Hard, Heavy and a Classic 1970
This is the section for a classic borderline album, that I feel belongs in with another genre, but is always worthy of being mentioned here. Any album I place here, is easily worthy of a placing on my top 10 list. It's either a highly acclaimed album of just a forgotten or underrated gem. I'll try and include at least one album per year in this section and in some cases possibly two if I can't just decide on one album.
The Stooges Funhouse 1970 (Elektra)
Proto Punk-Hard Rock
Primal screaming and apocalyptic anarchy!
The Album
From the moment this struts off with "Down in the Street" you know it's going to be more of the same from the Stooges, but this time the songs are more focused and the playing and singing improved over the debut, the debut was great but flawed, this is great and it quite simply kicks the listener into touch. Also producer Don Gallucci was better suited to the band in my opinion than John Cale ever was. Don Gallucci was from a garage rock background and captured the band perfectly (even though there were issues between band and producer at the time of recording). After the opening song, the band flow through "Loose" but when they hit "TV Eye" you know the band have matured in just a short period of time and there is a greater assurance in the band as a whole. But when they hit "Dirt" we're into hard rock territory here and the guitars and singing throughout are great, which is even more surprising given the supposed limitations of the band! "1970 (I Feel Alright)" might be the most intense thing they ever did, especially with that saxophone blast at the end. The near 8 minute swirl of "Fun House" the title track sees another strong dose from the saxophone, which really helps to give side-two of the album a collective feel at certain times. "LA Blues" is quite simply utter carnage and that is all that needs to be said about it.
The album as a rule, always makes a whole host of influential album lists and it's not hard to see why. In many ways the band have moved beyond the proto-punk and garage feel of the debut, to include more hard rock licks and better singing and playing throughout. But what's so special about this album, is that on so many of the tracks, you can hear the bands they've influenced over the years, who range from both a whole host of punk and metal artists! The album also has far heavier hard rock leanings than the debut ever did, but you still feel that the heart of this band is punk in essence, no matter what they try to do. At times especially in the latter part of the album, there are signs of real intensity which later give over to complete carnage, which all helps to cement the apocalyptic feel of the band as a whole. This album still stands as a seminal work of its era and sounds as meaningful today as I guess it did back then. So for anybody looking to explore the boundaries of rock music back then, this is surely one of the places to start. I didn't include this album on my 'main list' as it would probably stick out like a sore thumb, its body is hard rock but its heart most definitely punk. Without doubt one of the greatest albums of its era.
Iggy Pop- Vocals
Ron Asheton- Guitar
Dave Alexander- Bass
Scott Asheton- Drums
Production- Don Gallucci