Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees 6 months ago
  • A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash 7 months ago
  • Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019 7 months ago
  • 25 years of SPOT Festival: DiS Picks Its Best 11 7 months ago
  • Twelve Hours Of Drone Is Just The Beginning: DiS Does Big Ears 8 months ago
  • IDLES Smash It In Sheffield 8 months ago
  • More bands announced for DiS partnered Fuzz Club Eindhoven 8 months ago
  • The Shape Of Punk To Come?: DiS Meets Crows 9 months ago
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

Iggy & The Stooges

Ready to Die

Label: Fat Possum Records Release Date: 29/04/2013

90143
keveddy by Kev Eddy April 30th, 2013

Iggy & The Stooges don't have a history of going quietly into the night. After all, their original incarnation self-destructed in a blaze of heroin and recrimination, with 30 years passing before its members occupied a stage as The Stooges again.

Many thought the band's reunion would then be curtailed by the untimely death of Stooges founding member Ron Asheton in 2009. However, while 'The Stooges' may have died with Asheton, the re-recruitment of second guitarist James Williamson following means that 'Iggy & The Stooges' continue to stomp their way through live venues throughout the world.

The presence of Williamson also meant that, 40 years on from the release of Raw Power, there was an opportunity to make a follow-up to that highly influential album. And that's exactly what Iggy & The Stooges did. Ready to Die is openly billed as the long-delayed sequel to Raw Power, with the clear hope that it will erase the memories of 2007's universally-panned Stooges album The Weirdness.

Does it succeed? Yes and no. Ready to Die can't hold a candle to Raw Power's fuzzed-out, Bowie-led production, but it is a fine rock album in its own right. The first four songs alone form a high-adrenaline barrage that's on par with the band's Seventies output - especially the insouciant horns of 'Sex and Money'. Meanwhile, the second half of the album sees a more diverse range emerge, with punk anthems interspersed with more reflective acoustic numbers.

Throughout, there's a preoccupation with aging - characterised by a lyrics that constantly leap from juvenile to sepulchral. The arrogant sneer of 'Job' (sample lyrics: "I don't give a shit about my co-workers/I think they're a bunch of stupid cockjerkers" and the fantastically infantile 'DDs' , in which Pop extols his love of massive knockers, exude youthful naiveté and euphoria.

At the other end of the spectrum are songs like 'Unfriendly World', which sees Pop adopt a portentous grandfather-esque character, and closer 'The Departed'. Clearly a memento mori for Ron Asheton, this tale of party-gone-wrong brings regret front and centre. "Where is the life we started?" wails Pop, and for a second he sounds like he feels every one one of his 66 years. For a change, he doesn't have the last word either, instead leaving the final coda to the chords of the main riff to 'I Wanna Be Your Dog', slowly picked out to a quasi-military drumbeat.

Ready to Die isn't the missing sequel to Raw Power, but it is a masterclass in writing a big, dumb punk album with occasional touches of emotional depth. If, as the name suggests, this is the last hurrah of Iggy and the Stooges, then there are worse notes on which to go out. But, with 50 years since their inception fast approaching, I very much doubt whether the band are prepared to go quietly into the night just yet.

  • 7
    Kev Eddy's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees


  • A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash


  • Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019


  • 25 years of SPOT Festival: DiS Picks Its Best 11


  • Twelve Hours Of Drone Is Just The Beginning: DiS Does Big Ears


  • IDLES Smash It In Sheffield



Left-arrow

Khing Kang King

IAO

Mobback
90139
90145

The Flowers of Hell

Odes

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137
  • Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136

    Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
  • Festival Review


    25 years of SPOT Festival: DiS Picks Its Best 11

  • 106134

    Festival Review


    Twelve Hours Of Drone Is Just The Beginning: Di...

  • 106133
  • Live Review


    IDLES Smash It In Sheffield

  • 106132

    Festival Preview


    More bands announced for DiS partnered Fuzz Clu...

  • 106131
  • Interview


    The Shape Of Punk To Come?: DiS Meets Crows

  • 106123
MORE


    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • feature


    Panic Prevention: At the drink with Jamie T

  • 14183

    feature


    The Knife: Swedish purveyors of alien synergy

  • 27337
  • Column


    DiS Does Singles 22.04.13: Daft Punk, Savages, ...

  • 89944

    DiScover


    ReDiScover: Low

  • 12734
  • In Depth


    Lou Reed: An Eu-lulu-ogy

  • 93330

    DiScussion


    Emo? Twee? In unnecessary defence of Neutral Mi...

  • 93713
  • Interview


    Ace of Bass: DiS Meets Royal Blood

  • 97097
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2019 DROWNED IN SOUND