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Rating: Funhouse perfectly captures the peculiar characteristics of the early '70s Stooges sound: dirty and raw sounds (despite a rock increasingly aimed toward the refinement of the same), hoarse and raucous voice, almost like the barking of a dog (totally out of place when compared to the crystalline throats of other singers of the time, see Ian Gillian) and a fundamental honesty and urgency that seeps from every groove (the attitude underlying the subsequent punk movement).
What to say about the various tracks? You could write an encyclopedia, but space is what it is. It starts with "Down on the Street" and already the Iguana debuts with his typical howls. The song unfolds obsessively and directly, supported by an obsessive rhythm. Then you dive into the heart of the album with a spine-chilling sequence.
First "Loose", with a FANTASTIC bass line and Iggy declaring his moral and physical dissoluteness. The same goes for “T.V. Eye”, (T.V. standing for “Thwart Vibe”, liberally translatable as “lustful gaze”, thus nothing to do with the cathode ray tube), which begins with a “Lord” shouted at the top of his lungs and a progression as simple as it is engaging, all interspersed with Iggy's pure vocal delirium.
"Dirt", with its 7 minutes of languid progression, seems like a macabre voodoo liturgy. We reach the album's highlight: 1970. A track with a monstrous drive that ends with a psychedelic and mad sax-based coda (?!) while Iggy keeps shouting "I feel alright!" These 5 tracks alone would suffice to define it as a masterpiece. The title track and the following “L.a. Blues”, the latter barely 5 minutes of improvisation between noise and jazz, are the seal of one of the most important and influential albums of the last 30 years.
"She got a T.V Eye on me"
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Down on the Street (03:42)
Ooh! wrawgh! huh!
Down on the street where the faces shine
Floatin' around on a real O-mind
Seein' pretty things
Aint no walls
Seein' pretty things
Aint no walls
No walls!
No walls!
No walls!
No walls!
Yea, deep in the night I'm lost in love
Yea, deep in the night I'm lost in love
Thousand lights look at you
Thousand lights look at you
At you!
At you!
At you!
Yeaah, at you! Come on! Pow-pow-pow!
Yeah!
Yeah!
Brrrrrhhhhhuh! huh! huh huh!!
Ooh-no oh-no oh-no no-no-no-no-no-no
No no no no no-no
Faces shine
Real O-mind
Real O-mind
I'm the real O-mind
Real O-mind
02 Loose (03:33)
Now look out
I took a record of pretty music
I went down and baby you can tell
I took a record of pretty music
Now I'm putting it to you straight from hell
I'll stick it deep inside
I'll stick it deep inside
Cause I'm loose
I feel fine to be dancin', baby
I feel fine, I'm a shakin' leaf
I feel fine to be dancin', baby
Cause it's love, yeah I do believe
I'll stick it deep inside
I'll stick it deep inside
Cause I'm loose
And I'll stick it deep inside
And I'll stick it hey
Well I'm loose, well I'm loose
Well I'm loose
03 T.V. Eye (04:17)
Lord
See that cat
Yeah I do mean you
See that cat
Yeah I do mean you
She got a TV eye on me
She got a TV eye
She got a TV eye on me, oh
See that cat
Down on her back
See that cat
Down on her back
She got a TV eye on me
She got a TV eye
She got a TV eye on me, oh
See that cat
Yeah I love her so
see that cat
Yeah I love her so
She got a TV eye on me
She got a TV eye
She got a TV eye on me, oh
Right on, right on, right on
See that cat
Yeah I love her so
see that cat
Yeah I love her so
She got a TV eye on me
She got a TV eye
She got a TV eye on me, oh
04 Dirt (07:00)
Ooh, I been dirt
And I don't care
Ooh, I been dirt
And I don't care
�?ause I抦 burning inside
I'm just a yearning inside
And I'm the fire o' life
Ooh, I've been hurt
And I don't care
Ooh, I've been hurt
And I don't care
�?ause I抦 burning inside
I'm just a dreaming this life
And do you feel it?
Said do you feel it when you touch me?
Said do you feel it when you touch me?
There's a fire
Well, it抯 a fire
It was just a burning
Yeah, alright
Ooh!
Burning inside
Burning
Just a dreaming
Just a dreaming
It was just a dreaming
It was just a dreaming
Play it for me, babe, with love!
05 1970 (05:14)
Out of my mind on Saturday night
Nineteen-seventy rollin' in sight
Radio burnin' up above
Beautiful baby, feed my love
All night till I blow away
All night till I blow away
I feel alright, I feel alright
Baby, oh baby, burn my heart
Baby, oh baby, burn my heart
Fall apart baby, fall apart
Baby, oh baby, burn my heart
All night till I blow away
All night till I blow away
I feel alright, I feel alright
Feel alright, feel alright, feel alright
Out of my mind on Saturday night
Nineteen-seventy rollin' in sight
Radio burnin' up above
Beautiful baby, feed my love
All night till I blow away
All night till I blow away
I feel alright, I feel alright
I feel alright, I feel alright
I feel alright, I feel alright
I feel alright, I feel alright
I feel alright, I feel alright
I feel alright, I feel alright
I feel alright, I feel alright
Feel alright, feel alright
Feel alright, feel alright
I feel alright, I feel alright
Feel, feel
Oh, oh
I feel alright, I feel alright
Feel alright, feel alright
Oh, oh
I feel alright
Feel alright, I feel alright
I feel alright, I feel alright
I feel alright, I feel alright
I feel alright, I feel alright
Feel alright, feel alright
Feel alright, feel alright
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Other reviews
By Enkriko
"This is the pure essence of rock and roll: a primitive genius coming out of the cave with his club and shouting 'BUAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHHHHHH'"
"The scream of TV eye my god! This is true liberation, this is true lust!"
By vito
No other record can make me instantly forget everything around me so quickly... A cathartic explosion of innate sonic power.
We are the fucking Stooges!!!! Let the delirium begin!!!! ROCK'N'ROLL!!!!! With a capital R, not like that of Mt*.
By Rooftrampler92
"Fun House is the product of a few guys who want to separate themselves from moralism and conformism and want to show who they really are."
"'Down on the Street' is the first example of a nihilistic rock; the very title 'On the Street' is the spokesperson for a group of bastards raised on the street with distorted guitars and anger inside."
By silian87
You may starve, but at least the heart must be fed... we are still human after all.
These gentlemen are the Stooges: take or leave, hate or love, ignore or listen.
