Third Man Records, in conjunction with Sony Music Entertainment, is proud to announce Iggy and the Stooges’ Raw Power - The 7-inch Edition as the 62nd entry in its long-running subscription series, The Vault.
Perhaps the quintessential album from Iggy and the Stooges, Raw Power was sequenced so Side 1 and Side 2 mirrored each other in sonic approach, with hard rockers kicking off the sides followed by electrifying ballad and so forth. Working with the original David Bowie mixes from 1973, the eight classic Raw Power tracks here span four singles, pairing “Search And Destroy” b/w “Raw Power,” “Gimme Danger” b/w “I Need Somebody,” “Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell” b/w “Shake Appeal,” and “Penetration” b/w “Death Trip.” Two additional outtake EPs add context and depth to the set, with highlights including “I’m Hungry” (an embryonic exploration that would later coalesce into “Penetration”), the standalone stand-out, “Hey Peter,” the Bo Diddley-influenced, chest-thumping “Doojiman,” the futuristic harbinger of hardcore “I Got A Right,” and the rollercoaster fury of “I’m Sick Of You,” all of which call to mind how different the history of rock ‘n’ roll might be had these non-album tracks been included on Raw Power.
The Raw Power - The 7-inch Edition packaging features the iconic Mick Rock cover on a striking silver-on-silver foil-clad slipcase, inspired by a rare, long-forgotten press kit assembled in the lead-up to the album’s original release. Both outtake discs live in stark, captivating picture sleeves highlighting seldom-seen photos from 1973, shot by Leee Black Childers. Tying it all together is a vibrant 7” x 6” patch reproducing the inimitable cheetah as featured on Iggy’s jacket on Raw Power’s back cover. Drawing inspiration from said back patch, the six discs in the set are all pressed utilizing the palette of those colors, with silver thrown in to harken back to both Iggy’s iridescent pants from the album photos and aforementioned press kit.
Subscriptions to order Vault #62: Raw Power - The 7-inch Edition are available now through October 31 at midnight (CT), exclusively at thirdmanrecords.com/vault.
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Formed with seemingly little ambition beyond pushing boundaries, the Stooges (Iggy Pop, Ron Asheton, Scott Asheton, Dave Alexander) came onto the burgeoning “psychedelic” Michigan scene in 1967. Thanks to a recommendation from their metaphorical big brothers the MC5, the Stooges managed to score a recording contract with Elektra in 1968. With the ever avant-garde John Cale at the production helm, the Stooges’ self-titled debut album was released in 1969 and unleashed the perennial all-timer anthems “1969” and “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” As important as that album is, 1970’s Fun House managed to up the ante and intensity immeasurably, an unimpeachable album the importance and significance of which has not waned in the intervening five plus decades.
Yet the band slowly crumbled from there. A disastrous 1971 tour had no seeming upside other than the addition of one James Williamson on guitar. Following the unceremonious dissolution of the band at the commencement of that tour, Iggy paired off with Williamson and embarked on a new musical venture in London. After trying out a bunch of no-playing bozos to fill out the backing band, they came to the realization the best band anyone could hope for was cooling their heels back in Ann Arbor. So Ron and Scott Asheton hopped on the next flight across the Atlantic, the crew is given the nom de guerre Iggy and the Stooges, and the end result is the impeccably beautiful, perfect album Raw Power.
With the legendary David Bowie, then at the height of his fame, sharing production duties alongside Iggy, Raw Power was the symbolic heel turn, the recording that bridges the gap from the last, bloated gasps of “classic” rock and runs fist a-punching into the intoxicating opening salvos of punk rock. It is the foundational text from which the Ramones, Sex Pistols, Guns N’ Roses, Kurt Cobain, and anyone with half a spark of grit would draw inspiration and seek guidance from 1973 through the end of time. It is a standalone, one-of-one, absolute behemoth in the pantheon of hot shit records.
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