The Stooges Albums Ranked
The Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexander. Playing a raw, primitive style of rock and roll, the band sold few records in their original incarnation and gained a reputation for their confrontational performances, which often involved acts of self-mutilation by Iggy Pop. After releasing two albums—The Stooges (1969) and Fun House (1970)—the group disbanded briefly and reformed with a different lineup to release Raw Power (1973) before breaking up again in 1974. The band reunited in 2003 until dissolving in 2016 following the deaths of Scott Asheton and saxophonist Steve Mackay. Ron Asheton participated in the reunion until his death in 2009. The Stooges are widely regarded as a seminal proto-punk act. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked them 78th on their list of the 100 greatest artists of all time. Here are all The Stooges albums ranked.
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10. Raw Power (2000)
“‘Raw Power’, despite having, probably, the most mucked-up mixes in the history of mixdom, radiates such, well, raw power, that nothing can spoil the underlying brilliance of the album. Iggy’s, ‘loudness wars’, mix, is almost painful to listen to unless you turn the volume down, plus any bass boost off, whilst the Bowie remaster – even though it definitely improves on the original – requires a volume, and bass, boost. If only they’d melded the two versions! Still, once you make the aural adjustments you feel comfortable with, there’s little to choose from; Iggy’s has more distorted oomph, but Bowie’s has that great piercing, trebly, guitar sound.”
9. More Power (2009)
“Classic protopunk/hard rock album. The first to feature James Williamson on guitar, moving Ron Asheton to bass(which isn’t necessarily great because he is a fantastic guitarist in his own right albeit quite different from williamson). Williamson has an original fast paced, rocking style with searing lead guitar. Everybody is at the top of their game on this one. Not my favorite stooges album(that title goes to funhouse) but it is a very close second. Fun house is more of a sexy rock style while this one is more in your face. I highly recommend any fan of rock n roll or punk to give this one a listen.”
8. Have Some Fun: Live At Ungano’s (2010)
“Yes it’s scuzzy sounding but what the hell, this was Iggy in his prime, a sex-crazed drugged up fiend who gave it all he got. Scott Asheton’s drums drive the band along, and if you turn the volume up, you could almost be there. I wish I had been! Essential listening for all Stooges freaks.”
7. 1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions (1999)
“I LOVE this album. Dave Alexander’s bass is so loud and central and exciting! Iggy was in his prime and he didn’t quite know what a bigshot he was yet so he’s kinda perfect and desperate. Ron Asheton was such a bitchin guitarist (if you listen closely, that’s the sound of a guitarist who doesn’t hog every second he can but listens to the other players–possibly due to LSD experimentation moderating his ego), Scott was the Muppet’s drummer Animal–so full of heart, looking good, tripping on acid from the trailerpark baybeh!!! That sax guy is kinda cool too, I guess.”
6. The Weirdness (2007)
“his is “Art” to the Highest degree and The Stooges make it sound easy, like they made it all up on the spot. Every song starts with a bang and ends with a bang with no let up in-between. This is true rock music,not the kiddie crap that sells nowadays. Scott Asheton, Ron Asheton and Iggy are all mixed equal so it’s not Iggy and The Stooges, it’s The Stooges.Mike Watt is the lucky guy who gets to live my lifelong dream- to be the bass player for The Stooges.”
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5. Metallic ‘KO (1976)
“That said though, getting this is a no-brainer: along with remastering the sound, they have fixed the original incorrect pitch of the original releases, and the result sounds sharper, more “alive” and energetic than ever before. Basically, the audience’s yells, taunts and flying glass sound clearer, and the music itself sounds tighter and more tuneful. “
4. Ready To Die (2013)
“This is, in any universe other than our own, a six star record. Iggy is amazing. Nobody can condense the human condition into a couple-measure couplet like he can: “I’m on file/with a reptile.” Well, that pretty much covers our security state, doesn’t it? No need for a gaseous position paper. You can glean wisdom like that throughout the whole record, and DD, while it is very, very funny, also has some smart shots at what we perceive as feminine beauty and, oh, this is sounding academic. Just listen to it.”
3. STOOGES (1969)
“The 6 string electric guitar reeks of fuzz and wah. The bass guitar and drums are resonant and seemingly bottomless. The singer’s voice is barely formed, barbaric yet melodic. The songs are so simple no one else could have composed them. This is The Stooges. The Psychedelic Stooges. An incredible, revolutionary recording, often imitated yet never equalled. If you follow some of these new-fangled groups but have never heard The Stooges, go remedy. “Fun house” goes even further. But digest this debut before you venture there. This is psychedelic rock’n’roll of the highest order. We are very lucky to have it.”
2. Raw Power (1973)
“Some people say that Iggy’s mix of Raw Power is the best, because of it’s punchy guitars and clarity, however, I prefer this original Bowie mix. This is the way that I remember it. I played it to death on vinyl as a teenager and it sounded like this. But, the really great thing about this “Legacy 2CD Edition” is the bonus disc! Entitled “Georgia Peaches” this could easily have been an album in its own right. It is a live version of many of the songs from Raw Power plus some that I didn’t know, and it is superb! “
1. Fun House (1970)
“I LOVE this album. Dave Alexander’s bass is so loud and central and exciting! Iggy was in his prime and he didn’t quite know what a bigshot he was yet so he’s kinda perfect and desperate. Ron Asheton was such a bitchin guitarist (if you listen closely, that’s the sound of a guitarist who doesn’t hog every second he can but listens to the other players–possibly due to LSD experimentation moderating his ego), Scott was the Muppet’s drummer Animal–so full of heart, looking good, tripping on acid from the trailer park baybeh!!! That sax guy is kinda cool too, I guess. Anyways, this was psychedelic acid rock and these guys listened to eac hother.”
