The Stooges - The Stooges

1.    1969
2.    I Wanna Be Your Dog
3.    We Will Fall
4.    No Fun
5.    Real Cool Time
6.    Ann
7.    Not Right
8.    Little Doll

Few albums have caused as much commotion and left as lasting an impression as the debut album by The Stooges. For most listeners who discovered it shortly after its release — incidentally in the same week as Woodstock 1969 — the record seemed to come from another planet, even though the songs accurately reflected the band’s Detroit surroundings and the dissatisfaction of youth. Rolling Stone also showed no mercy to The Stooges, describing the self-titled album as “loud, boring, tasteless, unimaginative and childish” — an opinion shared by many other critics. And yet it would be Rolling Stone that later included “The Stooges” in its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, thereby recognizing the album as a blueprint for countless styles and for the aggressive attitude that would later become associated with the punk scene, which was still years away.

Time has shown that the band’s stomping, clattering rock ’n’ roll was far ahead of its time, as the work is now cited in countless “best album” lists. Nothing captures the essence of The Stooges better than “I Wanna Be Your Dog”, a classic that has been covered by dozens of artists. Ranked by Rolling Stone at number 314 among the greatest songs of all time, the track hypnotizes with a groove that could continue for hours without ever becoming boring. Its simple brilliance and grimy charm are complemented by the raw, scratchy “No Fun”, an expressive, angular, dangerous and explosive piece of music.

In fact, everything that singer Iggy Pop, bassist Dave Alexander and brothers Ron Asheton on guitar and Scott Asheton on drums create on “The Stooges” is absolutely physical. This goes back to the industrial plants of Motor City, the urge to destroy the hypocrisy of the hippie movement, the feeling of being outsiders in a society struggling with a clash of cultures, and the honest desire to be completely original.

With Iggy Pop as the only “real” musician in the quartet, The Stooges pursued a do-it-yourself ethic that was unprecedented at the time. The Stooges built their own instruments — from oil barrels, vacuum cleaners, blenders, washboards and various pieces of scrap — and abandoned structure in favor of experimentation, improvisation and personality. They used their lack of experience to their advantage, something reflected in their rough approach and minimalist style.

Three tracks — “Real Cool Time”, “Not Right” and “Little Doll” — were essentially created spontaneously: the band, which rarely concerned itself with fixed arrangements, preferred to rely on instinct to see what would happen on stage. However, they realized that more material was needed to fill the album. This also explains why the sung mantra “We Will Fall” extends beyond the ten-minute mark, as it flows into the fragmented, psychedelic mood that runs throughout the entire work. And the familiar pieces? The Stooges rehearsed and memorized those before entering the Hit Factory with their producer, former Velvet Underground member John Cale.

Lovingly mastered from the original tapes at MoFi’s California studio and housed in a mini-LP-style gatefold package, this Hybrid SACD presents this groundbreaking album — in celebration of Elektra’s 75th anniversary — for the first time in high-end sound quality. The swirling fuzz tones, the cavernous reverb and wah-wah effect, the red-lined overdrive, the lively handclaps, the almost detached timbre of Pop’s mocking vocals, the roughness, dirt and crunch of the layered rhythms now come through with captivating clarity, vividness, detail and spatial presence.

Despite their twisted density and wild tonality, the songs radiate deep openness and great dynamics. The “vibration” of the recording emerges unrestricted on the strictly numbered MoFi Hybrid SACD, bringing the listener right to the edge of The Stooges’ stage.