Red Jeans Stijl And White Stripes Albums
Red Jeans Stijl And White Stripes Albums
Breaking out of the Detroit music scene in 1997, The White Stripes were like a bolt out of the blue. They took the underground garage circuit by storm, playing gigs all over town and releasing their first ever single in February 1998 called Let's Shake Hands. Two more singles followed, all on vinyl; Lafayette Blues in October 1998 and The Big Three Killed My Baby in March 1999. However, it wasn't until June 1999 that their first album, The White Stripes, was pressed.
The White Stripes was raw, stripped, minimal and powerful, making it a great introduction to everything that the band stood for. Jack White's vocals are piercingly hooked and Meg's drumming is basic in the extreme, but perfect all the same. Every single track from the album was flawless, leaving no space or need for filler, which was no mean feat considering there's 17 tracks on the album. Whether it's the slowdown on When I Hear My Name, the glass of Jack's vocals on Do or the blues and organ of One More Cup of Coffee, there's more crammed into that debut album than most bands can find in a whole lifetime. The front cover of the album was just as bold, bare and noisy as the music itself, with Jack wearing red jeans and a white t-shirt and Meg wearing a short red dress.
In June the very next year, The White Stripes were back again with their follow-up album, De Stijl. Recorded on 8-track analogue tape it continued the less is more feel of The White Stripes. There's great slide guitar in Little Bird, which would become one of Jack White's trademark sounds, though he probably learnt it all from the blues musicians that he is reputed to admire. There are also hints of Beatles-esque pop on the album, as in Apple Blossom, You're Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl) and I'm Bound to Pack It Up.
The White Stripes' third album, White Blood Cells (2001), was also their breakthrough album following a re-release in 2002. Popularity grew in the UK first with the support of John Peel, but soon afterwards America broke too. Tracks like Hotel Yorba and Fell In Love With a Girl took up residence on MTV (back when MTV really was MTV) introducing The White Stripes brilliantly to the masses. The front cover featured the duo back in the same red jeans, white t-shirt and little red dress that graced The White Stripes, but this time they are surrounded by Ghost like shadowy forms.
With the weight of expectation firmly on their shoulders, Jack and Meg were back in 2003 with the sheer might of Elephant. It went double platinum in the UK and platinum in the States, and introduced even more popularity for the band with tracks including Seven Nation Army, The Hardest Button to Button and Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine. Red and white returned to the album again, but this time with spaghetti western and cricketing influences.
Two years later, Get Behind Me Satin was released, however, it departed from the old blues/punk fusion of previous albums and divided fans as well as critical acclaim. Though Blue Orchid retained the raw and stripped feel of previous work, the likes of The Nurse and The Denial Twist took the band in uncharted musical directions. The front cover of the album had a much more convoluted look and feel to it too signifying the changes that enveloped the band's output on Get Behind Me Satin.
The White Stripes released their final album, Icky Thump, in the summer of 2007, long before their eventual retirement as a band early in 2011. It took them closer to their roots, capping off 6 brilliant studio albums, and while there's more polish, it still retains an element of the raw, visceral sound that put them firmly in the hearts of their fans in the first place. The album artwork though continued the stylistic move away from the simple red jeans, white t-shirt and red mini-dress of their early work, with Jack and Meg dressed in pearly king and queen outfits.
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