Iggy And The Stooges* – Raw Power

"Search and Destroy" on the first LP, the so-called David Bowie mix, is not actually Bowie's mix. The mix of SAD on LP1 is The Stooges' mix from 1973, the only track on the U.S. vinyl release of Raw Power that features Iggy and The Stooges' original mix. The remaining tracks on the U.S. vinyl version are Bowie mixes. In the U.K., a slew of 1970s (and early 1980s?) vinyl pressings on the "Embassy" label retained Bowie's mix of SAD. His mix has beefy bass and guitars. But, oddly, the drums are drowned in reverb. It's not a perfect mix, but, it is arguably more ballsy than the SAD we've been used to in the States for the past 50 years.

This album is solely responsible for my love of Punk rock! (some argue it is a Rock record - I disagree, it's Punk! - I have similar arguments over "New York Dolls" 1973 debut - it's a Punk rock record!)

What we have here is a double black vinyl 2017 repress. LP 1 is the original 1973 Bowie mix. LP 2 is the 1997 Iggy mix.

I personally consider this album one of the most influential, uncompromising, in your face records ever. When an album begins with the lyric " I'm a street walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm" you know where this album is going, yet it is not all crashing guitars musically - there is some beauty and influential music here ("Gimme Danger"), ("Penetration") & ("I need somebody").
Listen to "Death Trip" and (in my humble opinion) try not to think surely Kurt Cobain must have took influence!

As to which mix? - They are both well worth having and is purely a matter of opinion. I consider the Iggy 1997 mix as my go to version as everything is "full whack", aggressive, dark and pure "Raw power" (as the name suggests!), this is no way a criticism of the Bowie (original) mix, just my personal opinion - others do and will disagree, that is what makes this a great record - we are still talking about it in 2024!

LP is 2 x 180g quality, perfectly flat, plays silent between tracks, no scratches or marks, comes in poly lined inner bags (always a plus!). Artwork is a quality reproduction - updated for this release. Contains a 16 page booklet. Sounds amazing on my mid priced Marantz/ Audio Technica system.

If you are into Rock or Punk (whatever!!) you will love this!

Play it loud as nature intended!

Amazing reissue. Great booklet, dead flat vinyl with no pops or clicks, nice inner sleeves. Get this while it's still in print.

Now for the two mixes. I will be brief:

Bowie Mix -> You are at a Stooges gig but in one of the back rows in a good spot, where the music is less direct but a comfortable experience.

Iggy Mix -> You are at a Stooges gig in the first row and the sheer power of the music blows your head off. BUT everything is distorted and harsh, short impulses which have less room to breathe compared to the Bowie mix.

I personally prefer the Iggy mix even though it is purely digital, because let's face it it is a punk record! It's not about fidelity but about the punch, the attack, the rock n' roll feeling getting you off your seat. The Iggy Mix does a way better job delivering this atmosphere. However, I can't deny that someone growing up and hearing the Bowie Mix all the time, will just prefer it because that's how it sunk in.

Are the back photos on the cover supposed to be this blurry, or is it just a release thing?

Lovely flat flawless vinyl records. No pops clicks of other assorted badness (and a nice booklet). Bowies mix is okay, but for me Iggys blows it away...........due to its raw power!

Iggy’s ‘97 mix is absolutely the way “Raw Power” was meant to be heard! If that mix sounds like “ass”, as a previous commenter claimed, then it’s a dang fine ass at that. Bowie’s mix is very much the cleaned up, polished mix-almost a different album entirely, which is not what The Stooges were all about. Compare the first 30 seconds of “Search & Destroy” from both mixes & you’ll be like “Wow, Iggy’s mix absolutely crushes it.” It’s all up in the reds, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Happy to finally have this in my collection so I can have the best of both worlds.

Does the 2017 release sound exactly like the 2012 release
?

Five stars for the Bowie Mix. The '97 Iggy remix still sounds like ass, on vinyl, but I won't let it drag down the grade because it's basically a bonus disc.

A couple of the Rough Power mixes originally released on the boots — "Penetration" and "Death Trip" — are in my opinion superior to the Bowie mix, but definitely not the title track.

The '97 versions? Even Ig's bandmates found them pointless.

Simply the greatest album ever made! It’s so sweet to have both versions of the album in this collection (Iggy’s rework is best of course)

I don't know if anyone else has had this problem, but the hole in middle of both records are really small and I nearly broke the second one trying to get it off my turntable.