Hostile review
The debut the critic called loud, boring and tasteless
Released in the US on 5 August 1969, The Stooges introduced Iggy Pop's primal howl and Ron Asheton's fuzz-drenched guitar to a bewildered mainstream. A contemporary hostile review, alongside chart results with their dates.
The verdict at the time
Ward attacked the record as 'loud, boring, tasteless, unimaginative and childish', calling the lyrics 'sub-literate' and the playing amateurish, though he conceded 'I kind of like it' and found the energy infectious.
Chart peaks
European positions are listed by country. Later chart entries are labelled separately.
Sources & context
One critic's opinion, summarised from the original Rolling Stone review of 18 October 1969. The album is now ranked among Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and recognised as a foundational proto-punk document.
