The White Stripes | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 15, 1999 | |||
Recorded | January 1999 | |||
Studio | Ghetto Recorders and Third Man Studios, Detroit, Michigan | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 43:38 | |||
Label | Sympathy for the Record Industry | |||
Producer | ||||
The White Stripes chronology | ||||
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Singles from The White Stripes | ||||
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The White Stripes is the debut studio album by American rock duo the White Stripes, released on June 15, 1999. The album was produced by Jim Diamond and vocalist/guitarist Jack White, recorded in January 1999 at Ghetto Recorders and Third Man Studios in Detroit. White dedicated the album to deceased blues musician Son House.
The album was recorded in a week at Ghetto Recorders with "Screwdriver", "Sugar Never Tasted So Good", "St. James Infirmary", and "Astro" recorded at Jack White's home. [2] [3] Johnny Walker of the Soledad Brothers played slide guitar on two songs: "Suzy Lee" and "I Fought Piranhas". Walker is credited with having taught Jack White how to play slide, a technique featured heavily on the White Stripes' first two albums. Walker explains, "[Jack] had a four track in his living room and invited me to come by and do some recording. In return, I showed him how to play slide." [4]
The duo covered "St. James Infirmary Blues" after being introduced to the song from a Betty Boop cartoon. [5]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Pitchfork | 8.3/10 [6] |
Rolling Stone | [7] |
The album received mostly positive reviews. Norene Cashen of The Metro Times said the LP "serves better to remind us that [Detroit's] local identity has more options than a membership card to the latest cliché...or a one-way ticket to the coast." [8]
Much of the media feedback came two or three years after its initial release, following the duo's fame spreading beyond Detroit. AllMusic said of the album, "Jack White's voice is a singular, evocative combination of punk, metal, blues, and backwoods while his guitar work is grand and banging with just enough lyrical touches of slide and subtle solo work... Meg White balances out the fretwork and the fretting with methodical, spare, and booming cymbal, bass drum, and snare... All D.I.Y. punk-country-blues-metal singer-songwriting duos should sound this good." [1]
BBC DJ John Peel first spotted the album in a record shop and said, "I just liked the look of it and I looked at the titles – you develop an instinct, d'you know what I mean? And it looked like the sort of record I would like, so I took it out and I did like it, and started playing it." [9] His endorsement was key in heightening their popularity in the UK. [9]
All music is composed by the White Stripes, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Jimmy the Exploder" | 2:29 | |
2. | "Stop Breaking Down" | Robert Johnson | 2:20 |
3. | "The Big Three Killed My Baby" | 2:29 | |
4. | "Suzy Lee" | 3:21 | |
5. | "Sugar Never Tasted So Good" | 2:54 | |
6. | "Wasting My Time" | 2:13 | |
7. | "Cannon" | Son House (See: John the Revelator) | 2:30 |
8. | "Astro" | 2:42 | |
9. | "Broken Bricks" | lyrics by Jack White and Stephen Gillis | 1:51 |
10. | "When I Hear My Name" | 1:54 | |
11. | "Do" | 3:05 | |
12. | "Screwdriver" | 3:14 | |
13. | "One More Cup of Coffee" | Bob Dylan | 3:13 |
14. | "Little People" | 2:22 | |
15. | "Slicker Drips" | 1:30 | |
16. | "St. James Infirmary Blues" | Traditional | 2:24 |
17. | "I Fought Piranhas" | 3:07 | |
Total length: | 43:38 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
18. | "Let's Shake Hands" | 2:01 |
19. | "Lafayette Blues" | 2:15 |
Total length: | 47:54 |
The White Stripes
Additional personnel
Chart (2004) | Peak position |
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French Albums (SNEP) [10] | 159 |
UK Albums (Official Charts Company) [11] | 142 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [12] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States | — | 335,000 [13] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | June 15, 1999 | Sympathy for the Record Industry | LP album | SFTRI 577 |
Compact Disc | SFTRI 577 | |||
United Kingdom | November 26, 2001 | XL Recordings | Compact Disc | XLCD 149 |
LP album | XLLP 149 | |||
United States | June 11, 2002 | V2 Records | Compact Disc | 63881-27131-2 |
Japan | March 19, 2003 | V2 Records Japan | Compact Disc | V2CP 148 |
United States | November 30, 2010 | Third Man Records | LP album | TMR-042 |
The White Stripes were an American rock duo formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White and Meg White. They were a leading group of 2000s indie rock and the decade's garage rock revival.
Elephant is the fourth studio album by the American rock duo The White Stripes, released on April 1, 2003, by V2, XL, and Third Man records. The album was produced by the band's guitarist and lead vocalist Jack White, and continues their "back-to-basics" approach as seen in their previous album, White Blood Cells (2001). It was mostly recorded at Maida Vale and Toe Rag Studios across two weeks in April 2002, and was produced without the use of computers, instead utilizing a duct-taped 8 track tape machine and various gear no more recent than 1963.
De Stijl is the second studio album by the American rock duo the White Stripes, released on June 20, 2000, by the Sympathy for the Record Industry. Produced by the band's guitarist and lead vocalist Jack White, the album was recorded on an 8-track analog tape in his living room following the covert divorce of members Jack and Meg White, who nevertheless continued working together. The album takes its name from the art movement of the same name, and features their early blues-inspired sound.
John Anthony White is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and producer who achieved international fame as the guitarist and lead singer of the rock duo the White Stripes. As the White Stripes disbanded, he sought success with his solo career, subsequent collaborations, and business ventures.
Megan Martha White is an American musician who achieved international fame as the drummer of the rock duo the White Stripes. Though she typically performed backing vocals for the band, she occasionally sang lead on their albums, including "In the Cold, Cold Night" and "Passive Manipulation".
Get Behind Me Satan is the fifth studio album by the American rock duo the White Stripes. It was released on June 7, 2005, through V2 and XL Records. It was conceived after band members Jack and Meg White faced a creative slump, and was recorded in Jack's living room between February and March 2005. Jack was responsible for the album's production in its entirety.
Under Blackpool Lights is the first official DVD released by The White Stripes. The DVD consists of 26 tracks recorded at The Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens in the English seaside resort of Blackpool on January 27 and 28, 2004, and directed by Dick Carruthers using super 8 film. Among these tracks, as with most White Stripes live performances, are several cover songs – such as "Take a Whiff on Me", "Outlaw Blues", "Jack the Ripper", "Jolene", "Death Letter", "Goin' Back to Memphis", and "De Ballit of de Boll Weevil".
The Dirtbombs are an American garage rock band based in Detroit, Michigan, notable for blending diverse influences such as punk rock and soul, while featuring a dual bass guitar, dual drum and guitar lineup. The Dirtbombs were formed by Mick Collins as a side project and started recording songs by 1995.
"There's No Home for You Here" is a song by American alternative rock band the White Stripes, featured on their fourth studio album, Elephant (2003). It was released as the fourth single from the album on March 15, 2004, in the United Kingdom. The B-side of the 7-inch vinyl record is a medley of "I Fought Piranhas" and "Let's Build a Home" – from The White Stripes (1999) and De Stijl (2000), respectively – recorded at Electric Lady Studios on November 16, 2003. The single failed to chart. Of the track, Jack said, "Our idea was to see how far we could go with an eight track recorder, and I think how far we went is too far."
"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" is a song by American garage rock band the White Stripes, featured on their 2001 third studio album White Blood Cells. Written by the band and produced by vocalist and guitarist Jack White, "Dead Leaves" was released as the third single from the album in July 2002, charting at number 19 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.
"We're Going to Be Friends" is a song by American alternative rock band White Stripes from their album White Blood Cells. It was released in 2002 and tells the story of meeting a new friend at the beginning of a school year.
"Hotel Yorba" is the lead single from White Blood Cells, by American garage rock band the White Stripes. It was released on November 12, 2001.
Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit is a compilation album of American garage rock and punk bands from Detroit, released in 2001. Put together by Jack White of the White Stripes, it featured bands such as the Von Bondies, the Dirtbombs, and the Detroit Cobras. It was recorded in the home of Jack White, and he, along with nephew and the Dirtbombs drummer Ben Blackwell can be heard singing backup on "Shaky Puddin'," a Soledad Brothers track.
The Greenhornes were an American garage rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 1996 by vocalist/guitarist Craig Fox, bass guitarist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler. They released their debut album Gun For You in 1999, followed by a self-titled album in 2001. A third studio album, Dual Mono, was released in 2002, with the band taking a small hiatus. The Greenhornes returned in 2005 to release a new EP, East Grand Blues, and a compilation album, Sewed Soles. During this time, Lawrence and Keeler formed The Raconteurs with Detroit musicians and personal friends Jack White and Brendan Benson, leaving very few performances and interaction with Fox. In 2010, the band reunited once again to record a studio album, Four Stars, their first in eight years.
Soledad Brothers were an American garage rock trio from Maumee, Ohio. Taking strong influence from blues rock, the band consisted of Ben Swank on drums, Johnny Walker on guitar and vocals, and Oliver Henry on sax and guitar. The band produced four albums: Soledad Brothers (2000), Steal Your Soul and Dare Your Spirit to Move (2002), Voice of Treason (2003), and The Hardest Walk (2006).
Jim Diamond is an American music producer, studio engineer, and bass guitar player based in Detroit, Michigan. He worked on the first two White Stripes albums and played bass with The Dirtbombs.
"In the Cold, Cold Night" is a song by American rock duo the White Stripes from their fourth studio album, Elephant (2003). The fifth track on the album, it was written and produced by Jack White specifically for Meg White to sing, marking her first time as the band's lead vocalist. Musically, "In the Cold, Cold Night" features a minimalist soundscape and ambiguous lyrics about a woman pleading for her lover's return. The song has received positive reviews from music critics, who consider it a signature work of the band and one of their best songs.
The Upholsterers were an American garage punk band in 2000, from Detroit, Michigan. The two-piece band was composed of Jack White and Brian Muldoon of The Muldoons. Muldoon provided drums, while White played on guitar and created sounds with a worm gear saw. They were originally called Two Part Resin.
Vague Premonition is an album by the Canadian band Elevator Through. The album was released on April 20, 1999, by Sub Pop on CD; it was released in June 1999 by Sonic Unyon on vinyl. Most of the album's songs were recorded in one take. Jack Endino mixed the record at CMS Studios, in Moncton, in November, 1998. An expanded reissue of the album was released through Blue Fog Recordings in July 2022, which included the original LP remastered from the original tapes by Rick White, The Such soundtrack extended play, March 1998 Home demos of outtakes of songs originally recorded for the album or The Such soundtrack, which weren't used, as well as included a digital download code for a sequenced home demo version of Vague Premonition, recorded in Spring and Summer, of 1998, which were originally released separately on their own, in 2018.
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