By this point, guitarist Ron Asheton and bassist Dave Alexander had been edged out of the picture, and James Williamson had signed on as Iggy's new guitar mangler Asheton rejoined the band shortly before recording commenced on Raw Power, but was forced to play second fiddle to Williamson as bassist. But I knew I was still socially fucked.In 1972, the Stooges were near the point of collapse when David Bowie's management team, MainMan, took a chance on the band at Bowie's behest. I felt a sense of relief that it made me artistically secure. But “Search And Destroy” is the record’s masterpiece. It’s practically impossible for me to hit a sustained high tone like that and scream that sort of hyped-up, crazy hillbilly rock thing that I always liked.

Because that was the only three minutes of my life when I was ever going to approximate Little Richard. My personal favourite, though, is “ Shake Appeal”. “Search And Destroy” has become very popular. We were very well rewarded for that record, later. “I had the faith that if we did our best, things would come around,” Iggy says. Prevented from working in the UK after they finished the album, Iggy And The Stooges stumbled back to America, where they imploded in a series of confrontational, deranged gigs.

“Because people have heard about all the wild shit going down around those sessions and they can see it on the album sleeve, too. “The fact that there was a very competent, well-educated photographer, Mick Rock, to document our rehearsal sessions helps,” Iggy adds. I’d stick my head out and see Lord Snowdon and Princess Margaret. When I couldn’t come up with the lyrics and live with them at the same time, they put me in the basement of Blakes Hotel. We were given every artistic requirement – a place to rehearse, and a good studio. We didn’t relate to English musicians or producers, and we resolved to do it ourselves. “I had decided the people from MainMan were our best shot to do something,” Iggy tells us. This reconfigured lineup became Iggy And The Stooges. Williamson followed Iggy, then later Ron and Scott Asheton crossed the Atlantic – lured to the UK by the promise of gigs that never materialised – with Ron demoted to bass duties. On top of that, we were all one step away from becoming junkies and the ones that weren’t junkies were completely out of touch with reality. I knew our management didn’t want it, I knew that radio didn’t understand it and I knew that most people wouldn’t get it. “I knew that there were a few malcontented, strange people out there who were actually going to like this, but there was no apparatus to gather them up. “I realised that there was almost no-one in the world who wanted to save The Stooges,” Iggy tells Uncut.

ORDER NOW: Neil Young is on the cover of the latest issue of Uncut.

On the 50th anniversary of its release, the album remains a masterpiece of slashing guitars and savage, misanthropic blues. Written while roaming West London’s leafy streets, Raw Power became a blueprint for the city’s punk explosion a few years later.

Invited to London by David Bowieand his MainMan management, Iggy seized the chance to rejuvenate The Stooges. There, a new version of the band took shape, with James Williamson, second guitarist since 1970, replacing Ron Asheton at Iggy’sright hand.

Dropped by Elektra after Fun House flopped, they returned home to Detroit to lick their wounds. In 1972, The Stooges were on life support. “But Raw Power, that’s the big one.” Raw Power’s foundational influence – on punk’s lineage in particular – is underscored by the musicians Uncut has assembled to celebrate the record’s eight tracks, including veterans of HÜSKER DÜ, DINOSAUR JR, THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, MUDHONEY, L7 and SPACEMEN 3, in the latest issue of Uncut magazine – in UK shops from Thursday, December 8 and available to buy from our online store. “All three Stooges albums are equal to me,” says IGGY POP.

Iggy raw power