191 – The Stooges – Funhouse

[csberry]

Primal and raw. Immediate and upfront. Are The Stooges the last of the garage bands before punk or the first punk band? This is definitely a bit more raw than MC5.

For me, what I really appreciated about the recording was how the producer was able to capture the band's live sound in the studio without just letting it turn into a muddled mess. The guitars have space around them, but the vocals are mixed above them for clarity.

“Dirt” sounds like ½ of early Fugazi's songs. But how many garage or punk bands do you know utilize saxophone as The Stooges do on several songs? Oh, yeah, and how many 7 minute punk songs exist? There are two songs over 7 minutes on this album and the shortest song is 3:33.

But in the end, I gotta say that despite my praise for Funhouse, it was more of a case of appreciation than strong enjoyment. The album was enjoyable as mood music, not something that I felt compelled to pay attention to and savor.

Songs I Knew I Liked: None I liked enough to have retained their song name previously.

Songs I Now Like: “Down on the Street” and "Loose"

Songs I Don't Want to Ever Hear Again: None I feel compelled to skip