Get Jiggy With Old School Iggy
The Stooges were a punk institution – there is no doubt about that. Iggy Pop and crew managed to create a raw, honest sound that would influence groups from Green Day to Black Flag. The new deluxe editions of their self-titled album and Fun House have dropped and, while many purists may refuse to even listen to anything besides the original cuts of vinyl, they sound great, granting new listeners a chance to hear the genius contained therein.While many bands were talking about peace and love in 1969, the Stooges were singing about heartache, pain, and loneliness. Their hard, brutal sound with honest, soulful lyrics sounded like the perfect mix of the MC5 and the Velvet Underground. What the group lacked in talent they more than compensated for in pure energy and intensity. The quality of each of these albums cuts through, surviving the test of time without a problem.
Hearing the opening feedback from “I Wanna Be Your Dog” hits the listener right in the gut, just as it did when their debut album originally came out. The more chaotic, yet bluesy sounds of their follow-up Fun House, with psychedelic tracks such as “Dirt,” is a beautiful piece of artistic mastery, simple yet complex at the same time.
The second disc to each of these deluxe editions is somewhat underwhelming compared to the original albums. While interesting to hear each song’s progression through unused takes, the differences are so minute (sans sound quality), that it doesn’t add much overall. The simple song structures break down into jams that don’t always work, and don’t expand much upon the formula.
Without a doubt, these discs belong in any Iggy Pop or punk fan’s collection. The sound quality is top notch, and after hearing such sub-par recordings for so long, these are a welcome change.
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