Williamson and Bowie famously clashed over album strategy during recording. The mix of Raw Power has been a thing of debate since the albums very inception. Few bands have ever locked together like the four members did on this album. They locked together like only brothers can, creating a massive, pounding bed of music that added the dread and menace to the music, making Iggy’s snarl that much more threatening and Williamson’s slashing that much nastier. Meanwhile, the Ashetons did what they did best- low, heavy, hard riffage. “OOOOBoth Iggy and Williamson snapped and jerked across the album, skittering from one spot to the next in a treble frenzy. He would drop down into a grainy, grizzled tone before rising back up with a hot blooded yelp.
Where he used to pay homage to the early blues and soul singers, pulling his wail from his gut, on Raw Power, Iggy became more of a crazed animal – barking and howling in rapid staccato. Perhaps mist interesting is that Iggy somewhat changed his vocal style for Raw Power again foreshadowing the burgeoning punk scene. “Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell” found him snapping out and striking at a rejected lover, as opposed to the one who was pining on “I wanna be your dog.” Though to be fair, as much as ever before, Iggy was consumed with doig the horizontal tango and “penetration” said as much. “Search and Destroy” said as much with Iggy on the prowl looking to cause as much damage as he could simply for the sake of causing damage. Where he was writhing, now he was a pure nihilistic fiend. On that album, Iggy seemed to be hanging on the ledge, being pulled down by his own misery, The Iggy on Raw Power, however, had let the edge go entirely. By '73, Iggy had progressed from the depressed, barely human wretch on Fun House. Most singers would struggle to keep up with Williamson’s powerful blade, but most singers are not Iggy Pop. It would be fair to say that Williamson was attempting to take rock guitar to its absolute limits and it would also be fair to say that he may have achieved his goal. A combination of Chuck Berry worship, Detroit proto-punk, and his own ingenuity, Williamson’s lines were both rock in its most classic sense as well as hostile like never before. But, while Williamson might have sacrificed some of the soul and dread of asheton, he added a vicious aggression- Williamson’s guitar not only dueled with Iggy’s vocals, but it was pushed forward in the mix, forcing you to deal with his ringing chords. Whereas Ron Asheton hammered down, Williamson was more precise and more slashing, foreshadowing the embryonic punk scene and perhaps even giving slight forecast of hardcore punk. Williamson favored a more metallic, biting edge. Where The Stooges and Funhousereveled in electric-blues on steroids- Ron Asheton’s low slinging guitar lines smashing down while Scott Asheton beat the skins like a cave man- Raw Power, musically directed by Williamson, was a sharper creature. So, it was no wonder that Raw Power wound up being dramatically different than its two older brothers. Recording lasted four weeks, which for the Stooges, was nearly a lifetime, compared to their previous two albums. So, what else could they do but recruit the only guys that had the uncanny ability to go toe-to-toe with the Igster? The Asheton brothers were flown across the pond (with Ron Asheton, perhaps blasphemously, being moved to bass) and The Stooges were re-born as Iggy and the Stooges. Though, perhaps it was not surprising when Bowie, Iggy, and Williamson could not find an English band with the primal power to back Mr. With the band having been shattered, early supporter David Bowie flew Iggy Pop over to England to record his first solo album, along with late period Stooges guitarist, James Williamson. By 1973, the Stooges had collapsed in a heap of debt, addiction, and despair.
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