Sat May 29 2021
5
Great Album. I think the Iggy Pop mix is superior to the David Bowie mix. It's much more raw and dirty.
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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Raw Power
The Stooges
1973
- Album Summary
Raw Power is the third studio album by American rock band the Stooges (credited as Iggy and the Stooges), released on February 7, 1973 by Columbia Records. The album departed from the "groove-ridden, feel-based songs" of the band's first two records in favor of a more anthemic hard rock approach inspired by new guitarist James Williamson, who co-wrote the album's eight songs with singer Iggy Pop. Though not initially commercially successful, Raw Power gained a cult following in the years following its release and, like its predecessors The Stooges (1969) and Fun House (1970), is considered a forerunner of punk rock.The Guardian wrote that "it has since been acknowledged as one of the most influential records in rock history". The raw guitar sound of Williamson deeply influenced acts of different music genres such as the Sex Pistols, Johnny Marr of the Smiths and Kurt Cobain of Nirvana.
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Fri Feb 05 2021
4
My first real exposure to Iggy Pop & the Stooges was circa 2007, when a cover of Search and Destroy appeared on Guitar Hero 2. I really liked that song, but I never looked more into the band. I first listened to this record about 5-6 years ago when I rented it from a library on CD and listened to it in my car. I didn’t care for it back then. Listening to it today was a much improved experience. It’s a little hard to believe that this album was produced in 1972. We look back at many albums from that time and call them proto-this or proto-that, but several of the songs on this album just sound like full blown punk rock to me. Bowie produced this album, but I am not not familiar enough with either his music or his production credits to be able to perceive any of his fingerprints on the record. My only quibble actually has to do with the song with which I am most familiar: Search and Destroy. That song is so high energy, and I will never understand why Iggy chose to sing the verses and pre- choruses in such a meek voice. He spends so much of the record, including parts of that same song, with much more aggressive vocals, so I don’t know why he used the soft ones there, where it feels like it really clashes with the music and takes some of the energy out of it. Since I was given Tom Waits and Iggy Pop so close together on this list, I am including a bonus link of a wonderfully awkward movie scene between the two of them. My personal enjoyment: 3.5/5 Did it belong on this list: 5/5
Fri Mar 19 2021
5
Quite simply, one the best things ever committed to tape. I don't care that the production supposedly fucked how this sounded, I think it's cool and adds to the grime and aggro. This is one of the most evil sounding albums, and makes much of everything that preceded - and followed - it sound limp and fey. How chunky do those guitars sound! And the drums sound like a pile of bricks falling down a staircase. Incredible.
Thu Jan 21 2021
5
This will always be a great listen it hits u right in the dick
Sat Aug 28 2021
5
This album is so much more focused than some of the Stooges previous work largely thanks to David Bowie's production. Iggy Pop's vocals are acidic and pointed, and the guitar work is much more interesting, punchy, and tight while still retaining that messy garage/proto-punk feel that define the Stooges. This album is dark, raw, and it can be easily seen why it is considered one of the most influential albums in rock.
Sat Jul 03 2021
4
Really, really fucking good! Dirty, scuzzy, filthy rock n roll! Love it! Short, sharp and at times brutal! Like being given a high five. But in the face. And with a brick. Iggy’s vocals are brilliant, the riffs are great! What’s not to like! TURN IT UP!!!!
Tue Aug 17 2021
2
Half proto-punk and half Jamie Vardy, by which I mean straggly, keyed up, a little dirty, a little naughty, and ugly as hell. Bowie mixing it into brittle thinness is a virtue. The full and bassy Iggy mix feels wrong. But like many Bowie albums, it's fun for the ideas most of the time and the execution only half the time. Better Iggy/Stooges albums exist.
Thu Apr 08 2021
5
Pure raw punk
Mon May 09 2022
5
Me and my friends couldn't find jobs one summer and so instead we'd get together each day and drink Miller High Life. We'd usually start the day around noon seeking sustenance, either cooking a big batch a scrambled eggs, or going to Burger King because they had a special on Whoppers: two for $2.22. Most nights we'd get to the point where we'd throw Iggy's mix of this album on a boombox and beat the shit out of each other Fight Club style. "Search and Destroy" was a particular favorite. This is rock and roll in its most potent form. For all it's snarling menace and brutality, it doesn't lack subtlety though, which is probably due to Bowie's careful production. He was able to refine their energy without overcooking it. Raw Power indeed.
Sat Mar 18 2023
5
In my opinion one of the top 10 albums of all times. With Ron and Scott destroying the rhythm section. James Williamson playing leads that have yet to be defined, and Iggy meaning every lyric he sings. Who cares about the mix, the concept comes through loud and clear on every cut.
Mon Apr 03 2023
5
Contains some of the worst lyrics commited to vinyl and is in desperate need of a re-mastering but I do not give af. This is a thrilling, exciting masterpiece. Raw Power indeed
Fri Apr 07 2023
5
I wonder what all those stuffed shirts with their panties in a bunch over Elvis’ hip gyrations would think of this sleazy, visceral, menacing record. Proudly deformed, crude, violent, or should I say raw? More musically sophisticated than their previous efforts, but no less forceful as a result. Play it fucking loud. Standout Tracks: Search and Destroy, Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell, Raw Power
Tue Jan 19 2021
5
Lots of loud instrumentals and vocals in a good way! This immediately reminded me of my husband, who would probably think I'm pretty cool for listening to this album. Liking it a lot and I find Iggy's androgynous style very sexy. I love the subtle use of keyboard and xylophone type instruments.
Fri Feb 12 2021
5
Best tracks: Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell, Shake Appeal, Raw Power
Fri Sep 10 2021
5
This album is a full-on assault on the listener. Those who have seen Iggy live can confirm that the energy in his concerts is even higher than this assault. I guess giving 100%+ at all times is the only way you can be confident that someone will break your fall when you leap off the stage. I quite like the guitar. It sounds like the same guitar Keith Richards played then. When "I Need Somebody" started I laughed my head off. I couldn't believe these guys would have a ballad in their repertoire. I guess Iggy needs one or two ballads to get let his heart rate recover to 170 during his live shows. Yeah it's noise, yeah it's loud, yeah I have no clue what the lyrics are and yeah I love it!
Tue Nov 23 2021
5
Search and Destroy is one of my favorite songs of all time. It’s a perfect composition of genius lyrics (I’m a street walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm!), manic paced punk rock with some actual guitar chops, and the greatest Iggy delivery ever recorded - all growl and howl. Also, there are the other songs which are good.
Mon Mar 13 2023
5
"Raw Power" is the third studio album from American rock band The Stooges. The album was a change from their two previous albums going into more hard rock with new guitarist James Williamson who co-wrote the songs with vocalist Iggy Pop. The Stooges had previously disbanded due to lack of commercial success and drug and alcohol issues. Iggy wentbto London to record a solo album with Williamson, they added former Stooges Ron and Scott Asheton as the rhythm section and reformed as Iggy and The Stooges. There's a lot on the mixing and remastering of this album with Iggy mixing the first and later versions and David Bowie mixing the second version. I listened to the remastered Iggy mix. This album was very influential and is known as a fore-runner for punk rock. "I'm a street walkin' cheetah with a heart full of napalm" and we rocket off with "Search and Destroy." It's fast. It's got a 60's guitar sound played with a controlled chaos. The title taken from articles written on the Vietnam War. "Gimme Danger" is more melodic with an acoustic guitar. Actually evil sounding. Iggy screaming. He wants a dangerous girl. "Penetration" has classic heavy metal guitar. Hello Black Sabbath. It's got a groove. It's pyschedelic; you can hear Iggy playing the celesta. No need to go deeper into the meaning...OK, didn't need to say it that way. The Stooges didn't forget their garage rock roots in "Raw Power." A piano added. Iggy doing his thing. The album ends with an appropriate loud song in "Death Trip." This is essentially a song-long searing guitar solo with the underlying rhythm guitar and rhythm section. Iggy is howling. "Baby, come along on my death trip." This album is dirty and bad-ass. I'm being totally cliche here but Iggy and the band sound like they were unleashed from a cage. Relentless at time. Williamson 's guitar is absolutely fantastic. A sound that you would here over the next few decades. This album influences are far and wide: Sex Pistols, Johnny Marr, Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Black Flag and many more. An album everyone needs to listen to.
Wed Apr 05 2023
5
this is one of the greatest albums of all time. top 20
Mon Apr 10 2023
5
Absolute banger of an album and really showed me some of the origins of bands I’ve liked throughout the years. The influence of the stooges is wider than I had thought. It also helped I listened to this album while driving around Southern California in a truck with the windows down. Felt like I was in Lords of Dogtown :))))
Sun Apr 23 2023
5
C’est vra8ment du raw power. J’adore ca. 5
Mon May 01 2023
5
Never heard anything by The Stooges before, but this album rocks.
Sat May 06 2023
5
Great
Wed Jun 01 2022
4
Raw and dirty, like pissing in an open wound.
Wed Mar 15 2023
4
Raw Power is an apt name for this. Great stuff. The guitarist has some fantastic licks. It's unfortunate he never really did anything else on guitar.
Thu Apr 13 2023
4
- First time listening to a Stooges album - Thought I would like it, lived up to expectations - Massively influential album - Fav songs: Gimme Danger, Raw Power, Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell
Tue May 23 2023
4
This is kind of a weird album because people are highly split on what the definitive version of the album is. It's a real testament to the genius of this album that it could be so influential and fully deserving of its place on this list despite the fact that it...doesn't sound very good. I listened to the 1997 Iggy remix of this album, since the original version of the album sounds too thin for me. The Iggy version also has its problems, but I feel like it's closer to what they were going for than the original. It's also a great reminder of why you probably shouldn't put a spiraling heroine addict in charge of recording your album. Regardless, this is a titanic album in the history of rock. The Stooges represent this incredibly clear bridge between 70s rock and punk rock as well as having an influence on heavy metal. I prefer the two earlier Stooges albums to this one, but this album had an incalculable influence on so many pioneering rock musicians from the 70s, 80s, and 90s that it needed to be on this list. The podcast No Dogs in Space has a 5 part series on The Stooges that I would highly recommend if you find this album interesting 4/5
Sun May 28 2023
4
Iggys mix is the definitive way to hear it. Made me realize how inspired music has been by the stooges. Good fucken album.
Mon May 29 2023
4
This is the birth of punk
Fri Jun 16 2023
4
Energy and ability. Definitely the spirit of punk.
Tue Jun 13 2023
3
I liked this more than I was expecting to.
Thu May 13 2021
5
What else is there to say about Raw Power except that it’s fucking awesome?
Wed Dec 09 2020
5
Iggy Pop and the Stooges are awesome. This album just cements that. Favorite tracks: "Search and Destroy", "I Need Somebody"
Tue Mar 16 2021
5
Big fan
Thu Jun 24 2021
5
Proto punk, hard rock classic. Search and Destroy is practically a perfect rock song. 9-10/10
Wed Jun 02 2021
5
Such a great album. Shake Appeal is one of my favorite songs!
Tue May 25 2021
5
5. aus Prinzip und weil er geholfen hat, die 60er zu beenden
Mon Jan 18 2021
5
guay
Tue Apr 13 2021
5
Uno de los discos que más me han emocionado y divertido en esta lista. Todo muy disfrutable, pero la que más me prendió fue Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell. Mood: si fuera música para hacer el aseo, termino rompiendo todos mis muebles.
Tue Apr 13 2021
5
Acabo de comprar a precio de ganga la edición que tiene la mezcla de Bowie y otro disco con el mix de Iggy. La mezcla de Bowie es la que escuchó todo mundo, la que ayudó a crear el template para el punk y, yo diría, el hard rock de los 80 (hair metal incluido). El segundo mix, el de Iggy, es una obra de arte. Un tratado sobre el ruido y como ocupar todas las frecuencias posibles del oído humano con guitarras. Cuando lo escuché hasta risa nerviosa me dio. Que ganas de tener 25 y querer morir y escuchar esto en las madrugadas.
Tue Mar 02 2021
5
Pompa come non mai! Evitare di ascoltare il mix a ricchione di David Bowie della Legacy edition.
Tue May 18 2021
5
A more polished Stooges
Fri May 28 2021
5
So good
Mon Aug 02 2021
5
Love this
Thu Aug 26 2021
5
Absolutely raw and powerful. Punk at its best.
Fri Sep 10 2021
5
Search And Destroy’s “I’m a streetwalking cheetah with a hide full of napalm, I’m a runaway son of a nuclear A-bomb” may be the best opening couplet of any first track from the 70's. I love every song on this record and consider it one of the most influential albums of my youth. It should have sold a trillion copies...
Fri Sep 17 2021
5
Not a huge fan, to be honest
Wed Sep 29 2021
5
primitive and ferocious, muddy and brutal - a great album
Thu Sep 30 2021
5
Fantastic album. Raw Power is the perfect description. Punk with talent. Amazing.
Sat Oct 16 2021
5
I don't even really need to relisten to this one, But I've done it because it's fucking worth listening to. Man I love this album. And they linked to the Iggy pop version. Which I like the most, they fucked the recording of this shit up. They recorded everything at one time so it's so hard to balance. So on one end you have the David Bowie mix, which he tries to make something pretty decent without but it really does lose that gross raw and gritty sound that Iggy pops. Which Iggy just slid everything to the top and called it a day. Which is why I think this albums needs to be listened to loud. So for the big speakers it's always the Iggy pop, if I'm using some nice headphones then the Bowie mix. Albums good, The stooges slap. It's always worth the time. Highly recommend.
Mon Oct 25 2021
5
Brilliant, just brilliant. The opening line of the first song wins stars and that's before you even get into the totally in your face production, or the awesome collection of songs on here.
Sat Nov 06 2021
5
Been playing the Iggy mix for years, never heard the Bowie mix until now. The Iggy mix pips it for me, just gels with the sleazy, dangerous vibe of the songs a bit more for me.
Wed Nov 24 2021
5
Two Iggy albums in my first 15! And both 5 stars for me. Raw Power grabs you by the ears from the first song and never lets go.
Wed Nov 24 2021
5
Love this album. Already owned it.
Sat Nov 27 2021
5
Easily one of my favorite albums of all time every single song rules I would love to have seen them live during this time period. Funhouse is also a masterpiece and a classic. 5/5
Tue Nov 30 2021
5
loved every second of it
Tue Dec 07 2021
5
A weird, spidery album that delves further into the late-night freakiness that Lou Reed initially tapped. Love it.
Thu Jan 13 2022
5
What you've done wrong here lads is that you've written an album called Raw Power and not a single song is about SHACK. Massive oversight.
Thu Jan 13 2022
5
Look at him though. He doesn't have any raw power. Absolute weakling. Pussy.
Tue Jan 25 2022
5
Has never been surpassed, all guitar bands since is copyists
Thu Jan 27 2022
5
Instantly loved this and it didn't let up until the end.
Fri Feb 18 2022
5
Seldom an album title was so appropriate. This is raw and powerful start to finish, and it's loud AF; Even if you tried to lower the volume (although I see no reason to do such a thing) it still sounds loud, especially in the Iggy Pop mix. It was also ahead of its time, in the sense that almost none of the proto-punk albums showcase a fully formed punk sound as Raw Power does. For me, an absolute keeper.
Sat Feb 26 2022
5
It is so badass and thats that
Fri Mar 04 2022
5
I wasn't expecting this - it's brilliant! The title track owes a lot to white light/white heat, but wow! If you're in the mood for energy, the album title is about as descriptive as it gets. Iggy's bonkers but I love it. Compare this to yesterday's terrible Minor Threat album, why are they both on the list? The guitar is sensational throughout, way ahead of its time and very obviously influential. Why isn't James Williamson better known? This blows any punk album out of the water - and they got there first. Amazing. Note: play the Iggy 'violent' mix- Bowie's earlier mix sounds muffled and though still great, the Iggy mix is much rawer and more powerful.
Sat Mar 12 2022
5
Punk-rock de Iggy Pop. Vinilo.
Mon Mar 21 2022
5
Yup. been thur done dat
Tue Mar 22 2022
5
I have a soft spot for artists from my home state of Michigan (not including Kid Rock or Ted Nugent haha), and especially those from Ann Arbor, which I've called home for the last 30 years. I also have a soft spot for early punk/proto-punk innovators, so how could I not love James Osterberg, aka Iggy Pop? As the title says, this album is raw and powerful. If I were to just base my rating on my enjoyment of this album I would probably give it 4 stars - I love it but I'm a bigger fan of acts like The Replacements, who were able to duplicate the raw/rough-around-the-edges approach but also added some more hooks and more insightful lyrics. However, when I also consider how influential the Stooges and this album were on all the great punk/alternative music that followed I have to go with 5 stars.
Thu Mar 24 2022
5
Brilliant. This along with Kill City are my favorite Stooges albums.
Tue Nov 23 2021
5
Search and Destroy get's it a 5 star. I think Fun house is bit more edgy and raw. It boggles my mind all the time what these guys were doing in the late 60/early 70's.
Tue Apr 12 2022
5
Truly raw.
Sat May 07 2022
5
i swear to god this is one my favroite 70s album 5/5
Mon May 09 2022
5
I think I prefer the Iggy Pop Mixes over Bowie, at least on Spotify. For an album called Raw Power, having it heavily clipped thematically just makes it feel more appropriate to the material in my opinion, but maybe with a good setup the dynamics of the Bowie mix are better, but there is some major ducking on Search and Destroy that is distracting. Regardless, the album is as advertised. Search and Destroy and Gimme Danger are awesome. The album just makes me wanna fuck shit up, destroy a park, drink a ton, and... you get the idea. I can see how influential this album was for punk for sure. Probably a 4 overall in listening enjoyment since the later tracks fall off a bit, but a 5 for importance.
Mon May 09 2022
5
Raw Power is right, holy shit. A diesel engine. I know this is an intense thing to say, but this sound is so damn good, it's almost like, how can anyone hope to top it?
Wed May 18 2022
5
As relevant and raw as it always was.
Thu May 19 2022
5
Love it
Tue May 24 2022
5
An all time fave.
Fri Jul 01 2022
5
Najviše punk od prva tri stoogesa. Pogotovo u ovom iggyevon agresivnom miksu.
Fri Jul 08 2022
5
This week has been intense - great album after great album - I cannot keep up. Another of my all time favourites - blisteringly violent, sexy, cool, with Iggy's infinite swagger, and the Stooges' perfect magic in a bottle proto-punk. I don't think the essence of this record can ever be replicated by anyone except alas the original members together in the same room. All three original Stooges albums are perfection personified.
Sun Jul 31 2022
5
Iggy Pop was the best unrestrained junkie frontman ever. This album is so unhinged for its time. "Raw Power" is an anthem. Standout tracks for me are "Penetration" and "Death Trip".
Tue Aug 02 2022
5
The boys from Ann Arbor showing us that they know how to ROCK. No complaints, no fat. Just good fucking jams.
Wed Aug 03 2022
5
I listened to the 1997 Iggy Pop remix and the Bowie mix. The Bowie mix certainly hides how loose some of the performances are but the Pop mix is the superior mix. As for the album, appropriately named and exciting to listen to. Worth the time of any guitar rock lover.
Fri Aug 05 2022
5
This hits every note. A Classic
Fri Aug 12 2022
5
Raw Power is the perfect title for this aggressive, bullish and frankly excellent piece of glam rock meets punk. Loud, brash and on the verge of some sort of breakdown.
Mon Sep 05 2022
5
Iggy is a legend. Love this sound
Tue Sep 06 2022
5
Very rae
Sat Sep 17 2022
5
Fire
Sun Sep 18 2022
5
I love this album. Just a great rock album. Some of the best songs The Stooges/Iggy would ever put out. Dirty, primal energy in spades.
Mon Sep 19 2022
5
the name is very appropriate, raw, sexy
Thu Sep 22 2022
5
Does exactly what it says on the tin. Best Tracks: Search and Destroy; Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell; Raw Power
Tue Oct 04 2022
5
Solid damn proto pu k with a mean damn edge to it.
Tue Oct 04 2022
5
The album title says it all.
Thu Oct 06 2022
5
Fajne
Wed Oct 12 2022
5
Kurt Cobain's favourite album. In my top 50. 5/5.
Tue Oct 25 2022
5
sonzao
Tue Nov 01 2022
5
Aptly named!
Wed Nov 02 2022
5
I'm a bit late putting my review in today, so I did something I don't normally do, and had a squizz at what other members of my group had already said. I confess, I had expected Shawn would be thinking "what is it this week with all of these noisy records? Does nobody know how to play their instruments properly any more? This is not to my taste". How wrong I was! He dug it, and I feel chastised for my lack of faith. I love the Stooges. "I wanna be your dog" was probably the cover my old band played more than any other. Our attitude and stagecraft had a fair amount of Stooges in it (not to the point of cutting ourselves with broken glass and smearing our chests with peanut butter, but there were quite a few on-stage fist fights, and lost of getting into altercations with the audience). This album is classic, classic Stooges, and, probably has some of the best written songs in their oeuvre. The attitude is fast and loose, and they are rocking out fiercely, but there are proper songs in there under the sneer and fuzz. Search and Destroy, Gimme Danger, and Shake Appeal are probably my favourite tracks. Love this record. Man, I should go play it again, really loud, right now!
Wed Nov 02 2022
5
I really did not discover this record until the late 70’s, when punk exploded on the scene. It was then I fell in love with the first 3 Stooges albums, particularly this one. Read Danny Sugarman’s Wonderland Avenue to find out what a crazy bastard Iggy was in the late 60’s/early 70’s. No doubt Bowie’s remixing and James Williamson’s addition to the band played a big part in the beauty of this record. The Vietnam war was still raging & Search & Destroy is as good an opening track as you would hear in 1973. And, except for the more subdued pace of I Need Somebody, it’s full steam ahead for the rest of the record. Gimme Danger, Search & Destroy & the title track are highlights for me. My favourite Stooges.
Sat Nov 05 2022
5
Possibly the best punk record of all time. Every song is so direct, powerful and ridiculously catchy, with really interesting and sometimes eerie background instrumentation giving some additional spice
Sat Nov 05 2022
5
Top notch - not heard this before but it sounded nostalgic
Thu Nov 10 2022
5
What an energy. What a raw power. What great riffs. What an absolute legendary album.
Thu Nov 24 2022
5
Raw Power not only marks the beginning of David Bowie and Iggy Pop’s incredibly fruitful collaborations, but a more streamlined and powerful vision for the Stooges. Each song hits with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, all crunchy guitars and nasty attitude-just as the purest punk should be.