It is interesting to compare the differences in the mixes, which thanks to Spotify we can easily do here:ĭavid Bowie, though hardly unbiased, still knew which mix he preferred when he wrote in his collaboration with Mick Rock, Moonage Daydream: “The Raw Power mix (is) the version I still prefer over the later remix – it has more wound up ferocity and chaos and, in my humble opinion, is a hallmark roots sound for what was later to become punk”. Bowie’s (uncredited) mix, in hindsight made a virtue of the, well, raw power of Iggy and The Stooges.
Raw Power had been recorded on just three tracks with guitar on one, vocals on another and everything else on the third track, so there was little separation of the individual instruments. Picture how Jedward’s producer must feel every day of his working life and you’ll have a good idea as to how Bowie felt that day.
Recorded in 1972 the record was subsequently mixed in just one day (according to the liner notes in the re-issue) by David Bowie who had been given an almost impossible task of trying to make something out of the tape. “Something like that” he then replied evenly”. Then he drove the glass down hard onto a little table directly in front of him, noisily shattering its base. NME writer Nick Kent described when, in 1972 he met Iggy Pop in Maida Vale and asked him how he thought The Stooges next album might sound: “Iggy pondered the question for a moment while dangling a wine glass he was sipping from rather daintily from his left hand. However, on a more positive note in the UK, David Bowie was getting into his stride with Ziggy Stardust (’72) and then Aladdin Sane (’73). Exhibit A: The top selling song of the year was Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree by Tony Orlando and Dawn. It’s the 40th anniversary of the release of Iggy and The Stooges‘ Raw Power.īack in 1973, you could be forgiven for thinking rock was turning wetter than one of Belle and Sebastien‘s bathing costumes. Today marks the 40th anniversary of the release of one of Rock’s greatest albums: Parcel of Rogues by Steeleye Span.
Iggy and the Stooges’ Raw Power: 40 Years Old Todayīy Every Record Tells A Story on FebruĬompare Bowie’s Mix of Iggy and the Stooges‘ Raw Power with Iggy Pop‘s own mix… I feel like there’s a closure on it and that’s a nice thing.Home › Rock Music › Iggy and the Stooges’ Raw Power: 40 Years Old Today But this is just a simple, straight band mix of a powerful band. I don’t think you can beat David’s mix, it’s very creative. “So it’s kind of like I’m finishing that off. But the fact was that neither Bowie’s mix nor my previous mix could do justice to the power of the band or even to the legibility of the vocal…I feel that now I have the wherewithal, the position, and the expertise at my disposal to give this thing its due sonically, and I didn’t have that before. “It led to a very ambitious piece of work, and that’s fine. It also gave Iggy Pop the creative push he needed: “I learned a helluva lot being over there in England and I started thinking differently,” recalled the singer when discussing the new mixes of Raw Power in 1997.
Of course, more notable songs on the record include ‘Search and Destroy’ and ‘Gimme Danger’, but the album’s real value comes from its overall feeling, not the individual songs. Though the original mix was notoriously thin (something attested to when Iggy Pop re-recorded the album in far beefier circumstances), the album still had so much intense energy that it was difficult to contain it. The group only needed eight songs to make their impression. Iggy remembered the experience: “His concept was, ‘You’re so primitive, your drummer should sound like he’s beating a log!’ It’s not a bad job that he did…I’m very proud of the eccentric, odd little record that came out.” It is, without doubt, one of rock’s formative albums and deserves recognition is a deep-laid stone in the pantheon of music. Next up was his other favourite band and he brought Iggy Pop and James Williamson into the studio to record Raw Power. Not only had he become the biggest rock star in the universe but he had also sat behind the desk for Lou Reed’s Transformer for his breakthrough solo album.