This weekend marked the passing of Scott Asheton, drummer of The Stooges, the seminal 1960-70s band Iggy Pop made his music debut in. He was 64.
The Stooges (1969), Funhouse (1970) and Raw Power (1973) are unbelievable records, part of a not-so-large club in which the first three (and for over 30 years the only three) albums of a band's career are excellent.
I've listened to the eponymous record possibly as often as any Led Zeppelin record, with tracks like 1969 and No Fun rivaling in energy and power anything Jimmy Page has ever put through an amp, and I Wanna Be Your Dog (while a pretty good song as well) inspiring many rebellious teens to become the crusty punks they would otherwise not have the courage to.
And like Zeppelin, The Who and - to a much lesser extent - Cream, the drumming really made The Stooges' sound what it was, and now it is no more.
The band had been inducted in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2010 and were working on a new record, playing unreleased yet oft-bootlegged songs from the 1970s sung by different guest vocalists (Iggy wanted to take a year off).
And like Iggy's tribute to Stiv Bators I posted last month, he also had the most eloquent words about his drummer's passing:
My dear friend Scott Asheton passed away last night. Scott was a great artist, I have never heard anyone play the drums with more meaning than Scott Asheton. He was like my brother. He and Ron have left a huge legacy to the world. The Ashetons have always been and continue to be a second family to me.
My thoughts are with his sister Kathy, his wife Liz and his daughter Leanna, who was the light of his life.
Iggy Pop
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