The White Stripes Greatest Hits

Last updated
The White Stripes Greatest Hits
The White Stripes - Greatest Hits.png
Greatest hits album by
the White Stripes
ReleasedDecember 4, 2020 (2020-12-04)
Recorded1998–2007
Length81:42
Label
Producer Jack White
The White Stripes chronology
Live at the Gold Dollar IV
(2017)		The White Stripes Greatest Hits
(2020)		Live at the Detroit Institute of Arts
(2021)

The White Stripes Greatest Hits (also known as My Sister Thanks You and I Thank You: The White Stripes Greatest Hits) is the only compilation album by the American rock duo the White Stripes, released in America by Third Man and Columbia Records on December 4, 2020, and internationally on February 26, 2021. It contains a selection of songs from the band's six studio albums and the standalone singles "Let's Shake Hands" and "Jolene".

Contents

The only compilation and non-live release of the band since their 2011 disbandment, The White Stripes Greatest Hits was released with music videos and other memorabilia. The album received positive reviews from critics, who deemed it a fitting retrospect of the band's career.

Background

The album is the band's only compilation in their history, and only non-live or non-video release since dissolving in 2011. On behalf of the band, Third Man Records stated: "We get that the idea of 'Greatest Hits' may seem irrelevant in the era of streaming, but we also wholeheartedly believe that great bands deserve a 'Greatest Hits'". [1] [2]

Of the 26 songs featured on the album, 14 were previously released as singles. Ben Blackwell, co-founder of Third Man and the band's archivist, [3] detailed the stories behind certain tracks in a 2020 interview with Spin. [4]

Release

On October 6, 2020, the album was announced through Third Man, [2] revealing that it consisted of twenty-six songs but only naming "Ball and Biscuit", which was then released as a promotional single. [5] [6] The band also relaunched their Instagram account to promote the album. [7] On November 10, 2020, its full tracklist was revealed through a crossword puzzle, which "Third Man colleagues had trouble solving". [8] [9]

The White Stripes Greatest Hits was released in the United States by Third Man and Columbia Records on December 4, 2020, [10] [2] and was internationally released on February 26, 2021. [11] [12] Music videos for "Let's Shake Hands" and "Apple Blossom" were simultaneously released with the album, which were directed by Wartella: the former features rotoscoped footage of the band performing the song onstage. [13] [14] [15]

On December 22, 2020, the band released a 90-minute animated yule log video, which was directed by Noah Sterling and features the artwork of Blue J. [16] [17]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 91/100 [18]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [19]
And It Don't Stop A [20]
American Songwriter Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [21]
Clash 8/10 [22]
DIY Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [23]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [24]
Paste 9.0/10 [25]
Tom Hull – on the Web B+ ( Five Pointed Star Solid.svg Five Pointed Star Solid.svg Five Pointed Star Solid.svg ) [26]

The White Stripes Greatest Hits was positively received by music critics. [27] Review aggregating website Metacritic reports a normalized score of 89 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [28] AllMusic editor Heather Phares wrote "The White Stripes Greatest Hits is filled with the same detail, wit, and willingness to subvert expectations that made the band so dynamic when they were active." She further wrote that "the collection's hand-curated feel is much more personal than the average best-of or streaming play list." [29] The New Yorker's Amanda Petrusich said the album was "a good reminder of how odd and inventive the band was… It feels old-fashioned, even deliberately so, but it sounds awfully good." [27]

Hal Horowitz of American Songwriter said "like all classic music, the songs, and especially the group’s organic, iconoclastic unvarnished garage blues style, remain ageless. This generous 26 track collection handily covers all the album highlights, adding a few cool obscurities to the bit-bursting hour and 20 minute playing time." However, he was critical of the packaging. [30] Clash magazine praised the album for reflecting "the evolution of the band without ever becoming a predictable, chronologically ordered 'Singles Collection'." [31] The Irish Times wrote "Everything here lays out, with a typical minimum of fuss, their low-fidelity aesthetic… console/engage yourself with a rowdy gathering of rock, roll and everything in between." [32] The Independent's Mark Beaumont felt that tracks from their self-titled debut could have been swapped for their later works, but nonetheless said "The faithful will feel more than sated, and newcomers will find more to suck on here than a peppermint bass drum." [33]

Emma Swann of DIY praised the "non-linear" track listing, which she said allowed fans to "rediscover the band again" and stated that the record "feels more like opening a time capsule than self-congratulation; as if that 2011 statement (their breakup) locked a door we’re only now allowed to peek back into." [34] Eric Danton of Paste felt that there was instead a lack of organization, but that it ultimately helped the album nonetheless: "skipping back and forth among albums and sounds demonstrates anew just how idiosyncratic The White Stripes could be" and wrote "this collection also documents an influential piece of the indie-rock revival of the early 2000s… that's as compelling a reason as any to dig into their music all over again." [35]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Jack White, except where noted; all music is composed by Jack and Meg White

The White Stripes Greatest Hits track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Let's Shake Hands" Non-album single (1998)2:04
2."The Big Three Killed My Baby"  The White Stripes (1999)2:29
3."Fell in Love with a Girl"  White Blood Cells (2001)1:50
4."Hello Operator"  De Stijl (2000)2:36
5."I'm Slowly Turning into You"  Icky Thump (2007)4:34
6."The Hardest Button to Button"  Elephant (2003)3:32
7."The Nurse"  Get Behind Me Satan (2005)3:47
8."Screwdriver" The White Stripes3:14
9."Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" White Blood Cells3:03
10."Death Letter" Son House De Stijl4:29
11."We're Going to Be Friends" White Blood Cells2:22
12."The Denial Twist" Get Behind Me Satan2:35
13."I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" Burt Bacharach, Hal David Elephant2:46
14."Astro" The White Stripes2:42
15."Conquest" Corky Robbins Icky Thump2:48
16."Jolene" Dolly Parton Non-album single (2000)3:17
17."Hotel Yorba" White Blood Cells2:10
18."Apple Blossom" De Stijl2:13
19."Blue Orchid" Get Behind Me Satan2:37
20."Ball and Biscuit" Elephant7:18
21."I Fought Piranhas" The White Stripes3:07
22."I Think I Smell a Rat" White Blood Cells2:04
23."Icky Thump" Icky Thump4:14
24."My Doorbell" Get Behind Me Satan4:01
25."You're Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl)" De Stijl1:49
26."Seven Nation Army" Elephant3:51
Total length:81:42

Personnel

The White Stripes

Artwork

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [55] Silver60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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    2. 1 2 3 "The White Stripes "Greatest Hits"". Third Man Records . Retrieved December 13, 2020.
    3. ↑ "JACK WHITE DISCOGS INTERVIEW WITH BEN BLACKWELL – Third Man Records – Official Store". thirdmanrecords.com. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
    4. ↑ Kohn, Daniel (December 3, 2020). "The White Stripes' Archivist Ben Blackwell Reveals the Stories Behind Their Greatest Hits". Spin.
    5. ↑ Monroe, Evan Minsker, Jazz (2020-10-06). "The White Stripes Announce Greatest Hits, Share Live Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-07-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    6. ↑ "The White Stripes Share Archival "Ball and Biscuit," Prep 'Greatest Hits' Compilation". Jambands. 2020-10-08. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
    7. ↑ "The White Stripes Announce First-Ever Greatest Hits Album". 2020-10-06. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
    8. ↑ Doyle, Patrick (2020-11-10). "Can You Solve the White Stripes' Official Crossword Puzzle?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
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    14. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (2020-12-04). "See White Stripes' Animated 'Let's Shake Hands' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
    15. ↑ Blistein, Jon (2020-11-13). "White Stripes Soundtrack an Animated Love Story in Video for 'De Stijl' Classic 'Apple Blossom'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
    16. ↑ Millman, Ethan (22 December 2020). "The White Stripes Have Gifted Us With a 90-Minute Yule Log Video Featuring Greatest Hits". Rolling Stone.
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