I think the beauty of going back and looking at these old albums is a good chance to learn all the stories behind the music while the albums were being made. And well... this album is one of those albums that have an excellent story.
There are allot of purists out there that only will listen to the original version of the album produced by David Bowie (which is the version I have), but if you listen to the most recent re-do, re-production of the album you will see that it is just as good and it is a different point of view from Iggy. By going back and doing the re-production of the album he has put his take on what he wanted the album to sound like, kind of a chance for you to be Iggy Pop and listen to the album in ear drum splitting decibels the way he likes it.
Funny thing is this album almost didn't happen, Iggy & the Stooges had essentially broken up after they had released 2 previous albums. Drugs and alcohol were the main reasons for this happening, and well that is a song and story we have all heard. Luckily there was a bloke in Britain that was a big fan and wasn't willing to have the band dissolve into obscurity. David Bowie got Iggy to come to London to get him away from the lifestyle and then essentially got the Stooges with a few minor changes to the lineup(all the same players were there just moved around and added to) to join back up and make this album "Raw Power".
There were a few requests by the record company the first being that they needed at least 2 ballads on the album "Gimmie Danger" and "I Need Somebody", Now if you haven't heard either of these you will have to treat yourself. "Gimmie Danger" is probably one of the best songs you will hear, not a sappy slow tear jerker but as close as you will get from a band that is working for a primal animal instinct sound. I would say this is the kind of song a wolf would sing once he rips open a Caribu and is crunching away it is as primal as it gets, as Iggy says in the song "there's nothing left alive but a pair of glassy eyes".
The rest of the album is what would later in the 70's be the blueprint for the emerging Punk Rock scene, very few bands had this bare bones bang and crunch especially in the late 60's early 70's. Other bands that were in the same pool would have been MC5, and the Sonics. I know I have mentioned the Sonics before and I will do it again they were the beginnings of Punk... before Punk
Anyway I digress.
So the rest of the album is pure energy dipped in gasoline, from "Search and Destroy" starting the album clear through the last song "Death Trip". Any reading I have done talks about how the original recordings were mixed by Iggy but they were done so poorly that they got Bowie to re-mix them before they could put them on the album. That is why years later they did a few different remasters, and re-mixed versions of the album.. also it helped the pocket book.
I recommend this album to anyone that is serious about music, it has been the benchmark for many a band and allot of the sounds we hear today are a direct result of this album.
There are allot of purists out there that only will listen to the original version of the album produced by David Bowie (which is the version I have), but if you listen to the most recent re-do, re-production of the album you will see that it is just as good and it is a different point of view from Iggy. By going back and doing the re-production of the album he has put his take on what he wanted the album to sound like, kind of a chance for you to be Iggy Pop and listen to the album in ear drum splitting decibels the way he likes it.
Funny thing is this album almost didn't happen, Iggy & the Stooges had essentially broken up after they had released 2 previous albums. Drugs and alcohol were the main reasons for this happening, and well that is a song and story we have all heard. Luckily there was a bloke in Britain that was a big fan and wasn't willing to have the band dissolve into obscurity. David Bowie got Iggy to come to London to get him away from the lifestyle and then essentially got the Stooges with a few minor changes to the lineup(all the same players were there just moved around and added to) to join back up and make this album "Raw Power".
There were a few requests by the record company the first being that they needed at least 2 ballads on the album "Gimmie Danger" and "I Need Somebody", Now if you haven't heard either of these you will have to treat yourself. "Gimmie Danger" is probably one of the best songs you will hear, not a sappy slow tear jerker but as close as you will get from a band that is working for a primal animal instinct sound. I would say this is the kind of song a wolf would sing once he rips open a Caribu and is crunching away it is as primal as it gets, as Iggy says in the song "there's nothing left alive but a pair of glassy eyes".
The rest of the album is what would later in the 70's be the blueprint for the emerging Punk Rock scene, very few bands had this bare bones bang and crunch especially in the late 60's early 70's. Other bands that were in the same pool would have been MC5, and the Sonics. I know I have mentioned the Sonics before and I will do it again they were the beginnings of Punk... before Punk
Anyway I digress.
So the rest of the album is pure energy dipped in gasoline, from "Search and Destroy" starting the album clear through the last song "Death Trip". Any reading I have done talks about how the original recordings were mixed by Iggy but they were done so poorly that they got Bowie to re-mix them before they could put them on the album. That is why years later they did a few different remasters, and re-mixed versions of the album.. also it helped the pocket book.
I recommend this album to anyone that is serious about music, it has been the benchmark for many a band and allot of the sounds we hear today are a direct result of this album.
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