Iggy and the Stooges 'Raw Power' Lineup Reunited for Shows

Iggy Pop has invited former Stooges guitarist James Williamson to rejoin the band for two shows in 2010. The Stooges will play 'Raw Power' in its entirety at the All Tomorrow's Parties concerts in London in May.

To Williamson, who hasn't played gigs since 1974, the invitation came as something of a surprise. He told Rolling Stone, "I was about to take an early retirement from my job in Silicon Valley, so I figured, 'What the hell, let's do it.'"

Williamson joined the Stooges for the recording of 1973's 'Raw Power', with regular guitarist Ron Asheton moving to bass. After a dispute between Iggy and James during sessions for Pop's 1980 album, 'Soldier,' Williamson quit music altogether for a career in personal computers.

The Stooges' original lineup reformed in 2003 with former Minutemen bassist Mike Watt replacing the late Dave Alexander on bass. Having not been a part of the band until their third album, Williamson wasn't included in the reunion. Some time after Ron Asheton's tragic death in January there were murmurs from Iggy's camp that he was ready to revisit the 'Raw Power' line up, reinstating Williamson in the process.

The London shows are the only ones announced so far, but Williamson says more are coming. He also expects to record new material with Pop. "The two of us have a long history of writing new tunes" he said. "It's probably a safe bet we will at some point."