The Death of Language: Power Pop- Iggy's Search And Destroy Mission

Raw Power and Funhouse, kids. Them's the names. The Stooges, those tough, hard-rockin' freaks fronted by crazed rock icon Iggy Pop, were fortunate enough to do two classic albums. Funhouse in 1970, Raw Power three years later.

Let's talk turkey here. Back in 70, the Stooges already had a rep as wild dudes. They had one album of John-Cale produced proto-punk, the brilliantly stupid "The Stooges". That's the one with "I Wanna Be Your Dog" on it for all you indie kids who've heard it covered a thousand times. Iggy was a consummate front man. He had it all- a fake name, a penchant for self-mutilation, and he popularized stage-diving and audience-baiting. He embodied the punk spirit before punk truly came around.

While the Stooges were a brilliantly dumb band, mired in adolescent posturing and simplistic rock, they were also pretty smart in weird ways. Their talent for the apropos riff, the perfect vocal sting, the anthemic but sleazy sex song, was undeniable, and Ron Asheton's basic guitar style was no bar to his experimental spirit. His solos ripped and roared with abandon, no regard for technique or logic, just feeling. It was on Funhouse that these things really came together.

These are still twisted anthems of the street played with an animal at the fore barking madly. But Funhouse loses the sludge and trudges further into psychedelic swaths of noise. Dave Alexander provides tasty bass licks as Ron Asheton digs into the ether and summons forth guitar bliss. Scott Asheton pounds away primitively and with abandon. Through everything, Iggy howls and coos, screams and wails, marshalling all the charisma and energy you can squeeze from a human form. Perfect example? Sure. 1970, go.

Steve MacKay provides some searing sax work. Check the kickass bass too. No wonder Mission of Burma covered it. It rocks hard.

But what of Raw Power? What of it?

Only one of the most pissed-off, destructive, violent, and loud rock albums ever.

By '73, the Stooges were pretty much done for, destroyed by drugs. David Bowie told his management team to give Iggy one more chance. Iggy got James Williamson to play guitar, and Ron and Scott Asheton rejoined the Stooges. Ron was pushed onto bass.

David Bowie's original mix of Raw Power, which I haven't heard for some time, is reputed to be pretty muddy. Iggy remixed the album himself in 1997. The remix is extremely distorted, loud, and violent, completely in the red and in your face.

I quite like the remix myself. The apocalyptic screeches and howls emanating from Iggy cannot be ignored. James Williamson plays a mean, supremely loud lead guitar. For my money, Raw Power is better than Funhouse simply because the guitar playing is less basic. Ron Asheton, the pissed-off guitarist who got pushed onto bass, is practically in a frenzy, really brings energy to the low end. On this record, even the ballads sound evil and pissed off. Ladies and gentlemen, "Gimme Danger".