Fun House

powerful sleaze ballads.

Kind of exhausting to listen to

It's obvious from the first track that so many bands that followed them were influenced heavily by the Stooges. This album is raw and visceral. The feeling of this whole album is one of an amazing live show, where the power and emotion is front and center.

My favorite part was when they introduced a saxophone and immediately used it for evil.

Fun album. After seeing that this record was released in 1970, I didn't expect it to have as much grit as it did. I welcome the grit. The music is heavy blues, garage, noisy, raw and energetic. Definitely one of the main predecessors of the punk movement in North America, and eventually in the UK as well. The incorporation of a saxophonist was unexpected, but the sound works really well. Vocally I am reminded of Jim Morrison, which is always a good thing. This album is provocative, and gets bonus points for being a cutting-edge, experimental album for the time that it was released. Turns out I really like The Stooges.

you must realize that this is coming to you straight from hell

Brilliantly sleazy and dangerous sounding.

If listening to Motorhead was like driving a motorcycle down a highway, this is like riding a wild boar, among a herd of other riders on boars, with a skinny shirtless guy on the lead boar, screaming something incoherent and bouncing up and down. Leading us on to... oblivion. The oblivion of LA Blues. This style of music always feels like it's going so fast that it's going to end up falling apart. On this album it does fall apart on the final track. And when it does it's transcendental. What a ride.

the #1 album on this list, PERIOD....

Forgot how many great songs are on here. It would have been amazing to see them live during this time period.

Une performance absolument abracadabrantesque de la part de notre Iggy Pop international. L'album s'ouvre sur l'arrivée de l'artiste et de son assistante. Celle-ci dispose dès son entrée une boîte en plexiglas en plein milieu de la scène. Iggy Pop se concentre d'abord puis s'installe dans la boîte après une série de mouvements spectaculaires jusqu'à ne plus être visible. Son assistante part alors en coulisses et revient avec un stock d'épées tranchantes. Elle fait soudain glisser l'une d'entre elle dans la boîte, puis en insère une deuxième, une troisième et ainsi de suite jusqu'à dix. La boîte semble alors transpercée de tous les côtés si bien qu'on a peine à imaginer Iggy Pop vivant à l'intérieur. L'assistante commence alors à retirer les épées une par une et c'est bien ce bon Iggy Pop qui surgit soudain et se tient dans sa position signature sous une incroyable ovation.

I blasted this album in the Amazon rainforest and suddenly every single monkey in a 3 miles radius showed up and started dancing, screaming and peeing all over the place. I 100% recommend this album if you hate music or if you just want to feel like a punk chimp.

This is heavy duty, man.

Absolutely primal rock and roll. So pure and raw that it feels legitimately dangerous. This album is like a punch to the gut right before the final uppercut of "Raw Power" completely knocks you out. The live in studio sound suits them perfectly.

That was one of the nastiest albums I've heard in a long time, and I really mean that in the best way possible. I wasn't totally in love with the title track, but other than that, this is easily a 5/5 album for substance and historical value

Its the quintessential crossover between Psych and Punk. Perfect.

The sound of pure organized chaos. With only 7 tracks, the album flies by, even though a couple of them go past 7 minutes. All the tracks are super memorable. It feels much more distorted and out of touch than their debut. It helps that the acid album cover looks like they're performing from the pits of hell. The first few are reminiscent of their debut, except a lot more aggressive and frantic. "TV Eye" really exemplifies what's so great about this album. The first half is catchy and fun, then we get into an avant-garde mix between the soothing melody and Iggy's belching. But then suddenly the song stops and we start it all over again... That's a common punk technique years before the Six Pistols did it! "Dirt" marks a gradual shift to something much stranger that really defines this album. It starts off slow, melodic, and bluesy. I absolutely adore Iggy's vocals, shifting between smoothness and roughness. The guitar, much like Iggy, sounds normal most of the time but has those moments where it bursts out personality. The mix between the guitar and vocals in the last few minutes is perfect. "1970" pushes us back to the aggressiveness from earlier. The bass is really spot on here. Then half way through we're introduced to the avant-garde saxophonist Steve Mackay, the only band member who got his shit together outside the studio. He just comes out of nowhere and you question if there was always a saxophonist. The mixing is absolutely incredible between the sax, Iggy's chaotic screaming, and the hardcore drumming. This is only an introduction to the strangeness of the final two tracks. "Fun House" is possibly the most impressive song in their catalogue. There's a seamless transition to our final track, as if it's an extended coda: "L.A. Blues" is a fun chaotic avant-garde jazz track that you can't divert your ears from. Nice heavy distortion. It feels simultaneously ordered and all over the place. The ending is satisfying. Out of the Stooges's 3 albums, this one deserves the perfect score. Unlike the other two, there are no weak tracks. It's the most creative and coherent (as ironic as that may appear). Unlike Raw Power, the production is done very well here, with everyone getting their shine.

Raw, garage, needs to be played loud, one of the "seminal albums" for punk. Lots of accolades for this album. There's not a lot I can add; it is all of the above. The producer, Don Gallucci, changed the recording to more of a live concert than a studio environment. Iggy's screaming/howling, garage guitar sound and driving rhthym section. The second-half songs add a saxophone which might annoy some people. I think it just adds to the chaos. It's funny; as albums end on my streaming service, the next song played is a similar sounding song. For this album, it went to Jimi Hendrix's "Manic Depression" and the album's second half guitar definitely has that feel. I wouldn't have placed that. Anyway, turn the volume up on this one and enjoy.

Woaahhh! These guys created one of the best punk songs I have ever heard just by having a live performance in the recording studio. Amazing. The ugly vocals and the messy guitars are used well, creating an energy that is like, you know, being in a FUN HOUSE. But it isn't punk... yet. Of course, this flavor of rock can be much more harsher. But I think this is the just the perfect harshness. Filthy, but not annoying.

Not what I expected it to be. Very cool. Reminded me of early Pixies. I'm sure this influenced them.

Cet album bien que très moyen musicalement, a permis de présenter une des apparitions les plus spectaculaires de l'histoire de la musique. Mais laissez moi vous remettre dans le contexte. Concert de Woodstock en 1972. Les Stooges s'appretent à présenter pour la première fois leur album Fun House, après le succès de leur album eponyme. Le show débute par un solo des musiciens des Stooges. Ce premier morceau résolument acoustique ne présente aucun chant, et pour cause, Iggy Pop n'est pas présent sur scène. Mais personne ne semble déçu, ni même déboussolé dans le public, et pour cause: tous ces fans ont tous écouté l'album précédent des Stooges. Soudain, le deuxième son démarre, les guitares débutent leur travail, quand tout à coup la voix d'Iggy Pop se fait discrètement entendre. C'est l'effervescence dans la salle. Tout le monde se met à chercher le grand Iggy: "Où peut il bien être cette fois?" - "J'ai beau scruter la scène je ne vois rien!" - "Il ne peut quand même pas être caché dans ce minuscule sac à dos?!". C'est alors que le tempo de la musique se ralentit, les lumières s'assombrissent. Le refrain va bientôt débuter. Tout d'un coup, les lumières se focalisent sur une petite malette posée au centre de la scène. Elle était la depuis le debut du show, adossé à un micro, mais personne ne l'avait remarquée. La malette commence à s'ouvrir de l'intérieur, et laisse entrevoir la chevelure blonde d'Iggy, Iggy sortit d'abord sa hanche toute désordonnée, avant de laisser le reste de son corps suivre dans des craquements terrifiants. Il s'extirpa juste à tant pour lancer le refrain, sous la folie la plus totale des spectateurs. Même si le reste du concert fut résolument moyen, les spectateurs en avaient eu pour leur argent avec cette prestation phenomenale de contortionnisme.

Honestly don’t have a whole lot for this one... it was pretty OK. Favorite tracks: “Loose” and “Dirt”

Too stuck in blues rock tropes that it doesn't have the knack for, and lacking the "raw power" of its successor. Not there yet Iggy

Meh It was fine, I liked some of the proto punk themes and sounds. But honestly the whole album just made me feel like I'd rather be listening to the Doors

I don't think so. I would like my 36 mins and 26 secs back.

One of the cornerstones of punk and indie rock. This band have influenced so many of my favourite artists. This, their second album, still has that raw energy, and dare I say it, power from their debut. But the main difference between the two is they must have spent a bit of time learning how to play their instruments properly, although that has normally not a problem if you have the enthusiasm, which the Stooges had in spades. This contains their best track, the slow burning, sleazy 'Dirt'. 'T.V. Eye is immense. Even the freestyle jam at the end, 'LA Blues' highlights their inventiveness. It's such a glammy, energetic, riot of a record, which I dont think they ever got close to matching. It's in my top 75 altime great albums somewhere. A high 5 all day.

Hell yeah I love Fun House! This is thrilling and energetic and everything! An album you know you can keep listening over and over again and still enjoy it. I'd give it a 5/5 with pleasure.

Fun House is the best Stooges album, fight me. Actually, I think I should qualify that what I mean by that is Fun House is the album that best shows off what the Stooges were about, Raw Power still probably takes it as the best overall album they recorded. But as an example of the raw power (haha) that the band could create without Bowie at the helm, I think if anything it’s a more impressive album. Fun House is as raw, lean, and dangerous as Iggy himself and yet shows an artsy weirdness that was almost entirely missing from their debut. I don’t think it’s any wonder that the genre that this band spawned fragmented into the various ‘weird’ subcultures we see around today. And, I love it. I love every second of this snarling, whirling, dissonant and disturbing nightmare take on Rock n Roll. I’m gonna go shoot some heroin now

Raw, ripping, resplendent rock. Kind of goes off the rails with L.A. Blues, but still a landmark album

Classic album. Probably their best.

Down On The Street has a lot of attitude. Good opener. The guitar solo has a spaciness about it that I enjoy. The bassline sounds like something from Joy Division. Loose has a lot of energy. This album sounds ahead of its time thus far. Iggy sounds like an angry cat. Vocals are lo fi. TV Eye has Iggy shouting and snarling insistently. I like the way he performs these songs. Dirt has blues affectation fed through a distortion pedal. Reminds me of the Joy Division song New Dawn Fades. The guitar solo is nasty and biting, like rusty barbwire. 1970 has a bouncy bassline. The guitars on this album are once again gorgeously abrasive. They perfectly match Iggy's animalistic singing. Surprise saxophone. This one really goes off the rails towards the end. Fun House is the craziest song yet. Iggy is yelping over these whining guitars and saxophones. LA Blues is experimental in its complete cacophony. Overall it is impressive for an album this old to be these committed to noise and aggression. Extreme music today struggles to reach this level. It never feels hokey or like a put on. It's the sound of things coming undone. Of pure aggression. I enjoyed this and will definitely return to it.

A rollicking good time. Full of power and energy. So many performers, from alternative to punk to metal, owe it all to these guys.

You won't find them more threatening, sleazy and grimy. What an idiotic superb album.

This one is the best one. Best energy Will I listen to again: 100%

I'm starting to believe that everything The Stooges have done is pure gold!

I actually prefer this to Raw Power. The production is way better, and there's more of an edge to the songs. There's a diverse mix of blues, rock, psychedelia, and garage rock without it ever getting out of control, until maybe right at the end, which is a great way to finish up. Second listen, and this ticks so many boxes for me. I bet the Stooges were amazing to see live back when I was a toddler. TV Eye is basically the same song as OD Catastrophe by Spacemen 3, which I had never realised and made me even surer that this was a 5 star album.

Early Iggy is great!

Classic love it

Couldn't tell you why but I really liked this

It's a Stooges album, it's always a good thing.

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Iggy pop is 77 - how did he ever last that long? Down on the Street is my favourite track. Protopunk at its absolute finest.

Now we're fucking talking. The Stooges have always been one of the best bands out there and I'm a big fan of them here. 7 songs, 37 minutes and they all slap. This might just be them at their best right here. 10/10

Punk rock mayhem.

Classic, probably their most accessible.

After listening to the album the first time I had to check the release year again. 1970? And this music? What a great surprise (for me)! I knew the name but exactly nothing about their music. Should have checked that earlier. Now I am a fan!!

Fun House is the second studio album by the Stooges, originally released in 1970. This sounds so ahead of its time for 1970. I mean, Black Sabbath was widely regarded as the pinnacle of heavy music at the time but this is out there. It's heavy in a different way. Not necessarily ultra-distorted guitars but it's just an all out sonic assault. It's very abrasive and energetic for 1970. It reminds me of a lot of hardcore albums that wouldn't come out until at least 10 years after this album. I also hear a lot of grunge in this, specifically Nirvana. There are times where I think Iggy's voice reminds me a lot of Kurt's which was kinda crazy. Super cool listen.

enjoy yorself

I think Raw Power is still my favorite of theirs. This is still a great album and is an easy 5 stars for me.

It's not as good as Raw Power but it's still amazing. That driving beat and growling lyrics are just great. I think I like all the original Stooges albums a lot.

Another one of my favorites

4.5/5

Really good!

4.5 Big fan of the album, the stooges, and iggy. Still sounds fresh 50+ years later, I could only imagine how different it would have been in 1970

Ooh Come on, right on, now Ooh, oh, c'mon, stay I feel alright Yeah, I feel alright Ooh Uh, lemme in Hey, lemme in Hey, bring it down Uh

Probably the hardest album ever. I am always in awe that an album from 1970, over 50 years old, still rocks this fucking hard. I mean the world was still listening to Simon and Garfunkel and the Partridge Family at this stage, they were not ready for this level of sweaty angry aggressive music. This is more raw power than Raw Power in my opinion. One of my all time favorite albums.

Loud brash aggressive excellent

Komplet kaos. Elsker produktionen på den her plade, den lyder så vild

Bitcho, agora entendo pq Stooges é famoso

The spirit of punk overtook me. I shit on the mayor’s doorstep and lit a cop car on fire. The judge asked ‘Son, why’d you do it?’ I replied ‘Fun House by the Stooges.’ Case dismissed.

This is my favourite stooges album, just has so much swagger about it, while keeping the intensity of their earlier emetic albums. Personal preference but I’m giving this full marks.

On YouTube, there is a video of Henry Rollins describing a years-long one-sided feud he had trying to outdo Iggy Pop on stage. In that video, he calls Funhouse one of the sexiest, most violent, genius records ever. I'm inclined to agree with him. This thing is a beast. No one would ever call this an audiophile record, but it is punchy, perfectly squeezed through the neck of a jar to that perfect point of immediacy and detail. It rocks the speakers hard; headphones reveal all of the menacing undertones. More rock than rock, more punk than punk, in the pantheon of music, Iggy Pop is the god of war. This is the beginning of his chaotic character arc. Five stars.

Fijne kennismaking met The Stooges; ik kende ze tot nu toe eigenlijk vooral van naam en wist bijna niks van hun muziek. Maar geweldig, wat een energie en wat een vette en rauwe plaat. 'Dirt' doet qua sound denken aan 'If there is something' van Roxy Music. Die saxofoon in '1970' lijkt David Lynch te hebben geïnspireerd bij Lost Highway. Het titelnummer is te gek. En de laatste track is eigenlijk gewoon een outtro van 5 minuten. Heel dope allemaal!

Go back and forth with raw power over my favorite. So good with one of my favorite album covers. Rating: 4.7

Very cool sound

Picture the scene from Elf when he heard about the mall Santa. That was me when this album popped up.

Better than their first album

All through this album I kept going, "Oh, these guys sound like the Doors..." or, "these guys sound like Nick Cave..." or Black Sabbath or the Rolling Stones or whatever. Then it clicked for me: those guys sound like these guys. This album takes all the things I hate about the Rolling Stones, makes them *good* somehow, and distills them all onto a single album. I don't care if Funhouse wasn't "critically acclaimed" at the time or whatever. This whole album slots so perfectly into its time, a gestalt snapshot of its culture. It builds on what came before, packs it into its most concentrated crystalline form, and sets a template for dozens of acts that would come after. So much to love here, and I adore the absolute batshittery that closes the album with L.A. Blues. Brilliant.

Para mí uno de los mejores discos de la historia, influencia de miles de grupos

Gritty, intense, raw and noisy. Slow burningly sleazy in a way no other artist can pull off short of the Doors. The band gradually ratchets up the tension and chaos as the album progresses, to the point where you feel it in your bones. Not always pleasant on the ears, but incredibly brilliant. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): T.V. Eye, Dirt, 1970, Fun House, Down on the Street, Loose, L.A. Blues

Intense and gritty garage proto punk. This would have sounded like a slap in the face in 1970. I liked this a lot more than I thought I would

Early 70's hard rock. The Stooges were not great musicians or songwriters and did not enjoy much commercial success. They were dirty, gritty, foul-mouthed and out-of-bounds at a time when peace, love and psychedelics ruled. What they did have was an unfiltered visceral energy that transcended their relatively humble skills (Ron Asheton was a pretty good guitarist). They just rocked. It's hard to imagine any early members of the punk or grunge movements who wasn't influenced by The Stooges and their leader, Iggy Pop. Fun House is the best of their three albums -- loud, edgy and driving with some real creative sounds. Down On The Street, Loose and TV Eye (which might boast the meanest guitar intro... well, ever) are staples of counter culture rock while the rest of the album contains some cool, almost free jazz like, extended jams. You may not like this record but it changed things.

Very high energy. Great songs. Would have loved to see these guys live.

Really, really fun album. To call this proto even sounds reductive though...it's like a heavy version of Less Than Jake. And it rules. Favorite track: Dirt

Any single Stooges album can feel lacking compared to a good compilation, until the listener really thinks about how revolutionary their sound and approach was, at the time. "TV Eye," along is one of the greatest songs written, in my opinion, especially in the genre of "rock." The energy, the wild freedom, the disregard for safety or caution are all qualities I think that American Rock brought to the world, and The Stooges are its most pure form and creators.

Awesome!! Ahead of its time!

After listening to a bunch of the "influential" albums on the list I was prepared to dislike this. So many of the bands I like also like this band - and usually that's meant I won't like it. This one broke the rule, though, and I was happy about it :D 4.5/5

great album which had some Doors-like moments. Amazing sax solo too. Really fun

Stellar record by one of my favourite bands Mad, fun, wild and violent - with an added demented saxophone wailing throughout - lovely.

Very raw and highly influential, I love 1970 and the Damned's version

This may be the Stooges’ best album. It comes out swinging and continues with a rhythm forward driving sound accompanied by perfectly placed guitar leads. I am a big fan of the Detroit garage rock/proto-punk scene of the late sixties and early seventies and to me, this album really encapsulates that era. It is explosive, loose, and super charged with emotion, yet knows when to dial it back before plunging back in full force. It’s a cathartic listen especially with Iggy Pop’s wailing sneering vocals.

Yess, love the horns! Pure, raw energy… SO good!

Perfects the stuff that started on their debut. Fun House hits a great balance between hard hitting and more jammy/experimental stuff. I ought to listen to more Stooges apparently.

Really like how high bass is in the mix. Very reminiscent of the doors IMO. Fun bit with the sax! I like the way it is bluesy but with harder spazzy moments

Just for the influence on punk, metal, altetrnative, new wave ect, this album is a 5/5 minimum, but there is more, this album is magnetic, shockingly good, violent, raw and crazy. 7 pure rock songs, some of wich are improvised, with brutal lyrics, loud riffs and the howlin screams (voice) of Iggy Pop wild charsima are what make this album so good. The best critic i have ever haerd about this album is this: "Now I regret all the times I've used words like 'power' and 'energy' to describe rock and roll, because this is what such rhetoric should have been saved for. Shall I compare it to an atom bomb? a wrecker's ball? a hydroelectric plant? Language wasn't designed for the job." -From Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies The track are: Down on the Street: A wild proto-punk song, talking about paranoia, maybe drugs orthe feeling of being high i think its the best oppener possible, the tone is set, the riff is groundb reaking frl. Loose: Here the pure talent of Ron Asheton show all its potential, the intro is just crazy, the riff, bass, drums and lyrics are perfetc, i will say its the best track on the album and my favorite. T.V Eye: The most "metal" song on the album, this song was played by metalicca in 2017 with Iggy and its one of the best live perfomance i have seen (on Youtube), Duff Mackgan from Gn'r as always said this reccord is one of its favorite and in live perfomance he sing it. This song is just great and show all of Iggy's wildness. Dirt: Just the feeling of being horny or maybe high, but in such a raw manner and a dirty (of course) way of saying it with the rythms sectyion like always with them. THe cover by Depeche mode is even better i would say and its difficult to do. 1970: the following of 1969, execpt its not at all the same thing, more hard, reckless and mad, with Iggy's screaming "I FEEL ALLRIGHT" during literaly all the song with a little verse anyway a maybe too long song but its ok. Fun House: The eponym song feature a saxophone part that is allright, featuring also the "HUH" that iggy screaming in the song, the song is often describe as boring but i like, maybe a bit too long for what it is (7.45). L.A Blues: Ok this "song" is madness, first of all its refercing the fact that the album was reccord in Los Angeles, but all the crazinest, madness, rawness and improvisation is condenced in this "song". Its hard to call this a song, is just impriovsed instrument with Iggy's screams like he is a fucking werworlf its kinda scary. and its pretty long liek enarly 5 minutes of that, but they still manage to make it look like its part of the thing, like its not the kind of song you make listen to your friends, but without it, the album wouldn't be complete. Anyway i'm pretty sure you can tell this album is one of my favorite of all time, i know it since 2021 or something and its the kind of album you will either pay a cult to it or never listen about it at all.

This is a perfect album and it rocks harder than almost anything else from that era. There is just nothing else like this.

Hey kids, look! It’s everything Matt loves about music wrapped up into 36 tight minutes. Man oh man do I love this record. It’s punk, it’s simple, it’s the rawest of the raw. Give it to me straight and let us be, please. Thank you.

I don't listen to the Stooges enough.

4.5/5

This is another personal all-time favorite. The raw energy on this album, recorded "live in studio", is almost unmatched in rock history. "Dirt" is probably my favorite track on this album, although all fo the tracks are killer.

Sometimes an album comes along that transcends time and place. Sometimes an album lays down the blueprint for 100s of artists to follow and build an entire career from. Sometimes an album really, really DOES need to be listened to before you die. Countless times over. 5 lightnings caught in 5 bottles ⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡

Loved it

Never heard of them before. Great album

Real good. Aggressive.

One of the foundation stones of all punk and heavy music, linking The Doors and The Beatles to Sex Pistols and the Clash, while also being interesting and engaging on its own merits. I really liked it, enough to round it up to five stars even though some of them are more to do with influence and legacy!

Heftig!

5/5. An awesome and chaotic record, full of energy and fight. Each song is more wild than the last, exploding into a wall of noise by the end. Not only that, but each song is just so good, a driving force of rock and roll.

GREATEST ALBUM OF ALL TIME!

A perfect second album

Seminal

this is raw as shit. loved this upon the first listen. perfect for my ADHD punk desires. definitely coming back to this one soon.