Metallic 2 x KO

Iggy And The Stooges

Metallic 2 x KO

LP, Dressed To Kill Records, UK, DTKLP001 (1976)

^{Note: Lester Bangs authored only one small portion of these sleeve notes, for which he has been permitted, at least, the last word.} 

^{Transcription and annotations by Lester Bangs Archive management.}

Crass, Conceited, Vulgar, and Unpleasant. Also Quite Unique. 

Sounds 1976: 

SOMETHING WE shouldn't get straight from the start: measured by an normal criteria 'Metallic KO' is one hell of a log way from beeing [sic] a good rock 'n' roll record, let alone a great one. 

Iggy starts to get political: "Motherf**kers motherf**kers trying to run this world." 

"We're the hardest working band in the business," Iggy announces quickly adding the philosophical, "I don't care if we're not the best." 

"I don't care if you throw all the ice in the world. You're paying five bucks and I'm making all the ice in the world. You're paying fick bucks and I'm making ten thousand baybeh . . . so SCREW YA!" 

"You can throw your goddam c*cks, I don't care. You pricks can throw every goddam thing in the world, I don't care. Your girlfriend'll still love me. Ya jealous c*cksuckers!" 

Back to the song and a heap more sexual vitriol.

So there you go. I'm a tasteless little bastard and I really enjoy it. I don't really want to have to break my balls trying to justify it if [I] get people to buy it and don't enjoy it. Like I said at the start, it's no great rock 'n' roll record per se. What I do believe is that it's an astonish piece of documentary work revealing as it does the face of rock 'n' roll that few singers/musicians would ever be rude, angry, wrecked or impolite to reveal. Sure it's crass, coceited [sic] and unjustifiably vulgar plus a hell of a lot of other singularly 'unpleasant things', but still I like it. A record that quite literally has to be heard to be believed. Unique like.—Giovanni Dadomo.^[1] 

Sounds 1977:

'KO' came out so long after the fact, any problem there? Not at all, "because it was a recording of something I did and that's nice for me, is to have the things I recorded out so that people can get them if they want them."

Speaking of this particular record reminds me of another of the two or three hundred questions I'd wanted to ask Iggy. This one's to confirm the truth of reports that most of jis songs were improvised right off the top of his head. That true of, say, "C*ck In My Pocket"? "No, that particular track was written in Los Angeles at home one night—I think it was over the New Year's holiday. And I remember that because it took some time—maybe half an hour—writing that!"

But you did used to improvise lyrics over a riff played by the band… "Yeah. 'Rich b*tch' on that album was written that way, with just the gand riffing and me improvising and picking it up in maybe two takes."

Liberation 1976

"Metallic K.O.," de la dynamite dans une chambre de verre, Iggy au ples haut de sa forme eructant: "Raw Power", "Gimme Danger".^[2]

"L'introides hachements metalliques d'une guitare en distortion viennent troubler la quietude de nos tympane habitues aux sans insipides des, radios et teles. Une voix plus [?] que que jamais, cette voix semblant agonizer nais il est des reptiles blesses continuant le combat au risque de se detruire." — Gilles Scheps^[3]

Les stooges! [?] les catalyseurs de cette energie insensee, du vrai SON de la ville. Ce son que les pauvres damones s'essayent tant & reinventer. Mais on inente pas une energie, on la CAPTE.—Patrick Eudeline.^[4]

"It's the only rock album I know where you can actually hear hurled beer bottles breaking against guitar strings."—Lester Bangs.

^[1] _{Giovanni Dadomo was the frontman for UK punk band The Sniveling Sh*ts, which had a brief run in 1977 and released two underground singles before it retired. The band re-emerged in 1989 and released a new single and a compilation album.}

^[2] _{Rough translation from the French: "Metallic K.O. is dynamite in a glass chamber; Iggy is at his belching best in "Raw Power" and "Gimme Danger."}

^[3] _{Gilles Scheps composed the liner notes for the 1987 Iggy and The Stooges album, Kill City / I'm Sick of You (Revenger Records), and New Order's 1987 album, Declaration of War (Fan Club records).}

^[4] _{Writer and musician Patrick Eudeline is the brother of French rock journalist Christian Eudeline. In 1982, he released his own New Wave 7-inch single, " Dès Demain / Boxeur Sonné," on the CBS label.}