Some awesome songs, but a bad track order. The ten-minute John Cale assisted whitenoise masterpiece "We Will Fall" should've closed out the album. Because it's in the middle, the album loses any and all cohesiveness and sounds like two EPs.
Pinching the lick-lipping teenage sexuality of the Stones and rolling it into something new, loud and sparse called 'garage', the Stooges' self-titled debut is pounding, minimalistic yet catchy. The muffly buzzsaw of Dave Asheton's solos on 'Ann' and 'I Wanna Be Your Dog', the hand-clap riffs of '1969' and 'No Fun' and the unsettling black magic of 'We Will Fall' and 'Little Doll' are all amplified, uncomplicated hooks that make the songs.
Great atmosphere and two first tracks are absolute classics, however repetitive vocals and boring lyrics as well as a lot of filler bring the album down. An album which had a potential of being far better.
An important record because it set the groundwork for later releases. The first two songs are absolute classics worthy of repeat listening. The droning, drooling "We Will Fall", as well as several cuts from side two, show that they're still heavily at the mercy of label-mates the Doors' influence. The highlights are without a doubt the one-twofer of Iggy's vocals and Ron Asheton's guitar. That stupid-smart approach Asheton takes, playing parts so simple a monkey could do it before blowing you away with a vicious solo, is *the* punk blueprint. Iggy made a bit of an impression here as well, enough to open the door for Fun House. Definitely established them as a group to watch. 6.5/10
The Stooges put out a good album here, but it's only a shadow compared to Fun House or Raw Power. Pop's vocals still have some room to grow, as does Ron Asheton's guitar.
