The Weirdness isn't a punk classic like Fun House, but let's be fair -- nothing the recently reunited Stooges can do will ever match their early work. This band does rock, however. Axeman Ron Asheton is a funky-ass rhythm freak. The dude's piercing feedback-screech on "Greedy Awful People" and "She Took My Money" should be studied by every retro-garage hack making the scene. As for the 59-year-old Iggy, well, Pop's monotone death-poetry works in spite of itself -- like it always has. Just check out these chestnuts: "My idea of fun is killing everyone," and "My dick is turning into a tree." Awesome.
The biggest problem here is Steve Albini's just-the-facts "production," an approach that works only when the band he's recording possesses an utterly unique live sound (In Utero-era Nirvana, Burning Witch). But at this stage in their careers, the Stooges can no longer deliver blitzed-out warfare like "I Got a Right." So in order to transform what's essentially a darn good collection of noisy bar-rock into something truly great, they should've picked a producer willing to trick out these recordings, like RTX's Jennifer Herrema or Andrew W.K., both of whom are avant cock-rock magicians. Still, The Weirdness shits all over 90 percent of all young-guy rock out there.
Find everything you're looking for in your city
Find the best happy hour deals in your city
Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%
Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city
