The 500 - #191 - Fun House - The Stooges

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #191
Album Title: Fun House
Artist: The Stooges

Genre: Multiple genres: Proto Punk, Experimental Rock, Garage Rock, Punk Jazz 
Recorded: Electra Studios, Los Angeles, California

Released: July, 1970
My age at release: 4
How familiar was I with it before this week: One Song

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at position #94 - climbing 97 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Dirt

Last week, I got another chance to see American rock band The Doobie Brothers perform. The celebrated group, who hail from San Jose, California, are marking their 54th anniversary as a band by  commemorating their 2022 induction into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The multi-instrumental septuagenarians brought terrific energy to London, Ontario, for a spirited, break-free, two-hour performance.

Beyond their talent, catalogue of hit songs, effortless grooves and four-part harmonies, The Doobie Brothers also dabble in multiple genres. At their recent performance, they played their interpretations of blues, jazz, hard rock, progressive rock, Americana country, pop, bluegrass and blue-eyed soul. Like the weather in Scotland, "If you don't like the sound The Doobie Brothers are making, just wait five minutes, it'll change."

The same can be said about this week’s fare from The 500 list – The Stooges and their second studio release, Fun House, which includes garage rock, hard rock, psychedelic stoner jams and experimental, jazz-influenced noise. It was a precursor to the punk rock genre that exploded a few years after its release. The album is considered  integral to the development of punk and Stooges lead singer Iggy Pop (born: James Osterberg Jr.), is often dubbed "The Godfather of Punk".

Iggy Pop, 1970, at a Stooges concert in Cincinnati. 

Originally billed as The Psychedelic Stooges, the group formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 and they released their self-titled debut record two years later. Initially a quartet, they comprised Pop (vocals), Dave Alexander (bass), Ron Asheton (guitar), and Scott Asheton (drums).

The Stooges album cover (#185 on The 500).

Although aware of The Stooges and a fan of Iggy Pop's solo work and acting career, I only really knew the "hits" that were played on commercial radio or appeared on movie soundtracks. These included,  Down On The Street, I Wanna Be Your Dog, and Search And Destroy. So, in preparation for this blog I cued up Fun House for my first extensive listen to their work.

Back cover and track listing for Raw Power by The Stooges.

I was not disappointed. The first six tracks are raw, powerful and undeniably engaging capturing intensity, urgency and even some danger. In his 1981 book, Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums Of The Seventies, author Robert Christgau described it thusly:

"Now I regret all the times I've used words like 'power' and 'energy' to describe rock and roll, because this is what such rhetoric should have been saved for. Shall I compare it (Fun House) to an atom bomb? a wrecker's ball? a hydroelectric plant? Language wasn't designed for the job."

That said, the final track, L.A. Blues, might not be for everyone and, I'll admit, I skipped it a few times on repeated listens. The song features a fifth Stooge, Steve Mackay, on saxophone. L.A. Blues is cacophonous and discordant, featuring a wailing, screeching improvisational saxophone solo punctuated by Pop's unintelligible screams in the background. It could be likened to a shotgun marriage between acid jazz and a torture scene in a horror film.

Steve Mackay with Iggy Pop in 2010.

With the exception of Pop, all the original members of The Stooges have passed on. Much like The Doobie Brothers, however, 77-year-old Iggy continues to perform live. He also continues to bring a raw, unfettered and, frankly, enviable energy that belies his advanced years. It makes me look forward to listening to the next Stooges' record on The 500 in six weeks.

The 500 - #192 - The Gilded Palace of Sin - The Flying Burrito Brothers

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #192
Album Title: The Gilded Palace Of Sin
Artist: The Flying Burrito Brothers

Genre: Country Rock
Recorded: A&M Studios, Hollywood, California

Released: February, 1969
My age at release: 3
How familiar was I with it before this week: A little

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at position #462 - dropping 270 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Hot Burrito #2

Despite being a commercial disappointment, The Gilded Palace Of Sin has been applauded by critics, citing it as a seminal influence on multiple artists, many on The 500 list, including Eagles, Lucinda Williams, Wilco and Steve Earle. Elvis Costello, with four records on The 500, considers it among his favourite albums of all time, having performed several of the group's songs while touring. He even recorded Hot Burrito #1 (renamed I'm Your Toy) on his 1981 record, Almost Blue.

Album cover for Elvis Costello's Almost Blue.

The Flying Burrito Brothers comprised Gram Parsons (guitar, piano, organ, vocals), Chris Hillman (guitar, mandolin), "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow (pedal steel guitar) and Chris Ethridge (bass guitar, piano).  Eddie Hoh is credited as the drummer on the songs, but he was a session player and not a member of the group. The quartet formed in Los Angeles in 1968 shortly after Parsons and Hillman left The Byrds. Coincidently, this was after the recording of The Byrds’ sixth record, Sweethearts Of The Rodeo (#120 on The 500), which also had limited commercial success. Like The Gilded Palace Of Sin,  it, too, is considered massively influential in the country rock genre.

Album cover for Sweethearts Of The Rodeo from The Byrds.

I wasn't familiar with Gilded Palace until I came across it while researching my May, 2020, post about Grievous Angel by Gram Parsons (#425 on The 500 list). As a result, Parsons finds himself on three records on The 500, appearing with two  groups – The Flying Burrito Brothers and The Byrds, and as a solo artist. The solo effort joined the other two in being a commercial disappointment that was later accorded tremendous critical acclaim and powerful influence. It was a remarkable legacy for Parsons who died at the age of 26.

Album cover for Grievous Angel by Gram Parsons.

Much like painter Vincent Van Gogh and poet William Blake, Parsons did not live long enough to witness the impact his art would have on the world. He would have turned 78 this year, and I imagine he would be delighted to know that his fusion of country, R&B, soul, funk, psychedelia and rock into a genre he called "Cosmic American Music" had made a powerful impact on the music industry. Among his beneficiaries were many successful musicians and songwriters.

Parsons in his Nudie Cohn designed "Nudie Suit" from the
album jacket to "The Gilded Palace Of Sin".

That said, there is a mystic aura attached to those who leave this world while young. In Greek mythology, it was believed that those favoured by the gods were taken at an early age -- hence the expression, "Only the good die young." The Bible, in Isiah 57:1, suggests that "the righteous perish... before their time...to be spared the evil of the world".

It is the reason that James Dean and Marilyn Monroe remain an enduring symbol of youthful beauty and why musicians such as  Kurt Cobain maintain legendary status. Dean and Monroe never faced the challenges of aging in the public eye, and Cobain left the earth after recording three groundbreaking records, including Nevermind (#17 on The 500). Cobain didn't live long enough to record a bad record or become embroiled in a negative controversy.

Marilyn Monroe remains a symbol of beauty and youth, in part
because of her untimely demise at 36.

Actor John Cazale only appeared in five films during his seven-year career –  The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter, each of which was nominated for, or won, Academy Awards for Best Picture. It's a heck of a resume and his death in 1978 made him one of the few actors about whom it can be said only made award-winning films.

When all is said and done,  I am delighted to be on this side of the grass -- showing the impact of aging.  I won't be a groundbreaking musician who revolutionized an art form or an Oscar-winning actor. However, I am working with Teacher Candidates who are 35 years my junior and I'm sure some of the lessons, strategies and activities I share with them will live beyond me. Additionally, there are the 1000 students who have been in my classes.

I also have this blogging project which will rattle around the internet in perpetuity. It's no Nevermind, no Dog Day Afternoon or Gilded Palace Of Sin, but I'm proud of it and I get to keep adding to it in my late-fifties. Perhaps dying successful and young isn’t so great after all – but more about doing your best and contributing your talents, no matter how small, throughout one’s days.