"Big Time Bum"

Google Books has added the complete run of Billboard Magazine to it's archive, here's one of three nice reviews/articles I've come across so far, others posted elsewhere. Take a look, who knows what you may find?

This one, though brief, was an interesting find. For obvious reasons.

Michael Gormley, from the "From The Music Capitals Of The World" column, issue dated 20th March 1971.

"The Stooges begin recording their third Elektra lp Monday (22) in Los Angeles. The working title for the album is "Big Time Bum" The group, featuring Iggy, has taken time off from recording and touring to prepare an entirely new act, to be debuted sometime in April"

If only it were true.

Quote :

If only it were true.

Yeah.. I still hope some new unrealeased stuff will be discovered.

I distinctly remember an issue of Circus magazine in late 1970 or early 1971 stating that the Stooges were recording a third album. It listed 3 or 4 song titles. The only title I remember is 1971. I searched through my "archives" but I don't have that issue any more.

Post the thread.

Tantalising stuff. I know this is very unlikely, but does anyone think there's even a remote possibility that work began on this album? The thought of a few dusty 1971 studio reels in an Elektra vault somewhere is mindblowing...

Sorry, to disappoint, no work was ever recorded. Elektra dropped them instead.

The Stone were better anyway.

That's the Stones were better anyway.

Natalie wrote:

Sorry, to disappoint, no work was ever recorded. Elektra dropped them instead.

The thing is, I'm sure I've read that Elektra didn't drop them till a couple of months later, in the midst of the 1971 tour. What this report seems to be saying is that there were plans to record before the tour ever started. I agree that it's almost certain that the recordings never actually happened, I just wonder what the story is here... if the band didn't get droppped till some time later, why didn't this go ahead?

Of course, it could just be that the date the band got dropped has been misreported, and that it did in fact happen before the tour.

Mark,

The songs were heard by Elektra executives. They decided that there was no commercial potential and were dropped. I am not sure of the exact date but I do remember finances being very tight at that time and things were done on a gig to gig basis.

Although I heard these songs many times, to the best of my knowledge, they were never recorded as the Stooges did not get to a recording studio again while they were signed to Elektra.

Natalie

Thanks, that's really interesting. So the March date referred to in Billboard might actually have been the date when they played the songs to the execs. Such a shame!