Classic Day – The Father of Rock and Roll

The 1970’s, a time where disco and flashing lights ran rampant, a time where the Vietnam War still raged on, a time where Rock and Roll officially became what it is today. Iggy Pop and The Stooges while still an underground band at this time, would release one of the most influential records of this modern age. Raw Power is the pre-cursor to what is now known as the Raw Rock Sound. The Stooges broke ground and still managed to keep a low profile even after this cult classic hilt shelves all the way back in ’73.

Gone were the peace-loving 1960’s, where the hippie culture rose, in came the dirty, edgy, and raw Rock rebels that wanted to get a rise out of the public. To oppose the government and to form their own rules, to become their own unique society with their own style and set of ideals. Raw Power while not an entire commercially successful album, still shocked the airwaves, thrilled the youth, and was able to show the underbelly of the Rock scene.

Produced by none other than Iggy Pop and David Bowie, it became the loudest record to ever be produced at the time, and Iggy Pop himself even laughed at the re-mastered vinyl and CD editions, “Even after the remixing, everything was still in the red.” This would spark new life into what would become one of the best and biggest Rock and Roll records of all time. Kurt Cobain would even claim it as his favorite album and I would say it is a record that stands as a monument for the culture of the 1970’s, but also in music as well.

Raw Power has so many amazing, hard-hitting tracks that just blow the production of most records today out of the water. The album just acted as its own entity, it was ferocious, volatile, and most importantly, just straight up raw. The album is still considered the birthplace of punk rock, and was a way that a band could experiment and turn every amp up to eleven. I fell in love with the album from the first listen simply of how it captures the raw essence of Rock and Roll and the power that came along with it.

The animalistic nature of Iggy Pop on Stage with the Stooges backing up his insane movements was such a sight to see, going to see them perform live was like seeing a different breed of human. They were truly a preforming band and their music still shows that today. Each track is just an Assault on the ears in such a great way, and it leaves so much to the imagination about the writing process for the lyrics and the music as well. Raw Power is just an album that is so much fun to listen to, and I’m still catching new things about the record even after 100 different listens.

Each track as they progress get more and more hyped up, blaring insane guitar solos, pounding drums, and catchy lyrics that makes people wonder why it wasn’t such a success at initial release. Raw Power gained a cult-following rather than springing to the top of the charts, but this could have been how different the album was and how utterly strange and insane the band was as well. Raw Power is just an album that every Rock and Roll or Punk lover should hear if they have not already. It creates images of the dirty streets in the 1970’s, the power-hungry people, the fans of music, and the thrill-seekers.

Raw Power formed the Rock and Roll genre into what it is today, it was an influential, destructive animal that shocked audiences and made people release their inner power. The
Stooges created one of the biggest albums of all music history, and Iggy Pop was right as he stated in the song “Raw Power”, “Raw Power It’s a More Than Soul, Got a Son Called Rock and Roll.”