The White Stripes

[Juanjay]

I was turned off of Jack by his ego.... knocking SRV as a guitar player is just stupid, one of the only blues players that had the tech ability of the souless shredders... but he is a great song writer... and I said great... their last album sounds like a mix of LZ III and Beggars Banquet... yeah its a rip off but they do it well... and for that they should be commended... but I still despise Jack White and his pretension...

For the most part, Jack tends to be a very private, humble and modest man. Granted, he has a wonderfully strong stage presence about him, but I've never heard anyone complain about him having an ego problem.

Also, it's difficult for me to imagine him saying anything negative about SRV. I'm curious as to where you came across such information.

Cheers,
W.R.

It was in a Guitar World I read a while back.

Yeah it was in the Feb 2006 issue of Guitar World, he and Jimmy Page were interviewed together. Jack basically just said that he prefers the music of old delta blues players like Son House, Charley Patton, Howlin' Wolf, and Robert Johnson for inspiration and guidance to guys like Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Actually I liked that interview, he and Jimmy Page talking about production techniques and stuff like that. But there was another one right around the time the one before Get Behind Me Satan came out. It may have been GuitarOne.

But either way he's still a great song writer. I can't knock the man's talent but I just didn't like what he said about my favorite guitar player ever is all.

[WhiteRose]

The White Stripes' "Icky Thump"
2007-04-11 12:56:37

"Two and a half minutes into "Icky Thump", something happens which is so perfect, you almost suspect the White Stripes' press officer magically orchestrated it.

Continued...

We are sat in the boardroom at XL, listening to "Icky Thump" being played to us at generous volume. The title track comes first, and it sounds terrific. The Stripes have reminded me of Led Zeppelin plenty of times before, but I don't think they've ever sounded quite this big. "Physical Graffiti" comes to mind, but there's also this weird North African riff being played on a synth, and an organ solo which is pure Jon Lord. Meg White is hitting the drums with immense weight, while Jack continues to deconstruct rock structures as he goes along - stuttering when you expect him to charge, messing with the levels.

The thing is, it eventually occurs to us that the levels are being messed with a bit more than White had planned. In fact, "Icky Thump" is so powerful, it appears to have blown XL's fancy stereo. We take the CD out, and the speakers are still crackling.

A few minutes later, we start again in another office, and first impressions prove correct. "Icky Thump" is yet another great White Stripes album, and one which amps them up in a new and grandiose way. If "Get Behind Me Satan" was predicated on piano, marimba and White's experiments with pop, "Icky Thump" is all about electric guitar and giant drums.

In one way, it's a return to the elemental first recordings of the band: songs like "Bone Broke" and "Little Cream Soda" recall "Cannon" and "Astro", if memory serves, punctuated with those shrieking, high-frequency solos. The sound, though, is much heavier and fuller, at the same time. Again, I keep writing Led Zeppelin in my notes, even when the sound becomes folkier - as on the astonishing "300mph Torrential Outpour Blues", where the meticulous layered guitars are strikingly close to a full band sound. During "Rag And Bone" (ostensibly Steptoe & Son re-enacted by Jack and Meg), I start suspecting my critical line may be a bit narrow, when the riff reminds me of Them's "Baby Please Don't Go" - played, of course, by Jimmy Page.

On one listen, "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)" sounds like the hit: a sort of Beatles/Southern Rock hybrid that would have fitted nicely onto the soundtrack of, sigh, Dazed And Confused. The next step on from "Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground", perhaps. The strangest two tracks are "Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn" and "St Andrew (This Battle Is In The Air)". The former begins like, yes I know, "Gallows Pole" before the bagpipes turn up and the Scottish imagery gets denser and wilder. Eventually, it shifts into "St Andrew", a heated expansion of the musical and lyrical themes with a spoken word vocal by Meg. Describing it all makes it sound like whimsy - and their ongoing obsession with perceived British eccentricities can be seen in the cover shot of the pair in full Pearly Queen regalia, too. But these songs are intense rather than throwaway. The prevailing atmosphere of "Icky Thump" means that even the playfulness is delivered in a forceful frenzy.

Mexico figures, too. One of the redheaded women who stalk these songs is a "redhead senorita" (in "Icky Thump" itself), while "Conquest" (a Corky Robbins song popularised by Patty Page, apparently) is basically metal mariachi, with Jack going to head to head with trumpeter Regulo Aldama.

I haven't had much time to pull the lyrics apart yet, but there doesn't seem to quite as much playing with the brother/sister/family business. The notable exception is "I'm Slowly Turning Into You", inspired by a Michel Gondry video treatment that has Jack gradually morphing into Meg. It's a full-blooded love song (about Karen Elson, we could crudely assume?), but the complexity of the concept - and of Meg sharing the muttered chorus with Jack - means that their relationship remains the object of much sport from this most devious and compelling of bands. "Little Cream Soda" seems to be about the loss of innocence - another recurring theme, but one which gathers bigger apocalyptic resonances with every album.

The weakest track on that solitary listen seemed to be "Catch Hell Blues", a slide guitar workout that's technically brilliant but not immediately memorable. Really, though, I'm pretty sure they've done it again - given classic rock one more vicious and inventive twist. When I get to hear it another time, I'll let you know."

John Mulvey?

Link to article: http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/index.php?blog=6&p=119&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#more119

[vietnow138]

The White Stripes' "Icky Thump"
2007-04-11 12:56:37

"Two and a half minutes into "Icky Thump", something happens which is so perfect, you almost suspect the White Stripes' press officer magically orchestrated it.

Continued...

We are sat in the boardroom at XL, listening to "Icky Thump" being played to us at generous volume. The title track comes first, and it sounds terrific. The Stripes have reminded me of Led Zeppelin plenty of times before, but I don't think they've ever sounded quite this big. "Physical Graffiti" comes to mind, but there's also this weird North African riff being played on a synth, and an organ solo which is pure Jon Lord. Meg White is hitting the drums with immense weight, while Jack continues to deconstruct rock structures as he goes along - stuttering when you expect him to charge, messing with the levels.

The thing is, it eventually occurs to us that the levels are being messed with a bit more than White had planned. In fact, "Icky Thump" is so powerful, it appears to have blown XL's fancy stereo. We take the CD out, and the speakers are still crackling.

A few minutes later, we start again in another office, and first impressions prove correct. "Icky Thump" is yet another great White Stripes album, and one which amps them up in a new and grandiose way. If "Get Behind Me Satan" was predicated on piano, marimba and White's experiments with pop, "Icky Thump" is all about electric guitar and giant drums.

In one way, it's a return to the elemental first recordings of the band: songs like "Bone Broke" and "Little Cream Soda" recall "Cannon" and "Astro", if memory serves, punctuated with those shrieking, high-frequency solos. The sound, though, is much heavier and fuller, at the same time. Again, I keep writing Led Zeppelin in my notes, even when the sound becomes folkier - as on the astonishing "300mph Torrential Outpour Blues", where the meticulous layered guitars are strikingly close to a full band sound. During "Rag And Bone" (ostensibly Steptoe & Son re-enacted by Jack and Meg), I start suspecting my critical line may be a bit narrow, when the riff reminds me of Them's "Baby Please Don't Go" - played, of course, by Jimmy Page.

On one listen, "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)" sounds like the hit: a sort of Beatles/Southern Rock hybrid that would have fitted nicely onto the soundtrack of, sigh, Dazed And Confused. The next step on from "Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground", perhaps. The strangest two tracks are "Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn" and "St Andrew (This Battle Is In The Air)". The former begins like, yes I know, "Gallows Pole" before the bagpipes turn up and the Scottish imagery gets denser and wilder. Eventually, it shifts into "St Andrew", a heated expansion of the musical and lyrical themes with a spoken word vocal by Meg. Describing it all makes it sound like whimsy - and their ongoing obsession with perceived British eccentricities can be seen in the cover shot of the pair in full Pearly Queen regalia, too. But these songs are intense rather than throwaway. The prevailing atmosphere of "Icky Thump" means that even the playfulness is delivered in a forceful frenzy.

Mexico figures, too. One of the redheaded women who stalk these songs is a "redhead senorita" (in "Icky Thump" itself), while "Conquest" (a Corky Robbins song popularised by Patty Page, apparently) is basically metal mariachi, with Jack going to head to head with trumpeter Regulo Aldama.

I haven't had much time to pull the lyrics apart yet, but there doesn't seem to quite as much playing with the brother/sister/family business. The notable exception is "I'm Slowly Turning Into You", inspired by a Michel Gondry video treatment that has Jack gradually morphing into Meg. It's a full-blooded love song (about Karen Elson, we could crudely assume?), but the complexity of the concept - and of Meg sharing the muttered chorus with Jack - means that their relationship remains the object of much sport from this most devious and compelling of bands. "Little Cream Soda" seems to be about the loss of innocence - another recurring theme, but one which gathers bigger apocalyptic resonances with every album.

The weakest track on that solitary listen seemed to be "Catch Hell Blues", a slide guitar workout that's technically brilliant but not immediately memorable. Really, though, I'm pretty sure they've done it again - given classic rock one more vicious and inventive twist. When I get to hear it another time, I'll let you know."

John Mulvey?

Link to article: http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/index.php?blog=6&p=119&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#more119

Awesome, sounds like its gonna be another great album by them, I'm planning on buying this the day it comes out.

[WhiteRose]

04.24.07 // THE LEAD SINGLE OFF ICKY THUMP IS...
 
...Icky Thump! That's right, the title track off the upcoming album will be the lead single,per the White Stripes newsletter:

"Hello Children

The White Stripes' first single, 'Icky Thump', will be available exclusively online through the iTunes music stores (US and Canada only) starting at 12:01 am this Thursday, April 26th.

Third Man Records/XL Recordings will also be releasing CD and vinyl versions of the 'Icky Thump' single on June 11th in the UK. The formats and track listings are as follows:

White vinyl 7" (companion to the NME distributed record that will be given away with copies of the magazine on stands June 6th)
A. Icky Thump
B. Etching (no audio)

Standard 7"
A. Icky Thump
B. Baby Brother

CD single
1. Icky Thump
2. Catch Hell Blues

Check out the artwork HERE .

Thanks,
The White Stripes newsletter team

From the best White Stripes fan site around: http://whitestripes.net/
 

[WhiteRose]

Here are the tour dates that have been released thus far. I hope some of you will have the privilege of experiencing them live and in person.?

Cheers,
W.R.


05.31.07 Barcelona, Spain? Primavera Sound Festival
? ? ?
06.01.07 Nurburgring, Germany? Rock Am Ring Festival
? ? ?
06.02.07 Nurnberg, Germany? Rock Im Park Festival
? ?
06.04.07 Vienna Austria? Gasometer
? ? ?
06.06.07 Rome, Italy? Tenda Strisce
? ? ?
06.07.07 Milan, Italy? Idroscalo
? ? ?
06.09.07 Lisbon, Portugal? Alive Festival
? ? ?
06.11.07 Paris, France? Zenith
? ? ?
06.14.07 London, UK? Hyde Park
? ? ?
06.15.07 Leeds, UK? Harewood House
? ? ?
06.17.07 Manchester, TN Bonnaro Music and Arts Festival
? ? ?
06.24.07 Burnaby, BC? Deer Lake Park
?
06.25.07 Whitehorse, YU? Yukon Arts Centre
? ? ?
06.26.07 Yellowknife, NT? Shorty Brown Multiplex Arena
? ? ?
06.27.07 Iqaluit, NU? Arctic Winter Games Arena
? ?
06.29.07 Calgary, AB? The Pengrowth Saddledome
? ?
06.30.07 Edmonton, AB? Shaw Convention Center
? ?
07.01.07 Saskatoon, SK? TCU Place
?
07.02.07 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
? ?
07.03.07 Thunder Bay, ON? Community Auditorium
? ? ?
07.05.07 Toronto, ON? Molson Ampitheatre
?
07.06.07 Montreal, QC? Bell Centre
?
07.07.07 London, ON? John Labatt Centre
?
07.08.07 Ottawa, Canada Ottawa BluesFest
? ? ?
07.10.07 Moncton, NB? Moncton Coliseum Arena
? ? ?
07.11.07 Charlottetown, PE? Charlottetown Civic Center
? ? ?
07.13.07 Halifax, NS? Cunard Centre
? ? ?
07.16.07 St. John's, NF Mile One Center
? ? ?
07.22.07 Portland, ME? Cumberland Civic Center
?
07.23.07 Boston, MA? Agganis Arena
? ?
07.24.07 New York, NY? Madison Square Garden
? ?
07.25.07 Wallingford, CT? Chevrolet Theater
 
07.27.07 Wilmington, DE? Grand Opera House?
? ?
07.28.07 Fairfax VA? Patriot Center
? ?
07.29.07 N. Myrtle Beach, SC? House of Blues?
? ?
07.30.07 Birmingham, AL? Sloss Furnaces
?
07.31.07 Southaven, MS? Snowden Grove Park Amp.?

Link: www.whitestripes.net

[GeraldFord]

I like Meg White and would love to rub my face in her bare-naked buttocks for several hours and lick her ass crack.

[judaskennedy]

major props for playing these dates:

06.25.07 Whitehorse, YU  Yukon Arts Centre
     
06.26.07 Yellowknife, NT  Shorty Brown Multiplex Arena
     
06.27.07 Iqaluit, NU  Arctic Winter Games Arena


those are up in the middle of nowhere,  i bet its the first concert Iqaluit has ever had by anyone on a major record label

[WhiteRose]

Here's the new video for 'Icky Thump'... enjoy!?

http://music.aol.com/franchise/firstview/white-stripes-new-video

[CheapJon]

Here's the new video for 'Icky Thump'... enjoy!?

http://music.aol.com/franchise/firstview/white-stripes-new-video

no it's not if your not in the states

[WhiteRose]

no it's not if your not in the states

Sorry about that and thanks for letting me know.

The video can also been seen on YouTube... and the quality is actually pretty good.

Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OjTspCqvk8&eurl=

Cheers,
W.R.

[CheapJon]

no it's not if your not in the states

Sorry about that and thanks for letting me know.

The video can also been seen on YouTube... and the quality is actually pretty good.

Here's the link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=hP7khQjHiyc

Cheers,
W.R.

thanks man.. better then VRs video  

[Rocker_GNR]

The white stripes sucks....

[CheapJon]

The white stripes sucks....

do your mother call herself "the white stripes" too or what? 'cuz it's also a band actually

[WhiteRose]

The new album is now streaming (for free) at mtv.com: http://www.mtv.com/music/the_leak/the_white_stripes/icky_thump/

So, if you like it... then please support the arts by actually purchasing the album when it's released on the 19th of this (June) month.

Enjoy,
W.R.

[Axlfreek]

this album rocks 

[WhiteRose]

Hasn't anyone else listened to streaming of the new album yet?? You can find it here: http://www.mtv.com/music/the_leak/the_white_stripes/icky_thump/

Personally, I've decided to resist temptation. I'm waiting until it's released this coming Tuesday (June 19th)... as there's nothing quite like having the album materials in your hands while you're listening to it.?

 

[vietnow138]

Im waiting too, its only three more days so it shoudlnt be too hard.

[don_vercetti]

it's a VERY good album.  I've already heard it all the way through multiple times, but i'm still definetely going to buy it tomorrow.  Rag & Bone and 300mph torential outpour blues are standout tracks, amongst others.   The rest are all great as well, it doesn't have any weak tracks if you asked me. 

[GeraldFord]

I just got it today and I really like it. Very strong.

[Doc Emmett Brown]

I heard Rag and Bone today out of someone's car as I was driving to work.  Good stuff