I could and almost did start this review by stating the obvious. This is
what rock and roll should sound like. We have 4 marginally talented
musicians (@ that time anyway) playing with tremendous heart and creative
desire. This along with the debut was the prototype for every punk record
ever. Hell, some punk bands made whole careers just rewriting one of these
songs over and over again. This is what separates Iggy from punk. Iggy
wanted to make rock and roll records and it came out Iggy. Punk bands wanted to make Iggy records and they came out punk.

People still argue over whether or not the Stooges Fun House was an influential album for the punk genre. Some people think it's just a regular hard rock album with lots of high energy, while others really believe it paved the way for punk in just a few years. I honestly fall into the second category- there was nothing like this in 1970. This is some of the craziest rock/punk music I've ever heard.

Throwing in saxophone jams at the end of the album was a nice added touch. Of course people shouldn't be surprised to hear saxophone jams on a punk-sounding album because the early 70's rock scene always offered unpredictable moments of brilliance with instrumental variety. It's basically one exciting intense, energetic track after another. This album doesn't really let up at all. I guess "Dirt" (a powerful mellow drug trip type atmospheric song) and "1970" (with a really energetic and catchy guitar riff) would be my favorite songs, though it's really hard to say. I also love "T.V. Eye" a lot, because it sounds WAY ahead of its time in terms of sheer brutal heaviness.

True story- while in 10th grade, my dad took a walk through a forest and found an old abandoned car just sitting in the woods. He opened the door and guess what was laying on the floor? Yup, the Stooges Fun House. It was in terrible condition with scratches all over it, and definitely the CD in my collection in the very worst condition, but guess what? It plays perfectly fine in my Playstation and my DVD player. Awesome! For my dad to find such a wonderful album by pure luck makes me believe everything happens for a reason.

Fun House is a burned-down, beaten-up, drug-crazed slab of rock `n' roll apocalypse. It's a red-hot primal scream of an album, a tangled mass of mutilated blues and bloodstained proto punk. It's the discordant siren's song of four teenagers channeling a lifetime's worth of rage, frustration, and bitterness. Fun House is the cathartic howl of a group that's grown up on nothing but booze, unmarked-pills, bottomless lust, and self-denial. And really, isn't that what rock `n' roll is all about?

Basically, the Stooges second album is a masterpiece of raw, nerve-rattling rock. The record brims with grit and attitude, thanks to Ron Ashton's hotwired blues-punk guitar riffs and Iggy Stooge's cruel, insane, and explosive vocals. The group fuses blues, rock, and even free jazz (they were admitted fan of John Coltrane and Sun Ra) to create a collection of uncompromising, expressive songs. Iggy's lyrics deal with addiction, obsession, sexual frustration, and paranoia with a weirdly poetic flair, and the album's back-to-basics production gives it the immediacy and intimacy of a concert.

The songs really speak for themselves: "T.V. Eye" boasts some hypnotic rhythms, a spine-shredding guitar riff, and some mantra-like vocals, while "Dirt" is a heavy, apocalyptic monster. The title track is barn-burning jam session with a vocal performance that's both violent and sexual, while "1970" features some jackhammering guitar chords and a lyrical nod to Chuck Berry. "Down On The Street" is a head slamming bit of tight-wired blues-rock, and "Loose" is a roaring sex anthem. Sealing the package is "L.A. Blues," a white-noise jam that is nothing less than pure sonic anarchy. Brilliant! Get this album if you wanna rock.

I know this for a fact because Jack White and Anthony Bourdain both said so......who's going to argue with them????

Iggy And The Stooges-Fun House ****


Fun House was the second Stooges album. Released in 1970 Fun House along with The Stooges two other albums Raw Power and the self titled The Stooges became what is now known as proto-punk. The stooges were the precursor to punk. But what is interesting about that is the band had the punk attitude but their music was sometimes lengthy and often contained horns, and jazzy time signatures, all of which are not in the punk genre usually. But that in itself is what makes it punk because The Stooges did what they wanted weather it was acceptable or not.

Iggy Pop, Dave Alexander, Steven Mackay, Sott and Ron Asheton are at the top of their game here. While this was Steven Mackays last album with the band he sure went out with a bang. Mackay wasnt an official member of the band really but he was always listed on the album up until Raw Power. But anyways the band was nothing less then amazing here.

On the bands debut, The Stooges, they had a song called '1969' which went on to become a classic, well here they have '1970' which while not as good as 69, is an excellent song and what do you know it also went on to become a classic. 'Down On The Street' which opens the album and does so brilliantly. It's a hard rocker with lots of energy and great guitar. 'Loose' is a lot like 'penatrate' from Raw Power. The titled refects the feel of the sound of the album. The song is about sex obviously. 'T.V Eye' is one of the better songs on the album, and Iggy gives a fantastic performance. 'Dirt' drags on a little long but is still a great song. 'Fun House,' the title track is one of the best songs on the album. It is rich in Saxophone. This is a longer song as well, almost eight minutes in length. But it never gets boring. The album ends with 'L.A. Blues' is well just noise. The album could have been better with out it. Iggy just growls and the band just plays random notes and scales as if it is a jazz improvision. Completly aweful way to end a otherwise great album.

Fun House has gone down in history as one of the all time greatest albums in punk, rock n' roll, and music in general. Fun House is an album that no collection should be without, and an album that no collection is complete without. If your a fan of Iggys solo work then you will love this. If you are a fan of punk you will really love this because you can see where they all drew influence from. Truly a great record that I would recomend to all who are interested.