Columbia’s reissue passes the test with flying colors, maintaining the textures of guitars and voices even more convincingly than the original.This double LP version includes the originally released David Bowie mix of the album on the first LP and the latter remixed version by Iggy Pop himself on the second LP. The acid test of whether an engineer properly dialed in the music relates to whether or not it falls apart at loud volumes. Carefully mastered by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio, it includes the Bowie mix on one LP and the 1993 Pop remix on a second LP. The good news: Columbia’s 2012 two-LP version stands as the crème de le crème pressing. The sound quality of aforementioned versions ranges from pretty good to pretty awful. Raw Power has been reissued on vinyl umpteen times by the likes of Simply Vinyl, Sundazed, Simply Music, Music on Vinyl, and, of course, Columbia. In retrospect, Iggy and the Stooges sound years ahead of their time. Sure, Pop sounds a bit like Jim Morrison, but this is Morrison jacked up on a nastier brand of speed. The entire album bleeds intensity and the sonics, especially Williamson’s metallic fuzz guitar, come across with take-notice fierceness and violence. The immortal “Search and Destroy” has been covered by countless bands, appears in multiple movies and advertisements, and remains famously tattooed on hardcore icon Henry Rollins’ back. The descriptive titles-combined with really (for the time) radical photos of Pop strutting the stage shirtless, showing an emaciated torso and vampire look- function as warning signals for the aural onslaught ahead. The analog version of Raw Power opens on each side with blistering guitar attacks-“Search and Destroy” on side one and “Raw Power” on side two. The original Pop mix did not see official release until 2010 (on CD), although a pirate disc, titled Rough Power, circulated before that time. Pop agreed, mostly because Columbia was going to remix it with or without his involvement. More than a decade later, during the CD era, Columbia demanded the album be remixed for digital. His mix served as the official release mix in 1973. Bowie recalls mostly spending time adjusting vocal levels. The Thin White Duke remixed all but the opening cut, “Search and Destroy,” in a single day. The sound did not please everyone, so Bowie was brought in to remix. Pop initially mixed the album by throwing the vocals on one track, guitar solos on a second track, and more vocals on a third track. If the collective’s history seems convoluted, the mixing of Raw Power is even harder to follow. Among other issues, the friction caused by Williamson taking over the guitar and writing chores from Ron Asheton contributed to the band’s second breakup in 1974. The reconfigured group became Iggy and the Stooges and entered the CBS Studio in London to make Raw Power. Ron reluctantly switched to bass from guitar. When the musicians did not work out, Pop brought the Asheton brothers to England. In London, Pop began plans to record a new album involving guitarist and writer James Williamson as well as a revolving door of other players. Pop started a bromance with David Bowie, who got the singer to sign up with his manager and helped him get a recording contract with Columbia. By the second album, 1970’s Fun House, the group added Steven Mackay on tenor saxophone. The band started in 1967 as the Stooges with singer Iggy Pop (born James Newell Osterberg, Jr.), bassist Dave Alexander, guitarist Ron Asheton, and the latter’s brother, drummer Scott Asheton. With the exception of a few 21 st-century-reunion comeback releases, the Stooges released just three LPs-the first two as the Stooges and one more as Iggy and the Stooges.
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