Rocking hard and furiously, and hilariously obscene, Iggy Pop's "Skull Ring" is his best and most obvious commercial attempt since "Brick By Brick" delivered the Top 40 single "Candy." He gets these results by teaming up with a variety of folks from the past and present. Despite the far flung age discrepancies, the pairings with Green Day and Sum 41 are no where near as sacrilegious as some may want you to believe. In fact, "Little Know It All" sounds so darn wicked on the local station here that it would be hard to know Sum 41 was the backing if the DJ didn't make a point of mentioning it after every play of the song. Besides that, "Supermarket" with Green Day smokes. So all you crybabies screaming sellout need a reality check. Iggy isn't selling out. He's buying in.

After all, does anyone seriously believe an artist that would follow the righteous rock of "Here Comes The Summer" (which sure sounds like a hit record to me) with the serious political incorrectness of "Motor Inn" really cares if his album is "timely?" I think not. There is a wide variety of songs and styles to be had here, be it the wild retro rock of the title track to the music business blues of "Till Wrong Feels Right," that by the time the final fade of terrific "Blood On My Cool" (and the bonus track "Nervous Exhaustion" kicks in), you should be able to put away the preconceived ideas and realized that you have just listened to a first class rock'n'roll album. Bottom line, "Skull Ring" busts heads.

Amazon has listed all the tracks for "Skull Ring" above, but they've left out which bands appear on which song. If it's noted elsewhere, I didn't see it. So, for your enjoyment, here's the breakdown of Iggy Pop's "Skull Ring" collaborations. If I've left anyone out, leave a note. (Also, check out the "FatherFu****" album by Peaches for another good Iggy Pop-Peaches duet):

Little Electric Chair (with The Stooges)
Perverts In The Sun (with The Trolls)
Skull Rings (with The Stooges) {alternate title: "Skull Ring"}
Super babe (with The Trolls)
Loser (with The Stooges)
Private Hell (with Green Day)
Little Know It All (with Sum 41)
Whatever (with The Trolls)
Dead Rock Star (with The Stooges)
Rock Show (with Peaches)
Here Comes The Summer (with The Trolls)
Motor Inn (with Peaches)
Inferiority Complex (with The Trolls)
Supermarket (with Green Day)
Till Wrong Feels Right {Iggy Pop solo}
Blood On My Cool (with The Trolls)
Nervous Exhaustion (with The Trolls) {hidden bonus track}

Overall, this album may not be as raw, visceral, and fresh as Iggy's early work -- and some of it seems a bit forced and a few of the collaborations border on sell-out territory or the completely forgettable (I'm thinking of the Sum 41 duet especially, but that ended up being one of the album's biggest hits, so when even the cheesiest track is a hit, you know the other stuff will rock) -- but in the end it's a helluva lot a fun, rocks like crazy, and brings back a power and energy lacking from Pop's more low-key solo work of recent years.

And the Stooges are back on some tracks! Such a longed for reunion mixed with cool guest stars and lots of energy. Overall, an exciting little album. Still, where Mr. Pop still rules is LIVE ... if you ever get a chance to see him perform at a stadium, club, or outdoor show, RUN, don't walk. It'll be worth every penny, even if you've never loved his live or studio albums... watching this man onstage, even in 2004, is like a fever dream of power and vitality.
After seeing some of the "Skull Ring" tracks performed live by the reunited Iggy & the Stooges (and, lately, with the great Mike "Minutemen" Watt on bass), it becomes clear that "Skull Ring" actually fits in perfectly with Iggy's seminal punk from the early '70s... somehow, this aging dude is still knocking out new material that cuts as deeply as the old... And at it's best, "Skull Ring" stands with the classics.

Great follow-up to Iggy's 2001 'Beat 'Em Up' disc(see my review)and about as slammin' as one could expect.As for some who may've not heard,four of this CD's sixteen cuts had Iggy reunited with two of his former Stooge members.All four of the Stooges tracks sizzle,"Little Electric Chair",the title cut "Skull Ring","Loser" and especially the prototype punk rocking "Dead Rock Star".There are also tunes here that have Iggy pairing up with a couple of other more modern punk bands,liked the two songs he performs with Green Day.He also teams up with artists The Peaches and Sum 41.There were like maybe one of those tunes that I thought seemed tame.But,hey!For the most part,this title is a must-have.Includes a 12-page booklet with photos and song lyrics(get out the magnifying glass).

Living in Detroit all of my life, I'm sure the following is going to be akin to blasphemy around here, but I find it difficult to gleefully ride the party line about the overall quality of this album. I'll be the first to admit that the four new snot hurlers by Ann Arbor's favorite sons are surely a cause for celebration, shaking and shimmying more boisterously than anything marketed under the Iggy Pop brand since say, oh, "New Values. Although none of the new tunes come within spitting distance of anything on "The Stooges" or "Funhouse," Iggy, Ron Asheton (doubling on guitar and bass), and Scott Asheton do themselves proud for a bunch of old scrotes and in case there's any doubt, it ain't broke and they're not fixing it. Glad to see Ron still owns a wah pedal, too. As for the rest of the album? Feh... It's probably interchangeable with anything Iggy's done since "Brick By Brick" (which, coincidentally, is right around the time he adopted that baroque-sounding vocal style that is really beginning to grate on my nerves) and there's a few pooches (sound like Peaches), but it ain't "Avenue B" Part II, either. Your results may vary. As for the long-rumored new Stooges album? I'll give it one more year, then I'll stop dreaming.

ONe of my gripes about most music reviews, is that they are almost written by fans of the artist, carrying their preconceived notions and biases with them.

I've never purchased an Iggy album before, and I really enjoy this. Criticisms that it's "radio ready pop" are ridiculous. I never heard any of these songs on the radio, not that they don't deserve it. Lyrics like "Anger and greed brew until they stampede/And I can transmute/Them into more loot" isn't exactly Bon Jovi.

What I like about this album is the songs rock hard, Iggy's voice is excellent, the production and mix is good, the guitar tones are heavy and awesome, the most of the lyrics are interesting and offbeat, and it doesn't get old. For hard rock fans, definitely worth it.