Originally Posted 1/08/2013-Posted here out of order in honor of David Bowie's passing
CRASH COURSE FOR
THE STOOGES...Forty years ago (1973 ) was a big year for B-Day boy DAVID BOWIE
( b. 1947 ). It was the height of Ziggymania: "Aladdin Sane", "Pin Ups"...it's amazing he found a
whole spare day to mix RAW POWER ( in truth, a remix salvage job of IGGY's
original botched production and mix ). The STOOGES over the years have bitched
to high heaven about Bowie's 'sabotage' of their masterwork but time has proven
that David made the right choices. Chances are a big budget Bob Ezrin/Alice
Cooper type production job STILL wouldn't have made the mid '70's Rock audience
buy into the STOOGES' trip (hell, they couldn't even get past the group's
name!). But Bowie's visionary mix taught many people (including musicians) to
actually hear music in new ways...to listen and be inspired by sounds they never
would have accepted before. Whether this was Bowie's intent is another
question...HIS records certainly didn't sound anything like RAW POWER. He
probably just did the best he could do with what he had. And WE wouldn't have
had RAW POWER 'come running to us'
without him...thanks, Mr. Jones.
PHUN FACT:
"Pin Ups", Bowie's LP of his versions of songs by mid '60's British
bands ( Yardbirds, Who, etc...) was actually supposed to be "Part
One". "Part Two" was rumored to be an LP of covers of songs by
American groups like The STOOGES and The VELVETS ( Ziggy and the Spiders were
already performing "White Light, White Heat" and "I'm Waiting
For My Man"). Unfortunately Ziggy had to 'break up the band' and "Pin
Ups Vol.2" never materialized. What a drag...it would have been fun to
hear RONNO work out on some STOOGES' jams!
Check out last
year's Bowie B-Day tribute on Blooge Archive "LEPER MESSIAHS?" (
1/19/12 ).
