Three Years Before They Break

http://www.billboard.com/news/rock-hall-raw-power-to-start-new-three-year-1004069010.story#/news/rock-hall-raw-power-to-start-new-three-year-1004069010.story

Iggy Pop is eyeballing "a three-year cycle" for the current incarnation of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-bound the Stooges that will include the expanded re-release of 1973's seminal "Raw Power" album, touring and quite likely some new recording.

"We'll give it a good, sharp poke for the next three years and then step back and see where we are, see what we can do with it after that," Pop tells Billboard.com. "After that we should step back and pick our shots once in awhile. Hopefully we can be like something that convenes for certain occasions."

In the wake of founding guitarist Ron Asheton's death in January of 2008, Pop rekindled his relationship with James Williamson, who joined the group in 1971 and was Pop's chief collaborator on "Raw Power." Original drummer Scott "Rock Action" Asheton remains, as does bassist Mike Watt, who's been a Stooge since the group's 2003 reactivation, and saxophonist Steve Mackay. Pop says he expects the band -- which played a November "warm-up date" in Brazil -- to do "not more than about three months" on the road this year; 25 shows are already booked, he says, starting April 14 in Bourges, France, and including a Sept. 3 performance of "Raw Power" at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Monticello, N.Y.

"This year will probably heavier on the international (dates)," Pop says. "We haven't booked farther in the States because right now the world has made better offers...But I'm certain that sometime within the cycle we will do a proper U.S. tour as long as no one else expires or breaks. I'll see to that."

Pop also hopes to do some recording with the current Stooges lineup and is already in the midst of writing new material. "Once I stared working with Ron and Scott again," Pop explains, "it was important to me intellectually that the group be resurrected, not just reunified. So that meant we had to be writing and releasing new material." He's working on some ideas that the Ashetons cooked up shortly before Ron's death -- including one song about the Three Stooges -- while Williamson, who's resumed his music career after retiring from Sony Electronics, "is already on me like a greased cat. He's sending me riffs, so I did some vocals to a couple of them and it's starting to sound like something."

Pop says he'd also like to consider recording heavily bootlegged Stooges songs that were rejected by record labels between 1970's "Fun House" and "Raw Power" and also material written after the latter was released. "Ultimately I'd like to get into the studio with the group and maybe have a couple old songs, a couple new songs and then a little time to just jam and see what happens," Pop says.

The Stooges -- joined by "Raw Power" era touring member Scott Thurston, now of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers -- will perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on March 15 in New York City. "Raw Power" comes out in two versions -- a two-CD Legacy Edition with a "George Peaches" live recording and a three-CD/one DVD Deluxe Edition with a rarities disc and documentary -- on April 13. Williamson, meanwhile, is remixing the post-Stooges "Kill City" album he and Pop recorded in 1975 and released in 1977 for reissue later this year.

Hope they do something really good with the Asheton material.

A lot of good news ! Thanks homesickjameswilliamson

Scott Thurston is playing at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony with them?!

FANTASTIC!!!!

wow... A good idea Scott T. joining in for the HOF

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while Williamson[...] is already on me like a greased cat...

Thank you Ig for giving us "images" haha

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Hope they do something really good with the Asheton material.

Same here Nadja, i hope they do it justice, while i like weirdness alot i can understand why people dont like it and i dont want them to mess it up

to be honest i would love them to just release it as it was originally recorded, bum notes and all, and in the 20 (and i think i read 90?) minute version

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Scott Thurston is playing at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony with them?!

yeh, i thought that was great too, looking forward to it, i wonder who they'll get to cover their songs at the HOF


i knew that this would only be a limited time thing, iggy cant sing, or even keep vertical anymore, i think the last five years were very tough, as well as being great for him and the band, but i think it may have taken its toll on them

im glad im going to see them, should be good, and they mentioned theyre remixing kill city which is great news too, i didnt know it had been confirmed, hope its the mixes that appeared on a million in prizes

homesickjameswilliamson wrote:

He's working on some ideas that the Ashetons cooked

The Ashetons music is supposed to sound fantastic but it seems Ig still hasn't learnt that great music deserves at least half-decent lyrics. Oh well I'm sure we can all look forward to cringing as Ig sings "Look at my massive dick its starting to grow, now I'll list the stooges - Larry, Curly and Moe!" Nobody contact Iggy's management about this as the track isn't supposed to be out yet.

G, F#, E wrote:

homesickjameswilliamson wrote:

He's working on some ideas that the Ashetons cooked

The Ashetons music is supposed to sound fantastic but it seems Ig still hasn't learnt that great music deserves at least half-decent lyrics. Oh well I'm sure we can all look forward to cringing as Ig sings "Look at my massive dick its starting to grow, now I'll list the stooges - Larry, Curly and Moe!" Nobody contact Iggy's management about this as the track isn't supposed to be out yet.

stooges must be gettin big, they just appeared on abc news website; not even ron's death got a mention


http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=9894754


probably because of HOF, i wonder if iggys right - are they not cool anymore?

homesickjameswilliamson wrote:

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Hope they do something really good with the Asheton material.

Same here Nadja, i hope they do it justice, while i like weirdness alot i can understand why people dont like it and i dont want them to mess it up

to be honest i would love them to just release it as it was originally recorded, bum notes and all, and in the 20 (and i think i read 90?) minute version

I would like to hear the pure unadulterated pristine version too, but then I'm always hoping for the impossible.
I just hope they don't screw it up by trying to do too much with it, or something
I don't really know what I think of the whole stooges thing these days, though..RoRHOF and all. I'm in a weird place now as far as all that goes. I guess maybe I'd better go back and try listening to the first two albums again.

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I don't really know what I think of the whole stooges thing these days, though..RoRHOF and all. I'm in a weird place now as far as all that goes.

yeh, i dont really understand whats going on either, i think they're in a strange place, reading the article, it just cemented a thought i'd already had on this, which is this version of the stooges isn't the 'working band' attitude that they had before in 2003/4, this is as iggy desrcibed other bands, that tour their greatest hits like the police or something, i think they're crossed over into that territory, and iggy cant sing the raw power material, even 3 years seems a lot of time, it'll destroy his voice, so i think there is an expiration date on this, and iggy'll sink into the jazz stuff again (hopefully) and every-so-often, as he stated, they'll do a stooges gig for charity or something

in the same way, i think thats why theyre re-recording the 1971/73/74 stuff that never was properly recorded, because they'll try and rearrange it to accomodate his voice and other things they can't do as well anymore, and that'll be the stuff they tour not the original version of the songs

homesickjameswilliamson wrote:

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I don't really know what I think of the whole stooges thing these days, though..RoRHOF and all. I'm in a weird place now as far as all that goes.

in the same way, i think thats why theyre re-recording the 1971/73/74 stuff that never was properly recorded, because they'll try and rearrange it to accomodate his voice and other things they can't do as well anymore, and that'll be the stuff they tour not the original version of the songs

I understand why they'd re-record what should have been the 4th album. It's the very same impetus that drove Brian Wilson to re-record SMiLE after all these years. The songs were there - the demos were there - they performed them live. Fans like us have bought every crappy version of these songs over and over and it seems as though Iggy is trying to complete the full circle thing he started with getting back together with Ron & Scott.

With the right set of circumstances he could pull off the vocals - maybe not with the some screeching ferocity as '74 - but he can do it. This could be the best thing he's recorded since - dare I say - Raw Power.

sure he could. He can do those high squeals, his voice is clear.
What he needs is to bite the bullet and practice. I mean he hits the notes, but his voice just matured and got deeper.
Why not take a voice trainer to regain his strenth in the good upper midrange?
Perhaps he's too vain!?

James got his instrument refurbished too after these years - it's only natural

Interesting interview and contrary to what I have been hearing from "insiders" as of late. I hope it is true and that this inarnation of the band will tour the states. I am having a hard time accepting the fact that there will be at our without any midwest dates. For the band to tour and not play the Detroit area seems very much out of reality's realm. Say it isn't so guys!

As for Iggy's voice, his speaking voice has always been very deep, rich and full. It seems that his vocals have now started to match his speaking. I agree that a voice coach is an excellent idea. I want to hear those screeches again.

I hope they record every show they do and release a CD with the highlights every year. I also hope someone will release a high quality recording from 2008. I would love to hear I Got A Right, Search & Destroy and Raw power with Ron on guitar.
I would also like to have the tow Madonna covers with god sound quality (why does all the You Tube stuff sound like shit? – It’s not that difficult to make god sounding mp3)

cato