Review #172: The Stooges - Fun House (1970)

FUN HOUSE

Year: 1970
Genre: Hard Rock/Punk Rock/Noise
Label: Elektra Records
Tracks: 7
Length: 37 Minutes
Style: Fun/Sexual/Emotional/Scary
My Rating: 7/8

The Stooges released one of the coolest albums of their time and still one of the best albums ever, "The Stooges" at the end of the '60s and you probably know about all that SHIT 'cuz in the summer I reviewed that album for you, didn't I? Well, I got this one used on CD and it's also good, but it doesn't sound just like the first album, so expect something a little different. You also know how they originally played blenders and trash cans and stuff as instruments, which iz AWESOME! I should find a blender-player for my band! But this iz the second Stooges album, and it's FUN just like the title suggests, so let's begin, now shall we?

1. Down On the Street
This album is mixed pretty well. OOOH! RAAAAKHHHH. HEE! Iggy's voice sounds real badass here, and this one's sort of subtle but wild and fucked-up at the same time. Nice lead guitar. The chorus is more aggressive than the verse, but it's all pretty sexual and positive-feeling. Back when music being "sexy" meant it was good. Goddammit. DEEP IN THE NIGHT, I'M LOST IN LOVE... Then there's a shit-ton of improvised stuff like many Stooges songs have, so you'll hear a lot of that which makes the song twice as long as its pre-written mirror half.

2. Loose
YES! The best and coolest song on the album, totally. It's got that AMAZING bass melody and you can hear the rhythm and lead guitar, but it's more off to the sidelines, the bass dominates, and Iggy's snotty voice that cuts straight thru yer SKULL like a sharp KNIFE. 'CUZ I'M LOOSE! ALWAYS! Aw, man, this is such a great party song, you've gotta listen to it! What more SHOULD I say? Great song.

3. T.V. Eye
"LOOOOOOORD!!" - that's what Iggy yells out at the beginning before the song ends. This song has a really good beat and a neat-o bass melody and guitar riff n' stuff and you'll probably like this one also if you like the first two tracks; perfect punk energy to keep you goin' through the night! Iggy screams and hisses some more. At one part, it sounds like the song's ended, but then it starts again for a short while. That part sounds like it was recorded live or something. Man, he sounds like a wild animal...

4. Dirt
This iz a slow one. A little sadder and calmer. Kinda seems like it would've influenced "My War" by Black Flag. The guitar melodies here are pretty neat. DO YA FEEL IT WHEN YA TOUCH ME? It's like the calm after the storm, I suppose... the first three tracks are real rowdy and this one seems more like... whatever you feel like it could be. Could be anything... mud turning into dirt? HAH, I didn't even realize that one! "Dirt", who woulda THUNK, man? End of Side 1.

5. 1970
Remember "1969" from the first album? Well, the Stooges came ("came", hahaha) back a year later to give you... "1970"! Wow, how amazing! The beat is even similar. Lyrically it's another sex/party/chaos sorta thing, just like all of the other songs on here, which is pretty cool 'cuz the Stooges don't sound LAME when they sing about (and I can hear some guy tellin' me, "well YOU sound lame when you TYPE about it", and to him I say, "I KNOW THAT, now FUCK OFF, MAN!"). There's even a cool saxophone solo starting towards the end of the song. Jesus whiz!

6. Fun House
Even more saxo-magic! Not referring to the anglo-SAXOns here, but rather the SAXOphone... perhaps there is a connection, no? This one reminds me a bit more of "Loose". And similar beat to "T.V. Eye", beat-wise. But what the hell do I know? HEY, LET ME IN! OOOOH! OOH! OOH! TAKE IT DOWN! I FEEL ALRIGHT! OOH! HOO! !OOH HOO! !OOH LITTLE BABY GIRL LITTLE BABY BOY... sounds like Iggy's wantin' a threesome here, no? With CHILDREN, man! AAARRAAGGGGHH! WAHWAHHHOOOWAAAHHHOOOOWAHAHOWEOWEOWEOWEOWEOWOWWEOWOEOOWEOEO...

7. L.A. Blues
Okay, this is a conceptual song in which a nice family is going to visit the circus, only to find out that the circus is actually really tiny and the whole thing is stepped on by a regular-sized elephants with an asshole filled with peanuts, and the whole thing just goes to hell, man. This is total chaos and total noise, with guitars, drums, saxophones, voices, and all that great stuff. It's like getting stuck in a giant hurricane with no escape. It all just swirls AROUND and AROUND and AROUND and AROUND and AROUND and AROUND and I DON'T THINK WE'RE IN TEXAS ANYMORE. It'd be really funny if the band was picking up the amplifiers and spinning them around in the room and breaking shit in the studio and stuff. That'd be hilarious. Just like a REAL LIFE TORNADO, KIDZ.

Well, that was crazy! But it wuz ze Stooge, s what you do expect? Feelin' good n' really right now, so less juss lev a' tha', sha' w'? Do go listen to the alb', y' w' like i', unless you suck! TEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Drink alcohol and party to this album.

Top 3 Favorites:
1. Loose
2. T.V. Eye
3. L.A. Blues

Review #158: The Stooges - Raw Power (1973)

RAW POWER

Year: 1973

Genre: Hard Rock, Punk Rock
Label: Columbia Records
Tracks: 8
Length: 34 Minutes
Style: Rough/Fun
My Rating: 6/8

Last time I reviewed a Stooges record I actually reviewed their first album, but now I've skipped over to their third album (I own all three) to review for now. I was in the local FYE and asked the person who works there whether I should get this album or special-order "26 Songs" by the Melvins and she recommended this one. Well, it was pretty pricey, but a good record is always worth it, so I spent all the money I had on it. And it WAS good. You got a great picture of Iggy on the front, looking even wilder than he did on the cover of their first record, and some fuck-tastic performance photos in the back. And we all know Iggy Pop does some crazy shit on stage, setting the standard for shock-rock performers who would emulate his erratic stage-antics (like Darby Crash) or take them to a whole new level (like GG Allin). I think he even invented the stage-dive, but I'm not sure if that's true or not.

Anyways, this iz a wild n' sleazy punker party sort of album, and the title fits it well, possibly because it's one of the loudest records I've ever heard, but it just has that chaotic ultra-positive vibe to it -- it's harder than both the albums before it and even more than a lot of "punk rock" that came out in the years following this album. So, let's buckle up for the ride n' SEE WHAT'S IN STORE WHEN I UNLEASH SOME RAW POWER INTO MY HEAD-PHONES!

1. Search and Destroy
You can feel the speakers rattle when you put this on and feel those gritty guitar vibes. And Iggy Pop is not only a forgotten boy, but he iz the WORLD'S forgotten boy. And NOT just that either. He's also the ONE who searches n' destroys. A lot of "garage punk" bands of today seem to emulate this sound with the whole loud-as-possible approach. The song has a pretty confident feel and there's a lot of lead guitar n' shit.

2. Gimme Danger
Man, that acoustic guitar melody at the beginning. Those strings just pierce right into your ear and right into your soul. It's hard to get that sound from modern production techniques. This is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album, with the combination of electric and acoustic guitar that I really like. The guitar solo that begins around 1:20 of the song is just golden. Nice beat, also.

3. Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell
Man, I can't think of anything that sounds more delightfully scumballish! I'm not sure if it's Iggy singing on this one or Ron Asheton (bassist) singing, since he is also credited as a vocalist and the voice sounds pretty different. It's just a rabidly sexual-type song with a violent energy to it and some of the meanest vocals you've ever heard!

4. Penetration
The guitar riff here is more on the heavy-metal side, and Iggy sort of does this half-whisper-half-yell singing voice here. One and a half minute in: really weird singing of gibberish! Side A ends here.

5. Raw Power
A hard rock-n-roller with a real cool bass melody and a little piano mixed in, also. "Raw power's got a healing hand/raw power can destroy a man"; yeah, that Raw Power shit izn't to be toyed around with, children!! Guitar solo at ze ende. Uf ze saing.

6. I Need Somebody
A slower, more blues-y song. The chorus is mildly catchy. Probably the calmest moment on the album. Gives me a desert/cactus sort of vibe for some reason (I drew a cactus on my arm today). A cactus is a neat thing to look at. Its needles are actually the leaves of the plant and it's got a big, fleshy stem... you can eat them also! I see cactus parts for sale at the grocery store (and I swear to God I'll try one before I die!).

7. Shake Appeal
I believe the Melvins's song "Snake Appeal" was titled as sort of a tribute to this one. Lots of hand-clapping for this song. Really cool guitar melody. Great chorus melody also. Kind of unexpected and jittering like that. The guitar solo in the bridge section is excellent ass well. "Ass". Ha. Ha. HAAAAAAaaa. Iggy makes funny noises for the rest of the song.

8. Death Trip
My other favorite song from the album. Pure power! RAW POWER! RAW POWAH! And the "raw power" in this one completely lies in the riff, man. Or wo-man. Whichever one you are. Also the longest song, clocking in (I know, it's an over-used cliche) at six minutes! The bridge section is the high-point of this song, with just that riff that never gets old, Iggy screamin', and the endless sonic chatter of those wild rock-n'-roll GUITARS!!!

So that's eight songs of RAW POWER, kidz. Not a "weak" record by any means and serves as a good bridge between hard rock and punk rock. Apparently it was also Kurt Cobain's favorite album. Personally I like the debut album better, but I'd say this one's just a tad better if not equal to "Fun House". But yes, check it aut. And I'm aut. Aut.

Top 3 Favorites:
1. Gimme Danger
2. Death Trip
3. Shake Appeal

Review #138: The Stooges - The Stooges (1969)

THE STOOGES

Year: 1969

Genre: Punk Rock, Garage Rock
Label: Elektra Records
Tracks: 8
Length: 34 Minutes
Style: Rebellious/Fun/Mysterious
My Rating: 8/8

The Stooges... well... what can I say? They're a pretty damn good band. This album is truthfully all I've heard of them. In fact, this is probably the oldest album I really really like. And I guess that makes me sort of musically ignorant, but I still like this record. The Stooges are usually considered to be sort of the early leaders of the "proto-punk" (a.k.a. punk rock before they had a name for it) movement, and it really shows here. They also play garage-rock styled music (similar to the Velvet Underground and a lot of modern indie-rock bands). I like the harder stuff better, personally. If this was the first band to sound like this, then that's pretty damn impressive. The group formed in 1967 and supposedly also used household objects in their early performances. The band's famous frontman, Iggy Pop, often performed shocking stage antics such as cutting himself, cussing, diving into the stage, and fighting, something was emulated by future artists in the decades to come. By 1968, the band was signed to Elektra Records and began recording their first album. This the result...

1. 1969
1969. 19... 69. 19. 69. 69. He-he! "69"... ohohohoho! The song begins with a slow intro and a wah-ooh-wahh guitar sound effect. Then the rhythm changes and a more normal-sounding guitar riff is played, and there's hand-claps as well. This song describes boredom and apathy towards the then-new year of 1969, in which Iggy expects nothing exciting to happen. Actually, they say some pretty exciting stuff DID happen in '69. I wasn't there, though. It's kinda fun, 'cause with the guitars, there's always something happening in one ear and then something else happening in the other. Bring on the funky guitar noises and great lead solos! Iggy lets out a truly animalistic scream towards the end.

2. I Wanna Be Your Dog
A classic. The first song I'd ever heard of the Stooges from, 'cause Sonic Youth covered this song and put it on one of their albums. This version's better, though. One of the first great punk rock songs, with a deep-cutting riff, sexy lyrics, and nice little ching-ching sounds alongside the beat. And the solo is fucking amazing... you have to listen to know what I mean (if you haven't already). Not much else I can say. Great song.

3. We Will Fall
A very slow, loooong song. Not as hard or energetic as the two songs before it, it incorporates an ancient tribal chant continuing throughout the entire song. Iggy sings in a softer, less abrasive voice. To be completely honest, this song doesn't interest me a whole ton, but maybe that's just because I'm not mature/stoned enough. If you love the Velvet Underground, you'll probably really like this one, 'cause that's one band this reminds me of. A lot of little treakets of lead guitar whisping around along the sides of your ears, like bats in a dark cave. The faint droning sounds feel like a candle in the dark, as the chants and singing echoes throughout the stony walls. That's what this song feels like to me. No drums, just soft beats, probably made on a different instrument. But yeah, this iz the end of Side 1.

4. No Fun
Now for something a little more up-beat! The riff is pretty nice here, and there's some more clapping to the beat of the song. Now the lyrics, I feel like I can relate to. Being alone and bored, having trouble deciding whether to go out and do nothing or stay at home and do nothing. That's just the way it goes. Ironically, the song is pretty fun-sounding in itself. Halfway through, we get another nice guitar solo. "Well, come on!"

5. Real Cool Time
Now, Iggy decides to have a Real Cool Time instead of No Fun... anyways, originally, the Stooges had only written five songs for the album -- the four songs that have just been reviewed so far, and a song called "Ann" which comes after the fifth song on the album. Well, it'd be a shame if they stopped there! Elektra did not feel that they had enough songs for an entire album, so the group was forced to write three more songs in order to get their album released... and these songs were really good! This is the first of these songs, and it's the best song on the album in my opinion! Unfortunately, it's also the shortest. Oh my (and boo-hoo)! Oh well. One of the greatest guitar riffs, a steady bass-line, and just orgasming wahh-wahh guitar as well! Geez, this song sure ROCKS. I'd fuck to it. Just listen to it!

6. Ann
Another more garage-y song. It's a somber, depressing love song. Kind of blues-y, also. More emphasis on the bass guitar, here. The song gets louder and more aggressive around the end of the song. Then it sorta fades out.

7. Not Right
Know what? I think that it's "Not Right" to have "No Fun". Hee-hee! This one is sort of like the first hardcore punk song in a sense, 'cause the distortion is pretty up here, the riff sounds like that genre, and it's more speedy and aggressive than a lot of the other songs here. However, there's also a lot more emphasis on lead guitar and such here. Another song I really like on this album.

8. Little Doll
This one reminds me of heavy metal a bit (a genre this band also influenced). Not a whole lot I can think of to say for this song, but it's another love song and one of the songs that the band wrote in order to please Elektra. Thus, the lyrics are pretty simplistic here. But, that's the end! THE END.

Well, I probably didn't do this album enough justice with this review. Some old-timer who was actually THERE when this record came out or hipster will probably read all this and jump on me for not worshipping such a historically significant record hard enough. Well, sorry! Yeah, most people think either the Velvet Underground or the Stooges started the whole punk thing. Which is a pretty good accomplishment alone, in my opinion! I'd die happy if I'd done that. But, this album should appeal to all fans of hard rock. Well, most of 'em. It's pretty ahead of its time, this sound has become the standard in rock n' roll. And deservingly so. Back in 1969, this was the face of underground rock! And they weren't from New York or England... they were from Detroit in Michigan! I actually own this album on vinyl (bought it for about $19) and I listen to it quite often. You should also if you're interested. Well, I'm pretty thirsty, so I'm gonna leave it at this for now. Bye bye!!

Top 3 Favorites:
1. Real Cool Time
2. I Wanna Be Your Dog
3. No Fun