Ready to Die
Studio album by
the Stooges
ReleasedApril 30, 2013 (2013-04-30)
Recorded2012–2013
StudioFantasy, Berkeley, CA
Genre
Length34:44
LabelFat Possum
ProducerJames Williamson
The Stooges chronology
Raw Power Live: In the Hands of the Fans
(2011) 		Ready to Die
(2013)

Ready to Die is the fifth and final studio album by American rock band The Stooges. The album was released on April 30, 2013, by Fat Possum Records.[3] The album was the band's biggest success on the Billboard 200 chart, where it debuted at number 96.[4]

Background

On February 25, 2013, Iggy Pop announced that The Stooges' fifth album Ready to Die would be released on April 30, 2013.[5] In July 2013, in an interview with Guitar World, Iggy Pop spoke about the song titled "DD's", saying: "It's funny that that song gets a lot of attention. If it was as bad as some people say it is, it wouldn't be getting noticed. But it's getting noticed as much as its subject gets noticed."[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic66/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
The A.V. ClubC[9]
Consequence of Sound[1]
Chicago Tribune[10]
The Guardian[11]
The Independent[12]
NME8/10[2]
Pitchfork5.6/10[13]
Rolling Stone[14]
Slant Magazine[15]

Ready to Die was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews and ratings from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 66, based on 35 reviews.[7] On April 28, 2013, in the first major review of the album, authorized Stooges biographer Jeffrey Morgan wrote on his website: "Strangely believe it, this new 40th Anniversary Edition ain’t all that bad. I could continue waxing euphonic about how fantoonie this sonic sizzler is, but your time would be far better spent spinning it instead."[16] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars, saying "Ready to Die is, against all odds, a terrific Stooges album."[8] Ryan Bray of Consequence of Sound gave the album three and a half stars out of four, saying "Ready to Die is another torrid tour de force from a band built for speed, not comfort."[1]

Tim Stegall of The Austin Chronicle gave the album four out of five stars, writing that "Ready to Die finds the quintet on Fat Possum, making them indie artists for the first time, and they give their new label the best produced, loudest, and slickest – without sacrificing any primal grit and drive – Stooges disc yet."[17] Jason Heller of The A.V. Club gave the album a C, saying, "Luckily there are enough high points on the album to mark it as a clear improvement over The Weirdness."[9] Julian Marszalek of The Quietus gave the album positive review, but added that "[i]t's not going to replace the band's first three peerless albums in your affections, and the chances of frequent revisits after its initial satisfying of curiosity are low."[18] Jamie Fullerton of NME gave the album an eight out of ten, saying "The most significant thing about the album is the return of guitarist James Williamson following the death of Ron Asheton in 2009."[2]

Kitty Empire of The Guardian gave the album three out of five stars saying, "Obviously, RTD is no sequel to Raw Power. But there is an oomph to it. Despite being crass and ill-judged, RTD is actually fun in parts."[11] Jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine gave the album one and a half stars out of five, saying, "The odd duck here is the surprisingly gentle 'The Departed', a slide guitar–laced burble which compares Iggy Pop to the yellowed pages of a photo album. It's honest and introspective, and has no place whatsoever on a Stooges album, a fact that only serves as a reminder that a new Stooges album has no real place in the year 2013."[15] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune gave the album three out of four stars, saying "Though it is nowhere near as indelible as the Stooges' first three landmark albums, Ready to Die is much stronger than the band's 2007 comeback, The Weirdness."[10] Jon Young of Spin gave the album an eight out of ten, saying "Ready to Die is a weirdly exhilarating gem, thanks to Iggy's fiery eloquence and the Stooges' still-raw power. Apparently rock'n'roll can be an old man's game after all."[19]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Iggy Pop and James Williamson except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Burn" 3:37
2."Sex & Money" 3:18
3."Job" 3:05
4."Gun" 3:07
5."Unfriendly World" 3:46
6."Ready to Die" 3:06
7."DD's" 3:12
8."Dirty Deal" 3:42
9."Beat That Guy" 3:15
10."The Departed"Pop, Williamson, Scott Asheton4:36
Total length:34:44
iTunes bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."Dying Breed"3:12
Japan bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."The Departed" (Instrumental version)Pop, Williamson, Asheton4:36

Personnel

The Stooges

Other musicians

Production

Charts

Chart performance for Ready to Die
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[20] 26
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21] 100
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[22] 57
French Albums (SNEP)[23] 36
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] 62
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[25] 49
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 50
UK Albums (OCC)[27] 77

References

  1. ^ a b c Bray, Ryan (April 29, 2013). "Album Review: Iggy and the Stooges – Ready to Die". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "NME Album Reviews - Iggy And The Stooges - 'Ready To Die'". Nme.Com. April 26, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  3. ^ "Iggy and The Stooges finish recording new album". NME.com. January 25, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  4. ^ "The Stooges - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  5. ^ "Iggy and the Stooges Announce New Album Ready to Die, Diss the Smashing Pumpkins in the Process". Pitchfork. February 25, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  6. ^ "Iggy Pop and James Williamson Discuss 'Ready to Die', the First Iggy and The Stooges Album in 40 Years". Guitar World. July 1, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Ready to Die Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  8. ^ a b Thomas, Stephen. "Ready to Die - Iggy & the Stooges : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  9. ^ a b Heller, Jason (April 30, 2013). "Iggy And The Stooges: Ready To Die". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  10. ^ a b Greg Kot (April 29, 2013). "Iggy and Stooges album review; Ready to Die reviewed". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  11. ^ a b Empire, Kitty (April 28, 2013). "Iggy and the Stooges: Ready to Die – review". The Guardian. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  12. ^ Price, Simon (April 27, 2013). "Album: Iggy and the Stooges, Ready to Die (Fat Possum)". The Independent. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  13. ^ Berman, Stuart (April 29, 2013). "Iggy and the Stooges: Ready to Die". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  14. ^ Fricke, David (April 22, 2013). "Ready to Die". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  15. ^ a b Liedel, Kevin (April 29, 2013). "Iggy and the Stooges: Ready to Die | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  16. ^ "Jeffrey Morgan : biographer of Alice Cooper and the Stooges". Jeffreymorgan.info. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  17. ^ "Review: Iggy & the Stooges - Music". The Austin Chronicle. May 3, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  18. ^ "Reviews | Iggy & The Stooges". The Quietus. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  19. ^ Young, Jon (April 30, 2013). "Iggy and the Stooges, 'Ready to Die' Review". Spin. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  20. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Iggy and the Stooges – Ready to Die" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – Iggy and the Stooges – Ready to Die" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  22. ^ "Ultratop.be – Iggy and the Stooges – Ready to Die" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  23. ^ "Lescharts.com – Iggy and the Stooges – Ready to Die". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  24. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Iggy and the Stooges – Ready to Die" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  25. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Iggy and the Stooges – Ready to Die". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  26. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Iggy and the Stooges – Ready to Die". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  27. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
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