The White Stripes (album)
| The White Stripes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 15, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | January 1999 | |||
| Studio | Ghetto Recorders and Third Man Studios, Detroit, Michigan | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:38 | |||
| Label | Sympathy for the Record Industry | |||
| Producer | ||||
| The White Stripes chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The White Stripes | ||||
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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. 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."
The duo covered "St. James Infirmary Blues" after, according to Jack, he and Meg were introduced to the song from a Betty Boop cartoon.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |
 
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| Pitchfork | 8.3/10 |
| Rolling Stone |
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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."
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."
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." His endorsement was key in heightening their popularity in the UK.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Jack White, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jimmy the Exploder" | The White Stripes | 2:29 |
| 2. | "Stop Breaking Down" | 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" | 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" | 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 | |
| Total length: | 43:38 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 18. | "Let's Shake Hands" | 2:01 |
| 19. | "Lafayette Blues" | 2:15 |
Personnel
The White Stripes
- Jack White – lead vocals, guitar, piano, record producer
- Meg White – drums
Additional personnel
- Johnny Walker – second 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) | 159 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts Company) | 142 |
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States | — | 335,000 |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | June 15, 1999 | Sympathy for the Record Industry | LP album | SFTRI 577 |
| Compact Disc | SFTRI 577 | |||
| United Kingdom | November 26, 2001 | XL Recordings | Compact Disc | XLCD 149 |
| 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 |