New Race
The First And The Last

Supergroup if ever there was one, the New Race.

But then, when I think of the classic supergroup, bloated, gray, and overweight rock stars come to mind, seeking yet another way to squeeze the last drop of blood from an already stale turnip.

The New Race are something entirely different, a creature carved into the solid rock of the Mount Rushmore of rock'n'roll, where the founding fathers George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln take the shapes of Rob Younger, Deniz Tek, Warwick Gilbert, Ron Asheton, and Dennis Thompson.

Fathers of a different homeland, one that has its roots in the smoky Detroit of the late '60s, and which glorifies itself in the earthly cult of Radio Birdman, Stooges, and MC5.

The existence of the New Race is too intense an emotion to last, and indeed it fades away in the brief span of a morning, but it leaves behind a fundamental testament to what rock'n'roll is, this one destined to endure through the centuries: "The First And The Last", the first and the last, and, I would add, the inimitable.

In thirty years, many records, more or less successful, devoted to the Detroit sound have been released, some tens of thousands. Yet the New Race represent something different; they are the ultimate and definitive incarnation of that sick and contagious sound that Iggy had the strength to bring to light, dragging it out from the basements where it was confined (and if only for this, each of us should pay him deep, eternal gratitude).

The celebration of the purest spirit of Detroit: this is "The First And The Last", nothing more and nothing less, akin to "The Stooges" and "Kick Out The Jams". And there is only one reason why it cannot be considered the greatest rock'n'roll and live album in history, and that is the absence of Iggy Pop. But there is Rob Younger, his most credible alter ego; and Rob's animal charge is second only to that of Iggy in 1969/1970. So that, the only moment when you miss the man from Ann Arbor is when "Loose" starts, because without the screams and grunts of the Iguana, it's not the same, definitely not. But it's a minor issue, at least for those, like me, who own the vinyl edition missing "Loose"...

And anyway, it's not a time for regrets – and there's no time, either – because you are overwhelmed from the very first moment by the terrifying sound impact of the New Race, a highly flammable mix of hard, (proto) punk, and acid rock like hasn't been heard since the Birdman left the scene.

From the attack of "Crying Sun" to the closing "Columbia": Younger, Tek, and Gilbert spend forty minutes on a twelve-year journey along the Sydney-Detroit axis, among songs composed for the occasion, renditions from the immense Birdman heritage, and tributes to the two illustrious comrades.

And only at the end is it understandable that "The First And The Last" is not simply the celebration of a legend (niche, yes, but legend nonetheless), but rather the transposition in flesh, bones, and blood of an indomitable spirit, as the splendid image of Deniz Tek on the back cover unequivocally testifies.

Soldiers of rock'n'roll: this is what the New Race will forever be.