Raw Power

Final week of the S bands and going out with some diverse albums this week. Starting and ending the week on a Punk note, so lets get things started with some Iggy & The Stooges. Led by the wild man Iggy Pop, The Stooges along with the MC5 helped shape the early Punk scene in Michigan. The band formed in 67 and released a few albums before they broke up in 74. Each of their albums stands on its own, but for my money the classic is 'Raw Power'. The album produced by Pop and David Bowie, who at the time was riding high on his Ziggy Stardust persona, crafted the influential album. Many musicians is several genres have hailed this album as their favorite, not to mention the countless covers of tracks like 'Search And Destroy' and 'Gimmie Danger'. Despite a weak initial response, the album over the years has grown into a classic. The Stooges broke up shortly after the albums release. Pop went into rehab for a bit before coming out as a solo artist. The Stooges have since reformed and continue to tour. This album though remains the highlight of The Stooges career.

Iggy Pop remains one of the great frontman in music, hands down. The man practically invented stage diving and the art of cutting yourself on stage. The man puts so much energy into the music and live show it's crazy. There's a story that Henry Rollins has told about trying to outdo Iggy on stage and how it can't be done. That right there speaks volume. The live show should be the place where everything comes together. You want people to leave with no voice, covered in sweat and the best memory of a live show ever. Sadly it doesn't always happen that way. Of course you can't control certain things, but nevertheless if you're not up there giving it your all, my thought is you shouldn't be up there at all. There's not many people that can control a stage like Iggy can, even at his age now he can still do it.

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