The Stooges

Fun House (1970)

If there was a punk rock hall of fame, there are certain people who could be inducted in as "builders" of the furthering of the genre. Men such as Jello Biafra, Ian McKaye, Johnny Rotten, and Joe Strummer. Iggy Pop can be counted in this group as well, and no where else is his contribution to music more greatly noticed than on the album Fun House.

This album is a total chaotic jam-out. Hard, loud guitars, and spastic drum beats fill up the whole album. Sure, the musical talents of the individual members are not perfect, but they do simple things, and do them well. Songs such as Dirt and Fun House showcase the abilities of the players in the band, as well as the absolute craziness that plagued Iggy while singing.

The real standout track on this album is L.A. Blues. This album has a real mean, noisy sound to it. It epitomizes what the Stooges were all about, that being making loud, angry, hard music. The total chaos of this track makes you feel the energy that was in the music then, the energy that so many of todays "punk" bands are lacking.

I only pointed to three tracks in my review of this album, but the rest of the tracks are not by any means lesser music. They are head and shoulders above just about anything that has come out in the past 5 years.

I can't make you like this album, but you have to respect this man's contributions to punk rock. He's a fucking hall of famer.