Raw Power bombed on its release, but it has since been acknowledged as one of the most influential records in rock history. For the last few decades, however, the man who gave Raw Power its air of menace has been something of a mystery. James Williamson joined the Stooges in 1971, when they were at their lowest ebb after two commercially disastrous albums and the development of serious drug habits. Photographs of Williamson at the time depict a dark, brooding presence; a juvenile delinquent in platform boots. When he disappeared from view in 1977 it was assumed he had either died of a heroin overdose or gone off the rails entirely.
via guardian.co.uk