Is this the first punk album? it's certainly an argument I've tried to make in the past, usually incoherently after a drink has been taken, but not a thought I completely distance myself from.
Of course, I didn't hear this album at the time, or even during the 1970s (despite the frequent references by nascent punk bands).
I suspect I taped a copy from the library sometime during the 1990s and heard what I'd been missing. I had, of course, heard of Iggy Pop (Iggy Stooge as he's known on this, his recording debut) but never taken much notice.
The first half is full of garage classics - 1969, I Wanna Be Your Dog and No Fun - punctuated by the extended drone of We Will Fall. If you're wondering why they dragged it out for ten minutes, perhaps consider that even with this, the album only runs to 34 minutes.
But the second half doesn't have the urgency and excitement of the first half three mentioned. Not Right and Little Doll are in the same vein, but just don't get there.
All in all, a solid short debut, even if they were lamentably short of material for a full album.
3* - a hugely influential album, but very patchy, with only the highlights really standing up
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