The Stooges - Highlights From The Fun House Sessions
(Run Out Groove)

The Stooges second album Fun House is a perfect record. Period. It is 37 minutes of adrenaline, a self defeating prophecy of hedonistic joy and pain. Every song is perfect, not a minute is wasted. We here at Angry Mom hold these truths to be self evident as I am sure many others do too. So it may come as a surprise, or perhaps a nuisance for some, to see that there is a new 2LP collection entitled Highlights From The Fun House Sessions. How do you highlight an already perfect album? Well some of you may remember the extensive 7CD collection Rhino released some years back entitled 1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions, which literally gives you everything. Some songs are included over a dozen times, and for the completist or most devoted disciples of the Stooges, it is an enlightening glimpse into the creative process of a band working out ideas into fully fleshed-out masterpieces. What Highlights does is assemble just enough material from the 7 disc set so that everyone who opted out of listening to “Loose” 16 times, is able to take an amended journey through this monumental recording session. In addition to the three non-album tracks, included here are moments of studio dialogue for posterity's sake, alternate album versions and the holy grail of all unreleased Stooges tracks – a 17 and ½ minute version of “Freak”, or what would eventually become "L.A Blues." For me, this is sacred ground, a blistering sonic assault that just may be the most accurate snapshot of the “Psychedelic Stooges” era of the band that as of now has never been found on tape. This album is no replacement for Fun House, as nothing ever could substitute complete perfection, but gives us a crucial roadmap to the journey that got them there. (Adam)
Check out a track here.