Fun House

The classic punk album from Iggy Pop and the Stooges. The godfather of punk. Excellent fun album. It’s a punk fan requirement. Recommended!

With the follow up to their eponymous debut, THE STOOGES make that "quantum leap" one often reads about, and in this case, FUN HOUSE is, in a word, stunning! Never pleasantly or hilariously "dumb" like the debut, FUN HOUSE is an amazing and perplexing advancement from that debut record which of and by itself would have sealed THE STOOGES' reputation. This band was even better than anyone could have ever guessed (though their record sales quickly relegated their two Elektra releases, the debut and FUN HOUSE, to the bargain bin). FUN HOUSE is jaw-droppingly unforgiving, a punch in the gut, a splash of acid in the face, hard power and hot metal, a lurching monster, referred to as "proto-punk" because of its influence on every Punk and Grunge band since, but really, such bands are belittled and reduced to mere "poodles" by this far-end risk that in fact is the most unique record of its era and a hybrid of 50s rock, 60s psychedelia, and that which was as yet unnamed (Punk) and no band has yet matched the achievement. Few records have predicted the coming decades as FUN HOUSE did in 1970, though typically unrecognized in its time. As Iggy Pop (a.k.a. Iggy Stooge) himself said, and to paraphrase, THE STOOGES could "eat all those poodles for breakfast." With a scorched earth policy that leaves no listener unscathed, this record is probably one of the most challenging records in the Rock n' Roll catalog, and not for the faint of heart, such as those moments all over the record when one hears Iggy blatantly snorting. If you ever listened to CAPTAIN BEEFHEART's TROUT MASK REPLICA you might get an idea of the accessibility of "L.A. Blues" which is a non-song cacophony of horror with the carnivorous animal Iggy loosed, roaring, and stalking the complacent world. But for the student and lover of Rock n' Roll, this record is a must. I think the primary reason Rock critics and diehard fans continue to cite THE STOOGES, especially FUN HOUSE, is because of the foresight of this material. The experimental aspect of the record is indicative of its era (it is completely un-commercial, but many bands included such material on their records in those days, though, frankly, lame by comparison) yet, like all three of THE STOOGES albums, FUN HOUSE never sounds dated. Tracks like the sustained tension of "Down On The Street", the superbly nasty and compelling "Loose," the luscious blues of "Dirt," the burping, mesmerizing "T.V. Eye," and the sucker-punch "1970," in which Iggy shrieks "...I feel alright" ending with a major snort (the sequel to "1969" when Iggy had "nuthin' ta do") are supremely realized and uncompromising, and if it weren't for their shocking effect, I'd be wearing a s**t eatin' grin. One of Rock's great romps, FUN HOUSE is not for the uninitiated, the timid, or uninspired. That being said, FUN HOUSE is one of the greatest records of Rock, a whole hell of a lot of fun, possibly my all time favorite, and one of the very few records of Rock that upon listening to for the first time I said to myself, "WOW!" In another word, a masterpiece.

The Funhouse Album. Can it get much better than this? Apparently it can. I'm not one to buy reissues, remasters, and such. I have found that sometimes a remaster can be worse than the original! This is one remaster you're going to want to get, though.The opening track of the Stooges' Funhouse album is "Down on the Street". Henry Rollins once described the driving rhythm that begins this album as a sound that makes a person want to either f[...] or fight, but you know something's going to happen. This album scares people. It is violent. It is sexy. It is everything that makes rock and roll worth listening to. An incredible mix of rock, protopunk, and even some free jazz to top it off.So, why get the remaster? Honestly, my ears are not in tune enough to be able to tell a difference between this version of the album, and my old beat-up version. That being said, you need to buy this album for the incredible Second CD that it comes with. This album was recorded over several days in Los Angeles. Each day the band would focus on recording one new song live in the studio (something that was not very common then, with emerging advances in studio technology). Every song had several takes and many different versions throughout the day it was recorded.The second disc consists of several of the alternate takes of the songs on the Funhouse album, and they are incredible. The new and unique interpretations of some of these songs are something any Stooges fan will want to hear. You might even end up liking the alternate versions more than the ones you are familiar with!On top of the alternate takes, there are two new tracks, "Lost In The Future" and "Slide (Slidin' The Blues)". These are both great songs recorded in the same session, and they come out sounding incredibly clear (most stooges collectors know, tracks like that are hard to come by). If you are a long time Stooges fan, you need to pick up the remaster. If you don't own any version of this recording, what are you waiting for?