Fun House is the most conceptually perfect garage rock album. Side 1 has four songs built around stripped back repetition- repetitive guitar riffs, metronomic drums, reductive lyrics/vocals- recorded live in the studio and as electric and alive as any band has ever been. Down On The Street, Loose, TV Eye, Dirt. Iggy and the 3 Stooges absolutely on it. Side 2 is a little wilder- 1970, Fun House and L.A. Blues bring in a looser feel and Steve Mackay's punk rock saxophone. If there is a better recording and expression of being in a garage band than these 7 songs, I've yet to hear it.
From the Fun House boxed set, The Complete Fun House Sessions, this is the first take of TV Eye, opening with a run around the drum kit, some studio chatter, Iggy introducing the song and then the holler of 'Looorrd!'. According to Kathy Ashton, younger sister of the Ashton brothers Ron and Scott (guitar and drums respectively), TV Eye stood for Twat Vibe, slang among her and her friends to signal a man who was leering at them. Iggy took this and turned it into a song.
TV Eye (1st Take)
Sometimes it's worthwhile to pay attention to the written piece- I'm playing this and after a minute or so I'm thinking that it sounds a bit like The Stooges........
ReplyDeleteSuch a terrific song. Fun to hear a different version. Power-pop superstars Jason Falkner, Roger Manning Jr. and Brian Reitzell briefly formed a band called TV Eyes and released one album in 2006. I presume the name was a tribute to Iggy and the boys.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised no one used that name before Brian.
ReplyDeleteappears to be a glitch at 3.46, but sounds kind of appropriate. rock 'n' roll nihilism and self disgust never sounded so beautiful. think he was spent by 1977. had to clean up his act and live a little longer, who can blame him. w.b.
ReplyDelete