Long before the raw power of punk icon Iggy Pop became legend, his first incarnation as Iggy Stooge of proto-punk trailblazers The Stooges roared into being. The essence of punk years before the genre existed, The Stooges'... more » furious music was a howling, visceral, fuzztone-drenched, and unprecedented vortex of sound, as evidenced on their revolutionary self-titled, John Cale-produced 1969 debut album. Their bracing follow-up, Fun House portrayed their evolution into a fiercer, stronger band with Iggy's primal vocals and mad brilliance more potent than ever. Each immortal album is now remastered and twice as amazing with a second disc of rarities and previously unreleased tracks.« less
Long before the raw power of punk icon Iggy Pop became legend, his first incarnation as Iggy Stooge of proto-punk trailblazers The Stooges roared into being. The essence of punk years before the genre existed, The Stooges' furious music was a howling, visceral, fuzztone-drenched, and unprecedented vortex of sound, as evidenced on their revolutionary self-titled, John Cale-produced 1969 debut album. Their bracing follow-up, Fun House portrayed their evolution into a fiercer, stronger band with Iggy's primal vocals and mad brilliance more potent than ever. Each immortal album is now remastered and twice as amazing with a second disc of rarities and previously unreleased tracks.
"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."
Finally a Decent CD
Bradley Warner | Los Angeles, USA | 08/17/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."
Couldn't be more worth an upgrade
MMS | Spokane, WA United States | 09/23/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."
Jack Knife is a Jackass
GyroPyro | Guttenberg, New Jersey United States | 11/26/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"[...]"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."
Top notch
Max R. Tomlinson | San Francisco, Ca United States | 03/02/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"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."