Though the Stooges were on the verge of breaking up at the time RAW POWER was recorded, it still comes across as (arguably) their most focused and powerful release. Former guitarist Ron Ashton was moved to bass and replaced by James Williamson, whose precise, razory playing makes RAW POWER the Stooges' most guitar-driven album. Scott Ashton drums up a storm, and Iggy yowls, yelps, drawls, and croons with a sense of menace that is both exhilarating and frightening. Though the album retains the reckless urgency and noise-happy chaos that defined FUN HOUSE, it strips away the swampy murk of that album with its trebly, metallic production.
The songs work sexy, primal grooves ("I Need Somebody"), hopped-up boogie ("Shake Appeal"), reworked, adrenaline-pumped early rock & roll (the title track), and creeping, whisper-fueled come-ons ("Penetration"). The album's two best tracks, the spastic, take-no-prisoners danger anthem "Search and Destroy, " and the minor key, Doors-influenced "Gimme Danger" bristle with energy and the kind of sleazy, libidinous glamour that keep the true heart of rock thudding furiously. Aptly named, RAW POWER was the Stooges' third and final album, putting the cap on their small but hugely influential discography. A rock essential.
- Format: Vinyl
- Genre: Rock, Punk
- Remember, for our lowest prices, always order directly from our official JocoRecords website!
Track Listing:
Remastered Original 1973 David Bowie Mix
A1 Search And Destroy
A2 Gimme Danger
A3 Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell (Originally Titled "Hard To Beat")
A4 Penetration
B1 Raw Power
B2 I Need Somebody
B3 Shake Appeal
B4 Death Trip
Remastered 1997 Iggy Pop Mix
C1 Search And Destroy
C2 Gimme Danger
C3 Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell (Originally Titled "Hard To Beat")
C4 Penetration
D1 Raw Power
D2 I Need Somebody
D3 Shake Appeal
D4 Death Trip
