Woven into the wonderful melee is IggyРІР‚в„ўs growling vocal, just as strong and defiant as ever. But it delivers РІР‚вЂњ skipping as it does over stepping stones of stoner rock, mallet-wielding metal and defiantly-exposed rock-balls. Expect flawless Stooges, 73-style, just like mother used to make, it seems to want to say. Yes, РІР‚ВBurnРІР‚в„ў, as an opening statement of intent, is perfectly placed. It shrieks its thunderous tantrums all over this record, drenching many of its short songs with undiluted essence of РІР‚СљRaw PowerРІР‚Сњ. Much praise must land at the feet of James Williamson and his reignited firecracker of an electric guitar. No! No! No! The truth is this: on all counts, this new record from Iggy and the Stooges is a staggering and stunning success. The consensus is that this is a patchy work РІР‚вЂњ a brave but misfired album from a bunch of old fellas who are at least trying their hardest to fit in. Well, IРІР‚в„ўve read the reviews for РІР‚СљReady To DieРІР‚Сњ that are all over the internet РІР‚вЂњ and I just donРІР‚в„ўt get them. Because what their readers REALLY want from them is a list of reasons why not to listen to something. The criticsРІР‚в„ў duty, as they see it, is to pick holes in the art they used to love.

They write for a world that is populated by the young self-possessed, self-obsessed and self-serving.

But, with 50 years since their inception fast approaching, I very much doubt whether the band are prepared to go quietly into the night just yet.These people spend their days in a dark malaise, their once-bright minds now tarnished by a new strain of pessimism for an unfriendly new age. If, as the name suggests, this is the last hurrah of Iggy and the Stooges, then there are worse notes on which to go out. Ready to Die isn't the missing sequel to Raw Power, but it is a masterclass in writing a big, dumb punk album with occasional touches of emotional depth. For a change, he doesn't have the last word either, instead leaving the final coda to the chords of the main riff to 'I Wanna Be Your Dog', slowly picked out to a quasi-military drumbeat. 'Where is the life we started?' wails Pop, and for a second he sounds like he feels every one one of his 66 years. Clearly a memento mori for Ron Asheton, this tale of party-gone-wrong brings regret front and centre. The arrogant sneer of 'Job' (sample lyrics: 'I don't give a shit about my co-workers/I think they're a bunch of stupid cockjerkers' and the fantastically infantile 'DDs', in which Pop extols his love of massive knockers, exude youthful naivetР“В© and euphoria.Р”Р„t the other end of the spectrum are songs like 'Unfriendly World', which sees Pop adopt a portentous grandfather-esque character, and closer 'The Departed'. Throughout, there's a preoccupation with aging - characterised by a lyrics that constantly leap from juvenile to sepulchral. Meanwhile, the second half of the album sees a more diverse range emerge, with punk anthems interspersed with more reflective acoustic numbers. The first four songs alone form a high-adrenaline barrage that's on par with the band's Seventies output - especially the insouciant horns of 'Sex and Money'. Ready to Die can't hold a candle to Raw Power's fuzzed-out, Bowie-led production, but it is a fine rock album in its own right. Ready to Die is openly billed as the long-delayed sequel to Raw Power, with the clear hope that it will erase the memories of 2007's universally-panned Stooges album The Weirdness.Р”Вoes it succeed? Yes and no. And that's exactly what Iggy & The Stooges did. The presence of Williamson also meant that, 40 years on from the release of Raw Power, there was an opportunity to make a follow-up to that highly influential album. However, while 'The Stooges' may have died with Asheton, the re-recruitment of second guitarist James Williamson following means that 'Iggy & The Stooges' continue to stomp their way through live venues throughout the world. Many thought the band's reunion would then be curtailed by the untimely death of Stooges founding member Ron Asheton in 2009. After all, their original incarnation self-destructed in a blaze of heroin and recrimination, with 30 years passing before its members occupied a stage as The Stooges again. Iggy & The Stooges don't have a history of going quietly into the night.

The stooges ready to die full album