Raw Power by Iggy and the Stooges 1973

Raw Power by Iggy & The Stooges

Raw Power is the third studio album by American rock band The Stooges (“Iggy and the Stooges”). It was released on February 7, 1973, by Columbia Records.

“Search and Destroy” 3:29 “Gimme Danger” 3:33 “Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell” (originally titled “Hard to Beat”) 4:54 “Penetration” 3:41 “Raw Power” 4:16 “I Need Somebody” 4:53 “Shake Appeal” 3:04

Though not initially commercially successful, Raw Power gained a cult following in the years following its release and, like its predecessor (1970’s Fun House), is generally considered an influential forerunner of punk rock.

Despite its weak initial reception, the reputation of Raw Power grew tremendously in subsequent years, and the album’s volume and ferocity became benchmarks against which later albums were measured.

Singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain of the band Nirvana wrote in his Journals numerous times that Raw Power was his favorite album of all time. In his list of the top 50 albums he thought were most influential to Nirvana’s sound entered in his journal in 1993, “Raw Power” appears in the number one slot.[24] Johnny Marr of The Smiths has also spoken highly of the record, commenting on James Williamson’s guitar playing on the album: “I’m his biggest fan. He has the technical ability of Jimmy Page without being as studious, and the swagger of Keith Richards without being sloppy. He’s both demonic and intellectual, almost how you would imagine Darth Vader to sound if he was in a band.” Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols once claimed that he learned to play guitar by taking speed and playing along to Raw Power.

Henry Rollins of Black Flag has “Search & Destroy” tattooed across his shoulder blades. Former Smiths frontman Morrissey once described the song as “great” and “a very LA song”. Mötley Crüe founder Nikki Sixx has cited it as a major influence: “When I was fifteen years old, I remember Iggy and the Stooges’ song ‘Search and Destroy’ reaching out from my speakers to me like my own personal anthem.” It was the first album Jason Pierce, of Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized, ever bought with his own money in Boots in Rugby, UK.

Cee Lo Green cited Raw Power as one of his favorite albums. “The album seems like it’s all done in one take. ‘Let’s do that one, leave it, just try something else’. With his energy on stage, it seems as if the studio was just destroyed after that album – or at least you’d like to believe that”.