White Stripes Interview: Meg White interviews her
brother Jack for Amazon.co.uk.
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Product Description
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Jokingly referred to as the White Stripes' "British" album, Elephant is scattered with little cultural references that give away the fact it was recorded far from the duo's US home--just listen to the lyrics on "Seven Nation Army" ("..from the Queen of England to the hounds of Hell") or the album outro where someone chips in "jolly good, cup of tea?". But although there are some new twists here, from Meg discovering her voice to a tongue-in-cheek threesome with Holly Golightly, Elephant is no great departure; more a culmination of their preceding albums. Meg and Jack push their creativity (and the boundaries of their eight track) to new heights for the startling, Queen-inspired "There's No Home for You Here" while the (pedal-induced) deep bassline on "Seven Nation Army" is a classic indie dancefloor filler. But although some songs fly off into new realms there's plenty of that straight-up bluesy rock that makes the duo such an amazing prospect live--just listen to the sweat dripping off the overtly sexual "Ball and Biscuit". And amid all this there's that plaintive, resolutely unegotistical and yet theatrical voice that makes them so unique; when Jack cries out on "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" there's a dark desperation Bacharach and David certainly didn't put there. --Caroline Butler
Review
Band of the moment, the saviours of rock and roll...something to write about in an age of musical mediocrity? The White Stripes can be seen as all of the above. The hype around the release of their fourth album has gone on and on, the critics' saliva is abundant...finally it's here. Can it really change the course of mankind as we know it? Lets see...
The music is mainly some sort of blues derived rock; gentle some of the time and very loud and explosive most of the time. There's a great cover of Bacharach's "I Dont Know What to Do With Myself", moments of intense punk rock ("Hypnotise") and a comedy ballad at the end. You're not going to get bored.
The album was recorded in East London and Jack White's holding a cricket bat on the cover, so maybe it's not surprising that a lot of the album sounds very English. The heavy riffs here are just so early Led Zeppelin. Quite often Jim even sings like an English person pretending to be an America, and on "In The Cold, Cold Night" Meg speaks and (unlike her drumming) comes across all fay and, well, sort of pre-Raphaelite in a down-town motor city kind of way.
And it's all so divinely confident, so f**k off sexy. In that sense it is better than the first three albums (which weren't exactly meek). Whatever they say in public I think this is a band which loves been loved, almost as much as they love making music - and they like that quite a lot.
At the centre of the music's drama lies the relationship between Jack and Meg, Jack likes to strut and shout and shout, proclaiming that he is the seventh son, but he's dancing to the ladies beat. (Quite literally). If it's true that the pair used to go out together, rather than be brother and sister, as they once claimed, splitting up has never sounded so good.
What else can I say in their favour?...They don't take drugs and they don't do yoga, they even seem to like themselves for what they are. Strange, camp blues-rock might just be able to save the world; all we need to do is believe. --Matt Harvey
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
i had heard a couple of songs off white blood cells but i never went any further. when i heard seven nation army i knew i had to buy elephant, and what a purchase. the most exciting album i have heard since nirvana's in utero. "little acorns" is for me the best track. jacks guitar hits you right in the chest and shows how rock and roll still has a few tricks up its sleeve.in contrast "you've got her in your pocket" is a beautiful little number and along with "hypnotize" are the other stand out tracks.i dont know how many times i have kicked myself for ignoring these guys for so long but believe the hype for a change and buy their music, become excited and passionate about music again.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By michael_m
Format:Audio CD
The White Stripes are a duo who record all their material on old analog recording equipment and refuse to embrace the digital revolution. The result? An album that sounds warmer and more real than just about anything that has been around in years!
That's no exageration either, as this album just exudes a sound that is sadly being left in the past. There are not multiple takes to get the playing perfect either; all the little imperfections in the playing and singing are left in, so it doesn't have the cold feel that most music has now.
The song are great too, starting with "Seven Nation Army", with a catchy bass line that gets the groove going, and then they just keep coming. Meg duets on "I Just Don't Know What to do With Myself", which wrenches the emotion from the words. "Ball and Biscuit" is my favourite - a kind of 21 century blues that Led Zep would be proud of.
The only thing that puzzles me about this album is why there is a picture of Meg's feet on the inside of the cover...
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By "bizzola"
Format:Audio CD
After three albums you wonder exactly what a guitarist and a drummer can do to keep things moving forward whilst maintaining the brilliance of previous efforts. The fact that creatively they have moved forward and musically they have exceeded any hopes I had of their forth album just shows how special The White Stripes really are.
Elephant IS quite simply one of the finest records you will hear this year. As if Jack's heart was actually plugged into the amp it will take on a roller coaster journey that will leave you exhausted at the end. We are taken back to the rawer guitar sound of De Stijl and with a number of tracks like Ball & Biscuit, Black Math and Girl You Have No Faith In Medicine rocking some amazing guitar work you can see that Jack is really having some fun on this record. The Stripes seem to be enjoying their new found fame rather than resenting it and with Elephant you can see how it's paid off. It is such an accomplished album that will be throttling your stereo all summer.
Elephant proves beyond any doubt that The White Stripes are in a league of their own. All the hype and all the praise wouldn't be enough to describe how important this band are to music. God bless the drums, god bless the guitar, god bless The White Stripes.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
white stripes
great album, love it, not much more to say, but if you are lively then buy it and if you are not get it it will liven u up................................................... Read more
Published 3 days ago by karen jean marshall
5.0 out of 5 stars
Masterpiece!
I'm a big fan of Guns n' Roses and Jack White is the closest thing you can get in my opinion.
This album is full of chart hits and some hidden gems! Read more
This album is full of chart hits and some hidden gems! Read more
Published 8 days ago by Siggy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love this album.
I only with I had discovered The White Stripes sooner, before they broke up. Great Album, and one that will stay on my music player for a long time.
Published 1 month ago by D. Berry
3.0 out of 5 stars
Elephant - TWS
Not as good as get behind me satan, although this is my opinion. There are a few good songs. need to enter more words...yeah...
Published 2 months ago by matthew rowe
3.0 out of 5 stars
Striking at the time, but moderate content!
Cutting straight point, in a nutshell this is an extremely moderate album. There are a couple of great moments: 'Seven Nation Army', 'Black Math' are great openers. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Chris Goldsmith
5.0 out of 5 stars
elephant
this is the White Stripes' blood on the tracks. This is their Abbey Road. This is their bridge over troubled water. what more can i say, a must have. the must have of this century
Published 2 months ago by Neil Brannelly
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is the way to hear it..... on vinyl!
Jack White used a traditional analogue workflow to record this album and it shows what a fabulous sound it can be. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Photoman
5.0 out of 5 stars
classic album
saw them some years ago in Nottingham....best gig ever so had to have the album to re live the memory
Published 3 months ago by Tedski
5.0 out of 5 stars
It;s The White Stripes....
And it's cool....
It's got 7 Nation Army on it for a start (it's the first track...) its worth getting just for that!
But it is a really good album.
It's got 7 Nation Army on it for a start (it's the first track...) its worth getting just for that!
But it is a really good album.
Published 3 months ago by bonusbloke
5.0 out of 5 stars
Raw, edgy, uncomplicated...
I couldn't believe that just two people (brother and sister) could make this much great 'noise', when I first saw them in their videos. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Tim Kidner
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