LAWWWWWWWD! It's the FUNHOUSE by the Stooges Poll

Gotta go with "Loose," personally.

tv eye

tough choice....

1970

down on the street

Dirt

dirt for me

Loose! Iggy does the Birthday Party! (Oh wait...)

"Fun House", by a decent margin over "1970".

All of it.

1) I "feel awlrigt!" about my vote

2) Should I make another poll about the tracks off the BoxSet?

"I feel alright!!! I feel alright!!!"
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e8/Beavisprofile.jpg

tveye

Loose

love the way Iggy goes "now look out" at the beginning

1970

1970

1970!

fEEEl AWRIGHT

my vote goes to "l.a. blues". i love all the songs that lead up to it equally, and "l.a. blues" is the cliff-jump they'd been daring themselves to do for the whole record.

one of the revelations of the box set was how meticulously everything was put together on this album. iggy stops a take of "loose" saying, "let's start over; i forgot to yell 'hey!' at the beginning."

maybe this should get my vote for album i'm most embarrassed never to have heard. :<

"TV Eye" or "1970".

How's the remastering on the 2005 rerelease?

Ooh I was going to do this poll! For me, "Down On The Street" means Fun House, means "I get to listen to Fun House now!" seeing as how it's the first song. Plus while writing for the past few months about Broadway's perpetual inability to rock the fuck out, I couldn't get that opening droog-riff out of my head: "Ok Broadway - you wanna rock the fuck out? Then you must achieve something like 'Down On The Street.' kthxbye." I suppose that's unfair to Broadway since few in rock soi-meme ever came close (and nice try, Hedwig, but here's a pack of Camels for ya). But after listening to even the most fascinating rhythms of Gershwin and Berlin, that menacing "duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-growl-duh" kept sucking me back to 1970 (or 2008 - same thing).

But the prize has gotta go to "T.V. Eye." For a nanosecond, I thought its power was counterfeit since it partially depends on a buildup from the two songs before it. But fuck that! There is no more kinetic moment in all of rock than when the guitar returns after a perfect measure of silence (or meta-silence - who can't hear a mental countoff of "1-2-3-4!!!"). And by the time the drums come back after four more almost quantized measures, you realize that this album didn't invent punk; it invented disco (and later house - Fun House? get it?).

The only thing preventing it from reigning as the greatest English-singing album of all-time is, of course, "L.A. Blues." As easily the least destitute song of the seven, we listen to it out of politeness.

Very bad: 1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions

P.S. Recording of this album was completed the very day I was born.

Why very bad? It's not for everyone, but for putting you RIGHT THERE while they make it, it's for me! I didn't know the album before I got the box set, and it was a great intro to it.

You'd think it'd be for someone like me who finds Fun House to be amongst the best albums ever. But there's simply not enough variation to justify such a collection. It might have worked had it been constructed as multiple versions of the album so that it would be like listening to Fun House over and over again (and hells no I'm not going to construct one for myself). But even that would get tiring assuming anyone could ever figure out the most appropriate way to do such a thing if there even is one. And besides, you'd still have all those surplus versions of "Loose" (ugh) not to mention many minutes of unheadbangable studio dialogue.

About the only thing it's good for is a reminder that even the most extreme forms of rock and roll abandon require tons of rehearsal and studio technology.

t.v. eye, lots earlier

But there's simply not enough variation to justify such a collection.

he had intuitively grasped every nook and cranny of her psyche. he'd made her smile. she needed him, and he wasn't there (awwww)

Well, that's just it, (xposts) I can see where you are coming from. You know the album well, so it's like a long book where you know the ending already. Me, I knew it was an album I would like (or love, indeed), so it made sense for me to jump into it.

Also, I got it for free, which always helps. (story oft told, so short version: Bought the WildMan Fischer set, CD2 did not play, sent it back, heard nothing until this big box set arrived, figured it was a fine replacement, great! (6 months later, another one arrived, went to ebay eventually).

So wait - you got two (2!!!!) copies of 1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions for free? That's nuts! And you truly had never heard a note of Fun House before the box set arrived? That's even nuttier!

It is nuts, yeah.

Oh, I'd heard the odd note around, I'm sure. But it was a great intro to it, could appreciate the work and craft as well as the 'insane creativity' that goes into something like this. How many bands, inspired by "funhouse", knocked their tracks up in two rehearsals tops?

Did you buy another copy of the Wild Man Fischer set?

Greatest rawk album evah? Maybe. And I just realized this last year--after a mere 26 years of listening to it (duh!). Anyway, I'd vote for all of it if I could. Since I can't, however, "TV Eye" gets the nod.

This is like choosing a favorite son or daughter-- I love 'em all, but secretly, it's 1970.

Additionally, LA Blues is not a pity track.

Did you buy another copy of the Wild Man Fischer set?

-- Kevin John Bozelka, Tuesday, 8 January 2008 09:42 (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link

Long sold out by then. Now, a fortune on e-bay. It was no great loss to be honest, the "an evening with" is the one album that is the least "make fun of the mad person" it seems.

All of it.

OTM. I'll go for 1970.

2) Should I make another poll about the tracks off the BoxSet?

NO!

I'm sorry to keep pimpin' my blog here, but since someone asked, herewith my laboriously overwritten thoughts on the box set.

have to ge wih loose

though really i don't have the patience for the stooges anymore i think.

I gather they find you pretty tiring too.

Didja ever buy those '05 remasters Alex?

down on the street

tough awesome poll though

http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0008,smith,12710,22.html

Is that supposed to be a review?

'dirt' wins for me because it's a crawling seven minute nightmare that is totally captivating. 'tv eye' is a close second mind you

The remasters:

The first one is great, and gives you long versions of many of the tracks. Truly a small amount of reprogramming/burning gives you an even more awesome version of the album. Keep the "Cale mixes" as duff 'wip' mixes tho.

The second? Well, after the box set, it's a handy cut down version of it but I've not been moved to play CD2 more than the one time. If you'd sat through 24 hours of Andy Warhol's Empire State Building film, would you watch a 1 hour edit of same?

Oh, man, that Gorge review is classic!

"1970"

Because it's the song that was playing that made me realize this is one of the best albums ever.

What I love, actually, is that on "Fun House," the band (including Mackay) is fully cranked up from the beginning, and Iggy's saying "Lemme in," which could mean "let me into the fun house," but it could also mean, like, let me into the music, Steve - I need to sing now!

I've definitely always thought it was the latter.

RIP Steyyyyyvvvvve!

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/jim-jarmuschs-gimme-danger-cannes-895695

New movie doc on Iggy and the Stooges

i been hurt and i don't care

Can't believe 3 people voted LA Blues over (for example) Dirt.

Third Man to issue recently unearthed soundboard tape from a Funhouse-era show.

https://thirdmanrecords.com/news/third-man-records-announces-the-stooges-live-at-goose-lake-august-8th-1970-out-on-vinyl-cd-and-digital-on-august-7-2020

The version of "T.V. Eye" smokes - I've already pre-ordered the CD:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RupgNCPGEkg

why is the cover design so shitty

Just looking for a thread to post this news on.
People elsewhere have been noting the presence of bass which the legend says wasn't played as Dave Alexander was so out of it he was catatonic. So looking forward to hearing how much of it there is. Would be good to have a live set by them taht has him fully functional anyway, if not this.
Ungano's which i think was the Funhouse lp launch party has a new bassist and a rhythm guitarist

A film of the festival this is from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7RFG000QGo&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3x5zgQny0CWUgXe60dxrUdrr21lZoi7YXRxowtXZtPH4e71JKwWYY8ryk

Stooges come on at 55:17

https://youtu.be/o7RFG000QGo

wow that's cool

Doing the legendary full album live show before releasing the album and breaking up after the gig :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7RFG000QGo&t=55m15s

Sorry, that trick doesn't work I guess.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7RFG000QGo&t=55m15s

Nor that.

I smashed it all and rubbed peanut butter on it, sorry.

https://youtu.be/o7RFG000QGo?t=55m15s
LAWWWWWWWD!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WoiuP5yvUM

lol, thanks

Would you believe that...Alexander actually DID play bass on this occasion? Or that, despite grievous failures on some songs, Alexander is damn solid on others? Especially on the bass-led songs “Dirt” and “Fun House”? Does Iggy provoke the crowd to tear down festival barriers? Did the powers that be pull the plug on the Stooges? So many questions are answered only to have more arise.

So it's come to this, in case you really needed 28 takes of "Loose" on vinyl: https://store.rhino.com/1970-the-complete-fun-house-sessions.html

alexander is definitely flailing on some of the songs here, but honestly it just adds to the awesomely dangerous vibes.

50 years old today.

wiki says August 18, 1970 though?

the sidebar on the wikipedia page says august 18, but the article itself says july 7

july 7 seems to be the date mentioned most often in various articles i found by googling

This used to be my stock answer for "what's your fave album ever?". Probably isn't any more. But I love it dearly.

it's been my stock answer for "best (american) rock album ever" and still is

This is out today and it's amazing:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/third-man-records-stooges-original-lineup-final-concert-goose-lake-lp-1012771/

Hoping mine will arrive soon. Can't remember whether I had it shipped to my apartment or my PO box.

Has anybody got a lidst of what the other tapes in the Goose Lake box were?
Is anything else going to be seen as worthy of release?

Been listening to this on Spotify. Will have to order this, but this may be as close to the holy grail as we'll ever be (the holy grail being the great and definitive live Stooges release). Sound quality is probably the best of any circulating recording, with a better balance in the mix. Iggy really lays into Dave Alexander in the liner notes, but regardless, even if the bass playing is inconsistent, at least Iggy and the Asheton brothers perform well.

The Goose Lake set is pretty great. The liner notes, by Jaan Uhelszki, focus a lot on Dave Alexander’s clams, due to possible PCP ingestion, but he sounds ok, give or take one or two early/late key changes.

Also, fun fact: Tom Wright, who helped organize the Goose Lake festival, and who managed the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, was Pete Townshend’s flatmate when both attended Ealing Art College in London in the early ‘60s. When Wright got busted for pot possession, he was deported, and left his record collection — Ray Charles, Jimmy Smith, James Brown, Charles Mingus, Nina Simone, Chuck Berry, Booker T and the MGs, Jimmy Reed, John Coltrane, Wes Montgomery — to Townshend, for whom it was endlessly revelatory.

Oh right remember hearing about that record collection from reading Who bios years ago.

Still interested in finding out if anything else from this box of Goose Lake tapes has any hope of seeing the light of day. Have seen the poster for the festival so would be interested in a couple of bands getting released but not sure what was taped. The other Detroit bands would be welcome.
Alice Cooper would be working up to Love It To Death or is that a year later?

this Goose Lake set is pretty wild, the closing "LA Blues" is a noise disaster, I highly recommend it

Yeah this is awesome, clams aside, and even those sound like Alexander can't hear himself or the band in the stage mix not that his mind is pinwheeling across the cosmos

And Ig gets on his high (sorry) horse (super sorry) about Alexander being fucked up but also mentions he had snorted bad coke? ketamine? asbestos insulation? and couldn't really see until show time so not sure he is exactly the world's most reliable narrator.

Liner notes are great

Does he somehow keep it together on 'Loose'?

Does he somehow keep it together on 'Loose'?

Iggy or Alexander? "Loose" is the first song; Iggy is singing the alternate lyrics (the ones about "riding on a big hot dog") and Alexander is definitely present, though he does seem to be wandering around some and drops out here and there. Eventually he finds his way in. The last three songs, where Steve Mackay shows up, are fucking insane. He's playing much more freely than he does on the studio album - he's in full Archie Shepp/Pharoah Sanders mode at a few points.

Alexander, since that song needs its bass foundation as much as it does Iggy.

Yeah "Loose" is kinda of a mess but on basically the rest of the record he is killing it (esp "Dirt" and "Funhouse") which is what really leads me to believe that early on he can't hear or some technical issue rather than, solely, drugs & drink.

"1970" is so absolutely unhinged and snarling, it is exactly what you want a live Stooges song to sound like, until haha someone ends the song a hair early, I think maybe Scott A is the culprit there

Is the whole thing ratty & fucked up? Yeah, sure, but I can't imagine being a "Funhouse" nut and not loving it.

Ron's playing is so fucking good

craziest thing about this show is that the festival had a revolving stage to keep things going — so the band that went 'round the bend right before the Stooges appeared was ... The Flying Burrito Brothers, haha.

I found the first four titles a tad underwhelming – I think they benefit greatly from the proto-post-punk tightness studio conditions afford – but the final trinity, '1970', 'Fun House' and 'L.A. Blues', is worth the price of admission alone. Sure, Mackay steals the show here, but Ron is an absolute MVP throughout. It once again got me thinking about how much better Raw Power could have been with him instead of Williamson on guitar. And Alexander does audibly drop the ball – it'd be hilarious if the poor guy didn't die of pancreatitis five years later.

I am eternally glad I got to see one of the earliest Stooges reunion shows, in 2003 — with both Asheton brothers and Mackay — even if I did have to wait through an "unplugged" Godsmack set beforehand.

You have the patience of a saint. I can't imagine many worse opening acts to suffer through.

I wrote for Alternative Press for years, and my first break came when the editor called me one day in 1997 and asked, "Will you interview Godsmack so I don't have to?"

I've got a 7/8 class this afternoon in my board's all-Mennonite school. Doing my best to corrupt them--talked about Iggy (birthday today) and played "Down on the Street" for them. (One of them noticed a link to Bitches Brew on YouTube's sidebar..."Uh, that's a famous album too--time for science, everyone!").

Kids finally learning the Lord's good work.

JUst found out that this exists from Charging Rhinoceros of Soul the band that Steve Mackay had been in before joining the Stooges.THink he had already left before joining the Stooges though
but here's some early demoes by them
https://soundcloud.com/badley-1/charging-rhinoceros-of-soul-1968-1?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

there's a several page history of the band in the issue of Ugly THings prior to the current one