Deep Album Cuts Vol. 308: The White Stripes
The White Stripes have been nominated for the 2023 class of the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame, alongside Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Cyndi Lauper, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against The Machine, Soundgarden, The Spinners, A Tribe Called Quest, and Warren Zevon. It's a great set of nominees, but The White Stripes feel like the only artist that I know is gonna sail in this year.
The White Stripes deep album cuts (Spotify playlist):
1. When I Hear My Name
2. Jimmy The Exploder
3. One More Cup Of Coffee
4. Suzy Lee
5. You're Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl)
6. Apple Blossom
7. Let's Build A Home
8. Why Can't You Be Nicer To Me?
9. I Think I Smell A Rat
10. The Union Forever
11. I'm Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman
12. Aluminum
13. Ball And Biscuit
14. In The Cold, Cold Night
15. Black Math
16. Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine
17. Hypnotize
18. Instinct Blues
19. I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet)
20. The Nurse
21. 300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues
22. I'm Slowly Turning Into You
23. Bone Broke
24. A Martyr For My Love For You
Tracks 1, 2, 3 and 4 from The White Stripes (1999)
Tracks 5, 6, 7 and 8 from De Stijl (2000)
Tracks 9, 10, 11 and 12 from White Blood Cells (2001)
Tracks 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 from Elephant (2003)
Tracks 18, 19 and 20 from Get Behind Me Satan (2005)
Tracks 21, 22, 23 and 24 from Icky Thump (2007)
It's interesting to think that The White Stripes are probably the most widely admired rock band to emerge in the last 30 years since Radiohead, if not Nirvana, in terms of being both popular and respected by people who hate most popular bands. I don't think it's anything that anyone would've expected from their early records.
I can't remember where I first started to hear about The White Stripes, but I was a college freshman who'd just started using Napster, and I downloaded a few songs from De Stijl that were my first experiencing hearing the band ("Apple Blossom," "Why Can't You Be Nicer To Me?" and "Hello Operator"). And it felt like they were part of that kind of proudly lo-fi retro side of '90s indie rock that seemed to have nothing to do with the mainstream alt-rock horse race, like they would maybe get as big as The Make Up or Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at best. So it kinda blindsided me when they became a giant platinum band not long after. White Blood Cells came out the same year that the movie Ghost World launched a thousand snotty hipster jokes about 'Blueshammer' every time a band played anything resembling a blues riff, which makes The White Stripes' enduring coolness all the more remarkable.
Six albums in under a decade was a pretty good run, they got to refine the original idea of the band, slowly introduce different elements without abandoning the minimalist aesthetic or adding other musicians, and make some hits while still remaining steadfastly weird. "Suzy Lee" from the band's debut is the first reference to Suzy Lee, also mentioned in "We're Going To Be Friends" and in the liner notes for Get Behind Me Satan. The original "One More Cup Of Coffee" also appeared on my Bob Dylan deep cuts playlist. Get Behind Me Satan is, I think, easily their weakest album, but I respect the attempt to pivot to more piano-heavy songs, and it definitely paved the way for Icky Thump, which I think was a great record to end with, one of their best in my opinion.
In March, a journalist I'd never heard of tweeted a stupid (but not exactly unusual) opinion about Meg White's drumming, and even though the guy very quickly deleted the tweet and locked his account, it became a whole overblown thing as often happens on Twitter, with various famous people including Jack White and his other ex-wife Karen Elson reacting. Clearly, Meg White's drumming is an essential part of the band's character. And while I enjoy some of Jack White's solo stuff with bigger bands and more polished percussion, that rough and loose duo dynamic sets The White Stripes way apart from just about every major label band of their generation (and I know plenty of drummers that wouldn't be able to play that 11/8 groove on "Aluminum"). It's a shame to see that stupid and sexist debate about her skill return, considering that the band seemed to end because of Meg's discomfort with public life and touring. I hope she's had a great life since leaving the spotlight 15 years ago. Like anyone I'd love to see her play a few songs with Jack at the Hall induction this year, but I'd understand if she didn't.
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on Monday, April 24, 2023 at 8:00 AM.
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