After years of flirting with Christianity, it appears that Richard Ashcroft (singer of seminal shoegazing britpop band The Verve) is going public with his faith. The subject of the new single “Are You Ready?”, released under his The United Nations Of Sound moniker, is – you guessed it – the second coming of Christ. Thankfully the song itself rocks, a slightly grittier take on the Northern Soul/Gospel/Groove he’s been pursuing in his solo work. The video cracks me up – sort of a Mike Tyson’s Punchout take on the “Bittersweet Symphony” clip, complete with a Sympathy For the Devil guitar solo and a lot of praying. Check it out:

Best line:
Yes I’m ready cause I’ve lived a life of sin
And I heard that us sinners have got a chance with him

Nine Favorite Ashcroft Tunes Other Than Bittersweet Symphony
1. History
2. The Drugs Don’t Work
3. Songs For Lovers
4. Lonely Souls (w/UNKLE)
5. The Miracle
6. Man On A Mission
7. On Your Own
8. Science Of Silence
9. (Could Be) A Country Thing City Thing Blues Thing

COMMENTS

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7 responses to “Richard Ashcroft Is Ready”

1. caleb says:

   01/20/2010 at 12:36 pm

   Thx DZ. The video is amazing. More Richard Ashcroft moving in a straight line from Point A to infinity.

   I think "The Drugs Don't Work" is one of the saddest songs I have ever heard. It was a very early insider prophecy of the whimpering end of rave culture. Ashcroft knew in advance that even robots wouldn't fix the problems. Put another way, it is a conclusive five-chord refutation of everything that The Flaming Lips have ever done.

   Reply
2. John Zahl says:

   01/20/2010 at 12:49 pm

   Hey DZ, when are you going to interview Sufjan for Mockingbird?

   Reply
3. simeon zahl says:

   01/20/2010 at 3:59 pm

   great post, and love caleb's comment. "the drugs don't work" is an all-time favorite.

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4. Christopher says:

   01/20/2010 at 9:26 pm

   Preach it Caleb.

   Hey, not to hairsplit (don't we always?), but wasn't lonely souls with DJ Shadow under the UNKLE moniker?

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5. mattstokes says:

   01/21/2010 at 9:58 am

   Too bad Ben Harper effectively ruined "Drugs Don't Work" for lots of people.

   "Sonnet" and "Lucky Man" are good ones, too.

   Reply
6. DZ says:

   01/21/2010 at 11:25 am

   Caleb- brilliantly put! That song kills me. "like a cat in a bag".

   Christopher- Right you are! I made the correction. the song he did with the chemical brothers is "the test" and it's nowhere near as good as "lonely souls".

   jz- i will interview sufjan as soon as someone sets it up… anyone?

   Reply
7. Edie says:

   02/22/2017 at 11:10 am

   I have always thought “The Drugs Don’t Work” was written about his step-father’s illness.

   Reply