- Released: 1970
- Origin: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Label: Elektra
- Best Track: Down on the Street
I’m continuing to look at punk from before punk existed, and this is an album I should already have heard. I’ve got The Stooges’ third album Raw Power on CD somewhere, probably just because I found it at a car boot sale or something, but second album Fun House has until now eluded my ears.
This album is notable for how well it captures the live energy of the band – something even studio albums of today fail to do well. It’s a glorious noise too, with opener ‘Down on the Street’ probably my high spot.
I love the title track as well. I actually saw the band perform this at Leeds festival in 2005, and remember a 58-year-old sweating, semi-naked Iggy Pop yelping “I feel alright” repeatedly, to which someone next to me, with typical Britishness, muttered “well, you don’t look it!”
I’d say Raw Power possibly has better songs, but the aura of this album is immense, especially considering it turned 50 years old last month.
