Nothing can touch its reckless abandon of convention and its orchestrated havoc.*
If pure, wild anarchic chaos was unleashed from the bowels of hell, this is what it would sound like. From the animalistic grunts on the opener Down on the Street to the wailing of TV Eye to swirling oblivion of LA Blues it’s obvious that all conventional sensitivities were thrown out the window when the Detroit-based band The Stooges recorded their 1970 release Funhouse. The Stooges were never ones to colour within the lines and with Funhouse The Stooges decided to push it just a little bit further. Produced by Dan Gallucci of The Kingsmen (Gallucci played the organ riff on the radio hit ‘Louie Louie’) Gallucci wisely hung back and recorded the album live in the studio with few overdubs or fancy studio enhancements. As this minimalist creation comes at you through the speakers you realize just how raw the record sounds. Ron Asheton’s simple but reckless guitar playing, Scott Asheton’s relentless drumming and the steady playing of bassist Dave Alexander somehow transforms this traditional three-piece band into a bull in a china shop. And then there’s James Osterberg (aka Iggy Pop) whose bolstered confidence and frenzied vocals marks a new level of mayhem. Their previous debut album, simply titled The Stooges, sold few copies, and after failing to achieve any notable success with their first album it appears the band played as though they had nothing to lose --and in reality they didn’t. That desperation can be heard throughout the album and in turn The Stooges began mapping uncharted waters in music. Many music historians now point to The Stooges’ career and this recording in particular as a sentimental development in what would later become punk music. Although praised and celebrated by critics and music fans in recent years, Funhouse, like their previous album, sold few copies when it was originally released. The Stooges would break up less than two years later after releasing the iconic David Bowie-produced Raw Power album.
*Authors Note: I dare you to listen to the opening track “Down on the Street” and not feel the urge to strut. I dare you.
