•
Rating: The Stooges - Fun House (1970)
It is 1970 and in Detroit and its surroundings, new rock talents are emerging. Besides the masterpieces of fellow citizens MC5, The Stooges, led by Iguana Iggy Pop, after their garage rock/proto punk debut with "The Stooges" (1969), make their mark with a new album; "Fun House" is released.
The album, heavily influenced by leading Hard Rock and Blues Rock groups, offers a dirty and distorted sound, as if it were part of the street. The group, the most authentic precursor of punk, expresses itself in "Fun House" with a solid blues rock harshness, combined with Iggy Pop's delirious voice. The album starts with "Down on the Street", a piece rooted in rock 'n' roll but that holds true punk for future generations. Yes, punk 77, including the Sex Pistols, the early Ramones, and the early Clash, would be heavily influenced by the Stooges. "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; and there's indeed a lot of it in this album. The second track, "Loose" is a hybrid rock reminiscent of The Who from the previous year. Then comes "T.V. Eye", and once again, it's real rock 'n' roll. But it's "Dirt" that opens the dances; the slapped drums, Iggy's kiss, and Dave Alexander's bass intro. An acid blues, with a touching refrain that seeps into the mind with the Iguana's alluring voice. Iggy's lamentations alternate with Ron Asheton's "slo-mo" guitar which reaches peak expression with a remarkable solo. "It's true rock 'n' roll". Once again. After the blues rock of "Dirt", the album moves on to "1970", a mosaic of delirious rock, once again composed of Iggy Pop's nervous and hurried voice, now "gone mad"; the finale sounds like pure chaos to the ear, accompanied by McKay's venomous sax. The track "Fun House", in my opinion the least impactful of the album, although lasting over 7 minutes, suffers a bit from its position, as it is placed between two musical infernos. Indeed, to complete the anger generated by 1970, "L.A. Blues" is added. The name suggests a blues similar to "Dirt", but right from the intro, there's an air of sonic "anarchy"; violent guitars, out-of-tune saxophones, and bacchanalian screams finish the furious proto punk of "Fun House".
"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; in the end, we can say that in this framework of anger, there's little clarity, but there's little to be said: this is an album that sends everyone home, including the competing MC5.
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
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By psychopompe
Funhouse perfectly captures the peculiar characteristics of the early ’70s Stooges sound: dirty and raw sounds.
These 5 tracks alone would suffice to define it as a masterpiece.
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 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.
