Spaceman 3
06-18-2006, 01:58 PM
I haven't seen a Stooges thread yet, so I though I'd make one. This thread is about the "Stooges/Funhouse" era before adding the "Iggy and" prefix.
The Stooges were an early proto-punk band from Detroit who formed in 1967 as the Psychedelic Stooges. They were heavily influenced by the likes of the Velvet Underground, the Doors, local heroes the Mc5, experimental/world music, garage rock, the blues, and the relentless grinding noise of Detroit. They are often characterized by their primitive jungle drums, stinging fuzz guitar lines, rumbling bass, Iggy Pop's animal-like vocals, and their desire to take their music as extreme as they could. They have massively influential in the development of punk, heavy metal, alternative, and almost every form of rock since their inception. As the Psychedelic Stooges, their act included a blender containing a microphone (dubbed "the Ostrizer"), a vacuum to simulate a jet engine, and Iggy Pop wearing whiteface makeup and playing Hawaiian guitar. They debuted this act on Halloween of 1967 but soon dropped the "Psychedelic" part of their name and taking more of a traditional approach. Drummer Scott Asheton began playing a regular kit instead of oil drums, guitarist Ron Asheton traded in his bass/wah pedal/fuzz/slide combo for a Marshall Stack and a Gibson Flying V, Dave Alexander picked up a Mosrite bass, and Iggy laid down his Hawaiian guitar opting rather to dive into the crowd and cut himself with broken glass and drumsticks. Despite this relatively standard setup, their sound was every bit as aggressive, ugly, and inaccessible for the era as their first incarnation. They were first discovered by Elektra Records talent scout, Danny Fields, the same night he signed the Mc5. After their performance, Danny told Iggy that he was "from Elektra and wanted to get them a contract." Iggy, who thought he was kidding, continued walking to his dressing room dismissing him by saying "speak to my manager." Their debut album (released on Elektra Records in 1969) contained several classic songs and is considered one of the most influential albums of its kind. The album was originally presented to Elektra president, Jac Holzman, with 5 songs: 1969, I Wanna Be Your Dog, We Will Fall, No Fun, and Ann. When Holzman requested more songs for the album, the Stooges lied and claimed to have several more songs. And so, Real Cool Time, Not Right, and Little Doll were written the night before they were recorded and played for the first time in the studio. Produced by former Velvet Underground member, John Cale, "The Stooges" sold very few copies but they persevered. Around the turn of the decade, the Stooges acquired a taste for free form jazz and noise improve and added tenor sax player Steve MacKay to their lineup. The also began their descent into drugs that would eventually destroy them. Both of these events contributed to their 1970 release "Funhouse". It contained less filler (We Will Fall has come under fire on many occasions with its repetitive chanting or the sterile Ann) than their first outing and the band extended their songs into even longer noisy meltdowns. The new sound presented by "Funhouse" was an attempt to capture the Stooges’ chaotic live sound and was recorded in a free jazz style with all of the instruments recorded simultaneously in the same room under the supervision of former Kingsman, Don Gallucci at L.A.’s Elektra Sound Recorders. The final product was enough to get them dropped from Elektra records. After their performance at the Cincinnati Pop Festival in 1970, famous for Iggy smearing a jar of peanut butter on his chest while the rest of the band staggers through "1970", the Stooges fell apart. The Stooges would later be revamped by David Bowie in the early 70's as Iggy and the Stooges with James Williamson taking over lead guitar duties before disintegrating yet again in 1974. The Asheton brothers played in several lesser known bands, Dave Alexander, who had invested what little money the Stooges had made into a small fortune, continued his downward spiral into alcoholism which claimed his life in February of 1975, and Iggy embarked on a successful solo career. In 2003, after three decades of Stooge-inspired acts had made their marks, the Stooges original lineup (with former Minuteman and Stooges fan Mike Watt replacing the deceased Alexander) recorded tracks for Iggy’s “Skull Ring” and began to play together sporadically. A full scale reunion took place early this year (2006) and an album (which is to feature former Big Black frontman/journalist/sound engineer Steve Albini's production) is said to be in the works for 2006.
Audio Link (The Stooges’ official Myspace)-
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=28857666&MyToken=b94a6c97-d3fc-47a4-9402-ba930c034eb8
Recommended Listens-
1969
I Wanna Be Your Dog
No Fun
Not Right
Down On the Street
T.V. Eye
1970
L.A. Blues (if you’re into noise)
Sounds Like-
The Velvet Underground
The Doors
Jungle
Proto-Punk
Noise Rock
The Rolling Stones
Garage Rock
The Stooges were an early proto-punk band from Detroit who formed in 1967 as the Psychedelic Stooges. They were heavily influenced by the likes of the Velvet Underground, the Doors, local heroes the Mc5, experimental/world music, garage rock, the blues, and the relentless grinding noise of Detroit. They are often characterized by their primitive jungle drums, stinging fuzz guitar lines, rumbling bass, Iggy Pop's animal-like vocals, and their desire to take their music as extreme as they could. They have massively influential in the development of punk, heavy metal, alternative, and almost every form of rock since their inception. As the Psychedelic Stooges, their act included a blender containing a microphone (dubbed "the Ostrizer"), a vacuum to simulate a jet engine, and Iggy Pop wearing whiteface makeup and playing Hawaiian guitar. They debuted this act on Halloween of 1967 but soon dropped the "Psychedelic" part of their name and taking more of a traditional approach. Drummer Scott Asheton began playing a regular kit instead of oil drums, guitarist Ron Asheton traded in his bass/wah pedal/fuzz/slide combo for a Marshall Stack and a Gibson Flying V, Dave Alexander picked up a Mosrite bass, and Iggy laid down his Hawaiian guitar opting rather to dive into the crowd and cut himself with broken glass and drumsticks. Despite this relatively standard setup, their sound was every bit as aggressive, ugly, and inaccessible for the era as their first incarnation. They were first discovered by Elektra Records talent scout, Danny Fields, the same night he signed the Mc5. After their performance, Danny told Iggy that he was "from Elektra and wanted to get them a contract." Iggy, who thought he was kidding, continued walking to his dressing room dismissing him by saying "speak to my manager." Their debut album (released on Elektra Records in 1969) contained several classic songs and is considered one of the most influential albums of its kind. The album was originally presented to Elektra president, Jac Holzman, with 5 songs: 1969, I Wanna Be Your Dog, We Will Fall, No Fun, and Ann. When Holzman requested more songs for the album, the Stooges lied and claimed to have several more songs. And so, Real Cool Time, Not Right, and Little Doll were written the night before they were recorded and played for the first time in the studio. Produced by former Velvet Underground member, John Cale, "The Stooges" sold very few copies but they persevered. Around the turn of the decade, the Stooges acquired a taste for free form jazz and noise improve and added tenor sax player Steve MacKay to their lineup. The also began their descent into drugs that would eventually destroy them. Both of these events contributed to their 1970 release "Funhouse". It contained less filler (We Will Fall has come under fire on many occasions with its repetitive chanting or the sterile Ann) than their first outing and the band extended their songs into even longer noisy meltdowns. The new sound presented by "Funhouse" was an attempt to capture the Stooges’ chaotic live sound and was recorded in a free jazz style with all of the instruments recorded simultaneously in the same room under the supervision of former Kingsman, Don Gallucci at L.A.’s Elektra Sound Recorders. The final product was enough to get them dropped from Elektra records. After their performance at the Cincinnati Pop Festival in 1970, famous for Iggy smearing a jar of peanut butter on his chest while the rest of the band staggers through "1970", the Stooges fell apart. The Stooges would later be revamped by David Bowie in the early 70's as Iggy and the Stooges with James Williamson taking over lead guitar duties before disintegrating yet again in 1974. The Asheton brothers played in several lesser known bands, Dave Alexander, who had invested what little money the Stooges had made into a small fortune, continued his downward spiral into alcoholism which claimed his life in February of 1975, and Iggy embarked on a successful solo career. In 2003, after three decades of Stooge-inspired acts had made their marks, the Stooges original lineup (with former Minuteman and Stooges fan Mike Watt replacing the deceased Alexander) recorded tracks for Iggy’s “Skull Ring” and began to play together sporadically. A full scale reunion took place early this year (2006) and an album (which is to feature former Big Black frontman/journalist/sound engineer Steve Albini's production) is said to be in the works for 2006.
Audio Link (The Stooges’ official Myspace)-
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=28857666&MyToken=b94a6c97-d3fc-47a4-9402-ba930c034eb8
Recommended Listens-
1969
I Wanna Be Your Dog
No Fun
Not Right
Down On the Street
T.V. Eye
1970
L.A. Blues (if you’re into noise)
Sounds Like-
The Velvet Underground
The Doors
Jungle
Proto-Punk
Noise Rock
The Rolling Stones
Garage Rock