Most rock ‘n’ roll musicians who earn the designation “legendary” do so not necessarily by the material they put out on the current scene, but by the timelessness of their earlier work. Much can be said about the fact that a lot of Iggy & the Stooges fans are modern-day hipsters literally young enough to be their grandchildren. 38 years have passed since the original studio release of their third album Raw Power,which continues to be a prime example of the prototypical sound that gave birth to punk rock later on, as well as an influential agent in current rock music.

 

Raw Power Live: In the Hands of the Fans further cements the eight original tracks of the 1973 release Raw Power in their legendary status. The performance on this live album is from early September 2010, when Iggy & the Stooges played the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival. While listening to the familiar, engine-like opening riffs of the kickoff track “Raw Power,” one can only wonder what must go through the mind of a sexagenarian performing music that he recorded nearly 40 years ago. You can’t help but brace for a possibly washed-out, exhaustive, oh-God-not-this-again performance. But the band doesn’t play these songs as tired classics. They play them as though they are brand-new masterpieces of rock ‘n’ roll, with all the excitement and fury that made them great in the first place.

 

The set list does not follow the track order of the original album; the band gives the first two spots to what are usually accepted as the two most popular titles from Raw Power. After ripping through “Raw Power” and “Search and Destroy” respectively, Iggy announces, “We’re the Stooges…thanks for showing up,” before the band launches into “Gimme Danger, Little Stranger.” The rest of the songs follow with short introductions in between by Iggy Pop. One can’t help but smile at his question, “Hey, are you ready to play some fuckin’ blues?” just before hearing the walking beat of “I Need Somebody.” After plowing through the eight originally released tracks, ending with “Death Trip,” the track “I Got a Right” is tacked on to wrap up the live release with a total of nine gems, all of them arguably rendered even better than they were the first time.

 

Pop’s pride regarding the live recording is obvious as he muses, "Getting this top-notch performance of the entire Raw Power album by The Stooges realized a lifelong dream, this shit really sizzles and we are so obviously a crack band in a class of our own." Due to be released April 5, Raw Power Live: In the Hands of the Fans ranks as a must-have for any Stooges lover. A | Jason Neubauer

RIYL: Radio Birdman, The Voidoids, The Sonics