Originally released on February 7th, 1973, Iggy & The Stooges Raw Power is the third full-length album by The Stooges. After the demise of the initial incarnation of The Stooges in 1971, Pop met David Bowie. As a fan of The Stooges, Bowie helped Iggy Pop get signed to a new label and management. Originally intended to be a solo outing, Iggy brought guitarist James Williamson along (who had played in a lineup with The Stooges prior to their breakup in 1971) with him to the UK in order to make a new record. Not finding suitable band members to meet their standards, Ron Asheton and Scott Asheton of The Stooges were brought over to England and the second lineup of the band was in place. For this lineup, there was a shift in dynamics within the band, the more groove heavy version of The Stooges changed as Ron Asheton switched from guitar to bass, locking in a new primal heavy groove with drummer Scott Asheton and guitarist James Williamson played wild, erratic guitar riffs. Iggy Pop sang vocals overtop with a cerebral dangerousness as the band drifted more towards a harder rock sound. Since Iggy was under new contract, they were dubbed Iggy & The Stooges. Pop has recalled that the making of Raw Power “was done with drugs, youth, attitude, and a record collection.”
Raw Power opens with “Search and Destroy,” a song that was originally influenced by an article in Time Magazine where the term appeared along with “raw power.” It has roots in an anti-Vietnam War sentiment as the lyrics contrast the apocalyptic war imagery with themes of isolation, alienation and self exploration. It is an outsider anthem. The result is not only a strong opening to an album, but a song that would start off an album that would influence and launch a thousand bands. It has the subversive ability to take on multiple meanings expanding beyond its initial influences as lyrics such as “A streetwalking cheetah with a heartful of napalm,” and “I am the world’s forgotten boy/The one who’s searchin’/Searchin’ to destroy” strike alongside searing guitar riffs, explosive drumbeats and lurking basslines. “Gimme Danger” starts off with acoustic guitars, piano, drums and bass before Iggy’s haunting vocals come in. With lyrics such as “Gimme danger little stranger/And I’ll feel your disease” and “There’s nothing left alive but a pair of glassy eyes,” Pop looks inward as he expresses a complex series of emotions surrounding drug use, withdrawal, sexual tension, and as Pop stated recently for Apple Music “being haunted by the PTSD of your drug addictions, and failures in the industry.” The song, while there seems to be a Doors influence has drawn comparisons to “Gimme Shelter” by The Rolling Stones. “Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell” is another up-tempo, sonically chaotic track with more slashing guitar work from James Williamson behind a Chuck Berry influenced dynamic. Lyrically Iggy Pop displays an indictment of superficial beauty, while at the same time critiques pretty girls comparing them to having the same level of degeneracy as him. Side one of Raw Power ends with the lust-filled and edgy track “Penetration.”
The title track opens side two of Raw Power. With more groove and violent guitar riffs, lyrically Pop touches on sleep deprivation and the state of mind it can bring, along with a touch of the sex, drugs & rock and roll ethos. “I Need Somebody” is another slower track. Included as part of an agreement with Columbia Records to have two ballads on the album (the other being “Gimme Danger”), the song features what has been called a rolling blues sound. Entrenched in a blues influence, the acoustic guitars contrast with the simmering guitar leads and a swampy bass and drum groove, as Iggy sings with passionate self-awareness and caution. “Shake Appeal” swaggers with a 50s rock influence as the hostile guitar contrasts with its influences. Pop has stated that this was his moment to “get to my dream of being Little Richard for a minute.” Raw Power ends with the longer track “Death Trip.” With lyrics such as “Said I'm with you/You're with me/Honey, we're going down in history,” Pop sings of the uncertain future of The Stooges in a self deprecating way, but at the same time it finds itself in that world of alienation and lack of acknowledgement that could take on multiple meanings. As all this is occurring, the unhinged and fervent guitar provided by James Williamson cuts through the chaos, while Iggy’s vocals match the chaotic nature, as the deep groove of Ron & Scott Asheton hold down the anarchic nature of the song.
When recording this album at CBS Studios, the band was left to their own devices. When it came time to mix the album, the label stated that David Bowie would have to remix it. When he was brought the tapes by Iggy Pop, he was brought a mixdown with the band on one track, lead guitar on another and vocals on a third, proving for a challenging task for Bowie. He fed some of the tracks through a delay unit that was called the Cooper Time Cube, along with doing some mix tweaks. The album came out featuring a lot of vocals and guitar high in the mix while the bass and drums were much lower in the mix. At times they can seem inaudible. Since Iggy’s original mix was rejected, it started the long line of mixes and bootlegs that would be released of the album. Eventually Iggy would do his own remix in 1996 that would drive everything into the red of the mix creating a distorted on purpose, aggressive mix of the album that has been described as sounding like your speakers are melting. Following a legacy edition of the album in 2010, a double album release of Raw Power was put out in 2012 for Record Store Day on vinyl featuring David Bowie’s original mix and a version of Iggy Pop’s mix that is seen as the definitive version of the album. In 2023, remastered versions of both mixes were made available on streaming services.
In between all this time, the status of Raw Power grew. It was a cult classic that went on to influence punk and many rock bands of the future. It would reach new status and recognition when The Stooges reunited in the early 2003 with their initial lineup and then with the Raw Power-era lineup in 2009. Bogged down by the mixing history that created different versions of the album didn’t really affect the album’s importance. While many consider Bowie’s mix to be the superior version of the album, it is the songs that stand out. The guitar and sounds put forth on Raw Power would go onto influence generations of musicians becoming one of the most important and influential albums in rock music history. But, its more than just the music, lyrically there is an inherent intellectualness to the lyrics present throughout the songs. Paving the way for punk, Raw Power displays an uncompromising furiousness fraught with emotion, anger, incendiary guitar and an omnipresent, biting viciousness.
Raw Power Playlist (Originally Aired On February 4th, 2023):
2. Iggy & the Stooges - Scene of the Crime (I'm Sick of You! BOMP! Records - 1988)
3. Iggy & the Stooges - Head On (Heavy Liquid - Easy Action Records - 2005)
4. Iggy & the Stooges - Johanna (CBS Studio Rehearsals) (Heavy Liquid - Easy Action Records - 2005)
5. Iggy & the Stooges - Search & Destroy Raw Power (1977 UK Pressing) (Raw Power - CBS/Embassy Records - 1977)
6. Iggy & the Stooges - Gimme Danger Raw Power (2023 Iggy Remaster Mix) (Raw Power - Columbia Records/Legacy - 1973/2023)
7. Iggy & the Stooges - Your Pretty Face is Going To Hell Raw Power (1973 Bowie Mix) (Raw Power - Columbia Records - 1973)
8. Iggy & the Stooges - Penetration Raw Power (1997 Iggy mix) (Raw Power - Columbia Records/Legacy - 1997)
9. Iggy & the Stooges - Raw Power Raw Power (1973 Bowie Mix) (Raw Power - Columbia Records - 1973)
10. Iggy & the Stooges - I Need Somebody (Rough Power - BOMP! - 1994)
11. Iggy & the Stooges - Shake Appeal (1973 Bowie Mix) (Raw Power: Legacy Edition - Columbia Records/Legacy - 2010)
12. Iggy & the Stooges - Death Trip Raw Power (2023 Iggy Remaster Mix) (Raw Power - Columbia Records/Legacy - 1973/2023)
13. Iggy & the Stooges - Hey Peter (Outtake) Raw Power: Legacy Edition - Columbia Records/Legacy - 2010)
14. Iggy & the Stooges - Can’t Turn You Loose (Morgan Sound Studios, Ypsilanti, MI March 73) (Heavy Liquid - Easy Action Records - 2005)
15. Iggy & the Stooges - I'm Sick of You (I'm Sick of You! BOMP! Records - 1988)
16. Iggy & the Stooges - Open Up & Bleed (1973 CBS Studio Rehearsals) (Heavy Liquid - Easy Action Records - 2005)
To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the February 4 file to download/stream the episode.
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