The White Stripes is the debut studio album by American 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

The album was recorded in a week at Ghetto Recorders with "Screwdriver", "Sugar Never Tasted So Good", "St. James Infirmary", and "Astro" recorded at Jack White's home.[2][3] 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."[4]

The duo covered "St. James Infirmary Blues" after, according to Jack, he and Meg were introduced to the song from a Betty Boop cartoon.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Pitchfork8.3/10[6]
Rolling Stone[7]

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."[8]

Much of the media feedback came two or three years after its initial release, following the duo's fame spreading 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]

BBC DJ John Peel first spotted the album in a record shop 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."[9] His endorsement was key in heightening their popularity in the UK.[9]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Jack White, except where noted[10]; all music is composed by Jack and Meg White

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Jimmy the Exploder"The White Stripes2:29
2."Stop Breaking Down"Robert Johnson2:20
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"Son House (See: John the Revelator)2:30
8."Astro" 2:42
9."Broken Bricks"Jack White, Stephen Gillis1:51
10."When I Hear My Name" 1:54
11."Do" 3:05
12."Screwdriver" 3:14
13."One More Cup of Coffee"Bob Dylan3:13
14."Little People" 2:22
15."Slicker Drips" 1:30
16."St. James Infirmary Blues"Traditional2:24
17."I Fought Piranhas" 3:07
Total length:43:38
Japanese edition
No.TitleLength
18."Let's Shake Hands"2:01
19."Lafayette Blues"2:15

Personnel

The White Stripes

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (2004)Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[11]159
UK Albums (Official Charts Company)[12]142

Certifications and sales

RegionCertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[13]Gold100,000^
United States—335,000[14]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalog
United StatesJune 15, 1999Sympathy for the Record IndustryLP albumSFTRI 577
Compact DiscSFTRI 577
United KingdomNovember 26, 2001XL RecordingsCompact DiscXLCD 149
LP albumXLLP 149
United StatesJune 11, 2002V2 RecordsCompact Disc63881-27131-2
JapanMarch 19, 2003V2 Records JapanCompact DiscV2CP 148
United StatesNovember 30, 2010Third Man RecordsLP albumTMR-042

References

  1. ^ a b c Handyside, Chris. "The White Stripes" at AllMusic. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  2. ^ "The White Stripes: What Made Them Such A Revolutionary Rock Duo?". YouTube. Amplified - Classic Rock & Music History. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  3. ^ The White Stripes (booklet). Sympathy For The Record Industry. 1999.
  4. ^ Soledad Brothers: Band History Archived July 6, 2009, at the Portuguese Web Archive Soundclick, (accessed June 20, 2008).
  5. ^ Series 40, episode 2, Later...with Jools Holland. Series 40. Episode 2. April 24, 2012
  6. ^ Bowers, William (June 17, 2002). "The White Stripes: 'The White Stripes' and 'De Stijl'". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  7. ^ "White Stripes: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 7, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  8. ^ Cashen, Norene (May 26, 1999). "Detroit duo White Stripes mixes basic elements into simple beauty". The Metro Times.
  9. ^ a b White Stripes, BBC.co.uk. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  10. ^ BMI Entry[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "Lescharts.com – The White Stripes – The White Stripes". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  12. ^ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK: Kristine W – Tammy Wynette". zobbel.de. Tobias Zywietz. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  13. ^ "British album certifications – The White Stripes – The White Stripes". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  14. ^ Center, Marc (June 13, 2009). "Weather Report" (PDF). Billboard. p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2022 – via American Radio History.

External links