The White Stripes (album)

The White Stripes is the debut studio album by American alternative rock duo The White Stripes, released on June 15, 1999. The album was produced by Jim Diamond and vocalist/guitarist Jack White, recorded in January 1999 at Ghetto Recorders and Third Man Studios in Detroit. White dedicated the album to deceased blues musician Son House.

Recording and production

Johnny Walker of the Soledad Brothers played slide guitar on two songs: "Suzy Lee" and "I Fought Piranhas". Walker is credited with having taught Jack White how to play slide, a technique featured heavily on the White Stripes' first two albums. Walker explains, "[Jack] had a four track in his living room and invited me to come by and do some recording. In return, I showed him how to play slide."^[2]

The duo covered "St. James Infirmary Blues" after, according to Jack, he and Meg were introduced to the song from a Betty Boop cartoon.^[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Pitchfork Media	8.3/10^[4]
AllMusic	^[1]
Rolling Stone	^[5]

The album received mostly positive reviews. Norene Cashen of The Metro Times said the LP "serves better to remind us that [Detroit's] local identity has more options than a membership card to the latest cliché...or a one-way ticket to the coast."^[6]

Much of the media feedback came two or three years later its initial release, after the duo's fame spread beyond Detroit. AllMusic said of the album, "Jack White's voice is a singular, evocative combination of punk, metal, blues, and backwoods while his guitar work is grand and banging with just enough lyrical touches of slide and subtle solo work... Meg White balances out the fretwork and the fretting with methodical, spare, and booming cymbal, bass drum, and snare... All D.I.Y. punk-country-blues-metal singer/songwriting duos should sound this good."^[1]

John Peel, the late, influential DJ for the BBC, first spotted the album in a record store and said, "I just liked the look of it and I looked at the titles - you develop an instinct, d'you know what I mean? And it looked like the sort of record I would like, so I took it out and I did like it, and started playing it."^[7] His endorsement was key in heightening their popularity in the UK.^[7]

Track listing

All tracks written by Jack White, except where noted ^[8].

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Jimmy the Exploder"	The White Stripes	2:29
2.	"Stop Breaking Down" (originally written/composed and performed by Robert Johnson)		2:20
3.	"The Big Three Killed My Baby"		2:29
4.	"Suzy Lee"		3:21
5.	"Sugar Never Tasted So Good"		2:54
6.	"Wasting My Time"		2:13
7.	"Cannon" (Influenced by Son House (See: John the Revelator))		2:30
8.	"Astro"		2:42
9.	"Broken Bricks" (Jack White, Stephen Gillis)		1:51
10.	"When I Hear My Name"		1:54
11.	"Do"		3:05
12.	"Screwdriver"		3:14
13.	"One More Cup of Coffee" (originally written/composed and performed by Bob Dylan)		3:13
14.	"Little People"		2:22
15.	"Slicker Drips"		1:30
16.	"St. James Infirmary Blues" (Traditional)		2:24
17.	"I Fought Piranhas"		3:07

Japanese edition
No.	Title	Length
18.	"Let's Shake Hands"	2:01
19.	"Lafayette Blues"	2:15

Personnel

The White Stripes

Jack White – vocals, guitar, piano, production
Meg White – drums

Additional personnel

Johnny Walker – 2nd slide guitar on "Suzy Lee" and "I Fought Piranhas"
Jim Diamond – production, engineering
Ko Melina Zydeko – photography
Heather White – photography

Charts

Chart (2004)	Peak position
French Albums (SNEP)^[9]	159
UK Albums (Official Charts Company)^[10]	142

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
United States	June 15, 1999	Sympathy for the Record Industry	LP album	SFTRI 577
United States	June 15, 1999	Sympathy for the Record Industry	Compact Disc	SFTRI 577
United Kingdom	November 26, 2001	XL Recordings	Compact Disc	XLCD 149
United Kingdom	November 26, 2001	XL Recordings	LP album	XLLP 149
United States	June 11, 2002	V2 Records	Compact Disc	63881-27131-2
Japan	March 19, 2003	V2 Records Japan	Compact Disc	V2CP 148
United States	November 30, 2010	Third Man Records	LP album	TMR-042

References

General

"White Stripes, The – The White Stripes". Discogs. Retrieved September 11, 2009.

Specific

1 2 3 Handyside, Chris. "The White Stripes" at AllMusic. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
↑ Soledad Brothers: Band History Soundclick, (accessed June 20, 2008).
↑ Series 40, episode 2, Later...with Jools Holland. Series 40. Episode 2. April 24, 2012
↑ Bowers, William (June 17, 2002). "The White Stripes: 'The White Stripes' and 'De Stijl'". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
↑ "White Stripes: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
↑ Cashen, Norene (May 26, 1999). "Detroit duo White Stripes mixes basic elements into simple beauty", The Metro Times
1 2 White Stripes, BBC.co.uk. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
↑ BMI Entry
↑ "Lescharts.com – The White Stripes – The White Stripes". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
↑ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK: Kristine W – Tammy Wynette". zobbel.de. Tobias Zywietz. Retrieved June 16, 2016.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: The White Stripes (album)

The White Stripes

Jack White Meg White

Studio albums	The White Stripes (1999) De Stijl (2000) White Blood Cells (2001) Elephant (2003) Get Behind Me Satan (2005) Icky Thump (2007)

Live albums	Under Great White Northern Lights Live in Mississippi

Video albums	Under Blackpool Lights Under Great White Northern Lights / Under Nova Scotian Lights

Singles	"Let's Shake Hands" "Lafayette Blues" "The Big Three Killed My Baby" "Hand Springs" "Hello Operator" "Lord, Send Me an Angel" "Party of Special Things to Do" "Hotel Yorba" "Fell in Love with a Girl" "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" "We're Going to Be Friends" "Red Death at 6:14" "Walking with a Ghost" "Candy Cane Children" "Seven Nation Army" "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" "The Hardest Button to Button" "There's No Home for You Here" "Jolene (Live Under Blackpool Lights)" "Blue Orchid" "My Doorbell" "The Denial Twist" "Icky Thump" "Rag and Bone" "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)" "Conquest"

Other songs	"300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues" "Ball and Biscuit" "Suzy Lee"

Related articles	Discography Songs Awards and nominations The Raconteurs The Dead Weather The Upholsterers The Go Two-Star Tabernacle Aluminium Italy Records Sympathy for the Record Industry Third Man Records

Book Category

Jack White

Studio albums	Blunderbuss (2012) Lazaretto (2014)

Compilation albums	Acoustic Recordings 1998–2016 (2016)

Singles	"Wayfaring Stranger" "Sitting on Top of the World" "Another Way to Die" (w/ Alicia Keys) "Fly Farm Blues" "Love Interruption" "Sixteen Saltines" "High Ball Stepper" "Lazaretto" "Would You Fight for My Love?"

The White Stripes	The White Stripes De Stijl White Blood Cells Elephant Get Behind Me Satan Icky Thump

The Raconteurs	Broken Boy Soldiers Consolers of the Lonely

The Dead Weather	Horehound Sea of Cowards Dodge and Burn

Other bands	The Upholsterers The Go Goober & the Peas Two-Star Tabernacle

Other records	Van Lear Rose The Ghost Who Walks Rome "Don't Hurt Yourself"

Filmography	It Might Get Loud Under Great White Northern Lights

Miscellaneous	Third Man Records Karen Elson Aluminium Gretsch Triple Jet Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit

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