10 Albums That Created Grunge Music
3. The Stooges - Funhouse
The three album lifecycle of The Stooges’ first run is one of the most influential in music history. While their proto-punk power was most obviously the building blocks for what followed in the late ‘70s, their attitude, aura, and sound, most particularly on this album, were hugely influential for grunge.
The carefree stomp of the simple, chugging, but altogether weird riffs were key for early acts like Tad, eschewing technical chops for sheer force and sound quality. “Dirt” is perhaps the loosest, grooviest track in The Stooges’ canon, worked around the Asheton brothers’ fiercely picked guitar and pounding drums.
The same song also sees Iggy Pop strut his stuff to the fullest. Like the grunge acts in his wake, Iggy had the appearance of effortless cool, an unlikely sex symbol. On this as well as “Loose”, he rolls and drawls his vocals, sounding perfectly uninvested.
By the tail end of the record, everything falls apart majestically. “1970”, especially, descends into pure chaos, with wailing saxophone and an abandonment of rhythm. The likes of Sonic Youth and even Nirvana were taking note here.
It’s beautifully unpolished, improvisational rock, defiantly standing against what was commercial at the time; it’s a record that birthed a handful of revolutions.