White stripes-Elephant

...I've never considered myself a monk!

Bruce

Not a Monk here either but have come to appreciate the White Stripes in the last eighteen months. I think they mix and match so many styles together, don’t give a dam if its “in or out” and come up with some brilliant music that sounds “retro” and totally original at the same time (hope you know what I mean”

Yes I do like the bluesy tracks. Does “cold cold night” remind you of “Fever”

I was lucky and got my vinyl copy before the release date (only a few days) due to a very nice man at the local vinyl store. The cover is different from the ones I have seen on the net and on adverts. It has Jack White sat on the right, not the left as the normal advertised cover, and the cover is a mat finish in deep red, nearly brown. Just an observation, no big deal but are there various covers available?

Btw I see them live in Manchester on Tuesday hope they are as good live as on the albums,
John

I bought it last night, haven't had time for a full listen but from what I've heard it's a belter. The sound is pretty good too.

2 big thumbs up here - and yeah, ditto on Cold cold night - who's the singer on that?

I love the last track as well - cracks me up...

Now to find it on vinyl....

When the music's over turn out the lights

The singer on cild cold night is Meg White (drummer)
You should get it easily enough on vinyl from vinyl selling web sites AT THE MOMENT, but the way the album has been selling I would move quickly,
John.

Got this one yesterday, sounds great so far.

I am a bit iritated that I bought it on CD, not Vinyl, as it as all anolouge recording and it would have been nice to follow this all the way through, should I buy it again on Vinyl as well?

Simon

well you can allways play the CD in the car, and at £12 for a double album can you resist?
John.

I got this yesterday and am underwhelmed. I never learn, I thought the last one was overrated as well.

Don't get me wrong, I admire their influences, and I'm glad they're around. But I'd rather listen to Charley Patton or Harry Smith's Anthology than their distant cousins.

-- Ian

Ian,
I know what you mean, and I love original stuff too. But I remember the Stones, Cream, the Beatles, Zep, Dylan et al all being put down as various re-treads of Chuck Berry, Robert Johnson, Motown, Arthur Alexander, Buddy Holly, Guthrie. The point is that the Stripes (and the bands above in their time) bring a fresh, and to me, exciting take on roknrol.

"All systems are perfectly designed to get the results they get."

Fair point Jez. I'm just a bit surprised at the quantity of hype surrounding the Stripes, especially around the time their last album came out (they even got onto the Today programme on R4 ferchrissake). I get the feeling they appeal to people who are looking for a bit of authenticity and grit in their music, so all power to them, they just seem to miss the mark a bit for me. I was sort of hoping they may actually be as good as the hype, but sadly, to date, they don't appear to be, to me at least.

Still, nice to see a band in the charts namechecking Charley Patton.

-- Ian

Fresh? You're kidding. Does no one remember the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion? Sort of no-bass-player, raw punky blues? Been doing it for the past five or ten years? Perhaps not.

Incidentally on the subject of Monks, the Monks were a great band. Formed by US servicemen who gave themselves monk hairdos they played a weird kind of 60s proto-punk. Mark E Smith was a fan. They were better than the White Stripes too.

They remind me of Jon Spencer as well. I was also rather underwhelmed with Elephant and have concluded that the White Stripes are one of those "you only really need one of their albums" bands.

Matthew

quote:

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Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

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I've heard OF them but never heard them - like a lot of good bands...

I still really like Elephant - been milking it all fortnight. I paid over the odds for the vinyl in Sound Machine as Fopp were out (and every mail order LP I've ordered has turned up with sleeve damage or creasing) - its got the alternative brown cover too - groovy. I haven't played it yet though...

As for the White Stripes' last album being overhyped - I hadn't heard of them at all - I bought it on the strength of the Lego video for Fell in love with a girl...

When the music's over turn out the lights

In a way I find what they do refreshing, but they strike me as one of those bands who (and there's no nice way of putting this) only really have one song that they repeat in different ways. I think Elephant is the sound of them trying (vainly) to break out of that.