While fans of
the Stooges are by their nature a hardy breed, this set is the ultimate litmus test to separate casual admirers from the truly obsessed:
1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions is a six-CD set that contains every single sound
the Stooges committed to tape while making the album
Fun House. False starts, mikes going haywire, bad jokes,
Iggy Pop imitating a wrestler,
Ron Asheton and
Scott Asheton trying to play "Wipeout" -- it's all here, along with 30 (count 'em!) takes of "Loose" spread out over seven and three-quarter hours. While this is admittedly tough going for any but the most devoted
Stooges fan, it's more a matter of bulk than a question of quality. The performances are remarkably consistent throughout, and while the multiple takes of each song get to be a bit much after a while, the songs do indeed grow and shift as they go along;
the Stooges seem to have taken the approach that they knew how these songs would start and finish, but what happened in the middle was up for grabs. And it's obvious that the band knew what they wanted for this album; there are only two unreleased songs on deck, neither of which they spent much time on, and the between song patter is kept to a minimum. For a band that's often regarded as sloppy and incoherent,
1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions indicates that
the Stooges were a lot more focused and methodical in the studio than anyone might have imagined; this set is fun and fascinating for those strong enough to wade through it. ~ Mark Deming