IGGY & THE STOOGES Metallic K.O. (Skydog Records)

By the time this issue of CREEM hits the stands, Iggy Pop will be back on his rock 'n' roll search and destroy mission in the wilds of urban America. There is a new album due any minute, and next month in these pages you can read all about it. Exactly what the Ig has up his sleeve for this, his third shot at stardom, is anybody's guess—hell, there's even Iggy Goes Disco rumors flyin' around and wouldn't that be a kick? And while those of us who have ever cared about Iggy wait in nervous limbo until the facts are in, Metallic K.O. has popped up in the import section of various record stores across the fruited plain. Its timing is a bit darkly shaded, because who knows if the new Ic&y model can come close to the performance of this '74 Stooges live set, recorded in the Motor City itself. If he can, then we'd better get the crown and the throne out of the closet quick, because Metallic K. O. is not only the most intense album I've ever heard, but side two of this record just might be the greatest rock 'n' roll document of all time.