The plodding along of the band is like the tough bread of a growling punk sandwich.
“Hell” holds tightly to its initial structure, though such a thing is far from boring. Iggy’s vocals are coarse and somewhat tinny - nonetheless, the caveman slams of the percussion section are remarkable accompaniments to an unceasing rhythm guitar and spastic lead. “Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell” is another one of the album’s tracks victimized by production. “Gimme Danger” is something like a bridge between generations the jazz and blues that dominated rock music in the previous decade plays nicely with the studio-as-instrument, thumping sound that would define highly inventive garage rock and heavy metal in the decade that would follow. The drums on “Gimme Danger” are more subdued, acting more as a kind of low-frequency, compressed set of metronomes to guide Iggy’s frantic, nightmarish wails. “Gimme Danger” follows, and it’s got a much cleaner sound than “Search and Destroy.” A highly echoed guitar hook blends with a rougher rhythm track to create a surprisingly lush soundscape. An avoidance of self-satisfying soloing in favor of textured arpeggiation or sheer chaos is another hallmark of the punk sound that Power helped popularize. Gratuitous guitar solos had become commonplace in much of pop music at the time, a trend that needlessly persisted into the 80s. In terms of guitar work, “Search and Destroy” is remarkable also for its technical prowess yet avoidance of self-aggrandizing. “Destroy” nonetheless has one of the most powerful rhythm sections of a 70s rock album its dynamism is a clear influence on the soon-to-come thrash and hair metal acts of the late 70s and early 80s. It’s got a peculiar sound on account of Bowie’s mix, with Pop’s voice given various amounts of gain in contrast to the muddy band. “Search and Destroy” is the album’s opener. However, I strongly encourage everyone who enjoys this album to give both mixes a try just make sure to turn your volume down a bit before turning on the Pop mix. Raw Power was the blueprint of the decade’s disaffection a distinction it claimed in only 34 minutes.įor the purposes of this review, the Bowie mix will be used. The rebellious ethos of the album is a reflection of the times in the 1970s, nations as historically powerful as the United States and the United Kingdom were feeling pressures both fiscal and cultural strong enough shake up their stability. Power contains some of the most expressive music of the 70s.
#Iggy and stooges raw power series
Pop’s heroin addiction, bassist Dave Alexander’s alcoholism, and a series of failed creative endeavors in both the United States and England were sources of dejection - yet also, inspiration - for the band.
Raw Power is also the first Stooges album to come after the reformation of the chronically-disarrayed band. Other tracks on the album benefit from the clarity that Bowie’s mix afforded, as instruments and vocals that were previously indistinguishable or harsh on the ear were given new life. On tracks like “Shake Appeal,” the argument could be made that Iggy’s aggressive, highly clipped rendition exudes far more energy than the cleaner Bowie mix. Controversy does remain over which mix is superior. The final mix was prepared by David Bowie, an impressive feat of salvage, given that Iggy Pop’s original mix consisted of three tracks in total: The entire band on one, lead guitar on another, and Pop’s vocals on one more. Raw Power is also an early example of the importance of mixing and the dangers - or benefits - of studio control being handed to musicians. It’s a raw, aggressive record that set the tone for genres as diverse in sound and era as punk, hardcore, grunge, and metal. Iggy and the Stooges released the proto-punk slammer Raw Power on this day, February 7th, in 1973.