Iggy & The Stooges - Raw Power (Iggy Pop Mix)

* *

Just two stars for this disappointing remix of the classic "Raw Power" album.

I've owned a vinyl copy of "Raw Power" on the CBS Embassy label since the '70s.  It's a terrific album and is, of course, the original mix by David Bowie.  The CD reviewed here is a '90s remix by Iggy himself.  Iggy has deliberately pushed a lot of the mix and the guitar in particular into the red resulting in huge amounts of distortion.  The mix does sound more modern, but it is certainly not the "Raw Power" many of us have known and loved for decades.  On the back cover, Iggy declares that "Everything's still in the red, it's a very violent mix".  The effect is akin to listening to the vinyl while the stylus is clogged up with bumfluff.  Amusing once or twice, but ultimately very wearing. Sometimes I find it impossible to listen to.  I really must get my record deck (a Roksan Xerxes) serviced so that I can enjoy the vinyl again.

For many years this was the only version of the CD available.  It is a cheapie, so if you feel as disappointed with it as I do, at least you haven't blown lots of cash on it.  I would have given it one star but there are saving graces - the booklet is fantastic with a full story of the album and comments by the Ig.  The other good point is that not all the songs are ruined - slower numbers like "Gimme Danger" and "Penetration" come off well.

The really good news is that the Bowie mix (or something very close to it) has recently become available again coupled with a brilliant live CD as the "Legacy 2CD Edition".  This is the one to go for.  The bad news is that all this disappointment could have been avoided by putting the Bowie and Pop mixes on one CD - the album is really short so both versions would fit on one disc!