вЂњAs a guitarist, James fills the space as if somebodyвЂ™s just let a drug dog into your houseвЂ¦ and itвЂ™s big,вЂќ is how Iggy describes his bandmateвЂ™s playing.

HeвЂ™s both demonic and intellectual, almost how you would imagine Darth Vader to sound if he was in a band.вЂќ Johnny Marr said of Williamson: вЂњHe has the technical ability of Jimmy Page without being as studious, and the swagger of Keith Richards without being sloppy.

Sex Pistol Steve Jones famously admitted he learnt to play by taking speed and listening to Raw Power.

Playing the Keef to IggyвЂ™s Mick was a guitarist whose influence is threaded inexorably through the development of punk rock, James Williamson. And as its chief creator James Newell Osterberg Jr, aka Iggy Pop, recalls: вЂњIt was done with drugs, youth, attitude and a record collectionвЂќ. It remains one of the most visceral, electrifying pieces of musical savagery youвЂ™ll ever hear. Released in 1973, it set the bar for a wave of punk bands to try and, in most cases, fail to eclipse. Should an actual fight break out, so be it.ДЄfter all, Raw Power is one superb soundtrack for a scrap.If ever an album was wholly encapsulated by its title, itвЂ™s The StoogesвЂ™ incendiary third album, Raw Power. Iggy threatened his audience with a smirk - 'Come up here, little Billy BoyвЂ¦ Suck my a**'. But consistency isn't the name of this game: Stooges shows were about cutting loose, feeling free, fighting the tide, butting heads. His vocals distort and pop, his mouth too close to the microphone one moment and utterly absent the next. Thurston tinkles playfully during an intro otherwise dominated by fuzzed-up crunch from Williamson then, like a bolt of lightning against an ominous sky, Iggy sparks into brilliant life, stretching syllables against their will and catching the shortest breath whenever a break presents itself. The quality of Georgia Peaches is expectedly sketchy - but such is the energy conveyed that it's tough indeed to not become caught up in the crackly cacophony. Cock in My Pocket and Open Up and Bleed are among the numbers that'd emerge on 1974's live release, Metallic K.O., though neither would receive a studio treatment, as the band fractured again in 1974 and did not reconvene 'til 2003, eventually releasing The Weirdness in 2007. The set's not exclusively comprised of Raw Power cuts - though the album, the subject of much scrutiny from Iggy's then management, who insisted that David Bowie clean up the street-walkin' cheetah's original mixes, was still fresh in the minds of these musicians, already attentions were turning to the future. Georgia Peaches is the bonus disc in question, and what a ride it offers - Iggy snarling, confrontational, caustic his band, featuring original Stooges (the late) Ron and Scott Asheton alongside new guitarist James Williamson, frothing itself into a frenzy to keep pace pianist Scott Thurston painting merry atop the melee with attractive abandonment. For this Legacy edition - two discs a deluxe edition, with additional rarities and a DVD, is also available - they've lapped against a recording of the band at Richards in Atlanta, October 1973. What's not, though, are the ripples that continue to expand from its initial point of impact. Turn it over, again, and hit me with the flip.

Such is the legend of Raw Power, The Stooges' third album, that more column inches have been devoted to it than the combined height of all the individuals who purchased it upon its original February 1973 release (it was widely ignored). Pack away your superlatives, sir, for they've all been said.

The stooges raw power album cover