Suddenly, The Stooges reemerged in 2003, with the legendary Mike Watt taking over bass duties. Following a series of well received festival dates and club gigs, The Stooges went into the studio to record their first album since 1973’s Raw Power. 2007’s The Weirdness left much to be desired. While some tracks boasted a classic Stooges sound, on the whole the album felt uninspired, lyrically trite, and in the end, perhaps not such a good idea.
Guitarist Ron Asheton passed away in 2009; Asheton was a cornerstone of the group’s original incarnation as heard on their 1969 debut and 1970’s classic Fun House. Ever the strategist, Iggy invited Raw Power guitarist James Williamson back into the fold, allowing the band to persevere.
The reformed Stooges have returned to the studio once again, the results of which we’ll hear on April 30th as Fat Possum issues Ready to Die (as far as we can tell, no relation to the Biggie’s landmark 1994 debut). I admit that after the disappointment of The Weirdness, the news of a new Stooges disc didn’t exactly excite me. However “Burn” has emerged as the lead single, and it’s actually pretty good. If this is an indication of what the album holds, The Stooges just may have a decent album up their ratty, collective sleeve.
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