Stooges, The (Remastered & Expanded) - Stooges (The)

Advantages: A record of energy, excitement and wah wah.
Disadvantages: For some the aural assault is all too much

...I came to this record via a backwards route. I initially bought the greatest hits of Iggy Pop and liked it so much (especially the early stuff he did with the Stooges) that I had to investigate further. I'm very glad I did. This is a powerhouse of a debut from Iggy, the Asheton brothers and Dave Alexander. 1969 ------- The mood in 1969 (when this album was released) was a hotbed of tension and experimentation. The sixties bubble was becoming bloated and unstable. Maniacs were aligning themselves with the good-time bands of the day (the Mansons reading far too much into the Beatles riddles and the Hells Angels rioting at the Stones gig in Altamont). Since 1967 the Stooges had been ploughing their own furrow alongside another Michegan band of the same ilk (the MC5). The more established MC5 regarded The Stooges as their kid brother band... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Groundbreaking Rock and Roll
Disadvantages: Possible Tinnitus

..."I'm a street waking cheetah with a hide full of Napalm" alsolutley no rock and roll song has opened with a line with as much rock and roll in it as Search and Destroy the opening track from The Stoogies thrid album Raw Power. It is to this day still one of the greatest rock and roll records ever made, and way back in 1973 it was light years ahead of itself. This album was recorded in London with the stoogies line up based aroound Iggy Pop and Guitarist James Williamson and the alsolutley fantastic rythmn section of Ron and Scot Ashton. As Iggy puts it in the booklet accompanying this remastered edition that Ron's (Bass) playing was great and he couldn't help it being locked in with his brother on drums, and you only get that kind of lock with blood. What can you say about this album that hasn't been said many times before James... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Edgy, neurotic, classic Punk music.
Disadvantages: Raw tunes.

...The first Punk group to release a single; the first to release an LP; the first to tour America.... the Damned were at the forefront of the Punk explosion in Britain and this L.P. was the first that the kids could get their hands on. Dave Vanian's vocals give the record a sinister edge (as evident on tracks like "Fan Club" and "Feel The Pain") but Rat Scabies' drumming puts it firmly in the Punk category. Brian James' guitar playing is a homage to his idols the Stooges, and the solitary cover - "Feel Alright (1970)" - is his tribute to that great garage band. An essential document of the classic early Punk sound.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful