, punched play and immediately turn the tune knob almost all the way down. The mix was like an icepick in the ear. But, still somehow, it was their best album.
Iggy Pop - 74 years young. One of the best parts of the movie Dead Man. Superb guest vocals on Black Sunshine - White Zombie. Brilliant solo records. “Candy, Candy, Candy, I can’t let you go.” He’s a living legend by some small miracle. Now, The Stooges albums in my order of preference: 1. Fun House 2. Raw Power 3. The Stooges 4. Ready To Die 5. The Weirdness
Funhouse is the Greatest Post-war American Recording.......Ah had a position at a medical college in Peach Dreamy Land in the Far East, circa 2015-2016. The classrooms were fully equipped with the latest audio/visual components. Ah would open every lesson with "Down in the Street". Imagine a room of about 25 Japanese girls aged 18 to 20 spontaneously leaping out of their seats and dancing to The Stooges....grooving to a 45 year old record! And the cover art is so great.... Thanks, guys.
I saw an interview with Iggy once where he described The Stooges as being what The Rolling Stones would sound like if they didn’t know how to play their instruments. I’m a fan, but I still think that pretty much nails them.
1. The Stooges (1969) - a proto-metal/hard rock classic! You can’t beat the fuzzy, distorted riffs and solos on this album! I love it, and I can’t possibly imagine hearing it for the first time in 1969 as the psychedelic era was coming to a close. 2. Raw Power (1973) - the ‘Iggy Pop Mix’ is by far the best version of this album in my opinion. It sounds primitive, raw, and much better captures how the band sounded in a live setting. All killer, no filler here! 3. Fun House (1970) - this sits just a hair below the other two original Stooges albums for me, but I love how fired up the band sounds! For me, this is largely where my love for The Stooges’ studio material ends, but here goes… 4. Ready To Die (2013) - The Stooges’ last studio endeavour is a fun one, but one I rarely choose to listen to. It has two or three rockin’ songs, but the rest I can do without 5. The Weirdness (2007) - I hardly know what to say about this one…. Iggy sounds disinterested and totally devoid of any imagination in his songwriting, and the band no longer sounds like the tight, heavy-hitting rock band we once knew. Pass!
1. Fun House (5 stars) 2. Raw Power (5 stars) 3. The Stooges (5 stars) 4. The Weirdness (2.5 stars) 5. Ready To Die (2.5 stars) The Stooges are legendary!
I heard a cover of ‘Dirt’ by Depeche Mode and I think that’s the only thing I heard from the before this. And damn did I love it. The Stooges are a great band and their 70s output is amazing. Even their reunion stuff is decent. Good Albums (3 Stars): 5. Ready to Die (Their final album is also their worst but it’s still a good album. Some songs on here are really good. It just has the most weaker tracks on it though.) 4. The Weirdness (I don’t really get why people hate this one…it’s a good album. The drums sound a bit strange sometimes, okay. The first half of this album is great though. The second half is not as strong.) Really Good Albums (4 Stars): 3. The Stooges (If ‚We Will Fall’ and ‘No Fun’ weren’t too long it would have been a 5-star album. Fantastic guitar sound.) Amazing Albums (5 Stars): 2. Funhouse (Fantastic album. The vocals on ‘1970’ are bad, but apart from that, I love it. The jazzy sections were a good idea.) 1. Raw Power (This is the most accessible of the early albums. It’s consistently great, I love every song, it’s a 5-star album. Their best. The guitar sound from James Williamson is always amazing.)
My ranking: 1 Fun House - greatest album ever made 5 stars 2 Raw Power - second greatest album ever made 5 stars. For the record Iggy was the producer. Bowie is only credited as "mixed by". 3 S/T - would be 5 stars but I think the running order needs improvement. I agree "We Will Fall" kills the flow and energy but to me it's the placement. If it were a long intro or a coda at the end it would pretty well. I usually fix this by playing side two first. 4 Ready To Die. Entertaining later record. 3 1/2 stars. 5 The Weirdness 2 1/2 stars. Not nearly as bad as people act like it is. The best songs are the vinyl bonus tracks. I don't love these albums just because of their reputation and importance or because of their live shows. I love them for what they are. Dodgy production and all.
Before I watch this I will just say I love the first two Stooges albums and that "The Weirdness" is one of the WORST albums I've ever heard in my life.
1. Raw Power (1973) 5/5 2. Fun House (1970) 5/5 3. The Stooges (1969) 3.5/5 4. Ready To Die (2013) 3.5/5 5. The Weirdness (2007) 1.5/5 CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER: 3.5 The Stooges (1969) 5.0 Fun House (1970) 5.0 Raw Power (1973) 1.5 The Weirdness (2007) 3.5 Ready To Die (2013) I sympathize with people who think The Stooges were the first punk band. Not only was their approach primitive and uncompromising, Iggy Pop supplied the irreverent attitude that's at the heart of punk. But in truth, this Detroit outfit influenced more than just punk. Multiple sub-genres owe a debt to them- metal, glam, shock-rock, and beyond. I enjoy the dark mood created by The Stooges' first LP ("I Wanna Be Your Dog" is classic) but some of the songs are just too repetitive for my taste, such as the 10+ minute "We Will Fall." I *like* the debut- can't say I truly love it. The follow-up, Fun House, is where The Stooges really hone their attack. Everything is tighter and meaner. This time the repetitive nature of the music, combined with the ferocity of the performances, elevate the songs to a trance-like state. Then, The Stooges broke up. The end. That is, until David Bowie turned them into one of his reclamation projects- and thank goodness he did. The quality of songwriting on the Bowie-produced Raw Power matches new guitarist James Williamson's inspired playing. It's one of the more influential albums in a year (1973) filled with influential albums. Unfortunately, the band split again in short order as Iggy Pop pursued a solo career. I'd never heard their 2007 and 2013 reunion albums until this week. (I found the first one awful and the second one surprisingly good.) To me, The Stooges are another one of those "bee sting" bands that left a big mark after a short stay. As with most bands of that type, I could see myself barely including them in my all-time top 100... or barely leaving them out. Being that they're The Stooges, they'd have an inside track. MY RATING SYSTEM: 5.0 = major classic (consistently great *and* stratospheric highs) 4.5 = minor classic (consistently great *or* stratospheric highs, but not both) 4.0 = great (more than 50% is worth revisiting and it's an essential record for this artist/style - passes my "it'll make a fan out of someone who's new to this artist" test) 3.5 = seriously good (more than 50% is worth revisiting) 3.0 = nominally good (less than 50% is worth revisiting) 2.5 = decent (competent but uninspired - not worth revisiting) 2.0 = poor (difficult listen) 1.5 = awful (can't finish it) 1.0 = historically awful (musical apocalypse) *Note: "Consistently" does not mean "flawlessly." I allow for a few clunkers if the rest of the songs are good enough. Also, I don't go below 1 star because once I'm in the realm of the truly terrible I don't care to differentiate anymore.
My freshmen year in college , the guys in the dorm room next to mine discovered Iggy Pop the Stooges in the fall semester. They played them incessantly. I never played any of their albums, but I heard all their first three albums through the wall. 1. Funhouse - 4 stars 2. Raw Power - 4 stars 3. The Stooges - 3.5 stars 4. The Weirdness - 3.5 stars 5. Ready to Die - 3 stars The Stooges would have finished higher, possibly 4.5 stars, but for that 10 minute waste of vinyl at the end of side 1.
Not surprised by Jason’s takes at all. Joe does contradict himself sometimes, but not surprised he likes Funhouse and Raw Power. The Stooges are one of the few bands in the digital age where format is imperative. The remastered 1997 version of Iggy’s Rough Power mix is the definitive version imo. That said, my vinyl copy sounds like garbage. So the CD is essential. The digital version I have heard wasn’t up to snuff, but Apple (at least) is improving the quality of their streaming catalog daily. That’s all I have to say about this video. ✌🏻
Iggy’s mix *should* be definitive, but it's a horribly distorted mess because he didn't understand you can't run in the red with digital mixing. Very unfortunate. There is no good mix of Raw Power.
Bowie was listed as a producer, but yes, he was not involved in anything beyond getting them signed to MainMan and doing an “emergency remix” of the album (despite Iggy’s original mix being leagues better than Bowie’s). This remix was done in one day on a 1950s machine, and was done with only three tracks: the vocals, the guitar and the rhythm section. This is why all the keyboards (which gives so much of Penetration’s life) and Asheton backing vocals are MIA until Iggy’s superior remix. The bass should still be louder, but it’s leagues better than Bowie’s or Iggy’s original, although the original Iggy mix of the song Raw Power had good vocals from Ronnie Asheton.
Good choice again and nice small catalogue to assess. I think this highlights the flaws of streaming services as the 2005 remastered versions of the first two albums sound fantastic. Also the 97 Iggy mix is considered far superior than the Bowie one by many. However, plenty of others still love the original warts and all mix so who knows - maybe try both. Anyone wanting to explore similar I can highly recommend Sonic's Rendezvous Band as part of that classic Detroit sound. I was lucky enough to pick up the box set of their complete works back in 2006 released following the renewed excitement around The Stooges reforming. Don't know how well served it is on streaming services and much of the live material is goodish to pretty lo-fi. However, it's difficult to dispute the power and excitement of SRB. Great stuff! Seeing Iggy live in the early 90s was one of the highlights of my young life. He still had loads of energy and and more than lived up the the legend. Love him to bits. I also think the best thing about Stooges reforming was the live shows. There's plenty of footage around and they more than loved up their legend but this was still pre The Weirdness in around 05/06 after the remasters were released. Mike Watt (Minutemen) was a great addition on bass. I am one of those who actually do thein Funhouse is the best of the albums and for me simply one of the greatest rock and roll albums. I liked it well before it's more recent legendary status took hold. 1) Funhouse - 5 stars ( I like the way this breaks down to squall at the end on LA Blues - seems fitting) 2) Raw Power - 5 stars (despite it's poor mixing it's still a legendary album) 3) S/T - 3.5 stars. (I probably liked this one much more in the past but don't think it's aged too well. Still a few highlights) 4) Ready to Die - 3.5 stars (The Guardian called this crass. Of course it's crass, it's The Stooges) 5) The Weirdness - 2.5 stars Good show guys.
Sonic's Rendezvous Band is a great reminder - authentic, as Fred Sonic Smith was a member of the MC5 (and Patti Smith's husband until his early death). Wayne Kramer, the other MC5 guitarist also made great Detrot records. And their heir, Deniz Tek and his band Radio Birdman.
3 outta 5 aint bad here goes 5 ready to die 2.5 stars 4 the weirdness 3.0 minus 3 the stooges 4.5 2 raw power 4.5 + 1 fun house 5.0 totally love this album and ages very well Im coming perry cant wait jason the debut? wow wow !🐯🐯🐯🐯
I gotta hand it Joe for not being «insane» . I can’t see the reunion albums really as The Stooges. Sounds more like average Iggy albums. However John Cale has produced some great stuff. Check out his solo album Paris 1919 which is pure beauty! Great show again! Hope you do the whole Iggy Pop discography!
My old Amazon review of the Legacy Edition of Raw Power - The Bowie Mix Still Sucks But This Is Well Worth Getting Anyway Disk 1: ...finds RAW POWER remastered and generally faithful to the David Bowie mix, the one which was (bafflingly) chosen for the original release. It's been polished up and smoothed over a bit, in particular the left-right channel extremities that existed on the original vinyl have been evened out so that some sound is heard in both channels. It's not quite as harsh and radical sounding as it used to be but no one will mistake it for anything other than Bowie's version. The bottom end rumbles like a bull, but on this mix it's a neutered bull, distant and crammed into a corner. It's truly a testament to the hair-splitting ferociousness of this raw music that it prevailed and still prevails over such a radical mix. I don't like the Bowie mix much at all. While I'm all for studio experimentation and using the studio as an instrument, I don't think what Bowie did is all that impressive. It only drains the music of its power instead of enhancing it. It's raw alright. Raw as in undercooked. Despite its faults, the Iggy mix released in '97 is the one I always reach for now. So it's too "hot," too compressed, etc. but damn if it doesn't sound like the ass-kicking rock n' roll mix this album always deserved, or at least the closest thing to it I've heard so far. There's a lot of interesting sounds that were brought up in that mix such as the celeste on "Penetration." That instrument barely makes an appearance on this version; it's not even really noticeable until a few stray notes at the end. I would say the Bowie mix suffers from its absence (I think the instrument adds an interesting exotic flavor) but it's got it's own thing going for it that many listeners might actually prefer. It's fair to say that each song on Disk 1 sounds radically different from its twin version on the Iggy mix. Personally, I don't think there's much point in arguing about how good the remastering job is on this latest version. It's the Bowie mix so I just won't be listening to it much. But I think any version you can get your hands on is worth spinning. If you're a fan it's just great fun to figure out for yourself which version is your favorite or to decide what you love (or hate) about each mix. The ROUGH POWER bootlegs of Iggy's original mixes released in 1993 are interesting too but clearly in need of work. Maybe the day will come when anyone will be able to easily remix the album on their own computer...although these recordings have proven themselves to be wild and hard to tame. Maybe the perfect mix is impossible to create. Or maybe no one who really knows what they're doing has gotten a crack at it...in the liner notes of the '97 release, Iggy relates his first attempt at remixing RAW POWER. He put everything in the red and all the instruments were blaring and bleeding everywhere. He loved it but can you imagine how hard the audiophiles would've freaked if his record company had released that one?? lol I can only imagine...the fact is, there are only three tracks to work with - the rhythm section, the lead guitar and the vocals so options are pretty limited anyway. Still, I don't know why the record company never got a real professional to mix this album. Crazy. I understand the complaints people have concerning the "loudness wars"....and while I hate the thought of clipping or a compressed dynamic range, I understand why this is done, especially with so many people using ear buds and computer speakers. You can hear a lot more of the subtle background sounds that are sometimes too quiet to hear on traditional mixes, particularly if one is accustomed to listening at low volumes. Sometimes surprising and wonderful things are revealed; that's something you rarely hear mentioned by audiophiles who complain about the way records are made these days. I'm not defending the practice; in fact, I hate it. But I'm no audiophile (can't afford it!) and again, this latest version is in essence the Bowie mix cleaned up and therefore nothing else about it really matters to me because I'll still be listening to Iggy's mix. Besides, this music is brute force, hardly the kind of thing most listeners would get their panties in a twist over. Not nit-picky mastering details. It makes me think about how absurd it would be to see skate punks at a skate park blaring a Flipper tape out of some crappy boom box and debating the finer points of its high-end resolution. But I do like having a copy of Bowie's mix. That's how it was originally released and that's history. And if you turn it up loud enough the low end rumbles hard while the guitar shreds your skull. Disk 2: This particular concert is known for the "10 Georgia Peaches" bit (which appears after "Search and Destroy"), a seemingly improvised (and successful) bit of poetry performed in honor of the southern State they rocked that night. To my ears this bootleg recording sounds great, probably as good as one could hope for considering the source material. It smolders with crackling intensity, especially from the distorted guitar amps. I don't think Ig has ever delivered a halfhearted performance, so you can be sure he's worth listening to here. It's funny to hear the southern chick who keeps yelling, "Iggy I want your body!" At one point Mr. Pop unsuccessfully picks a fight with an audience member who was apparently too chicken to take the bait despite much taunting. I don't blame him though, Iggy sounds pretty intimidating! One audience member can be heard saying, "I don't think he likes us!" Whether it's drug-induced or just an act, he definitely sounds like a crazy man. I think it can be said that, above everything else, Iggy was (and still is) a superb showman, some might even say a highly professional one. I think this recording is proof. Appended after the concert is "Doojiman," a RAW POWER outtake with splattering guitar in which Iggy flips out like a monkey on acid. Way cool. There's also, inexplicably, a rehearsal performance of "Head On," one of the tracks from the "great lost Stooges album." Although I much prefer the '97 Iggy mix (a must have), it's cool having a copy that reflects the way this classic album sounded when it was first released. And with the addition of the Georgia Peaches bootleg, it definitely deserves five stars.
I think that you have some interesting points in your essay, especially for one like me who loved Raw Power ever since its release and felt the RAW POWER of the Bowie mix...I admit I took the celeste on Penetration for an electric piano, but I am no musician. It is clear that we heard other things, 1973 means that hearing stereo instead of mono was still "new". But we were used to transistor radio quality and most of the time heard Black Sabbath on moderate volume. Loud and power are just not the same thing. So far I have not found any mediocre album that became better just because of a remix. Sometimes a good or very good album gets more pleasant to listen to but I cannot say that any improved sound version has ever made the music better. (On the other hand, there are potentially good albums that have been ruined by bad production - but that is another topic. That is when production itself becomes an issue instead of a supporter.)
Rank you guys 1.joe - gives alittle more love to the first album and that makes me happy 2. Kram- also pretty close to my ranking except the first album is better than ready to die 3.jason- no comment just not my favorite
@@TastesLikeMusic joe,youre my favorite on the channel.i am a huge fan of the band.i think all three of the earlier lps are brilliant.l a blues and we will fall notwithstanding.just because there is a bad song on an album dont mean its not great.the production is a product of the timrs.i would hate to hear ehat you guys would say about about the 13th floor elevators or the chocolate watch band!
i was wondering what you 3 would say about Raw Power. i remember getting it when i was in full New Wave/Punk mode in the early 80s. Folks hadn't quite gotten around to backdating punk to the 60s yet, but this was already considered a formative record. But i had a really hard time getting past the sound of it. i loved the first 2 songs but always imagined a better mix, or a carefully rerecorded version... but how to do that without losing all the liveliness. Like a lot of Iggy's stuff, i feel like i was deeply influenced by the attitude without ever being able to love a whole record. Well, The Idiot and New Values are really really good. --- but the Raw Power album cover! i couldn't figure out if i wanted be Iggy or sleep with him. (which is something i've said about him over and over).
Gotta say, I gave The Stooges albums a fair shake. But...I didn't like it much at all. Gave the first 3 all 2 listens. But I just can't really get into them. 1st - Raw Power - 3 Stars 2nd - Fun House - 3 Stars 3rd - The Stooges - 2 Stars
@@GeneBolmarcichEsq really? Must be a bladder control issue or a weak constitution or something because it's tough to believe there isn't at least one song you can stomach. I Need Somebody is pretty conventional, for instance.
I can only understand Joe's views on The Stooges. I even understand the criticism to things like LA Blues, which I don't share. Kram, and particularly Jason, are listening to a totally different band that I am
The Stooges first album is the real deal ,a bit polished but does a good job of capturing their primitive acid rock sound. The Funhouse album is another primitive sounder ,a bit more polished than the first, but still some heavy shit. The third lp, Raw Power while now missing an original Stooge, shows us a new guitar player in James Williamson with Ron switching to bass. Another classic album but with the sonics fucked up by Bowie . So there they are the only three studio albums done by the Stooges. The live Metallic K.O. and other bootleg live recordings from the 1970-1974 are also highly recommended to get an idea as to their live sound . Unfortunately little to nothing live exists of their 1968/ 69 sound ,now that would be something interesting to hear. Other than some reunion shows that featured both the Asheton's in the earlier part of this century for all intents and purposes The Stooges ended in 1974. Anything else is not the Stooges. Side note... Ron Asheton played bass for the MC5 one night because Michael Davis had been busted for boosting a pair of sunglasses. If not for The MC5 there would likely have been be no Stooges.
When you listen to Search and Destroy for the first time you have to be ready for the extra loud guitar solo on one channel and the driving guitar on the other. It seems soo wrong but it is definitely alarming and punkish. I was shocked on hearing this after listening to lots of punk bands with drums, bass, guitar, singing more evenly mixed that to hear that song you as a listener are left in a state of shock that the mix is so strange. You can say it was a virtuoso ineptitude moment.
Fun House is my favorite one. It's a monster of an album. That sax shit is incredible. Who else was doing that then? Who else can pull it off now? I like Raw Power and their debut, but they are fairly conventional (production quality on Raw Power notwithstanding) compared to Fun House, imo. And L.A. Blues is exactly the closer that firestorm of an album needs.
Raw Power is their best album, and for me it's not even close. The recent 2023 mix is the way to go, too. It hits the perfect balance of the '74 Bowie mix and Iggy's 1997 very harsh (but meatier) mix.
1. Raw Power (5) 2. Fun House (4.5) 3. The Stooges (4). Never listened to the other two. Jason's scoring and ranking is crazy! Don't really disagree about the production comments about Raw Power but then if the vibe, excitement, emotion & tunes are all there then who really cares. No one complains about Robert Johnston being recorded in a hotel room on very primitive equipment only that it's some of the greatest music.
King of the Delta Blues Singers has been one of my absolute favorite albums since I was fifteen. The sound quality didn’t bother me then and it doesn’t bother me now; Johnson’s voice is clear and resonant, and I can hear his guitar well enough to know that he’s playing rhythm, lead, and bass all at the same time. His music accomplishes a rare feat: it’s both sophisticated and visceral, and the recordings communicate that fusion beautifully.
The Stooges, everything about them was anti-establishment. Their look, sound & attitude all screamed a big FU at the status quo. Many rock bands have tried to project a "dangerous" vibe but for me the Stooges came the closest, especially on Raw Power. I like the debut but agree that it's a mixed bag. Fun House is awesome. I consider Raw Power the greatest HARD rock album of all time. Tell Jason to check out their live atrocity Metallic KO. It will make his head explode. There's a place for aggressive, minimalist, male-centric rock & roll and hopefully there always will be.
Yes, I have to agree that Raw Power is their best studio album, BUT there was no discussion on the 1973 Bowie mix vs the 1997 Iggy re-mix. The remix seems like only yesterday but is a quarter of a century old now and the original almost half a century old. The Bowie mix is beloved by me and many older Iggy & the Stooges fans , but many younger fans ( although not all) are happier with the remix. Maybe it's time for a new remix ( if all the multi track masters do indeed still exist) and maybe this time they will get it right, just keep Iggy away from the remixing.
In 1998 I saw Pearl Jam live & Iggy was the opener. I had no clue who Iggy was at the time and I thought he sucked. Now I respect Iggy and know how influential he is. Raw Power(Bowie Mix) Rules!
The debut Stooges is an all time favorite of mine. Love , We Will Fall. Gold 🏅 S/T Silver 🥈 Raw Power Bronze 🥉 Funhouse. The two comeback albums both pulled up lame. The Sex Pistols closed out their career with a live version of No Fun - Johnny asking a perplexed crowd " Ever Get The Feeling , You've Been Cheated ? "
Not surprised they hate “We Will Fall” but I really like it when I’m in the mood for it. Tension at an all-time high in the state of North Carolina this week. 🏀
@@TheDigitalGramophone Talk about a traditional final four. Nova or Kansas could easily win but Coach K has 4 first rounders ( poor bench ) & NC looked great against UCLA. Pick Em !
i think duke covers the 4 points , revenge , hope not and with nova losing moore , 2nd leading scorer is a major blow and kansas covers the 4 pts also🐯🐯
@@davidellis5141 I feel like after what happened in the last regular season meeting at Cameron Indoor, Duke will be more motivated than ever for revenge. As I’m a Duke fan, I hope they pull through. It’s the fear of them losing that haunts me. Both teams are playing better than anybody left. Kansas could sneak away with this whole thing though. Wouldn’t surprise me.
id love to see you guys rank all the strokes albums, not sure how much you like them but i think it would make an interesting video considering how the albums differ :))
Imagine the old villa with the basement where the Rolling Stones recorded Exile on Main Street. Go down a hidden narrow stairway into the the dark and sinister dungeons hidden below to find the asylum that spawned the Stooges. Power is a word often misused in Rock 'n' Roll but this band earns the right for the most adequate album title RAW POWER. 6. The Weirdness 3,5 (Half an hour of Ron Asheton or half a century of post 70s Clapton - an easy choice for me.) 5. Ready to Die 4,0 (Forget Iggy or laugh about his silliness but this is the second time in the band's history that James Williamson brings them back to a top performance.) 4. The Stooges 4,5 (34 minutes of which 10 can be skipped...so what, Chuck Berry created a new world with some singles.) 3. Fun House 4,5 (Says Iggy: I came to play and I mean to play real good.) 2. Kill City 4,5 (intended as a Stooges album in 1975 it was finally released in 1977 credited as Iggy Pop & James Williamson, but in fact it was Raw Power II, probably more important and consistent than the two 1977 Iggy solo albums with Bowie that grew out of it.) 1. Raw Power 5,0 (Baby, detonate for me!)
Bowie is credited on Raw Power . I wonder how much he contributed. Just listen to his production of Lou Reeds Transformer from the previous year. Worlds apart.
Two of the saddest musical things I have come across are firstly, the audience reaction to the Stooges performance of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Secondly, I am saddened at the development of a generation that dislikes great albums because of their personal opinion on the "production values". Please feel free to ignore the opinion of an old man who grew up in the 1970's listening to music on a cheap transistor radio. However, I suspect that the same folks that were rattling their jewelry out of time at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame are the same types that say things like "The bass is getting lost in the mix". Keep up the good work.
"That fucking carrot top sabotaged my album." An authentic quote, I read in press around 'Instinct'(Cold Metal', my therapy song for years). Reminiscing. Used to do 'I Need Somebody' too.
Haven’t heard I word but after the velvets fiasco I hope there’s more respect this time out. Should have included Iggy s as well…… He is one of the few artists that have been made more famous after his career peak…. Trainspotting was the cultural turning point. Thankfully I saw him many times in the decadent age…he was something else
Yeah, the Weirdness sucks. Not one of the worst albums of all time, but it's really bad. Raw Power on the other hand is the definitive proto-punk masterpiece! 5. The Weirdness (2007) ★½ 4. Ready to Die (2013) ★★★½ 3. The Stooges (1969) ★★★★ 2. Fun House (1970) ★★★★★ 1. Raw Power (1973) ★★★★★ ★★★★★ - Masterpiece ★★★★½ - Really great ★★★★ - Great ★★★½ - Really good ★★★ - Good ★★½ - OK ★★ - Bad ★½ - Really bad ★ - Awful ½ - The worst
5) The Weirdness (Meh. Not bad. Albini's production was the saving grace. Ridiculous lyrics and songwriting.) 4) Ready To Die (Good. James Williamson returning to music is the most remarkable thing here as a legacy.) 3) The Stooges (Great. It needed better amps at that period, more than a better producer. And I LOVE "We Will Fall". The trippiest and darkest track from the album; primarily, a Dave Alexander creation. It's just a misplaced in order. I agree it should be the latest track. And it's the testament of the earliest incarnation of the band as Psychedelic Stooges. So, why not something slow, minimal and almost lethargic? And Cale's viola solo is a marvel. For me, this track adds another depth to the teenage angst exhibited in the lyrics on the album. Same goes with the haunting "Ann". Proto-punk, but with a heart. To a point as to be proto-goth. There's a dialog with what Nico was doing on "The Marble Index", by the way. The final mix is by Iggy and Jac Holzman, and it's better than Cale's that was rescued recently.) 2) Raw Power (Almost masterpiece. Neither mixes work in favor, BUT Bowie's one has a saving grace, it's more nuanced and democratic. The compositions by Pop and Williamson are a HUGE leap compared to the previous albums. Ferocious and awe-inspiring, "Search and Destroy" is the most important composition of theirs and in the whole catalog of the band. The production was Iggy's, but Bowie was the mixing engineer.) 1) Fun House (Masterpiece. It had the best of the intentions on the production side. The Velvets, The Stooges, Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer... All these bands that tried to record heavily were dealing with lousy equipment even in good studio. Stooges knew how impactful MC5 was due to their live recording on "Kick Out The Jams". So, Iggy contacted the guy who was from The Kingsmen, that band who recorded "Louie Louie"... Don Gallucci really understood that the band needed a "live-in-the-studio" approach much better than Cale, who was just starting his career as a producer. "Fun House" is, indeed, not only organic, but also daring. I disagree with Joe; McKay's saxophone is one of the strengths. The whole band is KICKING ARSES in this album, but the real compositional genius here in the band is Ron Asheton. Dave Alexander's heavy groove on "Dirt" is unforgettable. "1970", "Fun House" and "L.A. Blues" are testaments of the invention of the jazz-punk, c'mon!!!)
This video has confused my fragile eggshell mind. Still love you guys for spelling my name correctly on Patreon. I shall save the rest of my thoughtz for songs tomorrow. Sheeeeeiiiiiiiit 😉
The one with "fragile eggshell mind" was the other singer...the album covers looked pretty similar, on Elektra with the Joel Brodsky photograph of the bands - both just titled after the band name, both changing the world of music.
It’s very simple…. 1 cup sugar, 1/2 water, 1/2 to 1 cup raspberries, depending on your wanted sweetness level. Cook water and sugar for about a minute until the sugar liquifies. Add in raspberries, smashing them down a bit with a spatula. Cook for a little until raspberries are broken down… poor mixture through a strainer. Viola. - Joe
I still don't understand how Raw Power coul be considered better than Funhouse, even not considering production. It's a 5 star. LA Blues is great because it follows the progression of the album that gets looser and looser until it falls apart.
FH sounds leagues better than either the debut or Raw Power. It captures the intensity of a live performance and in the case of The Stooges it’s like capturing lightning in a bottle. Once it plays you just want to crank it up. I see unanimous praise about Iggy’s 1997 remix of Raw Power… I think it’s the most brickwalled piece of *** my poor ears ever came across. I honestly prefer Bowie’s attempt at producing. As for the debut I don’t think John Cale really understood the band’s potential.
@@TastesLikeMusic I totally get where you're all coming from re:Raw Power being their most varied and ambitious composition-wise but to me that lands them in a place on par with a number of other pretty good "rock" records. Fun House's sound captures the (intangible?) essence of rock and/or roll.
Hey Rich - You think the B-52s can still make a move? I supported them originally and then shifted to the Jam. I guess today is the final day of voting.
It's a shame Kill City isn't technically a Stooges record cause it definitely is in spirit. I can't decide between Fun House and Raw Power. Fun House has the riffs and grooves but Raw Power is Raw Power
one or two years ago I discovered your ranking videos and thought "interesting", because I'm always interested in rankings and best of lists, because its often a good way to discover records I didn't know. or to listen to records again, I have listen to many years ago, but sometimes didn't gave them enough time. the condition that such a list is usefull for me is, that the listmaker(s) have a similar taste to mine. after looking at some of your rankings i can say, that our tastes are definetely very, very different. two examples: your pink floyd ranking: piper at the gates.. is for me one of the greatest psychedelic records of all time. piper is number 12 in your pink floyd ranking..... not number 12 in a ranking of the greatest psychedelic records of all time, its number 12 in your ranking of pink floyd albums.... fleetwood mac: i prefer by far the early peter green albums to all the later albums. peter green was, IMO, one of the greatest guitar players of all time, especially in the 1960s. the first mac album in your list with peter green is then play on at number 9... theres no right or wrong, because tastes are different. but its absolutely clear, that our tastes are very, very different, so it makes no sense for me to take a look at your rankings in the future. all the best.
Everyone should hear the new remaster 45rpm version of Fun House in the 50th anniversary boxset. All the instruments are sonically even. Bad new: you have to shell out 4 to 7 hundred dollars for it though.
You need to take Kill City into account, which is the link between Raw Power and the 1977 Iggy albums. Then you get the whole trajectory - not that it is a straight line (or maybe it is the straightest line that someone like Iggy can walk?)
Yo guys, Stooges??? 👍 Before watching it I wonder if Metallic KO is included. Live, but a lot of (at the time) new material and p***ed off Hells Angels. 😁
Bowie only mixed RAW POWER - Iggy said he ( Bowie ) had a long glass tube and he wanted to experiment with running the tracks through this thing and it made everything sound really weird - also Iggy said they had a lot of conflict over the drum sound - Bowie wanted to make the snare sound like " a log " - James Williamson also said it's a shame the bass is completely buried because Ron Asheton 's bass tracks were really great - I still think the horrible mix is part of its charm and gives the album a unique character - Iggy and James sound amazing - Iggy singing in a higher range and the trebly guitars that sound like razor blades - great riffs great songs - this album changed my life when I heard it and I still think it stands alone among rock records - their was nothing that sounded like this in 1973 and hasn't been anything since - thanks guys for doing the Stooges love you guys!!!
I like the more controlled tracks on Raw Power: "Gimme Danger" and "Penetration" but I prefer the swinging stomp of the original lineup with Ron on guitar, and the very underrated Dave Alexander on bass. It sounds looser and bigger and weirder.
@@jkf9167 They were the first and only caveman rock band and it was glorious, but they fucked it all up by becoming the proto Guns 'n' Roses.
What’s wrong with a little messy and lofi production? Especially if it fits the vibe of the album? I only know the originals:
3. Stooges
2. Raw Power
1. Fun House (everything is so good on this one. Even LA Blues ends with such a heavy impact, giving you the pure raw chaotic insanity at the heart of all the melodies and beats on the rest of the album)
“Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell” was originally titled “Hard To Beat”, and the title wasnt changed until it was reissued decades later. I agree that the sound quality on Raw Power is terrible, but some of the greatest albums suffer from terrible sound (“Surrealistic Pillow”, “All Things Must Pass”, “Kick Out the Jams”, etc).
I think some of the best Stooges stuff is the unreleased material and outtakes, like “I Got a Right”, “Lost in the Future”, “Cock in My Pocket”, ʻʻOpen Up and Bleed”, and “Rubber Legs”
Joe definitely gets it here…Funhouse is a fng masterstroke of protopunk fury…the shite overdriven production is part of what makes these early Stooges records iconic.
This stuff wouldn’t sound great produced any cleaner
I can't believe im going to like a video where Jason has the debut last and Kram gives Fun House (a 5-star record) 3 stars. I can't believe it, but I'm still gonna do it. smh
1. Funhouse
2. Raw Power
3. Self Titled
4. Ready to Die
5. The Weirdness
4 and 5 are interchangeable for me. Funhouse is a top 5 of all time for me.
05) The Weirdness (3.25 stars)
04) Ready to Die (3.5 stars)
03) The Stooges (4.75 stars)
02) Raw Power (5 stars)
01) Fun House (5 stars)
0 stars - irredeemably terrible/insultingly bad/the worst
.5 stars - terrible
1 star - bad
1.5 stars - between bad and fair
2 stars - fair
2.5 stars - meh
2.75 stars - "It's OK, but quit playing it."
3 stars - OK/decent
3.25 stars - pretty good
3.5 stars - good
4 stars - very good
4.5 stars - excellent
5 stars - heart full of napalm
notes:
* Been a long time fan of the Stooges, although it wasn't until my 30s when I got into them. I think they are fucking great.
* The primal, psychedelic wah-wah guitar spilling all over the debut is pure ear cocaine.
* The debut earns a rare 4.75 rating from me, which means it's essentially a 5-star album with one glaring flaw. In this case, it's the placement of the brilliant but endlessly droning "We Will Fall" as the third track which totally kills the rock n' roll momentum of the record. It's the obvious album closer. Iggy even says "goodbye" at the end of it. The fact that whoever decided the running order for this record didn't pick up on this somehow is astounding to me. Granted, it does close side 1 of the vinyl, but my point remains. The record is vastly improved simply by putting "We Will Fall" last and making the first side consist of 5 songs, otherwise maintaining the same order -->
Side 1 -
1969
I Wanna Be Your Dog
No Fun
Real Cool Time
Ann (the logical choice for closing Side 1)
Side 2 -
Not Right
Little Doll
We Will Fall
* Fun House is even better. Even the subversive chaos of "L.A. Blues" is awesome.
* Raw Power is also awesome and, given its reputation, some might be surprised to find not all of its songs are on full throttle (they're all great though). I prefer the Iggy mix over the Bowie mix which I feel neuters the power of these songs to some extent (in the bass and drums department). It's also missing the great celesta on "Penetration" played by Iggy which I think adds a nice exotic flavor. And I love the guitar solos splattering everywhere on "Death Trip." For me, the best Stooges album is a tossup between this one and Fun House.
* Don't miss Kill City, the album Iggy did with James Williamson after Raw Power. There's also some great "lost album" tracks out there as well.
* Iggy is one of those vocalists that gets by on attitude and personality as opposed to singing chops. His voice is diminished somewhat on the reunion albums and is arguably the weakest link on them, especially on the last album which has some mellow tracks not well suited for his voice, although he pulls off the mellow final track "The Departed" quite well. It's cool the way "The Departed" begins and ends with the appropriately doomy "I Wanna Be Your Dog" riff, bringing their recording career full circle.
* Cheers mates!!!!!!!
I pretty much agree with everything you posted here. 100% agreed with the sequencing of the debut!
what do you think of Iggy Pop solo albums ? compared to the stooges's albums
@@abhimenon801 very different in most cases. Some good stuff for sure.
My second favorite band since 1969. Saw them 9 times to include the original configuration with Dave Alexander in 1970 at the Electric Circus and again in 1971, every show at Max's Kansas City, Academy of Music, My Father's Place and one other venue (can't remember the name).
(5) The Weirdness [1.5]
(4) The Stooges [4.0]
(3) Ready To Die [4.0] seriously underated
(2) Raw Power [5.0]
(1) Fun House [5.0]
I bought Raw Power when i was 14 back in 1990. Totally mindblowing album
1 Raw Power
2 Funhouse
3 The Stooges
4 Ready To Die
5 The Weirdness
I've never listened to the reunion albums, but I love the classics.
1. The Stooges- I am a bit perplexed by the reaction to this album because it is so different from my own. I've listened to this album seemingly countless times and it never gets old. 5
2. Raw Power- A very close second. 5
3. Funhouse- Last but I still love it. 4
You really have to hate your ears to listen to The Stooges debut. - Joe
The Stooges? Nah, my ears can handle it. It's not like I'm blasting White Light/ White Heat at them.
Abba by a lot
1) Fun House: the ultimate Stooges record. It was years before anyone could come close to the dynamics of "Down on the Street" or "TV Eye." Thematically, "Dirt" was the ultimate Stooges song, and this became apparent during the early years of the Stooges reunion in the 2000s. The production is direct and powerful, and has everything is needs.
2) The Stooges: Yeah, it's uneven, and "I Wanna Be Your Dog" is played out 50 years later, but what a sound and vibe! The ultimate in basement rock. Kids getting high in the afternoon, locking in on a groove, and freaking out. Speaking of freaking out, Ron Asheton's apocalyptic wah-wah is a lot of what this album is about. "1969" is the standout along with "Ann" and "Little Doll." I even love "We Will Fall." When I first heard it in 1989, I had never heard anything like it. Imagine hearing it 20 years earlier!
3) Raw Power: Raw Power lacked a bit of Raw Power compared to Fun House. I never liked it when my favorite eccentric bands started to sound more normal. James Williamson's guitar playing seems like a compromise between Stooge craziness and regular rock. The production is kind of dumb, too. "Gimme Danger" is one of top five fave Stooge songs. "Penetration" picks up where "Dirt" and "Loose" left off, and "Search and Destroy" is an obvious banger, but he the rockers like "You're Pretty Face Is Going To Hell" and " Shake Appeal, and to a certain extent, even "Death Trip" sound distressingly normal compared the chaotic mystery of the first two albums. And the mix flat out sucks. 75% of the time, when you're working on a song and it sounds like that, all you gotta do to fix it is turn up the bass guitar, which they failed to do, despite having RON FUCKING ASHETON on bass!
4) Ready To Die: I like this one a lot. It doesn't have the bite of the 3 original albums, but James Williamson is a lot more welcome 40 years later. It sounds like the Stooges, but it has a solo Iggy vibe.
5) The Weirdness: The surviving original Stooges reunite with Mike Watt on bass!!! Unfortunately it's barely tolerable. The band sounds like they're ready to go, but Iggy seems to have forgotten to sing or write songs. Something like "My Idea of Fun" wouldn't even win a high school battle of the bands. Plus, they named it The Weirdness and it's the least weird Stooges album by far.
I listened to the first three albums quite a bit in college/ my early 20s but not really as much since then. I did expect going into this to rate all three of them higher than I did. I thought the battle for my #1 spot would be more intense but it actually ended up pretty clear to me on my first relisten of them which one was my favourite. I still enjoyed all three of them but yeah, they aren't without their issues. I think I always held them in a higher esteem because of their reputation, since The Stooges are so influential to much other music I love. I hadn't heard the reunion albums and I expected them to be worse than they are but I don't expect I will ever need to hear either of them again.
I do have to laugh because when Jason gave his star rating on his #1, UA-cam went straight to an ad for me. Just funny timing. I definitely was not expecting a trifecta this week so that was a fun surprise.
Anyway, here's my ranking:
5. The Weirdness - 2.5 (5.4)
4. Ready To Die - 3 (6.6)
3. Fun House - 4 (7.6)
2. The Stooges - 4 (7.8)
1. Raw Power - 4.5 (9.1)
I don't know The Stooges' albums but have listened to a lot of their songs but most songs I don't listen to again but for 6 or 7 very good songs with the top dog being "I Wanna Be Your Dog". The most amazing thing about Iggy and the Stooges is Todd Rundgren never produced any of their albums. Iggy is a great showman like James Brown. James did a great song "There was a Time" which Iggy was influenced by as well as John Coltrane, The Kinks, Dylan, MC5. Iggy was an only child and said "It made me lonesome and selfish, and both are potentially good for a writer and a performer, respectively. Lonesome for the writer, selfish for the performer. It's a shame being so selfish, and it's a shame being so lonesome sometimes." For me, Iggy impresses more with his charm, humor and conversation than with most of his records
Iggy's favorite albums of all time:
Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
The Rolling Stones - 12 X 5
David Bowie - Station to Station
Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours
Various Artists - The Indian Runner (1991 movie) with score by Jack Nitzsche.
Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs - Marty Robbins
James Brown - Star Time
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced
The Beatles - Rubber Soul
John Coltrane - The Heavyweight Champion
Louis Armstrong - The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings, Vol. 1
R.L. Burnside - Too Bad Jim
To me all the best Stooges songs came after the debut, „I wanna be your dog“ would hardly make my Top Ten. But still it us a great song.
*5 Stars*
1. The Stooges
*4.5 Stars*
2. Raw Power
3. Fun House
*3 Stars*
4. Ready to Die
*2 Stars*
5. The Weirdness
Bottom line: First three, classics. Last two, not so much.
I’d be interested to see you guys do Iggy’s solo albums. He’s got some real gems.
Oh and I would say Fun House is my fav album by The Stooges
I love The Stooges. Amazing band, one of my favorite. Here's my list :
1. Fun House. 9.75. The sound is richer and darker than the debut and it's more consistent. Some are annoyed by the free jazz sounds in a few of the songs, but this only makes me like the album even more. One of my favorite records ever.
2.Self-titled. 9. 25. It has some classics that more than 50 years later sound as raw, dangerous and compelling as when they were first released. But the low points are lower than those in Fun House. Way ahead of its time.
3.Raw Power. 9. Another great effort. Some classic songs. Iggy at its best. Cool guitar tones. Not crazy about the production though.
4.Ready To Die. 7.5. It's a pretty good rock and roll record. It's a bit front loaded but it's generally a good listen from start to finish. Burn almost makes my top ten songs.
5.The Weirdness. 5. I wish they hadn't released this album. None of the songs are memorable. Worst lyrics by far. Uninspired.
That's my order as well.
Also guys if you want to hear what the Stooges may have done after RAW POWER - check out the Iggy / James Williamson record " KILL CITY " recorded in 1975 - some of the post- RAW POWER material the group was working on ended up on this record - especially good tracks are 'beyond the law' and ' kill city' - check it out its a really interesting album with good production
1. Raw Power - one of my favorite albums of all time. So much energy and power and the songs are all incredible (5 Stars)
2: Funhouse - A great album and when it hits its incredible but it does start to taper off on the back half. (4.5)
3. They seem a little aimless and the production is a little too arty, but the atmosphere and the good songs more than make up for it (4 stars)
4. Ready to Die - Not much to say but it’s okay nothing special (2.5 stars)
5. The Weirdness - Same as ready to die but a little worse (2 stars)
Stooges influenced so many of the college underground bands in the 1980s like the great, underrated Mission of Burma. Fun House is their conceptual, atmospheric masterpiece, though Raw Power is one of the best rock n roll statements ever. Both five stars. No need to apologize Kram
I remember buying "Raw Power" on cassette. Yes, I'm old. I popped it in my jam box, punched play and immediately turn the tune knob almost all the way down. The mix was like an icepick in the ear. But, still somehow, it was their best album.
Iggy Pop - 74 years young. One of the best parts of the movie Dead Man. Superb guest vocals on Black Sunshine - White Zombie. Brilliant solo records. “Candy, Candy, Candy, I can’t let you go.”
He’s a living legend by some small miracle. Now, The Stooges albums in my order of preference:
1. Fun House
2. Raw Power
3. The Stooges
4. Ready To Die
5. The Weirdness
Dead Man is awesome and Iggy is great in it. Next to Robert Mitchum, Crispin Glover and some other choice dudes...
Iggy also has a great vocal on Aisha by Death in Vegas.
@@mattymac1399 Crispin Glover is one of my heroes. He was beyond kind & articulate when I met him after watching “What is it?”
@@179rich this song is fantastic- Thanks!
@@179rich Dead Elvis is one of my favorite 90's records.
Funhouse is the Greatest Post-war American Recording.......Ah had a position at a medical college in Peach Dreamy Land in the Far East, circa 2015-2016. The classrooms were fully equipped with the latest audio/visual components. Ah would open every lesson with "Down in the Street". Imagine a room of about 25 Japanese girls aged 18 to 20 spontaneously leaping out of their seats and dancing to The Stooges....grooving to a 45 year old record! And the cover art is so great....
Thanks, guys.
I saw an interview with Iggy once where he described The Stooges as being what The Rolling Stones would sound like if they didn’t know how to play their instruments. I’m a fan, but I still think that pretty much nails them.
1. The Stooges (1969) - a proto-metal/hard rock classic! You can’t beat the fuzzy, distorted riffs and solos on this album! I love it, and I can’t possibly imagine hearing it for the first time in 1969 as the psychedelic era was coming to a close.
2. Raw Power (1973) - the ‘Iggy Pop Mix’ is by far the best version of this album in my opinion. It sounds primitive, raw, and much better captures how the band sounded in a live setting. All killer, no filler here!
3. Fun House (1970) - this sits just a hair below the other two original Stooges albums for me, but I love how fired up the band sounds!
For me, this is largely where my love for The Stooges’ studio material ends, but here goes…
4. Ready To Die (2013) - The Stooges’ last studio endeavour is a fun one, but one I rarely choose to listen to. It has two or three rockin’ songs, but the rest I can do without
5. The Weirdness (2007) - I hardly know what to say about this one…. Iggy sounds disinterested and totally devoid of any imagination in his songwriting, and the band no longer sounds like the tight, heavy-hitting rock band we once knew. Pass!
1. Fun House (5 stars)
2. Raw Power (5 stars)
3. The Stooges (5 stars)
4. The Weirdness (2.5 stars)
5. Ready To Die (2.5 stars)
The Stooges are legendary!
I heard a cover of ‘Dirt’ by Depeche Mode and I think that’s the only thing I heard from the before this. And damn did I love it. The Stooges are a great band and their 70s output is amazing. Even their reunion stuff is decent.
Good Albums (3 Stars):
5. Ready to Die
(Their final album is also their worst but it’s still a good album. Some songs on here are really good. It just has the most weaker tracks on it though.)
4. The Weirdness
(I don’t really get why people hate this one…it’s a good album. The drums sound a bit strange sometimes, okay. The first half of this album is great though. The second half is not as strong.)
Really Good Albums (4 Stars):
3. The Stooges
(If ‚We Will Fall’ and ‘No Fun’ weren’t too long it would have been a 5-star album. Fantastic guitar sound.)
Amazing Albums (5 Stars):
2. Funhouse
(Fantastic album. The vocals on ‘1970’ are bad, but apart from that, I love it. The jazzy sections were a good idea.)
1. Raw Power
(This is the most accessible of the early albums. It’s consistently great, I love every song, it’s a 5-star album. Their best. The guitar sound from James Williamson is always amazing.)
I agree with everything you said, except I have Funhouse over Raw Power, very slightly.
I love the vocals on 1970 so much haha. And No Fun should've gone on for another 5 minutes.
My ranking:
1 Fun House - greatest album ever made 5 stars
2 Raw Power - second greatest album ever made 5 stars. For the record Iggy was the producer. Bowie is only credited as "mixed by".
3 S/T - would be 5 stars but I think the running order needs improvement. I agree "We Will Fall" kills the flow and energy but to me it's the placement. If it were a long intro or a coda at the end it would pretty well. I usually fix this by playing side two first.
4 Ready To Die. Entertaining later record. 3 1/2 stars.
5 The Weirdness 2 1/2 stars. Not nearly as bad as people act like it is. The best songs are the vinyl bonus tracks.
I don't love these albums just because of their reputation and importance or because of their live shows. I love them for what they are. Dodgy production and all.
Before I watch this I will just say I love the first two Stooges albums and that "The Weirdness" is one of the WORST albums I've ever heard in my life.
"The Weirdness" requires several listens to really appreciate.
@@rookmaster7502 It doesn’t deserve several listens, it’s completely uninspired.
1. Raw Power (1973) 5/5
2. Fun House (1970) 5/5
3. The Stooges (1969) 3.5/5
4. Ready To Die (2013) 3.5/5
5. The Weirdness (2007) 1.5/5
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:
3.5 The Stooges (1969)
5.0 Fun House (1970)
5.0 Raw Power (1973)
1.5 The Weirdness (2007)
3.5 Ready To Die (2013)
I sympathize with people who think The Stooges were the first punk band. Not only was their approach primitive and uncompromising, Iggy Pop supplied the irreverent attitude that's at the heart of punk. But in truth, this Detroit outfit influenced more than just punk. Multiple sub-genres owe a debt to them- metal, glam, shock-rock, and beyond. I enjoy the dark mood created by The Stooges' first LP ("I Wanna Be Your Dog" is classic) but some of the songs are just too repetitive for my taste, such as the 10+ minute "We Will Fall." I *like* the debut- can't say I truly love it. The follow-up, Fun House, is where The Stooges really hone their attack. Everything is tighter and meaner. This time the repetitive nature of the music, combined with the ferocity of the performances, elevate the songs to a trance-like state. Then, The Stooges broke up. The end. That is, until David Bowie turned them into one of his reclamation projects- and thank goodness he did. The quality of songwriting on the Bowie-produced Raw Power matches new guitarist James Williamson's inspired playing. It's one of the more influential albums in a year (1973) filled with influential albums. Unfortunately, the band split again in short order as Iggy Pop pursued a solo career. I'd never heard their 2007 and 2013 reunion albums until this week. (I found the first one awful and the second one surprisingly good.) To me, The Stooges are another one of those "bee sting" bands that left a big mark after a short stay. As with most bands of that type, I could see myself barely including them in my all-time top 100... or barely leaving them out. Being that they're The Stooges, they'd have an inside track.
MY RATING SYSTEM:
5.0 = major classic (consistently great *and* stratospheric highs)
4.5 = minor classic (consistently great *or* stratospheric highs, but not both)
4.0 = great (more than 50% is worth revisiting and it's an essential record for this artist/style - passes my "it'll make a fan out of someone who's new to this artist" test)
3.5 = seriously good (more than 50% is worth revisiting)
3.0 = nominally good (less than 50% is worth revisiting)
2.5 = decent (competent but uninspired - not worth revisiting)
2.0 = poor (difficult listen)
1.5 = awful (can't finish it)
1.0 = historically awful (musical apocalypse)
*Note: "Consistently" does not mean "flawlessly." I allow for a few clunkers if the rest of the songs are good enough. Also, I don't go below 1 star because once I'm in the realm of the truly terrible I don't care to differentiate anymore.
I love Iggy's work.
I also loved how REM and Patti Smith did "Now I Want To Be Your Dog" in 2007.
My freshmen year in college , the guys in the dorm room next to mine discovered Iggy Pop the Stooges in the fall semester. They played them incessantly. I never played any of their albums, but I heard all their first three albums through the wall.
1. Funhouse - 4 stars
2. Raw Power - 4 stars
3. The Stooges - 3.5 stars
4. The Weirdness - 3.5 stars
5. Ready to Die - 3 stars
The Stooges would have finished higher, possibly 4.5 stars, but for that 10 minute waste of vinyl at the end of side 1.
Not surprised by Jason’s takes at all. Joe does contradict himself sometimes, but not surprised he likes Funhouse and Raw Power. The Stooges are one of the few bands in the digital age where format is imperative. The remastered 1997 version of Iggy’s Rough Power mix is the definitive version imo. That said, my vinyl copy sounds like garbage. So the CD is essential. The digital version I have heard wasn’t up to snuff, but Apple (at least) is improving the quality of their streaming catalog daily. That’s all I have to say about this video. ✌🏻
I happen to think Iggy’s 1997 mix is unlistenable, but to each his own.
Iggy’s mix *should* be definitive, but it's a horribly distorted mess because he didn't understand you can't run in the red with digital mixing. Very unfortunate. There is no good mix of Raw Power.
@@stitchgrimly6167 The red is why I love it. Not everything needs to sound pristine.
@@TheDigitalGramophone Well yeah but digital clipping never sounds listenable. It's just bad, and very avoidable.
@@stitchgrimly6167 I assume you’re not a Psychocandy fan.
Jac Holtzman certainly foreshadowed punk with his ✍ Love , The Stooges & The Doors. A legendary record man. Tim Buckley as well ..
Bowie was listed as a producer, but yes, he was not involved in anything beyond getting them signed to MainMan and doing an “emergency remix” of the album (despite Iggy’s original mix being leagues better than Bowie’s). This remix was done in one day on a 1950s machine, and was done with only three tracks: the vocals, the guitar and the rhythm section. This is why all the keyboards (which gives so much of Penetration’s life) and Asheton backing vocals are MIA until Iggy’s superior remix. The bass should still be louder, but it’s leagues better than Bowie’s or Iggy’s original, although the original Iggy mix of the song Raw Power had good vocals from Ronnie Asheton.
Good choice again and nice small catalogue to assess. I think this highlights the flaws of streaming services as the 2005 remastered versions of the first two albums sound fantastic. Also the 97 Iggy mix is considered far superior than the Bowie one by many. However, plenty of others still love the original warts and all mix so who knows - maybe try both.
Anyone wanting to explore similar I can highly recommend Sonic's Rendezvous Band as part of that classic Detroit sound. I was lucky enough to pick up the box set of their complete works back in 2006 released following the renewed excitement around The Stooges reforming. Don't know how well served it is on streaming services and much of the live material is goodish to pretty lo-fi. However, it's difficult to dispute the power and excitement of SRB. Great stuff!
Seeing Iggy live in the early 90s was one of the highlights of my young life. He still had loads of energy and and more than lived up the the legend. Love him to bits. I also think the best thing about Stooges reforming was the live shows. There's plenty of footage around and they more than loved up their legend but this was still pre The Weirdness in around 05/06 after the remasters were released. Mike Watt (Minutemen) was a great addition on bass.
I am one of those who actually do thein Funhouse is the best of the albums and for me simply one of the greatest rock and roll albums. I liked it well before it's more recent legendary status took hold.
1) Funhouse - 5 stars ( I like the way this breaks down to squall at the end on LA Blues - seems fitting)
2) Raw Power - 5 stars (despite it's poor mixing it's still a legendary album)
3) S/T - 3.5 stars. (I probably liked this one much more in the past but don't think it's aged too well. Still a few highlights)
4) Ready to Die - 3.5 stars (The Guardian called this crass. Of course it's crass, it's The Stooges)
5) The Weirdness - 2.5 stars
Good show guys.
Sonic's Rendezvous Band is a great reminder - authentic, as Fred Sonic Smith was a member of the MC5 (and Patti Smith's husband until his early death). Wayne Kramer, the other MC5 guitarist also made great Detrot records. And their heir, Deniz Tek and his band Radio Birdman.
1. Fun House - 8.5
2. Raw Power - 7.5
3. The Stooges - 7.5
4. Ready to Die - 5
5. The Weirdness - 4.5
3 outta 5 aint bad here goes
5 ready to die 2.5 stars
4 the weirdness 3.0 minus
3 the stooges 4.5
2 raw power 4.5 +
1 fun house 5.0 totally love this album and ages very well
Im coming perry cant wait
jason the debut? wow wow !🐯🐯🐯🐯
I’m rating the original 3 albums (not familiar with the comeback albums):
3. The Stooges (4)
2. Raw Power (4,5)
1. Funhouse (5)
I gotta hand it Joe for not being «insane» . I can’t see the reunion albums really as The Stooges. Sounds more like average Iggy albums. However John Cale has produced some great stuff. Check out his solo album Paris 1919 which is pure beauty!
Great show again! Hope you do the whole Iggy Pop discography!
5. Ready To Die (2013)
4. The Weirdness (2007)
3. The Stooges (1969)
2. Raw Power (1973)
1. Fun House (1970)
My old Amazon review of the Legacy Edition of Raw Power -
The Bowie Mix Still Sucks But This Is Well Worth Getting Anyway
Disk 1:
...finds RAW POWER remastered and generally faithful to the David Bowie mix, the one which was (bafflingly) chosen for the original release. It's been polished up and smoothed over a bit, in particular the left-right channel extremities that existed on the original vinyl have been evened out so that some sound is heard in both channels. It's not quite as harsh and radical sounding as it used to be but no one will mistake it for anything other than Bowie's version. The bottom end rumbles like a bull, but on this mix it's a neutered bull, distant and crammed into a corner. It's truly a testament to the hair-splitting ferociousness of this raw music that it prevailed and still prevails over such a radical mix.
I don't like the Bowie mix much at all. While I'm all for studio experimentation and using the studio as an instrument, I don't think what Bowie did is all that impressive. It only drains the music of its power instead of enhancing it. It's raw alright. Raw as in undercooked.
Despite its faults, the Iggy mix released in '97 is the one I always reach for now. So it's too "hot," too compressed, etc. but damn if it doesn't sound like the ass-kicking rock n' roll mix this album always deserved, or at least the closest thing to it I've heard so far. There's a lot of interesting sounds that were brought up in that mix such as the celeste on "Penetration." That instrument barely makes an appearance on this version; it's not even really noticeable until a few stray notes at the end. I would say the Bowie mix suffers from its absence (I think the instrument adds an interesting exotic flavor) but it's got it's own thing going for it that many listeners might actually prefer. It's fair to say that each song on Disk 1 sounds radically different from its twin version on the Iggy mix. Personally, I don't think there's much point in arguing about how good the remastering job is on this latest version. It's the Bowie mix so I just won't be listening to it much.
But I think any version you can get your hands on is worth spinning. If you're a fan it's just great fun to figure out for yourself which version is your favorite or to decide what you love (or hate) about each mix. The ROUGH POWER bootlegs of Iggy's original mixes released in 1993 are interesting too but clearly in need of work. Maybe the day will come when anyone will be able to easily remix the album on their own computer...although these recordings have proven themselves to be wild and hard to tame. Maybe the perfect mix is impossible to create. Or maybe no one who really knows what they're doing has gotten a crack at it...in the liner notes of the '97 release, Iggy relates his first attempt at remixing RAW POWER. He put everything in the red and all the instruments were blaring and bleeding everywhere. He loved it but can you imagine how hard the audiophiles would've freaked if his record company had released that one?? lol I can only imagine...the fact is, there are only three tracks to work with - the rhythm section, the lead guitar and the vocals so options are pretty limited anyway. Still, I don't know why the record company never got a real professional to mix this album. Crazy.
I understand the complaints people have concerning the "loudness wars"....and while I hate the thought of clipping or a compressed dynamic range, I understand why this is done, especially with so many people using ear buds and computer speakers. You can hear a lot more of the subtle background sounds that are sometimes too quiet to hear on traditional mixes, particularly if one is accustomed to listening at low volumes. Sometimes surprising and wonderful things are revealed; that's something you rarely hear mentioned by audiophiles who complain about the way records are made these days. I'm not defending the practice; in fact, I hate it. But I'm no audiophile (can't afford it!) and again, this latest version is in essence the Bowie mix cleaned up and therefore nothing else about it really matters to me because I'll still be listening to Iggy's mix. Besides, this music is brute force, hardly the kind of thing most listeners would get their panties in a twist over. Not nit-picky mastering details. It makes me think about how absurd it would be to see skate punks at a skate park blaring a Flipper tape out of some crappy boom box and debating the finer points of its high-end resolution. But I do like having a copy of Bowie's mix. That's how it was originally released and that's history. And if you turn it up loud enough the low end rumbles hard while the guitar shreds your skull.
Disk 2:
This particular concert is known for the "10 Georgia Peaches" bit (which appears after "Search and Destroy"), a seemingly improvised (and successful) bit of poetry performed in honor of the southern State they rocked that night. To my ears this bootleg recording sounds great, probably as good as one could hope for considering the source material. It smolders with crackling intensity, especially from the distorted guitar amps. I don't think Ig has ever delivered a halfhearted performance, so you can be sure he's worth listening to here. It's funny to hear the southern chick who keeps yelling, "Iggy I want your body!" At one point Mr. Pop unsuccessfully picks a fight with an audience member who was apparently too chicken to take the bait despite much taunting. I don't blame him though, Iggy sounds pretty intimidating! One audience member can be heard saying, "I don't think he likes us!" Whether it's drug-induced or just an act, he definitely sounds like a crazy man. I think it can be said that, above everything else, Iggy was (and still is) a superb showman, some might even say a highly professional one. I think this recording is proof.
Appended after the concert is "Doojiman," a RAW POWER outtake with splattering guitar in which Iggy flips out like a monkey on acid. Way cool. There's also, inexplicably, a rehearsal performance of "Head On," one of the tracks from the "great lost Stooges album."
Although I much prefer the '97 Iggy mix (a must have), it's cool having a copy that reflects the way this classic album sounded when it was first released. And with the addition of the Georgia Peaches bootleg, it definitely deserves five stars.
I think that you have some interesting points in your essay, especially for one like me who loved Raw Power ever since its release and felt the RAW POWER of the Bowie mix...I admit I took the celeste on Penetration for an electric piano, but I am no musician. It is clear that we heard other things, 1973 means that hearing stereo instead of mono was still "new". But we were used to transistor radio quality and most of the time heard Black Sabbath on moderate volume. Loud and power are just not the same thing.
So far I have not found any mediocre album that became better just because of a remix. Sometimes a good or very good album gets more pleasant to listen to but I cannot say that any improved sound version has ever made the music better. (On the other hand, there are potentially good albums that have been ruined by bad production - but that is another topic. That is when production itself becomes an issue instead of a supporter.)
05. The Weirdness - 1,5 stars
04. Ready to Die - 2,5 stars
03. The Stooges - 4 stars
02. Fun House - 5 stars
01. Raw Power - 5 stars
Rank you guys
1.joe - gives alittle more love to the first album and that makes me happy
2. Kram- also pretty close to my ranking except the first album is better than ready to die
3.jason- no comment just not my favorite
You guys are nuts!!! The first record is killer except for we will fall.the first 3 records are highly influential.
Things can be just okay and influential. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic joe,youre my favorite on the channel.i am a huge fan of the band.i think all three of the earlier lps are brilliant.l a blues and we will fall notwithstanding.just because there is a bad song on an album dont mean its not great.the production is a product of the timrs.i would hate to hear ehat you guys would say about about the 13th floor elevators or the chocolate watch band!
@@TastesLikeMusic And people can be wrong too, such as in your case.
i was wondering what you 3 would say about Raw Power. i remember getting it when i was in full New Wave/Punk mode in the early 80s. Folks hadn't quite gotten around to backdating punk to the 60s yet, but this was already considered a formative record. But i had a really hard time getting past the sound of it. i loved the first 2 songs but always imagined a better mix, or a carefully rerecorded version... but how to do that without losing all the liveliness. Like a lot of Iggy's stuff, i feel like i was deeply influenced by the attitude without ever being able to love a whole record. Well, The Idiot and New Values are really really good. --- but the Raw Power album cover! i couldn't figure out if i wanted be Iggy or sleep with him. (which is something i've said about him over and over).
I haven't done the Stooges, but I've done the Iggy Pop discography and oh boy is that a mixed bag.
Gotta say, I gave The Stooges albums a fair shake. But...I didn't like it much at all. Gave the first 3 all 2 listens. But I just can't really get into them.
1st - Raw Power - 3 Stars
2nd - Fun House - 3 Stars
3rd - The Stooges - 2 Stars
I expect Aimee Mann thinks The Stooges are... Pretty good? 🤔
Eh, maybe so. Just not my thing is all.
I know. I saw Aimee live in 2008. One of the few gigs I have attended solo. I did not feel alone that evening...
You were WAY too generous. I can't listen to one of their songs all the way through.
@@GeneBolmarcichEsq really? Must be a bladder control issue or a weak constitution or something because it's tough to believe there isn't at least one song you can stomach. I Need Somebody is pretty conventional, for instance.
I can only understand Joe's views on The Stooges. I even understand the criticism to things like LA Blues, which I don't share.
Kram, and particularly Jason, are listening to a totally different band that I am
More baffling is Kram's assertations that he's the biggest Stooges fan of the three.
@@edgustafson yeah I def assumed I would be, Joe really surprised
Going into this I figured there was a good chance Joe would like at least some of the Stooges output.
3. The Stooges (1969)
2. Raw Power (1973)
1. Funhouse (1970)
The Stooges first album is the real deal ,a bit polished but does a good job of capturing their primitive acid rock sound. The Funhouse album is another primitive sounder ,a bit more polished than the first, but still some heavy shit. The third lp, Raw Power while now missing an original Stooge, shows us a new guitar player in James Williamson with Ron switching to bass. Another classic album but with the sonics fucked up by Bowie . So there they are the only three studio albums done by the Stooges. The live Metallic K.O. and other bootleg live recordings from the 1970-1974 are also highly recommended to get an idea as to their live sound . Unfortunately little to nothing live exists of their 1968/ 69 sound ,now that would be something interesting to hear. Other than some reunion shows that featured both the Asheton's in the earlier part of this century for all intents and purposes The Stooges ended in 1974. Anything else is not the Stooges. Side note... Ron Asheton played bass for the MC5 one night because Michael Davis had been busted for boosting a pair of sunglasses. If not for The MC5 there would likely have been be no Stooges.
When you listen to Search and Destroy for the first time you have to be ready for the extra loud guitar solo on one channel and the driving guitar on the other. It seems soo wrong but it is definitely alarming and punkish. I was shocked on hearing this after listening to lots of punk bands with drums, bass, guitar, singing more evenly mixed that to hear that song you as a listener are left in a state of shock that the mix is so strange. You can say it was a virtuoso ineptitude moment.
to me Fun House is #1 by a mile
Absolutely
Fun House is the greatest rock album of all time.
It’s not even close. But it’s very good. - Joe
Fun House is my favorite one. It's a monster of an album. That sax shit is incredible. Who else was doing that then? Who else can pull it off now? I like Raw Power and their debut, but they are fairly conventional (production quality on Raw Power notwithstanding) compared to Fun House, imo. And L.A. Blues is exactly the closer that firestorm of an album needs.
The debut at number 5? Later.
5) The Weirdness (***)
4) Ready To Die (***)
3) Raw Power (*****)
2) Fun House (*****)
1) The Stooges (*****)
And yes Joe is the only sane one. 😁
Raw Power is their best album, and for me it's not even close. The recent 2023 mix is the way to go, too. It hits the perfect balance of the '74 Bowie mix and Iggy's 1997 very harsh (but meatier) mix.
Haven't heard the late albums but those first 3 are classics.
3. Fun House
2. The Stooges
1. Raw Power
I wonder what Jason would make of Metallic KO
I’m here and ready to be disappointed 🤣
Good, then you won't be disappointed.
5. The Weirdness
4. Ready to Die
3. The Stooges
2. Fun House
1. Raw Power
1. Raw Power (5) 2. Fun House (4.5) 3. The Stooges (4). Never listened to the other two. Jason's scoring and ranking is crazy! Don't really disagree about the production comments about Raw Power but then if the vibe, excitement, emotion & tunes are all there then who really cares. No one complains about Robert Johnston being recorded in a hotel room on very primitive equipment only that it's some of the greatest music.
Actually a lot of people complain about that and that’s the reason I don’t listen to Robert Johnson. - Joe
You are preaching deaf ears here...all these guys will tell you is that Hell Hound on my Trail needs a string arrangement.
@@roxannewalsh Ha ha ha That's hilarious! (also, major props for including the great Kill City in your rankings)
King of the Delta Blues Singers has been one of my absolute favorite albums since I was fifteen. The sound quality didn’t bother me then and it doesn’t bother me now; Johnson’s voice is clear and resonant, and I can hear his guitar well enough to know that he’s playing rhythm, lead, and bass all at the same time. His music accomplishes a rare feat: it’s both sophisticated and visceral, and the recordings communicate that fusion beautifully.
To be fair, the mix on any Robert Johnson album sounds like it was done by competent individuals as opposed to whatever happened to Raw Power. - Joe
'Kick out the Jams' is a fantastic song. Jeff Buckley's cover of that one is also great.
That's the MC5.
@@stitchgrimly6167 Yep. And Jeff Buckley's cover is lame.
1. Funhouse (1970) = 5/5 stars
2. Raw Power (Iggy Pop mix) (1973) 4.5/5 stars
3. The Stooges (1969) = 4.5/5 stars
4. Ready to Die (2013) = 3/5 stars
5. The Weirdness (2007) = 1.5/5 stars
1. Fun House
2. The Stooges
3. Raw Power
4. Ready to Die
5. The Weirdness
The Stooges, everything about them was anti-establishment. Their look, sound & attitude all screamed a big FU at the status quo. Many rock bands have tried to project a "dangerous" vibe but for me the Stooges came the closest, especially on Raw Power. I like the debut but agree that it's a mixed bag. Fun House is awesome. I consider Raw Power the greatest HARD rock album of all time. Tell Jason to check out their live atrocity Metallic KO. It will make his head explode. There's a place for aggressive, minimalist, male-centric rock & roll and hopefully there always will be.
‘None of us were there’ Kramz remarks when the recording process of Raw Power is discussed.
Going by rumours I doubt anyone was.
I think if you were high school students back in the early 70's, you'd have a different opinion of the debut
Yes, I have to agree that Raw Power is their best studio album, BUT there was no discussion on the 1973 Bowie mix vs the 1997 Iggy re-mix.
The remix seems like only yesterday but is a quarter of a century old now and the original almost half a century old.
The Bowie mix is beloved by me and many older Iggy & the Stooges fans , but many younger fans ( although not all) are happier with the remix.
Maybe it's time for a new remix ( if all the multi track masters do indeed still exist) and maybe this time they will get it right, just keep Iggy away from the remixing.
In 1998 I saw Pearl Jam live & Iggy was the opener. I had no clue who Iggy was at the time and I thought he sucked. Now I respect Iggy and know how influential he is. Raw Power(Bowie Mix) Rules!
The debut Stooges is an all time favorite of mine. Love , We Will Fall. Gold 🏅 S/T Silver 🥈 Raw Power Bronze 🥉 Funhouse. The two comeback albums both pulled up lame. The Sex Pistols closed out their career with a live version of No Fun - Johnny asking a perplexed crowd " Ever Get The Feeling , You've Been Cheated ? "
ABD ABD ABD ABD🐯🐯🐯
Not surprised they hate “We Will Fall” but I really like it when I’m in the mood for it. Tension at an all-time high in the state of North Carolina this week. 🏀
@@TheDigitalGramophone Talk about a traditional final four. Nova or Kansas could easily win but Coach K has 4 first rounders ( poor bench ) & NC looked great against UCLA. Pick Em !
i think duke covers the 4 points , revenge , hope not
and with nova losing moore , 2nd leading scorer is a major blow and kansas covers the 4 pts also🐯🐯
@@davidellis5141 I feel like after what happened in the last regular season meeting at Cameron Indoor, Duke will be more motivated than ever for revenge. As I’m a Duke fan, I hope they pull through. It’s the fear of them losing that haunts me. Both teams are playing better than anybody left. Kansas could sneak away with this whole thing though. Wouldn’t surprise me.
1. Fun House
2. The Stooges
3. Raw Power
4. Ready to Die
5. The “Weirdness”
id love to see you guys rank all the strokes albums, not sure how much you like them but i think it would make an interesting video considering how the albums differ :))
Imagine the old villa with the basement where the Rolling Stones recorded Exile on Main Street. Go down a hidden narrow stairway into the the dark and sinister dungeons hidden below to find the asylum that spawned the Stooges.
Power is a word often misused in Rock 'n' Roll but this band earns the right for the most adequate album title RAW POWER.
6. The Weirdness 3,5 (Half an hour of Ron Asheton or half a century of post 70s Clapton - an easy choice for me.)
5. Ready to Die 4,0 (Forget Iggy or laugh about his silliness but this is the second time in the band's history that James Williamson brings them back to a top performance.)
4. The Stooges 4,5 (34 minutes of which 10 can be skipped...so what, Chuck Berry created a new world with some singles.)
3. Fun House 4,5 (Says Iggy: I came to play and I mean to play real good.)
2. Kill City 4,5 (intended as a Stooges album in 1975 it was finally released in 1977 credited as Iggy Pop & James Williamson, but in fact it was Raw Power II, probably more important and consistent than the two 1977 Iggy solo albums with Bowie that grew out of it.)
1. Raw Power 5,0 (Baby, detonate for me!)
hmm dont know kill city
Yessss to all of this except the “comeback” albums, because I’ve never heard them. Don’t really want to.
Bowie is credited on Raw Power . I wonder how much he contributed. Just listen to his production of Lou Reeds Transformer from the previous year. Worlds apart.
Or maybe people give some of these albums five stars because they really like them.
That’s fine. But they’re LYING to themselves. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic that's why I watch. so you guys can tell me how to think. thanks for setting me straight. i will readjust my ratings accordingly.
Two of the saddest musical things I have come across are firstly, the audience reaction to the Stooges performance of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Secondly, I am saddened at the development of a generation that dislikes great albums because of their personal opinion on the "production values". Please feel free to ignore the opinion of an old man who grew up in the 1970's listening to music on a cheap transistor radio. However, I suspect that the same folks that were rattling their jewelry out of time at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame are the same types that say things like "The bass is getting lost in the mix". Keep up the good work.
Records don’t have to sound perfect as long as they capture the spirit of the band. Unfortunately I don’t think The Stooges records really do that.
"That fucking carrot top sabotaged my album." An authentic quote, I read in press around 'Instinct'(Cold Metal', my therapy song for years). Reminiscing. Used to do 'I Need Somebody' too.
Haven’t heard I word but after the velvets fiasco I hope there’s more respect this time out. Should have included Iggy s as well……
He is one of the few artists that have been made more famous after his career peak….
Trainspotting was the cultural turning point.
Thankfully
I saw him many times in the decadent age…he was something else
Ok it’s been fun guys….let me know if kramzer gets something going
Yeah, the Weirdness sucks. Not one of the worst albums of all time, but it's really bad. Raw Power on the other hand is the definitive proto-punk masterpiece!
5. The Weirdness (2007) ★½
4. Ready to Die (2013) ★★★½
3. The Stooges (1969) ★★★★
2. Fun House (1970) ★★★★★
1. Raw Power (1973) ★★★★★
★★★★★ - Masterpiece
★★★★½ - Really great
★★★★ - Great
★★★½ - Really good
★★★ - Good
★★½ - OK
★★ - Bad
★½ - Really bad
★ - Awful
½ - The worst
What the hell haha? The debut is badass and has some of the best guitar playing I've ever heard.
1. Raw Power
2. 1969
3. Fun House
4. Ready to Die
5. The Weirdness
5) The Weirdness (Meh. Not bad. Albini's production was the saving grace. Ridiculous lyrics and songwriting.)
4) Ready To Die (Good. James Williamson returning to music is the most remarkable thing here as a legacy.)
3) The Stooges (Great. It needed better amps at that period, more than a better producer. And I LOVE "We Will Fall". The trippiest and darkest track from the album; primarily, a Dave Alexander creation. It's just a misplaced in order. I agree it should be the latest track. And it's the testament of the earliest incarnation of the band as Psychedelic Stooges. So, why not something slow, minimal and almost lethargic? And Cale's viola solo is a marvel. For me, this track adds another depth to the teenage angst exhibited in the lyrics on the album. Same goes with the haunting "Ann". Proto-punk, but with a heart. To a point as to be proto-goth. There's a dialog with what Nico was doing on "The Marble Index", by the way. The final mix is by Iggy and Jac Holzman, and it's better than Cale's that was rescued recently.)
2) Raw Power (Almost masterpiece. Neither mixes work in favor, BUT Bowie's one has a saving grace, it's more nuanced and democratic. The compositions by Pop and Williamson are a HUGE leap compared to the previous albums. Ferocious and awe-inspiring, "Search and Destroy" is the most important composition of theirs and in the whole catalog of the band. The production was Iggy's, but Bowie was the mixing engineer.)
1) Fun House (Masterpiece. It had the best of the intentions on the production side. The Velvets, The Stooges, Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer... All these bands that tried to record heavily were dealing with lousy equipment even in good studio. Stooges knew how impactful MC5 was due to their live recording on "Kick Out The Jams". So, Iggy contacted the guy who was from The Kingsmen, that band who recorded "Louie Louie"... Don Gallucci really understood that the band needed a "live-in-the-studio" approach much better than Cale, who was just starting his career as a producer. "Fun House" is, indeed, not only organic, but also daring. I disagree with Joe; McKay's saxophone is one of the strengths. The whole band is KICKING ARSES in this album, but the real compositional genius here in the band is Ron Asheton. Dave Alexander's heavy groove on "Dirt" is unforgettable. "1970", "Fun House" and "L.A. Blues" are testaments of the invention of the jazz-punk, c'mon!!!)
This video has confused my fragile eggshell mind. Still love you guys for spelling my name correctly on Patreon. I shall save the rest of my thoughtz for songs tomorrow. Sheeeeeiiiiiiiit 😉
The one with "fragile eggshell mind" was the other singer...the album covers looked pretty similar, on Elektra with the Joel Brodsky photograph of the bands - both just titled after the band name, both changing the world of music.
@ Roxanne Walsh - cheers for getting the reference, Joel was a fine portrait taker, so he was...
Joe, any chance you'll share your raspberry simple syrup recipe? 😋
It’s very simple…. 1 cup sugar, 1/2 water, 1/2 to 1 cup raspberries, depending on your wanted sweetness level. Cook water and sugar for about a minute until the sugar liquifies. Add in raspberries, smashing them down a bit with a spatula. Cook for a little until raspberries are broken down… poor mixture through a strainer. Viola. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic very similar to a raspberry pancake syrup recipe I have, I might add a little orange rind. Thanks!
I still don't understand how Raw Power coul be considered better than Funhouse, even not considering production. It's a 5 star. LA Blues is great because it follows the progression of the album that gets looser and looser until it falls apart.
I would love to see ween, phish, or the meters ranked
I still like the first album more than the last two but it's more of how important it was
Fun House is the best sounding rock record ever produced. Eager to see where it lies on these lists...
That’s pretty strong. - Joe
FH sounds leagues better than either the debut or Raw Power.
It captures the intensity of a live performance and in the case of The Stooges it’s like capturing lightning in a bottle. Once it plays you just want to crank it up.
I see unanimous praise about Iggy’s 1997 remix of Raw Power… I think it’s the most brickwalled piece of *** my poor ears ever came across.
I honestly prefer Bowie’s attempt at producing.
As for the debut I don’t think John Cale really understood the band’s potential.
@@TastesLikeMusic I totally get where you're all coming from re:Raw Power being their most varied and ambitious composition-wise but to me that lands them in a place on par with a number of other pretty good "rock" records. Fun House's sound captures the (intangible?) essence of rock and/or roll.
Patreons! Please go vote in the March artist Patreon poll. (go B-52's!)
Hey Rich - You think the B-52s can still make a move? I supported them originally and then shifted to the Jam. I guess today is the final day of voting.
@@NaughtyVampireGod Yep. At this point it looks like the Jam will win.
@@179rich nice . .
WOAH JASON….. Debut at #5….?????? 😳
OK, I do admit John Cale’s production is quite safe and We Will Fall is a buzzkill.
It's a shame Kill City isn't technically a Stooges record cause it definitely is in spirit. I can't decide between Fun House and Raw Power. Fun House has the riffs and grooves but Raw Power is Raw Power
First Stooges record is their worst? Is Jason high?!?!
No, I’m right.
@@TastesLikeMusic more like Not Right (see what I did there)
Is Jason high? Obviously not.
He probably hasn't heard the original Cale mixes...and obviously isn't from Detroit
one or two years ago I discovered your ranking videos and thought "interesting", because I'm always interested in rankings and best of lists, because its often a good way to discover records I didn't know. or to listen to records again, I have listen to many years ago, but sometimes didn't gave them enough time.
the condition that such a list is usefull for me is, that the listmaker(s) have a similar taste to mine.
after looking at some of your rankings i can say, that our tastes are definetely very, very different.
two examples:
your pink floyd ranking:
piper at the gates.. is for me one of the greatest psychedelic records of all time. piper is number 12 in your pink floyd ranking..... not number 12 in a ranking of the greatest psychedelic records of all time, its number 12 in your ranking of pink floyd albums....
fleetwood mac:
i prefer by far the early peter green albums to all the later albums. peter green was, IMO, one of the greatest guitar players of all time, especially in the 1960s. the first mac album in your list with peter green is then play on at number 9...
theres no right or wrong, because tastes are different.
but its absolutely clear, that our tastes are very, very different, so it makes no sense for me to take a look at your rankings in the future.
all the best.
We tried to reach you. But I guess it wasn’t meant to be. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic no problem with that. tastes are different...
Everyone should hear the new remaster 45rpm version of Fun House in the 50th anniversary boxset. All the instruments are sonically even. Bad new: you have to shell out 4 to 7 hundred dollars for it though.
Punk rock!
You guys doing Iggy solo at some point? Surprised you didn't combine the two
Fun House>Raw Power>the rest, but the first two solo Iggy albums are better than any Stooges studio albums
You need to take Kill City into account, which is the link between Raw Power and the 1977 Iggy albums. Then you get the whole trajectory - not that it is a straight line (or maybe it is the straightest line that someone like Iggy can walk?)
Yo guys, Stooges??? 👍
Before watching it I wonder if Metallic KO is included.
Live, but a lot of (at the time) new material and p***ed off Hells Angels. 😁
a remarkable listen but doubtful if it has the right "mix" for Joe and Jason
They were the pioneer's of punk and iggy was amazing as a solo artist
Iggy pop review?
You should have included Iggy Pop/James Williamson - Kill City.