The first Iggy Pop and the Stooges album since 1973 has been recorded, and the main man says the group has recaptured their original sound.

“The one thing that kind of amazes me is that it sounds like us,” Pop told Billboard. “But it doesn’t sound quite like ‘Fun House,’ ‘Raw Power’ or our first one. You put it on, and right away, you’d know, well, that’s them. There they go.”

The 16-track disc (still without a title) should be in stores by March 2007 on the Virgin label.

The album was recorded with Steve Albini in Chicago and features Mike Watt filling in for the late original bassist Dave Alexander. Brendan Benson, currently of The Raconteurs, also lends a hand with vocals on “Free and Freaky.”

Work will now shift to Abbey Road Studios in London, where the band will master the album. A spring tour for North America is being organized in anticipation of the disc’s release.

The band is also up for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. If they’re awarded the honour, Pop has promised to do “something really f***ing cool.” I hope it involves one-armed push-ups…

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3. Panic! At The Disco Ready to Record Second Album. Or is it Their Third?

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