Iggy & The Stooges Raw Power & Show # 973

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):

1.  Iggy & the Stooges - I Got a Right (Outtake from the Raw Power Sessions) (Gimme Danger (Music From the Motion Picture) - Rhino Records - 2017)
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. 

Coming Up on Revolution Rock in February 2023 & Shows # 972, 971, 970

As February arrives, Revolution Rock is prepping for its annual theme month programming. Every episode that airs in February will be devoted to a specific theme. Dave and Adam have some cool programming lined up ranging from our annual Black History Month program to our Revolution Surf episode. Revolution Rock can be streamed and downloaded from cjam.ca (and also after it airs on this website). Revolution Rock became a syndicated program back in 2020 and can now be heard on thirteen different campus/community radio stations across Canada in addition to CJAM FM.

Continue reading to find out about this year’s schedule for Theme Month:

Raw Power 50th Anniversary Special
February 4th, 2023
7-9 PM EST
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)



Originally released on February 7th, 1973, Raw Power is the third full-length album by The Stooges. Renamed Iggy & The Stooges due to Pop's new contract, the lineup change in the group to Iggy Pop on lead vocals, James Williamson on lead guitar, original guitarist Ron Asheton (who switched to bass) and original drummer Scott Asheton on drums. As the story goes after the release of Fun House in 1970, the band were dropped from their label due to low album sales in addition to the band’s unpredictability due to drug abuse related issues. With the band splitting up in July of 1971, Iggy Pop then met David Bowie and became good friends. Through Bowie, Pop got a new recording contract and Iggy Pop and James Williamson went to the UK in March of 1972 to get a new band together to record an album. After failing to find suitable musicians, both Ron and Scott Asheton were brought back into the band. Raw Power was created in just a brief period of time in the UK at CBS Studios with engineer Mike Ross-Trevor and was produced by Iggy Pop & David Bowie. Recorded from September 10th to October 6th in 1972, Raw Power featured just eight tracks. It was not a commercial success. It would go on to become a cult classic and eventually regarded as an important and highly influential album. Bogged down with issues relating to the album’s mix, it was originally mixed by David Bowie, remixed by Iggy Pop in 1997 for a CD reissue and countless bootlegs and editions of this album were released. In 2023, a remastered mix of Iggy Pop's mix and David Bowie's mix were made available digitally. However, the songs that make up this album would go on to influence generations of musicians becoming one of the most important and influential albums in rock music history. Paving the way for punk, Raw Power displays an uncompromising furiousness fraught with emotion, anger, incendiary guitar and an omnipresent, biting viciousness.

On this episode of Revolution Rock we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Raw Power by playing the album in full, made up of different mixes of the album in addition to playing a selection of demos and outtakes from rehearsal sessions recorded around this time period.

Otto Motto: A By Divine Right Special
February 11th, 2023
7-9 PM EST
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

Jose Contreras is a Chilean born, Toronto based artist best known for playing guitar and singing in the highly influential proto-indie rock band By Divine Right. Seen as one of the most vital bands within the Canadian alternative rock scene, they were founded in 1989. By Divine Right has released eight full-length albums to date in addition to a myriad of singles and EPs. Following 1995’s self-titled release and 1997’s All Hail Discordia, Bless This Mess was released in 1999 and the band toured with the Tragically Hip. 2010’s Mutant Message was long listed for a Polaris Music Prize. The lineup changes of By Divine Right throughout their early years occurred often and would feature future Canadian music stars Leslie Fiest, Brendan Canning (of Broken Social Scene) and Brian Borcherdt (of Holy Fuck), among others. The current lineup of the band featuring Jose Contreras on guitar/vocals, Geordie Dynes on drums and Alysha Haugen on bass has been the band lineup since 2010. 2022’s sprawling double album Otto Motto brought together this lineup once again. Over the last couple of records it hasn’t always been the full band, they were featured on some tracks on previous albums with other musicians and the full band is featured on BDR’s Depeche Mode cover album Speak & Spell from 2016, which was recorded in the band’s rehearsal space. In addition to By Divine Right, Jose Contreras has also released several solo albums starting with his critically acclaimed self-titled solo album in 2014. In 2019 he released At The Slaughterhouse, a sparse, direct and reflective collection of songs. Contreras has performed live with many different musicians and is an in demand record producer. In 2018 he released the debut self-titled album in collaboration with Shotgun Jimmie called The Heat Death.

On this program we will feature a selection of By Divine Right songs from their discography in addition to songs from Jose’s solo catalog and with other bands he has collaborated/recorded with. We will also be interviewing Jose Contreras for this episode discussing the making of Otto Motto, songwriting, playing the Phog Lounge in Windsor and much more. This episode will air on the day of By Divine Right’s show in Windsor, Ontario at the Phog Lounge as part of their current tour.

Punky Reggae Party II: Catch A Fire’s 50th Anniversary
February 18th, 2023
7-9 PM EST
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

When People think of Reggae, Bob Marley often comes to mind. Before he became more famous, he had been involved in the Jamaican music scene as far back as 1962, when he was just a teenager. The Wailers was a group he formed early on with friends and went through a few different band name changes before becoming known as The Wailers. They first released an album in 1965 called The Wailing Wailers. The group featured Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, all of whom would be successful reggae artists on their own. Catch A Fire was the fifth full-length studio album released by The Wailers (on some editions credited as Bob Marley & The Wailers). This album was originally released in April of 1973 and was their first release for Island Records. It also featured the original lineup of the band of Bob Marley (guitar/vocals), Peter Tosh (organ/guitar/piano/vocals), Bunny Wailer (bongos/congas/vocals), Aston Barrett (bass) and Carlton Barrett (drums). It would be the last album to feature Peter Tosh as tensions within the band and management were on edge at this time. It was recorded at three different studios in 1972 in Kingston, Jamaica, the tapes were then flown back to London, England with Marley and worked on with producer/label found Chris Blackwell. With Marley’s supervision, Blackwell remixed the tracks at Island Studios and overdubbed on the tracks with Muscle Shoals session guitarist Wayne Perkins. Featuring now classic track such as “Kinky Reggae,” “Slave Driver,” “Concrete Jungle” and two tracks by Peter Tosh (“400 Years” & “Stop That Train”), Catch A Fire was one of the first international roots/reggae records distributed and would set Marley on the path to superstardom. The original unreleased version of the album as recorded in Jamaica before session musicians overdubbed parts and remixes were done was released in 2001 as part of a deluxe edition of the album. Catch A Fire celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023.

On this edition of Revolution Rock we will be doing Punky Reggae Party II, a continuation of a theme month episode we did for Black History Month back in 2021. This episode will feature reggae that influenced punk focusing on sets with music from The Wailers Catch A Fire album, Toots and the Maytals, and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, in addition to a selection of more reggae music, blues, soul, jazz music and more.

Revolution Surf 2023: Shake Five
February 25th, 2023
7-9 PM EST
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

The Routes are a garage band based in Oita, Japan. Pulling in influences of 60s American psych, garage punk, surf, blues and British Invasion bands, they have been releasing music since 2007, starting with Left My Mind. They released their first instrumental album in 2012 comprised of instrumental and surf recordings. In recent years they have been releasing two albums, one instrumental, one with vocals. In 2021, they released Mesmerised in 2021 in addition to Instrumentals II and Shake Five (another instrumental based album). In 2022, The Twang Machine was released. This album was made up of rearranged surf rock cover versions of Kraftwerk songs. Later in 2022, The Routes released Lead Lined Clouds and the instrumental surf album Get Past Go! They are known as a no gimmick garage punk band. The Routes are fronted by prolific musician/songwriter Chris Jack and we will be featuring a selection of tracks from The Routes latest instrumental album Get Past Go! and their other releases. Chris will talking about the recording of The Routes two most recent albums, the formation of the band and recording early albums in Japan. He will also be talking about three of his favourite surf tracks and we will be playing them on the show. In addition to these things we will also be featuring a wide range selection of past and current surf songs for this year’s edition of Revolution Surf.

This episode will also feature an exclusive interview with Chris Jack talking about The Routes musical history, surf music and their surf influences and more.

Check out the most recent episodes/playlists of Revolution Rock below:

Show 972 (Originally Aired On January 28th, 2023)(Tom Verlaine, The Minutemen, Husker Du, Deja Voodoo, Bob Dylan, The Sons of Adam):

1.  Television - Marquee Moon
2.  The Minutemen - Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs
3.  The Minutemen - Fake Contest
4.  Husker Du - Gravity
5.  Husker Du - From the Gut
6.  Deja Voodoo - Van Gogh's Ear
7.  Deja Voodoo - You're No Fun When Your Head's All Mushy
8.  Deja Voodoo - Surfing on Mars
9.  CLAMM - I Can Do It
10. Teleporters - Teleporters Go!
11. The Jackets - Misery of Man
12. Sons of Adam - Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day
13. Fender IV - Everybody Up
14. Ghost Woman - Anne, If
15. Bob Dylan - Mississippi (version 2)
16. Bruce Springsteen - It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City
17. John Cale - Night Crawling
18. Brock Pytel - Anemic Heart
19. Iggy Pop - Strung Out Johnny
20. Visitors - Empty Rooms
21. Diamondtown - Make It Back
22. King Tuff - Smalltown Stardust
23. Fucked Up - Found
24. Class of 91 - Little Fiction
25. Silver Jews - Tennessee
26. Mac DeMarco - Vancouver 2
27. Apollo Ghosts - Give Up the Dream

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the January 28 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 971 (Originally Aired On January 21st, 2023)(David Crosby, The Byrds, The Wipers, Dumb, The Users, Guided By Voices):

1.  Guided by Voices - Instinct Dwelling
2.  The C.I.A. - Inhale Exhale
3.  Self-Cut Bangs - Gibberish
4.  Blessed - Anything
5.  Wares - Tether
6.  The Fall - Cruiser's Creek
7.  Dylan - Tracers
8.  Bush Tetras - Snakes Crawl
9.  Uh Huh - Somewhere Beyond
10. The Byrds - Stranger in a Strange Land
11. The Byrds - What's Happening?!?!
12. The Byrds - Tribal Gathering
13. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Almost Cut My Hair
14. The Routes - Lead Lined Clouds
15. By Divine Right - Wild Ducks
16. Knitting - Throwaway Year
17. Julianna Riolino - Isn't It A Pity
18. Daniel, Fred & Julie - No One Knew My Name
19. Wipers - Over the Edge
20. Wipers - Romeo
21. Dumb - 77
22. Gloin - Work Patrol
23. The Users - (I'm) In Love With Today
24. The Kids - Do You Wanna Know
25. The Bags - Survive
26. Lost Patrol - In Your Eyes

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the January 21 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 970 (Originally Aired On January 14th, 2023) (Terry Hall, The Specials, The Clean, The Yardbirds, The Routes, Mark Sultan, King Khan):

1.  The Rolling Stones - Flight 505 
2.  The Yardbirds - Over Under Sideways Down 
3.  The 13th Floor Elevators - Reverberation (Doubt) 
4.  The Ugly Ducklings - Do What You Want 
5.  Les Sinners - Sinerisme 
6.  The Specials - Concrete Jungle 
7.  The Specials - Rat Race (BBC Session) 
8.  The Specials - Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think) 
9.  The Specials - Friday Night, Saturday Morning
10. Fun Boy Three - The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum 
11. The ColourField - The Colourfield 
12. Status/Non-Status - January 3rd 
13. Mount Eerie - Huge Fire
14. Packs - Abalone
15. Jeen - Mountain 
16. The Clean - Tally Ho! 
17. The Clean - Oddity 
18. The Clean - Slug Song 
19. The Clean - Anything Could Happen 
20. Strange Attractor - Dog Walker 
21. The Routes - Twist Each Word 
22. Ichi-Bons - The Dust of Life 
23. Richard Thompson - Pony in the Stable 
24. Robyn Hitchcock - The Sir Tommy Shovel 
25. The Grapes of Wrath - Good to See You 
26. Mark Sultan - Killing Time
27. King Khan - Snarling Lil' Malcom 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the January 14 file to download/stream the episode. 

The Stooges Fun House 50th Anniversary Special & Show # 816

When it was originally released in July of 1970, Fun House stood out as an album different from its predecessor and from other music at the time. It still does. Produced by Don Gallucci who played keyboards on The Kingsmen’s garage classic “Louie, Louie”, Fun House brought a new sense of groove and intensity to the music of The Stooges. As for influences, the sounds of Howlin’ Wolf and James Brown influenced part of the sound that the band was going for on this album. The band also added Saxophonist Steve MacKay to Fun House and he is found on the album’s second side as the band also pull in free Jazz influences into their dynamic, and especially during the chaotic sonic assault that ends the album “L.A. Blues”.

Fun House was named after the band’s house and rehearsal space that they lived in back in Michigan, the album’s songs developed through being played live. Although he initially deemed the band “unrecordable”, Gallucci’s intention was to capture The Stooges live in the studio to try and get down the energy they projected live on tape. The feeling was captured and resulted from having the band perform as if it were a live performance, removing all baffles and carpet from the studio and by having Iggy record his vocals with a handheld microphone, which was unconventional at the time. The music pushed forward and has been described as capturing a sense of instant mayhem.

“Down On The Street” opens Fun House. With guitar and bass slides and a simple drum hit, The Stooges drop into a deep groove as Iggy Pop grunts and howls. As the words come in such as “Down on the street where the faces shine/Floating around/I’m a real low mind” and “Deep in the night I’m lost in love/A thousand lights look at you”, The Stooges don’t so much as project their feelings of unrest and unease on listeners as they suck you into their vortex. “Loose” comes next. Originally intended to be the album’s opening track, “Loose” features a revolving basslines and distorted guitar riffs that lock in with Scott Asheton’s drumbeats. Iggy Pop sings words such as “I took a ride with the pretty music/Now I’m putting it to you straight from hell” and the provocatively dangerous “I’ll stick it deep inside/Cause I’m loose” which sets the tone amongst the music that starts to get even more erratic especially when the searing guitar solo comes in via Ron Asheton. The opening of “T.V. Eye” could be one of the best openings to a rock song. Iggy Pop screams “Lorrrdd!” very loud as a guitar riff comes in then bass and drums join in. The song itself has origins as a phrase coined by the Asheton’s younger sister when someone was staring at them. On this song you really get a feel for the blues influences that the band drew on for this album. There is intensity, groove and sheer desperation found all over this track.

“Dirt” opens with a rolling drum riff before bassist Dave Alexander’s lurking bassline walks in. Throughout this song, Iggy Pop sings lyrics such as “I been dirt/And I don't care/Cause I’m burning/Inside” and “And do you feel it?/Said do you feel it when you touch me?” dealing with dark undercurrents associated with themes of depression and a burning desire for something more that can take on multiple feelings and moods all at once. If that isn’t enough, Ron Asheton’s guitar bends and twists with tense, on edge, soulful guitar riffs. The solo in this more laid back track cuts right through everything and like all of the music on Fun House, evokes a feeling that is inescapable. “1970” has been called a sequel to “1969” from The Stooges debut album the year prior. The song attacks with guitar riffs, fuzzy, sweltering basslines and themes of boredom and excess. It is on this track that Steve MacKay’s saxophone enters the Fun House. Apparently joining just two days before the recording began, MacKay at that point had previously played with Carnal Kitchen and added free jazz styled saxophone in a style compared to Ornette Coleman to The Stooges primal dynamic.

The album’s title track comes in at track six. With a driving bassline it kicks off with moans from Iggy Pop and then dual sax and guitar lines that interconnect while an unstoppable drumbeat from Scott Asheton brings us into this jazz punk classic. As Iggy Pop begs to be let into the fun house, the song, which is over seven minutes, pushes the limits of the music as the band sinks into a real dynamic. As Pop howls overtop with his vocals with the words “Calling from the fun house with my song/We’ve been separated baby for too long” and “I came to play and I mean to play” that dive deep into a wavering tale of love, desperation, determination and chaos, as the musical intensity increases. “Fun House” continues into the album’s final track, “L.A. Blues”. More free jazz influences enter through the rhythms of this song and the title track that precedes it. John Coltrane and Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew come to mind. This track is really an all out meltdown. Originally called “Freak” and clocking in at over seventeen minutes, this live in the studio take descends into free jazz and noise rock in what other reviewers have also described as apocalyptic.

Other words used to describe Fun House have been chaotic, destructive, punk blues, jazz punk, proto-punk and garage meltdown. The album would go on to influence punk and alternative music in the years and decades that followed, setting a blueprint and growing in stature. It has a depth and influence that challenged rock conventions. Being recorded live in the studio with very little overdubs added afterwards, Fun House captures a band in their own world. Fun House went against the norm at the time, stuck in between the end of the 60s and the beginning of the 70s, it is rooted in a sense of reality and mayhem. It has been called the greatest rock and roll album ever by some and is a true cohesive artistic piece. For an album that was virtually ignored by the mainstream following its initial release, Fun House, now 50 years later is revered and identified as a cult classic.

The Stooges Fun House 50th Anniversary Playlist (An Alternate Version of The Stooges, Fun House and Fun House Outtakes):

1. Lost In The Future (Take 1) (1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions - Rhino Handmade - 1999/Fun House (Deluxe Edition) - Rhino Records/Elektra - 2005)
2. “Slide” (“Slidin’ the Blues”) (1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions - Rhino Handmade - 1999/Fun House (Deluxe Edition) - Rhino Records/Elektra - 2005)
3. 1969 (Alternate Vocal) (The Stooges (Deluxe Edition) - Rhino Records/Elektra - 2005)
4. I Wanna Be Your Dog (Original John Cale Mix) (The Stooges (Deluxe Edition) - Rhino Records/Elektra - 2005)
5. We Will Fall (Alternate Version) (The Stooges (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) - Rhino Records/Elektra - 2019)
6. No Fun (Full Version) (The Stooges (Deluxe Edition) - Rhino Records/Elektra - 2005)
7. Real Cool Time (Alternate Mix) (The Stooges (Deluxe Edition) - Rhino Records/Elektra - 2005)
8. Ann (The Stooges - Elektra - 1969)
9. Not Right (Alternate Vocal) (The Stooges (Deluxe Edition) - Rhino Records/Elektra - 2005)
10. Little Doll (Original John Cale Mix) (The Stooges (Deluxe Edition) - Rhino Records/Elektra - 2005)
11. Down On The Street (Fun House - Elektra - 1970)
12. Loose (Fun House - Elektra - 1970)
13. T.V. Eye (Fun House - Elektra - 1970)
14. Dirt (Fun House - Elektra - 1970)
15. 1970 (Fun House - Elektra - 1970)
16. Fun House (Fun House - Elektra - 1970)
17. L.A. Blues (Fun House - Elektra - 1970)
18. Loose (Take 27)(1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions - Rhino Handmade - 1999)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 22.

Coming Up on Revolution Rock in February 2020!

It’s February which means that throughout this month Revolution Rock will devote each episode that airs in February to theme based programming. Dave and co-host Adam have special programming lined up ranging from jazz, punk, post-punk, garage, country, folk and surf. This year’s themed month programming starts off on February 1st with a program focusing on Black History Month that will feature a mix of music from Louis Armstrong, Andre Williams and a variety of other artists from different genres. This episode will also feature a guest host, Graeme Sylvio of CJAM FM’s Sylvio & Soul program. Revolution Rock airs every Saturday from 7-9 PM on CJAM 99.1 FM in Windsor/Detroit. It can be streamed via cjam.ca and be downloaded via the very same website afterwards.

What Is This Thing Called Swing: Revolution Rock Celebrates Black History Month
Saturday February, 1st, 2020
7-9 PM EST
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

Born in New Orleans in August of 1901, Louis Armstrong was a jazz trumpeter and an influential figure in jazz music. His career spanned five decades in which Armstrong would be part of different and important eras of jazz music. In addition to his musical abilities on trumpet, Louis Armstrong was also a vocalist, composer and actor. He was one of the first African American entertainers to cross the gap in racially divided America at the time, being accepted by both white and black audiences. Armstrong generally remained neutral when it came to politics, which often resulted in criticism, however, in 1957 he did speak out during a conflict in Little Rock, Arkansas where he stood up for school desegregation. Also nicknamed “Satchmo”, “Satch” and “Pops”, Armstrong had a very distinct voice. His voice was usually defined by its rich, gravelly tone. The vocal style that he used also incorporated skat singing, which he was skilled at. Armstrong had a very unique ability to bend lyrics and melody in song when singing. Louis Armstrong appeared in a large amount of films such as Pennies From Heaven (1936), in the 1956 musical High Society where he did a duet with Bing Crosby, The Five Pennies (1959) and Paris Blues in 1961, which also starred Paul Newman. Some of the songs that he was known for were “What A Wonderful World”, “Hello Dolly”, “Jeepers Creepers” and “When You’re Smiling”. Armstrong also collaborated with legendary pianist and bandleader Earl “Fatha” Hines, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby and Duke Ellington. Louis Armstrong’s influence went beyond jazz, resulting in fans calling him one of the first great jazz soloists. He was an influence on soloists in every genre of American popular music. This episode will feature a set of music by Louis Armstrong, music from Andre Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Bo Diddley, Junior Wells and more artists in celebration of Black History Month. The program will also feature guest host Graeme Sylvio of CJAM FM’s Sylvio & Soul program.


Journey Through The Past: Selections from Neil Young's Discography
Saturday February, 8th, 2020
7-9 PM EST
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

Neil Young is an influential musician/songwriter from Canada. He has played with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, his backing band Crazy Horse, The Stray Gators, Pearl Jam and numerous others. Young has been called the “Godfather of Grunge” by many, the music that he has created has ranged from folk and country to rock, hard rock and noise rock. He even put out rockabilly and synth rock album. His catalogue is vast and there are numerous live albums in addition to the music he created with others and as a solo artist. The Neil Young Archives Volume One was first released as a box set in 2009, but has since become available online as a streaming subscription service featuring a plethora of unreleased material. Some of his best known songs are “Cinnamon Girl”, “Down By The River”, “Old Man”, “Heart of Gold”, “The Needle and the Damage Done”, “Cortez The Killer”, “Rockin’ in the Free World”, there are too many to name. In 1972, Neil Young found critical and commercial success with Harvest. The albums that followed this (Time Fades Away (1973), On The Beach (1974), and Tonight’s The Night (1975)) are referred to as Young’s Ditch Trilogy. Neil Young released Everybody’s Rockin’ in 1983 a rockabilly album and Trans (1982), which explored music with synthesizers and electronic based sounds. In the 80s, Young experimented heavily with his sound. Young has also been involved in film, directing several films such as Journey Through The Past (1974), Human Highway (1982), Greendale (2003) and the documentary CSNY/Déjà Vu in 2008. Young continues to release music, most recently putting out the album Colorado with Crazy Horse. This episode will feature deep cuts and other selections from Neil Young's vast discography.

Rockin’ With Bloodshot Bill: The Music of Bloodshot Bill and Other Selections
Saturday February, 15th, 2020
7-9 PM EST
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

Bloodshot Bill emerged out of Montreal around 1998. Starting out as a drummer, Bloodshot Bill began performing with just a guitar and stomp board. Bloodshot Bill often tours and performs as a one man band featuring, guitar, a bass drum, hi-hat and reverb soaked vocals. Live as a one-man band he provides the audience with his own brand of rockabilly music that is unlike any other, while at the same time drawing on the past. He once said that his influences range from early country and rock and roll records to what he refers to as his “holy trinity” of influences "Hasil Adkins, Charlie Feathers, and Link Wray.” Since starting out, Bloodshot Bill has released numerous records on different labels, recorded and collaborated with artists such as King Khan (as The Tandoori Knights and The Bollywood Argyles), Mark Sultan (The Ding Dongs), Deke Dickerson, Shannon Shaw, Jon Spencer and many others. In 2019, he released Come Get Your Love Right Now via Goner Records, Hang Ten With Bloodshot Bill (a surf EP) on Hi-Tide Recordings, an EP of music with legendary rockabilly/roots rock musician Deke Dickerson called The Bad Biscuit EP, a single with The Tandoori Knights (featuring King Khan), and a single with Japan’s the 5.6.7.8’s called My Little Muck Muck. He has also performed all over the US, Canada and parts of Europe. In addition to all this, Bloodshot Bill has performed with the bands The Hubcaps, The Hick-Ups, The Televionaires and Reverend Horton Heat. This episode will feature an interview with Bloodshot Bill in addition to music from Bloodshot Bill’s ever expanding, still potent and prolific catalogue of music.

The Stooges Fun House 50th Anniversary
Saturday February 22nd, 2020
7-9 PM EST
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

When it was originally released in July of 1970, Fun House stood out as an album different from its predecessor and from other music at the time. It still does. Produced by Don Gallucci who played keyboards on The Kingsmen’s garage classic “Louie, Louie”, Fun House brought a new sense of groove and intensity to the music of The Stooges. As for influences, the sounds of Howlin’ Wolf and James Brown influenced part of the sound that the band was going for on this album. The band also added Saxophonist Steve MacKay to Fun House and he is found on the album’s second side as the band also pull in free Jazz influences into their dynamic, and especially during the chaotic sonic assault that ends the album “L.A. Blues”. Fun House was named after the band’s house and rehearsal space that they lived in back in Michigan, the album’s songs developed through being played live. Although he initially deemed the band “unrecordable”, Gallucci’s intention was to capture The Stooges live in the studio to try and get down the energy they projected live on tape. The feeling he went for was captured and resulted from having the band perform as if it were a live performance, removing all baffles and carpet from the studio and by having Iggy record with them with a handheld microphone, which was unconventional at the time. The music pushed forward and has been described as capturing a sense of instant mayhem. Other words used to describe this album have been apocalyptic, chaotic, destructive, punk blues, proto-punk and garage meltdown. The album would go on to influence punk and alternative music in the years that followed, setting a blueprint and growing in stature. It has a depth and influence that challenged rock conventions. For an album that was virtually ignored by the mainstream following its initial release, Fun House, now 50 years later is revered and identified as a cult classic. This episode will feature all of the songs from 1970’s Fun House album, plus selections from the 1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions box set and a few other surprises.


Revolution Surf 2020: Intergalactic Instrumentals
Saturday February 29th, 2020
7-9 PM EST
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

For the 14th annual Revolution Surf special, the program will focus on intergalactic instrumental themed songs, or in other words surf music with a space theme. One of the first surf/instrumental based songs to have a space or sci-fi theme was the song “Telstar” by The Tornados. Not to be confused with the US band of the same name (spelled “Tornadoes”), this band was from the UK and worked together with producer Joe Meek in the early 60s. Meek wrote and produced the song for The Tornados, utilizing new, pioneering production techniques that created distinctive, and “space age” futuristic sounds. With its use of keyboards and the Clavioline, “Telstar”, which was named after a telecommunications satellite that went into orbit on July 10th, 1962, became an immediate hit when released in August of 1962. In the UK the song was at #1 on the UK singles charts for 25 weeks and #1 in on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The Tornados were also the first British group to have a number one single in the US. Since then there has been a plethora songs and surf/instrumental bands that have named themselves based on space or sci-fi themes. In 1964, instrumental band The Ventures released their album Ventures in Space. The album explored more experimentation within the band’s classic sound and was influenced by Joe Meek’s space age production style. There has been countless bands with space inspired names such as Man or Astro-Man? who formed in the early 90s, The Metalunas in the 2000’s, and numerous bands with songs falling under this theme such as The Surfaris, The Marketts, Davie Allan & The Arrows, The Challengers, Messer Chups, Luau or Die, and so many others. On February 29th, take a journey into a world of intergalactic surf and instrumental music for Revolution Surf 2020. The show will also feature guest hosts Brady of CJAM FM’s Music From Planet Earth, Carley of CJAM FM’s Everything’s No Good and Derk Brigante of Surf Rock Radio’s The Surfphony of Derstruciton 2000.

The Stooges Drummer Scott Asheton 1949-2014 & Show # 501

On March 15th, 2014, Scott Asheton, best known as the drummer in the band The Stooges, passed away. Scott performed with The Stooges on all three of their albums along with his brother Ron, who passed away in 2009 due to a heart attack. Scott and his brother Ron, along with original Stooges bassist Dave Alexander formed the core rhythm section of the early line up for The Stooges, which had its beginnings in 1967. In a recent post on Rolling Stone, Iggy talked of his time with Scott Asheton, calling him “magnetic, and having a “boxer’s authority” when playing drums. In the article, Iggy Pop discusses the band’s early stages and his transition from drummer to lead vocalist and taking the center stage. He taught Scott Asheton how to play the drums in the early embryotic stages of The Stooges. Iggy Pop elaborated on this in the very same Rolling Stone article:

“I first met Scott Asheton when I was working at Discount Records in Ann Arbor to augment my drumming. He used to stand with [future Stooges bassist] Dave Alexander at the corner of State Street and Liberty, which is grand central for the University of Michigan campus. Scott impressed me immediately by his obvious physical gift. He remembered this better than I do, but he would bug me to teach him how to play drums.

Following The Stooges first break up in 1971, there was a period of time when Scott along with his brother Ron were in limbo before being recruited by Iggy Pop to reform The Stooges with James Williamson on guitar, and original guitarist Ron Asheton moving to bass. They would record what many feel is The Stooges best album Raw Power in 1973. After the band split again in 1974, Scott Asheton and brother Ron Asheton would continue music separately through with other groups. Scott would go on to play with a variety of other Detroit related groups such as Fred “Sonic” Smith’s post MC5 band Sonic’s Rendezvous Band along with fellow Detroit musician Scott Morgan. Scott Morgan had been in a Detroit Garage group called The Rationals in the mid 60s, but Scott Asheton would go on to play with Scott Morgan and his related projects such as Scot’s Pirates and The Scott Morgan band throughout the 80s. Additionally, Scott Asheton played live with Iggy Pop in 1978, and played with Sonny Vincent & His Rat Race Choir along with Captain Sensible of The Damned, among other bands. The Stooges reunited in 2003 and eventually went on to record two more albums 2007’s The Weirdness, with Ron Asheton on guitar and in 2013 Ready To Die with Raw Power era guitarist James Williamson.

Although The Stooges were overlooked for the most part when active as a band from 1967-1973, they have since gone on to become not only a cult classic band, but also a band responsible for having roots into what was to become Punk Rock. The Stooges are still a highly influential band and important group in Rock history and it was Scott Asheton in the drummer seat. Currently there is a documentary in the works about The Stooges that is to be done by Jim Jarmusch.

This Week's Play List:

1. The Spys - Welcome To The Cruel World My Friend
2. The Poles - CN Tower
3. Blam Blam Blam - Battleship Grey
4. Thee Mighty Caesars - I’ve Got Everything Indeed
5. Dead Drugs - Get Weird
6. The Revelions - Sighs
7. Scott Morgan - 16 With A Bullet
8. Sonic’s Rendezvous Band - You’re So Great
9. The Stooges - TV Eye (Takes 7 & 8)
10. The New Values - Straight Line
11. Damaged Bug - Photograph
12. Papermaps - Poor City
13. Public Image Limited - Memories
14. Johnny West - You Make Me Feel Like An Impotent Squadger
15. Novels - Mr. Foster’s Teenage Daughter
16. Indian Wars - Won't Do A Thing
17. Neil Young, Bob Dylan & The Band - Looking For A Love (Live San Francisco, CA Kezar Stadium 1975)
18. The Polymorphines - Mainstreet Jimmy
19. The Stomach Mouths - Waiting
20. The Pagans - I Don’t Understand
21. The Diodes -We’re Ripped
22. The Skids - Masquerade
23. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Going Gong Gone

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 25. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Riot Fest 2013 & Show # 470

 

It has been 22 years since The Replacements have last played live. Their last live show was on July 4th, 1991 in Chicago. That concert ended with the band switching instruments and playing the song “Hootenanny” then passing their instruments off to their roadies. The show ended in tones of feedback. In October 2012, The Replacements reunited to record an EP entitled Songs For Slim. The EP was recorded for Replacements guitarist Slim Dunlap who had suffered a stroke and the EP was released to raise some money for Slim and his family. In June 2012, it was announced that The Replacements would reform for three live shows as part of this years Riot Fest. Riot Fest runs in Toronto on August 24-25th, in Chicago on September 13-15th and in Denver on September 21-22nd. The current line up of The Replacements set to play at Riot Fest is Paul Westerberg (vocals/guitar), Tommy Stinson (bass), Dave Minehan of the band The Neighborhoods on guitar and Josh Freese on Drums.

Iggy and The Stooges will also play this year’s Riot Fest in Toronto. They have been playing with this current line up featuring Raw Power-era guitarist James Williamson since 2009. The Stooges released an album with James Williamson entitled Ready To Die. It was released on Fat Possum Records in February 2013. The album has received favourable reviews from many critics, often being cited as a stronger release than 2007’s The Weirdness. The album features notable songs such as “Burn”, Job” and “The Departed”, which is apparently an homage to pre-Raw Power guitarist Ron Asheton who passed away in 2009. Iggy & The Stooges have been said to play many Raw Power-era songs and songs from Iggy’s solo career live. This year’s Riot Fest in Toronto will also feature bands such as Dinosaur Jr. Best Coast, The Weakerthans, Rocket From The Crypt and more.

This Week's Play List:

1. Dinosaur Jr. – In A Jar
2. Dinosaur Jr. – The Lung
3. The Weakerthans – Civil Twilight
4. The Mooney Suzuki - Oh, Sweet Susanna
5. The Little Boy Blues – You Don’t Love Me
6. Graham Bond Organization – Harmonica
7. Davie Allan & The Arrows – High Rise
8. John Ward’s Electric Séance – Meatmare
9. Contradance – Trouble In The Darkness
10. The Sturgeons – Danger Zone
11. Pow Wows – Plastic Factory
12. Indian Wars – Who Needs A Girl Like You
13. Brazilian Money – Bones, Bones, Bones!
14. Repetitor - Laka Zabava
15. The Vibrators - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
16. Iggy & The Stooges – Open Up and Bleed (July 1973 CBS Studios)
17. Iggy & The Stooges – I’m Sick Of You
18. Iggy & The Stooges – Shake Appeal
19. The Replacements – Wake Up
20. The Replacements – Can’t Hardly Wait (Outtake - Electric Version)
21. The Replacements – Treatment Bound

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for August 20 Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Stooges Guitarist Ron Asheton 1949-2009

it is sad news to report that today on January 6th, 2009 Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton was found dead in his Ann Arbor home. At 60 years old, Ron was known for his inspiring guitar techniques that he developed with The Stooges. While The Stooges did not reach commercial success, they have since their incarnation grown in underground/cult status. The Stooges released three albums starting in 1969. Ron Asheton along with drummer and borther Scott Asheton, joined forces with Iggy Pop and Dave Alexander to form The Stooges in the late 60s. The Stooges took a long break after their 1973 album Raw Power, where Ron played bass.

Ron was also involved in various musical projects such as the short lived band he formed with Scott Asheton New Order, Destroy All Monsters, The New Race (which also contained members of the Australian band Radio Birdman), The Empty Set, and Dark Carnival. He also formed a one off side project known as The Wylde Rattz, which contained Mark Arm (Mudhoney), Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Mike Watt, and Steve Shelley. This group recorded a bunch of songs for the movie Velvet Goldmine and would be featured on its soundtrack. The Stooges reformed in 2003 for an Iggy Pop solo album known as Skull Ring. In 2007, The Stooges released their first full length album since 1973's Raw Power. The Weirdness was produced by Steve Albini. The Stooges toured heavily through out since their reformation. The Stooges last played live in Moscow on September, 24th, 2008.

More information on this can be found in the following links:

Ann Arbor News
Iggy Pop's Official Website
Billboard

Next weeks program will feature a block of songs featuring Ron Asheton.

A Million in Prizes...The Iggy Pop Story and Show # 206

Iggy Pop was born as James Newell Osterberg Jr. in April of 1947. He would be known for his work with his first band The Stooges, whose influence still shakes the very foundations of modern music today. He would be known as "The Godfather of Punk" and be recognized for his on stage antics and behaviour. After the demise of The Stooges, Iggy Pop went on to pursue a solo career. He has also acted in several films including The Color of Money, Sid and Nancy, The Crow: City of Angels, Snow Day, Tank Girl, and Coffee and Cigarettes.

Born in Muskegon, Michigan, Iggy was raised in a trailer park near Yipsilani, Michigan. Iggy began his musical career as a drummer. He played drums in two bands The Iguanas and then The Prime Movers. Iggy got his nickname "Iggy" while in the Iguanas. After dropping out of the University of Michigan, he moved to Chicago to be closer to Chicago Blues. Along with his blues inspiration, Iggy was influenced by the likes of The Sonics. After being in Chicago learning about blues, Iggy pop returned to Ann Arbor and formed a rock band. He would abandon the drums and become a singer/front man taking inspiration from The Doors Jim Morrison, and Lou Reed. In 1967, Iggy formed The Psychedelic Stooges with Ron Asheton on guitar, Scott Asheton on drums, and Dave Alexander on bass. The band experimented first before settling on the primitive, repetitive, and aggressive sound of The Stooges that we know today.

The band became known for their live performances. Iggy in particular pushed the boundaries of the live performances by inventing the stage dive, rolling around in broken glass, smearing himself with peanut butter, and other oddities. Around this time the band also shortened their name from The Psychedelic Stooges to The Stooges. The band was signed to Elektra Records in 1968, when Danny Fields came to see another excellent Detroit based band The MC5; He signed both bands to the same label. The band had five songs for what would become their first album, The Stooges which would be released in 1969. The songs that were to make up the album were ones which the band played during their live shows, but Elektra said that that they did not have enough songs. Iggy told the label that they had lots of songs (even though they did not) so the band then wrote three more tracks to have enough material for the album. The songs that were written were "Real Cool Time", "Little Doll", and "Not Right". The songs were played for the first time in the studio. The other five tracks that compiled The Stooges were "No Fun", "Ann", "We Will Fall", "1969", and "I Wanna Be Your Dog". The album was produced by John Cale, but his original mixes for the album were rejected. They were instead done by Iggy Pop (credited as Iggy Stooge on the album) and Jac Holtzman (Elektra President). The result of the eight tracks was an album that was unlike anything the world had heard before. It was raw, energetic and straight to the point. It would become a cult classic. In 2005, The Stooges was reissued featuring the original Cale mixes as well as alternate takes.

In 1970, The Stooges released Fun House. The album was recorded live in the studio in May of 1970 and released in July of 1970. It featured little or no overdubs and since it was recorded live in the studio, many people feel it captured the essence of The Stooges live sound. The album was once again mixed by Iggy Pop and it was named after the bands rehearsal space which was called, the fun house. The album featured seven tracks "Down On The Street", "Loose", "TV Eye", "Dirt", "Fun house", and "LA Blues". The album took a step up from the bands first album, capturing their minimalist, pure sound, also bringing in saxophones. The album was produced by Don Gallucci who wanted the album to have a similar sound to the Kingsmen's "Louie, Louie". Single versions of the songs "Down On the Street", and "1970" were also recorded featuring organ sounding like The Doors. The complete Fun House sessions were released in 2001 by Rhino (they are no longer in print). The collection featured every take of every song for the album as well as outtakes and demos. The eight disc set was titled 1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions. The album like the bands first, sold poorly. They both became cult classics and have been cited numerous times as main inspirations for punk rock. In 2005, Fun House was reissued with bonus tracks from the Fun House sessions including unused tracks "Lost in the Future", and "Slide (Slidin' the Blues)".

The band would be dropped from their label in 1971 due to poor album sales and Iggy's and the bands increased drug use. The band would regroup as Iggy & The Stooges when David Bowie offered to record the band in England. Iggy got friend James Williamson as lead guitarist and the Ashetons (Ron went on bass and Scott on drums) to complete the line up; Dave Alexander passed away in 1975, he was fired for being too drunk to perform with the band in 1970. The band would then record what would be known as Raw Power. The album was a sonic assault on the ears and featured such songs as "Search and Destroy", "Shake Appeal", "I Need Somebody", and "Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell". The album was released on Columbia Records and originally mixed by Iggy himself, but the label did not agree with his mixes and stated that if David Bowie did not remix it, the album would never see release. The album came out in 1973 and shortly after the band would be dropped from their label and split up. The album also did poorly, but like the other two Stooges albums is seen as a classic album just as unique and important as the other two Stooges albums. In 1997, Iggy Pop remixed the album himself closer to his original vision, which has been called his "In the red mix", because a majority of the faders were pushed into the red while mixing. Upon hearing Iggy Pop's original mix, it was said to have sounded like the speakers were melting.

Iggy then strung out on drugs checked himself into a Neuropsychiatric institute in Los Angeles. During this time Iggy wrote and recorded material with James Williamson. The material was released in 1977 as Kill City, but recorded in 1975. The album was intended to be a demo tape in hopes of getting Iggy a new record deal. The album would feature great tracks such as "Kill City", "Johanna", "I Got Nothin'", and "Consolation Prizes". Vocals for the album were recorded on weekends when Iggy was allowed out of the hospital. In 1976, David Bowie took him along for his Station to Station tour. After the tour Iggy and Bowie moved to Berlin to get off of drugs. Bowie also got Iggy a record deal with RCA.

Iggy would record in collaboration with Bowie. Two albums were produced and released in 1977. The Idiot came off sounding very different to Iggy's previous work with The Stooges. It had more of industrial sound and can be compared to David Bowie's album Low. The album would contain songs such as "Night Clubbing", "Sister Midnight", and "China Girl". The title of the album came from a Dostoevsky novel called, The Idiot. Lust For Life came next and it was released in the same year. This album had more of a rock feel and contained some of Iggy Pop's best known songs such as "The Passenger", "Lust For Life", "Tonight", and "Success". Apparently the riff in the song "Lust For Life" was inspired by a Morse code intro message for The American Forces Network News in Berlin; The song itself is a survival message to the masses. "The Passenger" was inspired by a Jim Morrison poem. Both The Idiot and Lust For Life are seen as some of the best work he ever produced. The backing band for Lust For Life, were a team of brothers Tony Sales (bass) and Hunt Sales (drums), along with Ricky Gardinier on guitar, and David Bowie on Keyboards. He would get more recognition when the song "Lust For Life" was used in the film Trainspotting.

In 1979, Iggy Pop released New Values. The album was his first for Arista Records; He left RCA after releasing the live album TV Eye Live 1977 to get out of his three album contract. New Values featured Ex-Stooges guitarist James Williamson as producer. The album featured some collaboration with Williamson and did quite well in Europe, but not in the United States. The album is seen as more of a new wave album. It featured songs such as "Tell Me A Story", "Girls", "New Values", "I'm Bored", and "Five Foot One". It is one of my personal favourites. Music videos were made for two of the songs on the album "I'm Bored", and "Five Foot One". In 1980, Iggy released another excellent solo album titled Soldier. For this album Pop collaborated with ex-Sex Pistol bassist Glen Matlock. The album was originally supposed to be produced by James Williamson and Iggy Pop, but both wanted a different sound and Williamson left the project. The album also featured a song with David Bowie "Play It Safe"; He sung back up vocals on it. The song featured great tracks such as "Loco Mosquito", "Ambition", "Knocking 'Em Down (In the City)", "I Need More", "Dog Food", and "I'm a Conservative". In 1981, Party was released. The song "Bang, Bang" would be remixed by Monkees producer Tommy Hart and it would also reach # 35 on the Billboard singles chart. It would be his final album for Arista.

In 1982, Iggy Pop wrote his own autobiography and received royalties in 1983 when David Bowie covered the song "China Girl" (written by Bowie and Pop for his album The Idiot) on his album Let's Dance. He also released the album Zombie Birdhouse in 1982. In 1986, Iggy Pop released Blah Blah Blah. The album was produced by David bowie and featured Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones. It brought him a top ten hit in the UK with "Real Wild Child". In 1988, Instinct was released, in 1990 Brick By Brick, and 1993 American Caesar. In 1996 Naughty Little Doggie was released, in 1999 Avenue B, and in 2001 Beat 'Em Up. In 2003, Skull Ring was released. The album featured collaborations with numerous artists such as The Trolls (his backing band used for Beat 'Em Up), Sum 41, Green Day, and Peaches. The album also featured collaboration with The Stooges. The song "Little Know It All" featuring Sum 41 got a lot of airplay. Iggy Pop also started playing live with the Stooges again around this time. The bassist would be Mike Watt from the Minutemen. In 2007, The Stooges released another album titled The Weirdness. It was produced by Steve Albini and sounded like a mix of the first two Stooges albums, The Stooges and Fun House.

The Stooges have since played numerous places all over the world. They played off and on from 2003 through 2008. In March of 2008, Madonna (a fellow Detroiter) was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Stooges inducted her playing two Madonna songs "Ray of Light", and "Like A Virgin". They played this as an act of protest for the Stooges not being inducted into the hall of fame, despite being nominated six times. In 2005 A Million in Prizes : The Anthology was released containing 37 tracks spanning Pop's entire musical career since The Stooges. In January of 2009, Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton passed away due to a heart attack, he was 60 years old.
In May of 2009, it was announced that Iggy and The Stooges would reform with James Williamson on guitar to perform Raw Power tracks. The reunion is set to take place at some point in 2010. Even though Iggy Pop was not a giant mainstream success, his influence still resonates on rock music today. He is a unique, interesting, inspiring artist no matter what era of his career you look at. Currently a biopic is being made about Iggy Pop, which will focus mainly on when he was with the Stooges. Directed by Nick Gomez and starring Elijah Wood as Pop, The Passenger is currently in production.

Play List:

1. The Damned - See Her Tonight
2. The Bears - Fun, Fun, Fun
3. Diodes - Time Damage
4. Young Canadians - Well, Well, Well
5. The Sinners - No Brains Required
6. Hot Nasties - Get Away From Me
7. Television - Friction
8. Patti Smith - Redondo Beach
9. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Watching the Detectives
10. The Police - Bombs Away
11. Nick Lowe - So It Goes
12. Only Ones - Another Girl Another Planet
13. Ultravox! - Frozen Ones
14. Devo - Jerkin' Back'n Forth
15. Stranglers - Nice n' Sleazy
16. Magazine - Feed the Enemy (Live)
17. The Government - Flat Tire
18. Teenage Head - You're Tearin' Me Apart
19. Mark Inside - These Apparent Things (Live @ XM)
20. The D4 - Too Stupid
21. Dirty Pretty Things - Hippie's Son
22. The Stooges - Not Right (Alternate Vocal Take)
23. Iggy Pop - Some Weird Sin
24. Iggy Pop - Knocking 'Em Down (In the City)

Videos:

The Stooges - TV Eye & 1970 (live Cincinati Pop Festival)
Iggy Pop - 1977 CBC Interview
Iggy Pop - The Passenger (Live 1977)
Iggy Pop - Sister Midnight (Live Dinah Shore Show 1977 - Featuring David Bowie on Keyboards)
Iggy Pop - Sixteen (Live 1978)
Iggy Pop - I'm Bored (Live OGWT 1979)
Iggy Pop - I Wanna Be Your Dog (Live OGWT 1979)
Iggy Pop - I'm Bored (Music Video)
Iggy Pop - Five Foot One (Music Video)
Iggy Pop - Knocking 'Em Down (In the City) (Music Video)
The Stooges - No Fun (live in Detroit 2003)
Jonathan Ross Show 2007 Part One (Interview)
Jonathan Ross Show Part Two (Interview/I Wanna Be Your Dog)

Tuff scabs & weirdness...Show #136

I'm just going to mention a few thing's this week. First off I played a band called Tuff Darts. They were one of the lesser known bands from the CBGB punk music scene, in the late 70s. The band released their self titled debut in 1978 on Sire records (Ramones and a few other punk bands were also on that label). It was a mix of retro rock and pop. The band would not last long. After getting a new drummer, a new singer was brought in and a new group would be formed Tommy Frenzy. The band was Robert Gordon (vocals), John DeSalvo (Bass), Jeffrey Salen (guitar), Bob Butant (guitar), and James Morrison (Drums). Tuff Darts! was reissued in 2002 in CD form.

The Scabs were Exeter's first punk band to release a record, they formed around 1977. There is not much information on the band because they were short lived. They released a self-titled EP in 1979, which contained four tracks. The band was inspired by the UK punk ethic of do it your self. I played "Armory Building" from their EP.

The Stooges new album came out this week, The Weirdness. It is the first Stooges album since 1973's Raw Power. The album was produced by Steve Albini, and still sounds like The Stooges, and if you're worried about Iggy Pop not sounding good that's not a problem, his voice still sounds great. The album is worth picking up because The Stooges are one of the best bands to come out of the Detroit area. They are also doing a world tour. 

Here's this week's play list:

1. Sex Pistols – holiday in the sun
2. The Chords – breaks my heart
3. The Standells – medication
4. The Damned – fan club
5. Tuff Darts –phone booth man (p.b.m)
6. The Scabs –armory building
7. The Nerves – working too hard
8. Demics – the grey and the black
9. Avengers – we are the one
10. The Dishrags - i don't love you
11. Active Dog – nothing holding you
12. Female Hands – divided by three
13. The Stooges – trollin’
14. The Stooges – you can’t have friends
15. The Only Ones – city of fun
16. Generation X – Kleenex
17. Television – marquee moon
18. Richard Hell & The Voidoids – walking on the water
19. Cheap Trick – hello there
20. The Stray Cats – (she’s) sexy + 17
21. Teenage Head – total love
22. The Diodes – red rubber ball
23. The Visitors – euro girls
24. Suburban Reptiles - megaton
25. Young Canadians - don't tell me
26. 101'ers - letsagetabitarockin'
27. Ultravox! - satday night in the city of the dead

This is not it... & Show 133

This post used to feature information about The Strokes. You can find more information on The Strokes in these two posts:

The Strokes Angled: An Article About Angles

50/50: An Article About Comedown Machine

Also, The Police played at the 2007 Grammy Awards on Sunday February 11th. I played "Roxanne" from that performance. The video can be seen here. The Police are set to have a full scale reunion tour this summer, I am and you should be very excited. I also played a very long version of the song "I Need Somebody" by The Stooges. This was taken from the Heavy Liquid box set. The song is basically a jam that is about 18 minutes. It features Iggy Pop discussing how to work out/change the song and him trying different lyrics. The box set also contains various live shows, rehearsal recordings, and studio recordings. For Example, there are multiple takes of the song "I Got A Right".

Here's what was played:

1. The Police – Roxanne (live @ 2007 grammys)
2. Sex Pistols – whatcha gonna do about it
3. The Gruesomes – I’m down
4. The Stooges – I need somebody/sweet child/ I like the way you walk
5. The Clash – police on my back
6. Ramones – all the way (demo)
7. Buzzcocks – lipstick (BBC)
8. Buzzcocks – everybody’s happy nowadays (BBC)
9. Generation X – one hundred punks
10. Smugglers – luau!(live)
11. Modernettes – Barbra
12. The Features – city scenes
13. The Saints – no time
14. Gang of Four – ether (BBC)
15. Talking Heads – a clean break (live)
16. Elvis Costello & The Attractions – no action
17. Public Image Limited – low life
18. XTC – wake up
19. Tricky Woo – let us sing
20. The Strokes – razorblade
21. Albert Hammond Jr. – holiday
22. Sloan – stand by me, yeah

A Question of Degree ... Show # 131

This week I played songs by The Stooges and Awesome Color. The song I played by The Stooges, "My Idea of Fun" is a newly recorded Stooges track that will appear on their forthcoming release The Weirdness in March; you can hear a streamed version of the song at their myspace page. Awesome Color is a band that is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, but relocated to Brooklyn. The band sounds like a combination of The Stooges, Black Sabbath, and Mudhoney. I played "It's Your Time" from their self titled 2006 release.

Finally I played two songs by a band called The Love Me Nots. The two songs, "Move in Tight" and "Voice in My Head" were from their album In Black & White. The band is a combination of various elements. They are influenced by garage rock bands such as the Sonics, and the Fuzztones, but also by surf music such as Dick Dale. They also have some punk in them, they use a lot of organ on their songs which reminds me of Elvis Costello & The Attractions. The Love Me Nots are a very cool band from Arizona.

This page used to contain a post about the band Wire.  A reworked more informative post on the band can be found in my Outdoor Miners Post. 

Here's the play list:

1. The Adverts – one chord wonders
2. The Only Ones – another girl, another planet
3. The Stooges – my idea of fun
4. The Furies – what do you want me to be
5. The Enigmas – teenage barnacle
6. Tell-Tale Hearts – I get up in the morning
7. The Damned – liar
8. Generation X – your generation
9. Sex Pistols – (I’m not your) stepping stone
10. Buzzcocks – noise annoys (BBC)
11. Ramones – it’s not my place (in the 9 to 5 world)
12. The Gruesomes –whirlpool
13. Pointed Sticks – waiting for the real thing
14. Gang of Four – armalite rifle
15. The Police – driven to tears
16. The Saints – looking for the sun
17. The Clash – clampdown
18. The Clash – rocker’s galore…UK tour
19. Marble Index – what we need
20. Sloan – work cut out
21. Wire – two people in a room
22. Awesome Color – it’s your time
23. The D4 – peepshow
24. The Rapture – crimson red
25. The Love Me Nots - move in tight
26. The Love Me Nots - voice in my head
27. The Hives - no pun intended