Iggy & The Stooges: Ready To Die

Not to be outdone by old roomie David Bowie, Iggy Pop has roped together The Stooges for their first album since 2007’s The Weirdness – and the first collection since 1973’s Raw Power to feature Pop, guitarist James Williamson and drummer Scott Asheton.

After flirting with cuddly elder statesmen-hood – damit, he even made insurance ads – here Pop works hard at reasserting his credentials as punk’s ultimate outsider. The cathartic tumult of ‘Burn’ winds back the clock, recalling The Stooges’ sweaty bar-brawl origins; featuring a thunking bass-turn from ex-Minuteman Mike Watts, and a surging saxophone, ‘Sex & Money‘ is an eye-rolling paean to excess. On the title-track, Williams (who also produced) plies chunky riffs, as Iggy playfully contemplates his mortality (his erudite conclusion: party today, because there may not be a tomorrow). As with Bowie, Iggy’s vocals aren’t what they were and, at 65, the occasional hoarseness can be detected. Then again, his icon-hood never owed much to his prowess as a singer. It was always about the snarl and the hip-swivels. On Ready To Die he’s every bit as feral and wild-eyed as in his heyday.

Key track: Ready To Die