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This 1997 reissue of RAW POWER was digitally remixed by Iggy Pop, Danny Kadar, and Bruce Dickinson. Pop had long complained about David Bowie's mix of the original LP.
The booklet contains an interview with Iggy Pop conducted and edited by Arthur Levy.
Iggy & The Stooges/The Stooges: Iggy Pop; Ron Asheton (bass instrument); James Williamson, Scott Asheton.
Personnel: Iggy Pop (vocals); James Williamson, Ron Asheton (vocals, guitar); Scott Asheton (drums).
Audio Mixers: Iggy Pop; Danny Kadar ; David Bowie.
Liner Note Author: Arthur Levy .
Recording information: CBS Studios, London, England.
Photographer: Mick Rock .
Historical revisionism has been part of rock & roll every since folks started writing about it with a modicum of serious intent, and part of the fun is it hardly remains static with the passage of time. After Iggy & the Stooges' manic swan song Raw Power was released in 1973, Iggy Pop was known to complain that David Bowie's mix neutered the ferocity of the original recordings. In time it became conventional wisdom that Bowie's mix spoiled a potential masterpiece, so much so that in 1997, when Columbia made plans to issue a new edition of Raw Power, they brought in Iggy to remix the original tapes and (at least in theory) give us the "real" version we'd been denied all these years. Then the world heard Iggy's painfully harsh and distorted version of Raw Power, and suddenly Bowie's tamer but more dynamic mix didn't sound so bad, after all. Now the whole saga comes full circle as Columbia releases a two-disc "Legacy Edition" of Raw Power that features Bowie's original mix in remastered form, along with a bonus disc of studio outtakes and an October 1973 Stooges show recorded in Atlanta for possible radio broadcast (then as now, radio wasn't ready for Iggy's between-song banter or tunes like "Cock in My Pocket"). The remastered version of the Bowie mix boosts the bass that was all but absent in the original LP version just a bit, and the fidelity is inarguably superior to the long-gone CD version of Raw Power's original mix, but ultimately it seems that the definitive version of Raw Power lies between these two extremes. Bowie's mix allows a greater appreciation of what the band is doing and better favors Iggy's vocals, but sometimes it sounds too polite, while the Iggy mix boasts a tougher guitar sound and more bass but pushes everything so far into the red that listening to the thing is tiring (though curiously, the album's quietest song, "Gimme Danger," is the one that gains the most in Iggy's mix). Ultimately, Bowie's original mix works better, but the remastered version doesn't do much to correct its flaws. As for the live material, this is the strongest and best-sounding recording that's emerged to date of the James Williamson-era Stooges on-stage, but since most of the live tapes that have appeared fall somewhere between fair and miserable, that only says so much. When the Stooges hit fourth gear in the second half of this gig, they sound very impressive, but there are some serious technical glitches early on -- the mix tends to favor Scott Thurston's piano over Williamson's guitar, and it takes a few songs for the players to really lock in and focus, so if you're hoping to finally hear a decent-sounding and truly flame-throwing Stooges show on CD, you're going to have to wait. And even though Raw Power outtakes like "I Got a Right," "Gimme Some Skin," and "I'm Sick of You" have been circulating for years, for some reason they don't appear on this set; instead, we get the little-heard African pastiche "Doojiman" and a rehearsal tape of "Head On," and while both are fine stuff, there's a lot more to the Raw Power story than this. The Legacy Edition of Raw Power honors this great album better than the Iggy Pop remix that's been its only digital representation since 1997, but the extras included here fall short of making this the definitive release of the James Williamson-era Stooges bloodied but unbowed trRolling Stone (p.102) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "Iggy Pop delivers these desperate anthems as if he's lived every self-mythologizing line."
Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.126) - Ranked #125 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "[A] proto-punk-rock classic..."
Rolling Stone (6/12/97, p.114) - "...gleams with new menace and foreboding. Bulking up the rhythm section and nudging the guitar noise past the pain threshold, Iggy's remix creates a fresh context for his mad-dog act....a gloomy spell that's both complex and compelling."
Rolling Stone (5/10/73) - "...the Stooges return with a vengeance, exhibiting all the ferocity that characterized them at their livid best..."
Spin (p.92) - "[E]ven the two 'ballads' are full of menacing swagger."
Entertainment Weekly (4/4/97, p.82) - "...In past pressings, the guitars were too loud, the drums buried. The remix, supervised by Iggy Pop himself, is as collar grabbing as the Stooges' skin-scratching rage itself..." - Rating: A
Q (1/03, p.64) - Included in Q Magazine's "100 Greatest Albums Ever"
Q (8/94, p.126) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...The Stooges were the acme of nihilism....[RAW POWER was] the best Stooges album and arguably the musical and philosophical catalyst for the punk movement....Destined to remain horribly influential..."
Q (5/97, p.136) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "a fantastically crude and powerful rock 'n' roll document and probably long overdue the re-mastering make-over that Pop himself has now given it....it's beefed up and more contemporary- sounding but retains its murky, lo-fi thrill."
Musician (7/97, p.86) - "...I've been playing along with this barre-chord extravaganza for aerobic exercise, as will all aspiring and/or nostalgic punks..."
Mojo (Publisher) (3/03, p.76) - Ranked #8 in Mojo's "Top 50 Punk Albums" - "...Iggy's uncelebrated '90s remix reinstates the intended muscle. Invest today!..."
Paste (magazine) (p.91) - "[They] sounded great even at the height of dysfunction....[RAW POWER is] The Stooges' greatest work..."
The Stooges - Raw Power Songs
| 1 | Search and Destroy
Iggy, Stooges | 3:28 | $0.99 | |
| 2 | Gimme Danger
Iggy, Stooges | 3:33 | $0.99 | |
| 3 | Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell
Iggy, Stooges | 4:54 | $0.99 | |
| 4 | Penetration
Iggy, Stooges | 3:41 | $0.99 | |
| 5 | Raw Power
Iggy, Stooges | 4:16 | $0.99 | |
| 6 | I Need Somebody
Iggy, Stooges | 4:52 | $0.99 | |
| 7 | Shake Appeal
Iggy, Stooges | 3:04 | $0.99 | |
| 8 | Death Trip
Iggy, Stooges | 6:07 | $0.99 | |
Raw Power Music Review
Average Rating: (4.7 out of 5 stars)    List All 15 Reviews What a RECORD! From a great band.
I don't know exactly why I've made this my favorite all times record. I'm in love with the whole soundtrack, specially Death Trip, my favorite rock song. Shake Appeal is so shakeable and popy enjoyable and stil rocks! Search and Destroy is a familiar anthem with great lyrics.
FIVE OF FIVE record with no doubt.
Submitted by ery_kx (Culiacán, Sin. MEX)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
You need this album
This album will put all other rock albums into perspective, in my opinion it was the greatest rock album ever made. I don't even have words for how much energy this album emits, James Williamson, where are you? The original mix on the original LP is a little less wild sounding than the remix, but is also great as the kick drum and bass guitar are much louder while the remix is the rudest sound ever put on a CD and sounds like it will burn out your speakers. This was by far the best Stooges album and makes the other studio albums sound tame in comparison although they are all great. I have both versions of Raw Power, both are great and and I love both.
Submitted by Bob (Millbury, MA, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No ROCK N' ROLL!
Pure angry brilliance is the only way to describe it! Rock On!
Submitted by Russell (Joshua, TX, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No The definitive sound of Detroit......
Much has been said of " Raw Power", but there was not any group operating at this level of intensity in 1972. It is pointless comparing the first two sonic forays because each album is great in its' own right. The album's structure is more conventional, but the music is sheer "eye of the hurricane" excitement. The paradox of The Stooges is that the sentiments expressed are clearly doom laden, but the tracks are so ALIVE, it sounds like the band are playing out of their skins. The remix is astounding,such aural brutality could have never captured the market place in 1973. Beg,borrow or steal, this was Kurt Cobain's favourite album of all time...
Submitted by Rob J (Hertfordshire, England)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No This is rock n roll
This album will rock your socks off like no other. Iggy's singing style in this is one of a kind. Went on to influence many. My favorite is probably penetration. He sounds so seductively sinister. If I could only have seen them live back then.
Submitted by Chris (Phoenix, AZ)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No List All Reviews | Have you heard this album? |  |
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