Customer Reviews

The Stooges

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this CD (and Funhouse) primarily to give my modern stereo a work-out. Anyone who has the pre-remastered Stooges CDs knows how muddy the quality was on those past releases, especially compared to today's artists and their CDs.

Not only did Elektra do a phenomenal job remastering the tapes, they turned both albums into necessary collector's editions for any Stooges fan. In addition to a legendary album remastered and brought up to today's standards, you get a bonus disc full of unreleased material.

In the case of the self-titled debut, the bonus disc contains what would have been the Psychedelic Stooges' first album, had producer/Velvet Underground-er John Cale had his way. Cale's original mixes (too "arty," as explained in the liner notes) for "No Fun," "1969," "I Wanna Be Your Dog," and "Little Doll" are included; at their best, they're completely different songs from the versions we all know. "I Wanna Be Your Dog" is the stand-out, with Cale burying the guitar and bringing the piano and bells to the fore, creating something so familiar yet so different to what is probably the Stooges' most well-known song. Oh yeah, and the bonus tracks are all remastered, too.

Unlike the remastering job that Columbia did with Raw Power, Elektra kept the rawness and the energy intact and created a mix that sounds great. None of the overmodulation and distortion -- you can turn this mother up LOUD. A very clean mix that still manages to keep the volume, danger and intensity of America's greatest rock band. Ever.

The new remastered version is 100% worth the money. The sound, the extras, and the liner notes are all great. The extras include some cool versions where they don't fade out Ron Asheton's extended wailing guitar solos. They just let him jam for a minute or longer than on the originals. That's exactly what I wanted, because it's his guitar that I really love. I agree with the other reviewer who said that this albums sound beats the pants off of the old version.

Finally someone reissued this on a decent sounding, well packaged CD. This beats the pants off of the previous CD version. The bonus tracks are fascinating. What on Earth was John Cale thinking when he mixed I Wanna Be Your Dog with the guitar sounding like a bumble bee, the drums way off in another room somewhere and a giant set of sleighbells dominating everything? The record would never have ignited the punk revolution if it had been issued with his mixes. The liner notes and photos are informative. Look at those amplifiers! And that Mosrite bass.

Consider yourself an Iggy/Stooges fan? If so, then you MUST own a copy of this. The 1st disc is a great remaster of that fine, fine album with loads of clarity and punch.

The 2nd disc is a selection of previously unreleased outtakes and alternate versions. Worth the price of admission alone is the almost 7 minute version of `No Fun'. And what a great version it is, too.

Update- March 16, 2011

I've decided to update my rating to a perfect 5 stars because, to be totally honest, I didn't GET this album at first. I didn't really get the early and obvious influence of the punk rock movement this album would be responsible for, nor did I appreciate Iggy Pop's vocals.

Most importantly however, I didn't appreciate the 10-minute "We Will Fall". I must not have been paying close enough attention when I first heard it 10 years ago, because the wah wah pedals never even seemed noticeable to me back then, and the constant ominous chanting on the part of the background vocals that seemed to drag initially have actually improved *considerably* and make total sense when paying close enough attention to the lyrics. Excellent song that I completely didn't get at first, and I apologize for that. The atmosphere itself is another aspect of the song that floors me. I can't say I've ever experienced anything like it before. I do wish the viola didn't take so long to make an appearance though (all the way until the final minute). That thing is spooky as heck when it finally reveals itself.

Many of the other songs tend to blend together in my mind, such as "1969", "Little Doll" and perhaps the best of the bunch, "No Fun". These three songs in particular seem to be based on the same pattern but it's not a *bad* thing by any means. A lot of music out there blends together and it honestly doesn't matter in the slightest, especially when similarities are only noticeable when it concerns bands with their own unique style, which defines the Stooges.

Perhaps "Not Right" makes me think about the Ramones because the guitar riff alone is arguably more punk-ish than the rest of the album. If "Ann" is supposed to qualify as a ballad, well, all I can say is that it's one really twisted and bizarre ballad! Still, my favorite song just HAS to be "I Wanna Be Your Dog". Iggy's voice sounds pretty darn cool on this track, and he almost seems to imitate the guitar tone which is very very odd... and awesome.

Besides that, the guitar playing is honestly a tad thin compared to the tone the Stooges would have on their next two albums, and Iggy resembles Mick Jagger on several occasions, but besides these two minor setbacks, this album is pure classic without a single weak point if you ask me.

Overlooked and under sold, I too as a youth might have snubbed this record for its complete lack of artifice, particularly in the era it was released. Ironically, I am now old enough to appreciate its directness. I have never laughed as much listening to a record the first time as I did to this unfashionably disaffected (in the 60s) seemingly inane, and insightful Rock n' Roll explosion. Oh yeh, it's fantastically noisy too! Opening with the wa-wa guitar licks of "1969," I wondered if Iggy Pop (a.k.a. Iggy Stooge) had a time machine. Who'd have thought that tune (the song culled for single release backed with "Real Cool Time" and of course a complete flop in that year) would become more and more relevant with each passing decade? An album of pure adolescent innocence and ferocity, THE STOOGES was accused of being "dumb" but is in fact a return to rock roots instinctively informed by the passing decade of its release as well as the masters of the 50s. The record exerted enormous influence despite extremely low sales and inadvertently revitalized Rock in conjunction with just a few other bands (like The MC5.) This record looks forward in a way these guys could not have foreseen. "I Wanna Be Your Dog" is at turns fabulously compelling, revolting, and hilarious, and my own favorite "Not Right" bares the obsessive motives of youth. I can see why THE STOOGES are referred to as the proto-punks. Docked a point for the long theatre piece "We Will Fall," which isn't bad, but seems to be a bit filler, the re-mastered release, including a bonus disc, is well worth the price of admission. You will swiftly move on to The Stooges' second album FUN HOUSE if you truly love Rock n' Roll.

[...]"The Stooges" is a fine album. Anyone interested in checking out The Stooges for the first time should start off with this album. "1969" to "Little Doll," every track is excellent Rock and Roll. It grooves a lot better than "Fun House," which is another good album. Iggy's raw and raunchy vocals, combined with that down and dirty wah-wah effect, make "The Stooges", if anything, perfect sex music.

The Stooges invented punk not the Ramones not the Sex Pistols not the Dolls "The Stooges" plain and simple listen to 1969 the lyrics "Its another year for me and you another year with nothing to do" That's punk I don't care if it was years before they started calling it that the look the sound and the freakin attitude were what was later called punk.And I'll tell you plain and simple no-one made music like this in the late 60's early 70's every time I played it my landlords and the cops and most of my friends gave me a hard-time That being said and having bought numerous copies of this disc this is the best sounding version yet that and it comes with a bonus disc of other versions of the songs along with a really nice booklet.Listen to it loud listen to it often one finger in the air

the stooges were reveloutinal they were like one of the first heavy rock bands ever can you believe this kind of sound came out in 1969! i mean the whole music scene then was pretty much psychedellic this album is the opposite of psychedellic its a good hard rock album. like mc5 they were the two only bands in america(at that time) to have this heavy sound too it. some key tracks are, 1969, i wanna be your dog, no fun, not right, little doll, etc. this album also was when the stooges were the stooges before they changed their name to iggy pop and the stooges this is before iggy pop took over the other album you need accsess to besides this is raw power another classic buy this album today if you like heavy music

It was only a matter of time before The Stooges albums got to this stage and they did a beautiful job...... never sounded better!

The Sound is nice and crisp with this version of the album which lacked on past release of the album. From the opening rift of 1969 to the end of Little Doll the atmosphere is what makes this cd worth it. Disc One is really what your paying for but Disc two is the surprise thats thrown in full of bonus tracks
including 5 original John Cale Mixes, full versions of both Ann and No Fun really make this set a no brainer!