Raw, Unfiltered
The Stooges, Iggy Pop, Dave Alexander with the brothers Scott and Ron Asheton made, for my money the most powerful rock album ever. Funhouse not only sounds powerful it had a massive influence. I figured there was space for an alternate version of the Stooges complete Funhouse sessions box set. This is the Frankenstein’s monster mix.
The album captures the raw, unfiltered sound of four guys in a room. Laser-focused but loose and free-spirited.
Dirt
Ron Asheton’s iconic riffs are justifiably renowned, influencing countless musicians that came after him.
The rhythm section of Scott ‘Rock Action’ Asheton and Dave Alexander that truly shines through. Providing a solid foundation and never wavering from it.
The icing on the cake is Iggy Pop himself, on animalistic form. Apparently dropping acid before each day in the studio. The rich baritone is correct and present. It’s joined by all manner of yelps and howls.
Stooges ‘Complete Funhouse Sessions’
Rhino Records released the Stooges ‘Complete Funhouse Sessions’ many years ago. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of the tracks. Producer Don Galluci made hardly any edits on the album. Instead he cherry-picked the best takes.
While some might balk at the idea of listening to 7 hours of The Stooges playing Funhouse, Henry Rollins and I find it an enticing prospect. Still, I figured there was space for an alternate version of this masterpiece. As such, I listened to each take and carefully noted my favorite parts, spending countless hours editing and fine-tuning.
I eschewed modern processing and time-stretching, instead treating the project as a simple tape edit. Aiming to keep things raw, in line with the original recording. I think I did a pretty good job, and you can view the timings for each edit in the video.
The simplicity of the recording process made the project much easier to tackle. Galluci chose a sound and stuck with it, and the microphones remained in place throughout each take.
Being a bit of a geek, I attempted to make each side equal in length, sticking to the optimum length for vinyl at 20 minutes.
I hope you enjoy this reimagined version of Funhouse. I enjoyed putting it together.