For Week Ending:
10 June 2023

Iggy And The Stooges - Raw Power (1973)

[Punk]

Like him or not, no one can deny Iggy Pop is a legend of the music industry. This album is one of the reasons why. It was pretty much Iggy with a hired backing band at this point as the original Stooges had parted ways, and the man was out to make a statement. Raw Power is aggressive proto-punk with all the hallmarks of the style long before the Sex Pistols or even Ramones. The production is terrible (produced by David Bowie, who stated he was given a twenty-four track tape with everything recorded on only two of the tracks), the overblown mix red-lines its way through the 8 powerhouses, rarely giving the listener a moment to take a breath. 'Search And Destroy' opens, and is a letter of intent to the listener, warning them to stay low or be pummelled - and although the album immediately changes gears with the acoustic driven 'Gimme Danger', the aggressive mix still makes this a moment of nervous energy and explosive power. Side B opens with the title track, and it is every bit as brain shaking as side A. Everything about this album was ahead of its time, and it isn't hard to hear why so many list it as an influence - even if you will likely be deaf after only a couple of listens. One thing of note, if you do find the mix challenging - check out the remix made in 1997 (apparently from the actual multitrack masters). It does a good job of keeping the urgency of the music, whilst removing the treble heavy toxic noise of the original.

Suicidal Tendencies - The Art Of Rebellion (1992)

[Thrash Metal (Crossover)]

''Down my stomach. Here come Banana''. Track 3 opener. Take note of the razor guitar sound, before the bass line kicks in (credit to the great Rob Trujillo who plays bass on the album) and off the song goes. Now what you will notice is 'Cyco' Mike trying to sing a melody. A what?? I'm a huge fan of the likes of 1987 release 'Join The Army' - 'Possessed To Skate' being legendary and picked up by any self-respecting Red Bull skating promotion. But this release is very different. Is that a good thing? The response is mixed. It is often referenced as their 'experimental' record. However 5 records in (over 7 years, mind you) they've decided to make a change to the punk/metal fusion saturated songs and put together a mature set of songs that do still offer the punk side of them ('Capt'n Stupid', 'Which Way To Free'), but some very mature songs such as 'Monopoly On Sorrow' and 'I Hate You Better'. Funnily enough they quickly returned to their punk roots which I don't mind with 'Freedumb' in 1999 being a classic (for another review perhaps).