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Fun House

The Stooges

1970

Buy At Rough Trade
Fun House
Album Summary

Fun House is the second studio album by American rock band the Stooges. It was released on July 7, 1970 by Elektra Records. Though initially commercially unsuccessful, Fun House developed a strong cult following. Like its predecessor (1969's The Stooges) and its successor (1973's Raw Power), it is generally considered integral in the development of punk rock.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.26

Votes

12060

Genres

  • Rock
  • Punk

Reviews

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May 13 2021
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5

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.

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May 31 2024
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4

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

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Oct 21 2021
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5

Brilliantly sleazy and dangerous sounding.

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Aug 28 2023
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5

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

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Mar 03 2021
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5

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

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Mar 17 2022
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5

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

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May 03 2022
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5

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.

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Sep 13 2022
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5

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.

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Dec 15 2021
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3

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.

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Apr 04 2024
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1

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.

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Nov 24 2021
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5

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

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Jan 09 2022
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5

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.

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Mar 31 2022
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5

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.

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Apr 26 2022
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5

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.

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May 27 2022
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5

Its the quintessential crossover between Psych and Punk. Perfect.

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Sep 06 2022
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5

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

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Feb 06 2023
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5

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.

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Apr 09 2021
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3

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

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Dec 15 2021
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3

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.

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Oct 09 2023
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2

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

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Apr 25 2024
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2

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

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Aug 19 2021
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1

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

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Mar 19 2021
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5

This album is cool as shit. Have heard it before and still holds up nicely

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May 04 2021
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5

Was great to "wash out" the Slipknot from my ears with truly one of the greats. What else is there to say? A seminal album that rocks hard and flows perfectly.

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Jun 07 2021
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5

Creo que me tiene con sentimientos enocntrados encontrar otra cosa más con iggy en esta lista. Por una parte me caga que se repita tanto un artista, pero por otra no puedo negar que me super mamó el disco. Favs: L. A. blues y Loose. Mood: I feel Alriight, i feel alriiight!

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Apr 20 2021
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5

Que energía, que vitalidad, que destrucción desprende este disco.

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Jun 07 2021
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5

El mejor disco de rock de la historia. Totémico.

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May 23 2021
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5

Entre los mejores discos de rock de la historia. Oscuro y vibrante. Iggy desatado. Temazos. Obra maestra

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Mar 30 2021
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5

Simply the best. One album that moved the needle for me in a big way for appreciating a deeper breadth of music and styles. Down on the Street, TV Eye Dirt 1970 all among my favorite songs ever.

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May 07 2021
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5

Another new one! so loud, fast, and screamy - the vocals, guitar, and sax. I enjoyed the latter two more so. enjoyed it enough to listen through twice. guess that's a 5.0 for me.

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Jul 28 2021
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5

I have loved this album for a very long time and never get tired of it. It's a must if you are into punk

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Aug 11 2021
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5

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Jan 31 2022
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5

Cracking driving garage rock album with some sublime guitar. There's a lot of craftmanship in the playing. Highly recommended.

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Mar 12 2022
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5

My first thought was, are we really going to get all 3 Stooges albums ? Because I wasn't in love with the one we already received. Then heard the first song, (what a rocker!) and then the 2nd and 3rd! Dirt is such a great dirty blues break, just at the right time. Iggy's vocals are at his best. He says he was channeling Howlin' Wolf on this album. And then the sudden introduction of the saxophone in 1970 to start side 2! A brilliant idea and I was on the way to a score of 5, but the final track was a too Avant Garde for me. But, that's only 5 minutes and the other 32 minutes I'll get a lot of "mileage" out of on my trainer.

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Mar 19 2022
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5

This is an album with attitude! “Do you feel it when you pop?” I found the lyrics to be surprisingly avant guard poetic. I usually am not one for drum solos, but this is an exception. They had a touch of playfulness and surprise. The trumpet in 1970 added a jazz-like intro to the punk-pop sound. Plus, I love the little trumpet noise at the beginning of Fun House. Such a great listen. Iggy Pop deserves never to have to wear a shirt again.

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Mar 21 2022
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5

To me, this is the quintessential rock album. This is the album that broke with Zeppelin's epicness and glitters to go back to its basic, more dangerous roots.

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May 03 2022
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5

Wow, I thought I knew what I was getting into when I put this album on. I'm vaguely familiar with Iggy Pop, and can't say I've ever really been a fan. I figured I was in for some straightforward punk a la Ramones/Sex Pistols. However, that was not at all what I got. The first couple songs sound like fast and dirty rock, with the song Loose reminiscent of a punk version of Gimmie Shelter. The album then quickly devolves into slower free-form improvisational jams with Patti Smith-like vocals layered over top. Then they bring in horns at the end of 1970 and carry those over into the rest of the tracks, was not expecting that one, but I'm here for it. I love the recording, sounds so raw and the groove and power contained here is awesome. In short: I listened to this twice back to back. Fav tracks: Loose, Dirt, 1970, Fun House

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May 06 2022
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5

It is ironic that Raw Power is the release after Fun House as raw power is how I would describe tis release. Garage rock at its finest or the beginning of punk. It really doesn’t matter. My mother was not a fan when I was listening to this at 13, which, of course, made me like it even more.

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May 07 2022
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5

It's an awesome album. Not my favorite of theirs but it's still great. Highly influential, dirty, grimy rock that was actually dangerous for its time. What more could you ask for?

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May 10 2022
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5

There is a formidable sense of chaos to be found on this record. The raw, bare bones production amplifies the primal force of nature that is Iggy & friends. This results in a definitive work of American rock, as influential as it is impassioned. Iggy is a caged animal, a howling, screeching banshee. As a vocalist, his ferocity is unmatched. The band employs a manic, frontal assault. The rhythm thumps and pulses like a heartbeat, Ron Asheton’s guitar slashes and shrieks, Steve Mackay’s fervent saxophone adds a key element to the anarchic atmosphere. This is hard rock at its dirtiest, imposing and calculated bedlam fueled by the raw power of the godfathers of punk. It kicks down the door and announces itself, gives no quarter and takes no shit. It is hedonistic, unrestrained, and completely exhilarating.

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May 17 2022
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5

Four Stars And A Half All of the three Stooges album should be essential listens, if only for their historical importance. They foretell the explosion of punk music like no other records from the late sixties / early seventies. This one here (the second) is the most challenging of the lot on first listens. So wild. So noisy. But trust me, keep on trying, and you'll quickly sense the intensity of what The Stooges must have sounded live like none of their other albums. Number of albums left to review or just listen to:  more than 900, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens:  approximately a half so far (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter

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Jun 02 2022
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5

Loved it, powerful playing, raw sound, aged well

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Jun 04 2022
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5

Insane record. Amazing like all of the (original) Stooges catalogue. 9-10/10

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Jun 09 2022
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5

Wow. I love the live, loose feel of this. Sounds like the songs were recorded in single takes. Even the way the saxophone comes in at the end of “1970” and then stays on for the next two songs feels like a live show. The music is raw, visceral and loud. This is really fun, sexy stuff. I’ve liked Iggy Pop in the past but man, I’m a full convert now. He’s incredible on this album. His vocals on the last two minutes of the song “Fun House” are insane. Also, is it just me or does the opening riff of “T.V. Eye” sound a lot like Rage Against the Machine’s “Sleep Now in the Fire”?

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Jun 14 2022
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5

This is my favourite Stooges album and by definition my favourite Iggy Pop album. It is a noisy muddled mess but it captures the band at the peak of there power. And the songs are better than on The Stooges even if the latter had the bigger "hits". Sure a couple of the songs go on too long with the dissonant noise thing...but hey it's The Stooges init? 5 stars

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Jul 08 2022
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5

Another of my favorites of all-time. If you don't like the Stooges, there's something wrong with you!! Iggy is the greatest frontman who ever stalked this planet.

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Jul 12 2022
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5

Pretty fuckin' rad Love how intense Iggy's vocals are and L.A. Blues is such a sick closer for this project

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Aug 09 2022
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5

Raw, edgy, classic, fun, brilliant. I loved it.

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Sep 20 2022
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5

A raw, dirty, aggressive, primal, shirtless howl. Possibly the greatest American rock & roll record ever.

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Oct 10 2022
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5

Hard hitting filth, nitpick would be the last song was too long, but still great stuff

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Oct 17 2022
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5

10/10 - super fun I love how much energy it had for a studio recording

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Nov 16 2022
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5

A classic. My favorite from The Stooges.

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Dec 13 2022
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5

Yeah, The Stooges. This is the album of theirs I return to the most. I love the crazy skronk on side B. 1970, Fun House, yeah!

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Dec 16 2022
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5

Ahead of their time. A masterpiece.

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Dec 21 2022
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5

-energetic, great grooves -at the edge of garage rock bordering punk -punk and grunge seem logical progressions from here - fun!

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Jan 24 2023
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5

80 / 1069 Listen from last year - amazing! So much energy.

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Feb 06 2023
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5

Does anyone rock harder than The Stooges? I don't think so. I would like to know how something this explosive was born in Ann Arbor Michigan.

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Feb 26 2023
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5

I have never listened to The Stooges before, but wow! This really was something! For instance, listen to Dirt and Listen to the future. Greate!

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Mar 03 2023
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5

Undeniably the sickest . Drum beats for days, I don’t think there is anything wrong at all with this record start to finish. Smokeeeeee

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Mar 13 2023
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5

This was a Jamming session. Enjoyed.

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Mar 19 2023
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5

"T.V. Eye" is one of my favorite rock tracks of all time, but I wasn't familiar with the rest of the album. I'm stoked to discover that its energy matches that of "T.V. Eye." This album's primal, raw, and a bit unhinged. Iggy's screaming, the guitar's wailing, and the drums are banging, and I love all of it. This is proto-punk perfection.

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Mar 20 2023
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5

I didn't expect so much bebop saxophone in a punk album, but I was not disappointed.

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Apr 05 2023
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5

Excellent stooges album, influence everywhere

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Apr 25 2023
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5

It's iggy at his ridiculous, cool psychedelic best. Wonderful

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Apr 30 2023
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5

The Stooges are one of the first punk bands (proto-punk, technically) but their first album (listened to, not gotten) wasn’t the best, mostly due to ‘We Will Fall’, a song so atrociously slow that it reaches 10 minutes without any structural or musical changes. Granted, I know that was sort of a middle finger to the record label who wanted the album to be longer, but it still sucks. On the other hand, this album is a quality listen from front to back. The first few songs are loud and brash, with some dirtiness. The last 3 songs are the best, though. ‘1970’ is a frenetic burst with a great chorus. The title track stands out in the crowd in that it throws horns in the mix, adding a touch of uniqueness that makes it great. Closer ‘L.A. Blues’ ends the album with the insanity at the end of the song (I think there were horns on this song, too, but I don’t remember). An amazing album.

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May 28 2023
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5

I like their first album more, but this is still incredible and essential. I've done myself a disservice not giving The Stooges a proper listen before this year.

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May 29 2023
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5

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

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Aug 23 2023
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5

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.

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Sep 30 2023
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5

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!

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Oct 10 2023
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5

Never heard of them before. Great album

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Oct 17 2023
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5

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 ⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡

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Oct 25 2023
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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.

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