The Stooges- Ready to Die review

 

The Stooges

Ready To Die

Rating: *** 1/2 or ****

Like it or not, Iggy and the Stooges are at it again with a brand new studio album. The new album, Ready to Die, is their first album since 2007's The Weirdness, which was the band's reunion album. This album also marks the return of guitarist James Williamson, who replaced the late Scott Asheton in 2009. Williamson and Iggy have not worked together since the 1973 classic Raw Power and their collaborative effort Kill City (Williamson also produced Iggy's 1979 solo album New Values). The Weirdness received mixed reviews when released but in my opinion, Ready to Die is a much better album. 

Like the Stooges albums before it, Ready to Die is a rip-roaring rock n roll album. Unlike The Weirdness, these songs sound more fleshed out and it feels like they spent a little more time in the studio with this album than they did with The Weirdness, which sounded like they made it within a week.

Ready to Die opens up with the hard rocker, "Burn". It isn't the most original song title but it's great to hear Iggy's gravelly voice singing to the sounds of Williamson's screaming guitar. "Sex & Money" and "DD's" are nice dirty romps while "Job" has a silly but catchy chorus: "I got a job/I got a job/I got a job" sings Iggy. "But it don't pay shit". Williamson's guitar playing on this album is still great after all these years. Listen to the guitar riff on "Gun": it sounds like something out of a Rolling Stones track. The self-titled track is another chance for Williamson to show off his skills while songs such as "Unfriendly World", "Beat That Guy" and "The Departed" are chance for Iggy to showcase his ability to tackle slower paced songs. 

Overall, Ready to Die is a solid album. You can't really compare this to the first three studio albums the Stooges made from 1969 to 1973 but if you like no frills punk rock, Iggy and the Stooges still deliver the goods. 

Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica- remaster/reissue coming out in May

For a while, Barfko Swill- the official Frank Zappa web shop- has been offering people to pre-order Captain Beefheart's 1969 classic album Trout Mask Replica. Not much has been said about this until now. According to the Frank Zappa Facebook page, this is a brand new remaster has been done by Bob Ludwig and is said to be the definitive version of the album. Barfko Swill also states that people over at the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen think that the master for TMR has seen some damage over the years. According to the site, the album will start shipping on May 6.

This is great news. I do have the album on CD and vinyl. I will be getting it as I have recently been planning to sell and repurchase a few Zappa albums so I can have the remasters from 2012 that are superior. After hearing Ludwigs work on the Zappa remaster (well, previews of it), I think I'll get this. Zappa did produce Trout Mask Replica so that's why it's coming from Barfko Swill. The album is out of print on CD, the 1990 Reprise issue.

You can pre-order a copy of the remastered Trout Mask Replica at the URL below...

http://barfkoswill.shop.musictoday.com/Dept.aspx?cp=971_15167

Wings' "Over America" reissue and Rock Show film coming in May

As known for months, MPL will be reissuing Paul McCartney and Wings' triple live album Wings Over America on May 28 on CD and vinyl. The 1976 album isn't the only thing fans should look forward to.

It has been speculated that the 1980 concert film Rock Show will come with the reissued album. This is not true but the film will be released separately on DVD from Eagle Vision. Fans can expect to get the full movie, with all of the songs included. When originally released on home video, some dogs were excluded. Fans can also look forward to a theatrical re-release of Rock Show in May. The film be screened in the US May 16 while the UK will get it the day before. The theatrical release will also feature a new 12 minute interview from McCartney before the movie plays.

This is looking great! I would love to see the movie on the big screen and I can't wait for the reissue.