31 July : Funhouse

Funhouse, or maybe Fun House, was released 7 July 1970 but I’ve saved it for the end, because why not finish the month on something worthwhile?

The Stooges, and this album, are everything the Doors weren’t: fresh, sharp, hip, exciting. It isn’t my favourite album of the month by any means, but it is light years ahead of some of the dross of July 1970 that is still celebrated today, such as the Doors and, to the extent they are celebrated, Humble Pie.

It hits with the same vigour as Time And A Word; obviously they are very different albums and come from very different sensibilities, but what they have in common is an exuberance; a sense that they are not afraid to sound like their own thing, unencumbered by industry expectations.

Funhouse is raw, unencumbered by excess sophistication, and has the subtley of a boot to the groin. In short, it’s rock’n’roll.