The Stooges and The MC5 each had three great (Official) albums , but , for very different reasons. Both bands were influenced by Avant Jazz and , probably , the likes of John Cage and Stockhausen , early on , but , it seems like The Stooges kept bending and shaping it into different patterns , but , still in a Rock context. Most of the time. Would you call "L.A. Blues" Rock'n'Roll ? Does it matter ? The Five began to drift from the Free Jazz influence (At least , the blatant influence.) around the time John Sinclair went to jail. It's too easy for people to say "Oh , "Back In The USA" was so overproduced" , which is ironic , as Jon Landau had never produced an album prior to that. But , I felt the same way , the first time I heard it , but , of course , I realize , and have for 25 + years , that it contains some of their finest original songs , and that it helped pave the way for Pub Rock and Power Pop. "High Time" had it all , great songs , and a much harder sound , not to mention a smattering of horns that WORKS , and some amphetamized tempos that definitely foresaw Punk ("Gotta Keep Movin'", "Skunk (Sonically Speaking)" , e.g.).....
It's funny , I saw an early review of "Raw Power" that compared James Williamson's guitar work to that of "The old MC5 records" (Of course, the Five had just split up , recently , but , music was moving faster than it is , now.). Both bands went through a lot of changes , musically and personally , in a very short time.
I don't like to think of them in a fight , I like to think of them fighting , together. There were too many common enemies at the time. Rob Tyner , by then , a family man , stated that John Sinclair's revolutionary rhetoric was detrimental to the band doing what they did to just make a living. They were being put in the position of feeding all these hangers - on , before they could feed themselves . Now , I've met John Sinclair , and he was a nice man , and , very consequential in the development of Detroit Rock'n'Roll. I was also fortunate enough to have spoken at length with Tyner , and , while he may have renounced Sinclair's politics , he was always one for giving his peers their due , whether it was The Rationals , The SRC ("They were like us , but , they had class.".) , or The Stooges. Met with an audience that either thought The 60's was the age of peace and love , or thought newer bands like Guns 'n' Roses were keeping The MC5's flame burning , Rob emphatically cried , "NO !!!!" , and told the young'uns they needed to hear "Raw Power" as much as they did "Kick Out The Jams".....Of course , the two bands morphed into groups like The New Order , Destroy All Monsters , and Sonics Rendezvous Band , all of which shared members......even though they did'nt always agree.
"Iggy Pop's a little faggot . WE were the world's forgotton boys!" Dennis Thompson.
Well , who'd win in a fight , based on the info we have , here? There were only Four Stooges , unless you want to count Steven McCay. But , Scott Asheton was known for being the baddest motherfucker on the scene. THAT STORY IN "PLEASE KILL ME" , where he mopped up the floor with some jockboys who were fucking with Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith for looking cool , and this was before he even knew those guys , beyond the fact that his Sister was dating Smith .
As far as junk was concerned , both bands only had one member , each , at one point , who refused to bow to King Heroin , Ron Asheton and Rob Tyner , respectively.
Both bands are so different in many ways , yet , alike in other ways.
You don't have to like one to like the other , but , the two have always gone hand in hand.
