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53 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outta My Mind On A Saturday Night, August 22, 2005
The other day, I heard the riff from "TV Eye" in a car ad. Times have indeed changed. Doesn't take more than 30 seconds to ruin a good song, does it? Atleast it was just the riff. I guess they needed the money.
So is this brilliant piece of madness finally getting mainstream attention? I suppose Jack White's endorsement in the liner notes doesn't hurt matters. In any case, it's about time this was given the reissue treatment. As always, Rhino has done a top notch job here. Sonically, it blows the low budget Electra releases away. And they kept the mix, which is more than you can say for Raw Power.
"Down In The Street" opens a vein of pure anarchy right from the start. And that's only the beginning. If Rock & Roll is all about sex & violence, then "Loose" is the poster child. The sound of repressed lust finally set free to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting world. A war cry for the sexual revolution, or just a tune about some crazy guy flashing chicks on the street? Either way, it's one of the best tracks on this album.
As for "TV Eye", guess it's about dropping acid & being stared at by your cat, but who really cares when you're hit with what Ron Ashton's delivering. Proof you don't need formal training to be a guitar god. Or hell, even know what you're doing. Things may mellow out a bit with the gorgeously sleazy dirge, "Dirt" but then "1970" kicks in. If there ever was a song about being "outta my mind on a Satuday night", this is it. Rumspringa from hell. Enough scorn & dersion to almost be a satire on Teenage Wasteland. Or drunken suburban brats everywhere. As for the title track, they emptied out the asylum here. A psycho jazz freak out, thanks to Steven McKay's manic sax.
Serious collectors & audiophiles can amuse themselves with the bonus disc of alterternate takes & there's even an unreleased gem in, "Lost In The Future".
Critics will tell you this is one of the most influential records of all time. Without a doubt, there would be no Ramones. No Clash. No Sex Pistols. No Nirvana. Not to mention hacks like Red Hot Chili Peppers. But leave all that for journalists to pontificate on. Virtually ignored at it's release, bargain binned through the years---I guess that's the price you pay for being ahead of your time. The reissue of their debut is just as essential. Simply one of the most explosive & unforgettable records you'll ever hear.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A True Metal/Punk/Psychedelic/Rock/Jazz/Funk Masterpiece!, October 24, 1998
By A Customer
One of the greatest most influential albums of all time remains The Stooges Fun House. I'll admit, I was skeptical at first. But after listening these 7 songs became an important part of my life. They are so important they have remained Iggy Pop's biggest legend. Although Iggy is incredible, it is the drummer which for me, makes this album a classic. Just listen to that incredible break near the end of "TV Eye" where the drummer goes into that steady off center beat while Iggy repeats the main theme again. Genius! My favorite song however, remains "1970". Nothing takes you back to this era where everything was not Peace, Love, and Happiness. This brings you back to the 1970 of heroin addicts, campus riots, San Franciscan teenage runaways, the death of Jimi Hendrix, and the horror of Altamont. This song says it all in it's music and then Iggy repeats over a fuzz punk guitar, I Feel Alright. Listen to this album and be changed forever!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A triumph of the producer's art, April 11, 2003
I could repeat the words of dozens of reviewers and talk about how raw and visceral the performance here sounds. What amazes me about this record, by contrast, is how -good- it sounds. To talk down the musicianship of the Stooges as a point of punk orthodoxy seems beside the point when you listen to this record. The Stooges actually sound good here! The twin lead guitars that dominate the first half of the album do not sound sludgy at all, despite the heavy reliance on fuzztone and good old fashioned psychedelic wah-wah. They bubble and sizzle like a brain on drugs in a skillet; the wah-wah flares and trebles the sound at just the right moment. The rhythm section too is solid, and without it, this record would go nowhere fast. Iggy, likewise, knows exactly what he's doing. Though he seems at one point to be yelping like a mad dog, and at the next groaning like a psychedelic Frankenstein, his delivery is always well timed and right with the band. Given what everyone -says- about the Stooges, I have to wonder whether or not Mr. Gallucci deserves much of the credit here. This is one of the better engineered records of its time, with a sound that cuts like lasers. It is a remarkable performance regardless of who should get the credit.
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