My Quest for Breaking Everything: John Cale's Favourite Music | Page 13 of 14

Baker's Dozen

Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives

12. The Stooges‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’

Producing the debut album for Iggy & The Stooges after leaving The Velvet Underground was a consequential moment for me. I’d been tapped to produce a different band and found myself floored by the explosive energy of The Stooges. In the period between rock and punk was this kind of unknown energy that was nearly combustible from the first sound coming from the stage, whatever the instrumentation. It wasn’t so much about volume as it was the message, tension and the humour of the day. Bottle this and the world would be on fire! By the time we got to recording ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ it was clear that one percussive repetitive note on the piano could hold the weight of a prowling Iggy!

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