The White Stripes

The White Stripes are a Grammy Award-winning American rock music duo from Detroit, Michigan consisting of songwriter Jack White on guitar, piano, lead vocals, and Meg White on drums, percussion and vocals. The group rose to prominence as part of the garage rock revival with their successful albums, White Blood Cells and Elephant. The White Stripes are known for their raw low fidelity sound and simplicity of composition and arrangement mostly inspired by punk rock, American blues, folk rock, and country music. July 14, 2007 marks the tenth anniversary of the band. An anniversary show to be held in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, sold out in twelve minutes.

White Stripes and De Stijl
The White Stripes (i.e., Megan Martha White, drums, vocals; and Jack White whose birth name is John Anthony Gillis, guitar, piano, lead vocals) was formed in Detroit in 1997 and first performed in public on July 14th. (See 1997 in music). The duo began receiving more attention after Jack White made the tandem the primary focus of his efforts, after his unceremonious exit from the Detroit garage-rock band The Go in 1999. While Jack and Meg have claimed to be siblings, numerous sources have proven that they are in fact a divorced couple. Jack has described their eponymous debut album (released in 1999), as "...really angry...the most raw, the most powerful, and the most Detroit-sounding record we've made".

Their second release, De Stijl (2000), was named after the De Stijl (the style) Dutch art movement which they cited as a source for the approach to their musical image. De Stijl-style art was used on the cover of the album, which was recorded on an 8-track analog tape recorder in Jack's living room, although he said he would never use that technique again as there were many interruptions during the recording.

White Blood Cells and Elephant
The White Stripes enjoyed their first significant success during 2001 with the release of their first major label album White Blood Cells (initially released on Sympathy for the Record Industry; the album was re-released on V2 Records in 2002). The stripped-down garage rock sound drew critical acclaim in the UK, and in the United States soon afterward, making The White Stripes one of the more acclaimed bands of 2002. In 2002, Q magazine named The White Stripes as one of "50 Bands to See Before You Die". The Lego-themed video, directed by Michel Gondry for the single "Fell in Love with a Girl" off White Blood Cells, brought them wider attention.

Their follow-up album, entitled Elephant, was released on April 1, 2003, again to widespread critical acclaim and even more commercial success, as it became The White Stripes' first UK chart-topper and US Top 10 album. It was recorded with Liam Watson at Toe Rag Studios, London. During their "50 Years of Rock and Roll" celebration, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it as the 390th best album of all time. The album's initial single, "Seven Nation Army", was the band's most successful yet, and was followed with a cover of "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself", originally written by Burt Bacharach. The album's third single was the quite successful "The Hardest Button to Button". On February 8, 2004 the album won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album, while "Seven Nation Army" won a Grammy for Best Rock Song.

In 2003, Jack and Meg White appeared in Jim Jarmusch's film, Coffee and Cigarettes in a segment entitled "Jack Shows Meg His Tesla Coil." Later in August of that year, Rolling Stone Magazine included Jack White on a special cover of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" issue at number 17 between Johnny Ramone and John Frusciante.

Released in 2004, the music film Under Blackpool Lights was filmed entirely using 16mm film and was directed by Dick Carruthers. Jack White alerted fans to the film's more cryptic elements on his site postings, one of which was undoubtedly the writing scrawled on his arm. Recorded over two nights' worth of shows, the writing appears to say NOXIOUS, which "mysteriously" changes to OBNOXIOUS at certain points when film segments from the other night are used. The film features a cover of the Dolly Parton song, "Jolene".

Get Behind Me Satan, The Raconteurs and other projects
A fifth album, Get Behind Me Satan, was released in North America on June 7, 2005 and has garnered critical acclaim. In that year, Rolling Stone magazine raved, "If you happen to be a rock band, and you don't happen to be either of the White Stripes, it so sucks to be you right now." Three singles were released from the album, the first being "Blue Orchid", a popular song on satellite radio and some FM stations. White's new spouse appears in the video for the song, and the second single was "My Doorbell". The third single, "The Denial Twist", featured a video by Michel Gondry which documented, in typically bizarre White Stripes fashion, the band's week-long appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. The album won as "Best Alternative Music Album" at the 2006 Grammy Awards. They were nominated for "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" for the song, "My Doorbell". "Get Behind Me Satan" was recorded in Jack White's Detroit home.

The band released a cover version of Tegan and Sara's song "Walking with a Ghost" on iTunes on November 14, 2005. The song was later released on December 7, 2005 as the Walking with a Ghost EP featuring four other live tracks.

On December 1, 2005, the group appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, performing "The Denial Twist" and "My Doorbell". The White Stripes are one of the few bands to perform on the show. (On a previous show, the group Tenacious D also performed a song after their interview).

The White Stripes postponed the Japanese leg of their world tour after Jack strained his vocal cords. Doctors recommended that Jack not sing or talk for two weeks, and he fully recovered and returned to the stage in Auckland, New Zealand to headline the Big Day Out tour.

On May 15, 2006 The Raconteurs fronted by Jack White and Brendan Benson released their debut Broken Boy Soldiers. White has since toured with the band through the rest of the year.

During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, "Seven Nation Army" became the unofficial hymn for Italy, the Azzurri. The song was picked up by fans of AS Roma, one of Serie A's best teams. The song was sung to serenade Roma's players on the national team, most notably Francesco Totti. The Italian fans often chanted the song's signature guitar riff. A version of the song featuring comments from Italian sports commentator Fabio Caressa enjoyed airplay on Italian radios and TV shows. Appropriately, the Italian team actually had to play against seven other nations to get the title (Ghana, USA, Czech Republic, Australia, Ukraine, Germany, and France).

On October 12, 2006, it was announced on the White Stripes official website that there would be an album of avant-garde orchestral recordings consisting of past music written by Jack White called Aluminium. The album was made available for pre-order on November 6, 2006 to great demand from the band's fans, the LP version of the project sold out in a little under a day. The project was conceived by Richard Russell, who is the founder of XL Recordings. Richard Russell co-produced the album with Joby Talbot. It was recorded between August 2005 and February 2006 at Intimate Studios in Wapping, London using an orchestra. The album is available exclusively through the Aluminium website as a numbered limited edition of 3,333 CDs with 999 LP's also produced but now sold out. The download format will not be limited, and will come with an electronic booklet.

On January 12, 2007 it was announced that in the process of reconstruction, V2 Records will no longer release new White Stripes material, leaving the band currently without a label. However, the band's contract with V2 had already expired, and on February 12, 2007, it was confirmed that the band had signed a single album deal with Warner Brothers.

Icky Thump
The White Stripes official web site announced on February 28, 2007 that Icky Thump will be the name of the band's sixth studio album. The band's website announced that the album was recorded at Nashville's Blackbird Studio and took almost three weeks to record — the longest of any White Stripes album to date. The album release is scheduled for June 18, 2007 in the UK and Europe, and June 19 2007 in the United States, Southeast Asia, and Japan, shortly after a series of concerts in Europe and one in North America.

A statement on the band's official website, spuriously attributed to "Kitayna Ireyna Tatanya Kerenska Alisof of the Moscow Bugle" (a reference to Batman: The Movie (1966) ) claims that:

"The White Stripes have completed the recording and mixing of their sixth album. It is entitled Icky Thump, and is their first album to include a title track, which curiously (and not ironically) has the same words in it's [sic] name. Though some residents of northern England might almost recognize the title, the Stripes stress they are spelling it wrong intentionally just for "kicks" and "metaphors", and to avoid a possible lawsuit from the estate of Billy Eckstine."

Three tracks were previewed to NME, "Icky Thump", "What Love Is" and "Conquest." NME described the tracks as "an experimental, heavy sounding 70s riff," "a strong, melodic love song" and "an unexpected mix of big guitars and a bold horn section," respectively. NME also confirmed the appearance of bagpipes in a video of the band recording the songs but stated that none of the previewed songs featured the instrument.

The song "I'm Slowly Turning into You" was featured in a video on the band's official website. The video depicts Jack White in the studio recording the vocals for the song while a skeletal figure dances in the background. It is also noted on their official MySpace website that "the actual music [of the video] has been replaced with mid eighties sampling keyboard technology to prevent what industry analysts are now calling 'song poaching.' "

The first single from the album, title track "Icky Thump", was made available online through the iTunes music stores (US and Canada only) on Thursday, April 26th. The download became available in the UK on June 4th. On the US Billboard Charts dated May 12, 2007, "Icky Thump" became the band's first top 40 single, charting at #26.

On a track-by-track analysis at Wireless Bollinger, the album is described as "Cherry-picking from a century of the nation’s musical genres, Icky Thump is a crush of styles, each interpreted through The White Stripes distinctive lens. It’s delta-blues, desert-rock, thrash metal; full of styles that are uniquely, identifiably American."

A leaked copy of the album was first played completely by DJ Electra on Chicago's radio station Q101-WKQX on May 30, 2007 at 2PM. Jack White personally called the radio station to comment his displeasure. Although the radio station claimed that they did not intend to upset The White Stripes, it nevertheless angered Jack White and his manager. The radio station also claimed that leaking records on the air was an attempt to stay relevant to its listeners. The radio station received an illegal copy on the internet via a Yousendit link and was not given a promotional copy from the record company.

Instruments and equipment
The White Stripes are famous for having only two musicians, which limits the instruments played live. Jack, the principal writer, has said this has not been a problem, and that he "always centered the band around the number three. Everything was vocals, guitar and drums or vocals, piano and drums." While Jack is the lead singer, Meg does sing lead vocals on four of the band's songs: "In the Cold, Cold Night" (from Elephant), "Passive Manipulation" (from Get Behind Me Satan), "Who's a Big Baby?" released on the "Blue Orchid" single, and "St. Andrew (This Battle is In The Air)" (from Icky Thump).

Early on, the band drew attention for their preference for antiquated recording equipment. The album Elephant was recorded on an eight-track machine that dated from the early 1960s. With few exceptions, Jack has shown a continued partiality towards amps and pedals from the 1960s. Jack uses a number of effects to create his sound, notably a Digitech Whammy pedal to reach pitches that would otherwise not be possible with a regular guitar. For instance, without the pedal, "Seven Nation Army" would require a bass and "Black Math" would be very difficult to play without a 29th fret (which does not exist on most guitars) on the highest string.

The guitars Jack White uses live are a 1964 JB Hutto Montgomery Airline, a Harmony Rocket, a 1970s Crestwood Astral II, and a 1950s Kay Hollowbody. In concert with the Digitech Whammy pedal, MXR Micro-Amp, Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi Distortion/Sustainer (now custom modified), and Electro-Harmonix POG (Polyphonic octave generator), White can produce a very distinctive sound. He also uses a Boss TU-2 Tuner Pedal. He plugs this setup into a 1970s Fender Twin Reverb and two 100-Watt Sears Silvertone 6x10 combo amplifiers.

He also plays other instruments such as a black F-Style Gibson Mandolin, Rhodes Bass Keys, and a Steinway piano. Jack plays a custom-made red and white marimba on "The Nurse" and "Forever For Her (Is Over For Me)".

Guitar tuning
In addition to the standard tuning for guitar, Jack White uses also several open tunings in many of his songs and also in covers by the band:
 * Open D tuning: "Let's Build a Home", "Sister, Do You Know My Name?"
 * Open G tuning: "Death Letter", "Little Bird" (both played in Open A during live shows)
 * Open E tuning: "A Boy's Best Friend", "I Fought Piranhas", "St. Ides of March", "Stop Breaking Down", "Suzy Lee", "Let's Build a Home" (live), "Goin' Back to Memphis" (live)
 * Open A tuning: "Red Rain", "Seven Nation Army"

White also produces a "fake" bass tone by playing his guitars through his Digitech whammy pedal, dropping the tuning down by one octave for a very thick, low, rumbling sound, which he uses most notably on the songs "Seven Nation Army" and "The Hardest Button to Button".

Jack White is known to use GHS strings with an unknown gauge on his guitars.

Recording sessions and live performances
Several White Stripes recordings were made rather rapidly. For example, Elephant was recorded in about two weeks in London's Toerag Studio. Their 2005 follow-up, Get Behind Me Satan, was likewise recorded in just two weeks. For live shows, the duo also never prepares set lists for their shows, believing that planning too closely would ruin the spontaneity of their performances. Jack frequently improvises with solos and often cuts a song short to jump into another. Because of this, no two shows in the same venue are exactly alike, and show length time can vary from 70 to 100 minutes.

Covers
Jack White composes all the White Stripes' music, with the exception of cover songs. In interviews, Jack White has claimed to have performed hundreds of cover songs since the band's inception. He also said that hearing the a cappella song "Grinning in Your Face" by American bluesman Son House "was a transformative moment". The band has covered that song as well as Son House's signature "Death Letter", and "John the Revelator", a traditional song for which House was noted. In LPs and singles, the duo covers other American blues artists such as Blind Willie McTell ("Lord, Send Me an Angel", "Your Southern Can Is Mine"), Leadbelly ("Boll Weevil"), and Robert Johnson ("Stop Breaking Down"). The White Stripes also did a version of the song "St. James Infirmary Blues", which has no known writer but has been performed by many earlier musicians, including The Animals, Louis Armstrong and Janis Joplin. The White Stripes have performed Gene Vincent's "Baby Blue" at some of their shows, including their show for BBC Radio 1 at Maida Vale, London.

The band also plays many covers of Bob Dylan songs (including "One More Cup of Coffee", "Isis", "Love Sick" and "Outlaw Blues"). "Black Jack Davey" was also recorded and released as a B-Side. (The song is traditional, but has been made popular on Bob Dylan's "Good as I've Been To You"). Jack White said that Dylan covers are usually suggested by Meg, who is a huge Dylan fan. Jack White also performed "Ball and Biscuit" as an encore with Dylan on March 17, 2004 at Detroit's State Theatre.

The Stripes have covered Dolly Parton's "Jolene" (which was released as the B-side to the single "Hello Operator" in 2000, and as a live version in the 2004 single "Jolene"), as well as Burt Bacharach's "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" on the album Elephant.

Party of Special Things to Do, a single released in 2000, features three covers of songs by Captain Beefheart: "Party of Special Things to Do", "China Pig" and "Ashtray Heart".

They have covered Canadian indie rock duo Tegan and Sara's "Walking with a Ghost" and Irish indie rock trio Elroy's 'Complete'. Their most recent cover, to be released on Icky Thump is of "Conquest", a song written by Corkey Robbin, which was then covered and subsequently popularised by Patti Page.

Record collecting
Jack and Meg White are both self proclaimed connoisseurs of vinyl and record collecting. The White Stripes are, according to Record Collector Magazine, the most collectible band of modern music. Highly sought after are the band's first two releases on small Detroit label Italy records. The first pressings of "Let's Shake Hands" and "Lafayette Blues" were issued on red and white wax, respectively, and both were limited to 1000 copies. These singles have fetched in excess of $100 USD on the auction website eBay.

The "holy grail" of collectors is the "Lafayette Blues" first pressing with a hand-painted sleeve and a marbled red and white vinyl. Only 15 copies exist worldwide, and the sleeves were painted by Jack & Italy records owner Dave Buick. Jack painted 7 (signified by a 'III' in the corner), Dave painted 7 (signified by a HW over the letter B in the corner), and they collaborated on number 15. These extremely rare records have sold for as high as $2800 and were only available at the record release party at Detroit's Gold Dollar back on October 23, 1998.

Another highly collectible White Stripes record is the Sub Pop Singles Club release of Party of Special Things to do which contained Captain Beefheart covers issued on half red/half white wax and limited to 1300 copies. It contained the tracks "Party of Special Things To Do", "China Pig", and "Ashtray Heart".

In more recent times, the latest collectible is the Triple Inchophone, a specialized record player which plays reformatted White Stripes singles on 3-inch records, including the track "Top Special" which is exclusive to the 3-inch format. While the band was intent on purchasing as many of the record players as possible from the manufacturer, Bandai, there were only 400 available. This made the record player worth far more than it would have been otherwise — some fans have paid in excess of $1000 for one. Even the Rob Jones-designed White Stripes 45 boxes (used to store either the Inchophone or 7" singles) are known to sell for over $200. The Inchophone and 45 box were available only at the shows on the 2005/06 Who's a Big Baby? World Tour. There are also 3-inch records for "The Denial Twist" that are only available from Jack personally.

Perhaps the most rare recording has yet to be discovered. According to Jack White, he recorded an as of yet unheard song on a record. Brian Muldoon and White hid 100 records in 100 pieces of furniture in 2004 in celebration of Brian Muldoon's 25th year of upholstering furniture in Detroit. White says "We put 100 records in 100 pieces that year, and maybe, one day, they'll be found. This is a record no one has ever heard and maybe will never hear, but it's a nice time capsule. I'm sure a lot of upholsterers would open up a chair, pull out that record and throw it away, so that's the funny part about it."

The most recent high profile record release of the White Stripes is a special limited edition red vinyl recording of Rag and Bone from their Icky Thump album. It is included for free with the June 6, 2007 issue of NME. The record has no audio on the B-Side instead featuring an etching by Jack White himself. It was shipped in special gatefold packaging with room for the Icky Thump 7" single which will be pressed in white vinyl to match the special edition red 'Rag and Bone' record.

Lyrics
Interpersonal relationships, especially those between men and women, are the main theme of White Stripes song lyrics. Jack White does not write about the politics, as a rule. However, "The Big Three Killed My Baby", could be considered as a political song because the lyrics attack the automotive industry's lack of vision and the fall of the major labor unions of the 1960s to 1980s in Detroit. Moreover, in an altered version of the song played on stage, Jack sings, "and Bush's hands are turning red… and I found out your baby is dead." Also, in the song "Icky Thump", he sings "White American / What? Nothing better to do? / Why don't you kick yourselves out? / You're an immigrant, too". The song "The Union Forever" features lines from the Orson Welles film Citizen Kane.

Many White Stripes songs refer to school and childhood (namely "Sister, Do You Know My Name?", "We're Going to Be Friends", "I Think I Smell a Rat", "Suzy Lee", "Black Math", "The Hardest Button to Button" and "Passive Manipulation").

Curiously, all six studio albums feature songs with titles starting with the word "little." In order of album release, there is "Little People", "Little Bird", "Little Room", "Little Acorns", "Little Ghost" and "Little Cream Soda" on their sixth upcoming album Icky Thump. Furthermore, on the intro to the song "Let's Build a Home", on the "De Stijl" album, there is a recording of a song called "Little Red Box". They have also covered Love's "Little Red Book" live. The song that Jack wrote for Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose album is called "Little Red Shoes" which is timed at 3 minutes and 33 seconds. (The number 3 being Jack's personal signature)

Color scheme
Red, white and black, the band's signature colors, are, according to Jack, "the most powerful color combination of all time, from a Coca-Cola can to a Nazi banner." These colors permeate the duo's distinctive wardrobe and album artwork. In some interviews, the group has said that the colors red and white refer to peppermint candy, a symbol of childhood innocence. Jack has also mentioned that the colors are used in baby toys because they are easily visible to infants, who are slightly colorblind at birth. Interestingly, before forming the band, Jack had also created a three-color scheme for an upholstery business he started in his early twenties. All of his tools, his van, and his uniform used the colors white, black, and yellow.

Song lyrics often include the band motif of colors mentioned in the above section. Song titles sometimes feature colors (Black Math, Red Rain, Blue Orchid). Incidentally, the album Icky Thump was recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, TN. The title track from Icky Thump integrates all the trademark colors of the band into the song's lyrics and storyline; (Redhead senorita, Black Stare, One White Eye).

The number three
Jack has emphasized the significance the number three holds for the band, citing it as inspiration not only for their tri-colored uniforms, but their pared-down approach to what he considers the three elements of song: storytelling, melody and rhythm. The number three also frequently appears in White Stripes' album artwork, and texts written by Jack, such as liner notes or messages written on the band's website, are often signed with "Jack White III" or simply "III." There are also only three sounds: drums, guitar, and vocals in most of their songs; sometimes keyboard or piano is substituted for guitar. Jack also only uses three electric guitars for the bands live concerts: a vintage 1960's Airline, a 1950's Kay Hollowbody and a Crestwood Astrall II. To date, the band has released three singles from each album. Also notable is Jack's admiration for the Carol Reed film The Third Man, (which is similarly the name of his production company). Another interesting point of Jack White's seeming fixation on the number three was his choice of nickname which he wanted to be known as during the band's last UK tour; "Three Quid".

Other media appearances

 * In Disney Channel's new Canadian show "Life With Derek" Derek and Casey fight over White Stripes tickets. They are only referenced by name and do not make an appearence.


 * Jack and Meg White appeared in Jim Jarmusch's 2003 film, Coffee and Cigarettes in a segment entitled "Jack Shows Meg His Tesla Coil." This particular segment contains extensions of White Stripes motifs such as childhood innocence, Nikola Tesla, and references to their sibling relationship. The short also mentions a little red wagon (A further extension of the word 'little' being used in song titles, etc)


 * The White Stripes appeared in an episode of The Simpsons titled "Jazzy and the Pussycats", which first aired on September 17, 2006. In the episode, Homer and Marge buy a drum kit for Bart in an attempt to find a constructive way for him to channel his energy.  In one scene — a homage to the Stripes' clip for "The Hardest Button to Button" — Bart bashes his kit in his bedroom, down the street, through the halls of Springfield Elementary and into an intersection, where his kit literally collides with Meg's kit, prompting Jack and Meg to chase Bart in a similar drum kit bashing fashion.  According to a spokesman for FOX, Jack and Meg recorded their lines in New York City on November 30, 2005, incidentally, shortly before Jack lost his voice and was ordered by doctors not to speak.


 * On September 25, 2006 The White Stripes were "featured" on the second episode of NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, titled "The Cold Open". Within the episode, the band was scheduled to be the musical hosts on the show within the show but had to cancel after Jack White was stricken with tonsillitis.  Although The White Stripes never actually appeared in the episode, a comedian is seen wearing a jet black wig in preparation to act as singer Jack White for a planned White Stripes parody sketch.  Jokes were also made about their mysteriously unknown relationship.


 * Jack and Meg White were depicted in the claymation MTV celebrity parody show "Celebrity Deathmatch" where Jack White was fighting to the death with Jack Black. During the fight, stabs were made at Jack and Meg White implying that even they did not know if they were brother and sister or ex-spouses. Throughout the fight, the commentator Nick Diamond can be heard making jokes about where they stand, siblings or ex-spouses. Meg White jumps in at the last minute to help an almost defeated Jack White, and together they grotesquely finish off Jack Black by buttoning up a white shirt too small for him, causing his head to explode. They then commence to "making out" in front of the cheering crowd.


 * In the TV series Veronica Mars, two of the show's protagonists arrived to a costumed Halloween party as Jack and Meg White.


 * They were the only modern band referenced in the movie School of Rock.


 * The White Stripes are mentioned in the 2003 remake of Freaky Friday when the character of Anna (in Tess's body) criticizes their lack of Bass.


 * British comedic duo, French & Saunders, parodied the musical duo in a sketch, with the band entitled, 'The Poo Stripes'. In one sketch, Jennifer Saunders (playing Jack) is playing guitar on screen, whilst Dawn French (playing Meg), comes from off-screen and drags Saunders off stage.


 * Australian comedy program Chaser's War On Everything parodied the song Hotel Yorba in a 2006 episode. In the sketch Jack White, played by Andrew Hansen, accidentally washes his trademark red and white clothes together, and consequently loses his "rockstar cred" as all his clothing becomes pink.

Awards

 * 2002 MTV Video Music Award for Best Special Effects for Fell in Love with a Girl
 * 2002 MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing for Fell in Love with a Girl
 * 2002 MTV Video Music Award for Breakthrough Video for Fell in Love with a Girl
 * 2003 MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing for Seven Nation Army
 * 2004 Brit Award for Best International Group
 * 2004 Brit Award for Best Single for Seven Nation Army
 * 2004 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album for Elephant
 * 2004 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song for Seven Nation Army
 * 2006 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album for Get Behind Me Satan