The Stooges - The Weirdness
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Free Music Notes for The Weirdness
Free Music Review: Nice to have The Stooges back...<this is where but goes>
Hit: 3 Stars
Listen to this album twice.
On the first listen, allow yourself to be swept along by the ephiphany of just how prescient this band was in 1969. If anyone else on this planet - or any other planet or plane of existence, for that matter - had released it today, there would be angry mobs cussing and screaming about how the record was nothing more than a rip-off of the styles of other, older punk bands such as The Sex Pistols and The New York Dolls. And, were it any other band, that would be the case.
The error in that logic lies in the fact that it WAS 1969 when 'The Stooges' was issued. It was followed by 'Funhouse' and 'Raw Power,' two albums every bit as good. And all three were well ahead of anything else at the time. Thus, the music on this album is almost 40 years in the mnaking! So, relish in the joy of good, stripped down attitude-exacerbated rock. Buy this album for that alone and you will find many of the melodies - Free & Freaky being a prime example - will be lodged in your head for days.
On the second listen, you'll have to hear the lyrics and here was where the album exhibits some weakness. By and large, I found them to be less raw and honest, less stunning in their nihilistic fervor and - dare I say it - a bit pedestrian at times. Maybe it's me or maybe it's the company these songs have to keep these days - the misogynistic, racism of some hip-hop and the oft-times psychotic bellowings of hard-core - that have muted the impact.
..or maybe the lyrics are just a bit weak.
Still well worth the price of admission.
Free Music Review: Not an accurate portrait of the Stooges' current sound
Hit: 3 Stars
This is not the disaster some reviewers think it is. But the album disappoints because the band still is so much better than this record would lead you to believe. The recent live shows rank with the best shows ever - by any artist. The album on the other hand does not reflect the true power of the Stooges, which is a shame because obviously a LOT of work was put into the making of the album and the Asheton brothers' playing is as great as ever. The main problem I think lies with the production/the choice of producer and the mix. It's all just loud, but never hard, tough or aggressive. It's too clean, too perfect. It has none of the organic feel to it that the live stage sound has. Check "Telluric Chaos" (Live in Tokyo 2004) for the true Stooges sound. The recordings they did in 2005 for a Junior Kimbrough tribute CD also sound SO MUCH better than this album. Another problem is the songwriting, with some awkward lyric choices and weak hooks. Why is "Mind Room" the truly transcendent new song they did on tour last year not included? It's up there with their best work. It has everything this record lacks. The problem is not that the band are past their prime (which they are not - they are at the top of their game), the problem is that this record does not capture their true sound, their true qualities. One wishes Rick Rubin had produced the record, as originally planned.Free Music Review: Not exactly the promise shown on Skull Ring or Telluric Chaos
Hit: 3 Stars
Lots of the British press were going nuts about the official reunion of Messrs. Osterberg and Asheton after getting back together for a few of the tracks that made up Skull Ring. Somewhere between the Who (dreadful) and the Police (probably the least of three evils) in terms of how reunions sound fell this album.
There aren't any instant classics on here like "Down on the Street" or "TV Eye" or "Search and Destroy." It doesn't really go into the old neighborhood until "Free and Freaky."
It sounds like, well, three middle aged guys and a Minuteman playing on a new Iggy album and if you are a fan of Iggy in any stage of his close to forty years of recording, you'll find that enough of a reason to buy this. I did.
Signed,
epsteinsmutha
Free Music Review: Starts off promisingly; then the total collapse
Hit: 3 Stars
As a looooooong time fan, I was waiting for this one, but it simply doesn't live up to expectations. The first four or five tracks are the best, especially ATM, but as others have noticed, Iggy's vocals are mixed way back, and sound weak and strained. The Asheton brothers do their best, with the drumming being real solid, but the guitar buried in Steve Albini's overproduced mix. These guys are all in their 60s, so what do you expect? The first album is the best, then FUN HOUSE, then RAW POWER. This is just an afterthought, and a disappointing one at that. I really wanted to like it more, and the first four cuts continue to impress, but then it falls away into fake teenage angst, which doesn't wear well on the rich and (in)famous.Free Music Review: I don't know. I REALLY want to love this album but...
Hit: 3 Stars
...somehow it just doesn't grab me no matter who many times I listen to it. It's got all the right components - Iggy at the Mic, slick, wah-wah guitar, one of the best bass players in the business, and certainly good drumming, but somehow this disc never becomes more than the sum of the ingredients. This is not Iggy's best singing. The lyrics seem forced at times and are not particularly memorable. The songs have the primal overdriven texture of Stooges songs without really having the feel of the Stooges songs. It's worth getting to complete your Iggy collection, though, if you're a long time fan.