Elephant

*Update this was an easy 5 and there’s quite literally no misses Okay so.. popularity rot for the opening track.. and 3 tracks in I was almost ready to throw in the towel not liking this.. BUT.. In the cold cold night flips a switch in my mind, switches up the vibes a bit and I throughly enjoyed the album thereafter. In the cold cold night sets such a chill riding with the windows down at midnight vibe, and it's just fuckin awesome. I also enjoyed "I want to be the boy" and "Ball and biscuit" the riffing on ball and biscuit is nuts! I know for a fact this is an album that will grow even more over time, so it's deff getting bookmarked.

Jack is absolutely shredding the guitar on this album. There's an obvious blues influence and it shines through in most of the tracks. I've said before that I'm not a fan of his voice, but when they 'play around' (effects) with it or Meg gets in front of the microphone, it works much better. Aside from "Seven Nation.." I really haven't spent much time with the Stripes, and this was a solid listen. I could come back to more of this, notably "Black Math", "Ball and Biscuit", & "The Hardest Button..". (4/5) Good stuff.

YEEEEAAAA FUCKING FINALLY We've rolled some incredible "Alex was insufferable about this band" albums recently, and this is almost near the top. Anyone hated to see me coming in 2009 when I discovered Jack White, because in my brain I was the first person to listen to The White Stripes extensively (as a note, the band formed in Detroit in 1997, so... I was not). This album is not my favorite, to be fair: I think both White Blood Cells and De Stijl are better, but this is probably ranked third (text me for a definitive listing of The White Stripes albums; you'll hate where I put Icky Thump). "Black Math" is one of the first garage rock songs with a solo that really moved me! The same is true of "Ball and Biscuit", though. I came to Elephant from TWS self-titled album, which was incredible ("Broken Bricks" stands out to me as a favorite from that one). To me, Jack White is a master of what I guess I'd call "blue collar guitar playing", which is to say he played simple, somewhat rote riffs and solos on a piece of shit Airline fiberglass-bodied guitar from the 60s (and also a shitty acoustic literally from Sears, which I believe he still owns) but managed to really capture the passion and unshakeable zeal of rock from the motor city. For musicians who fall quickly and dangerously into gear-acquisition syndrome (this is sometimes me) instead of spending time actually playing their instruments, Jack White stands as an emblem of what happens if you stop caring about the gear you own, get the fuck in your garage, and play some fucking music (as he commands in "Little Room" from White Blood Cells)* This is an album that, for me, exists as a part of a genre-defining run of garage rock excellence, but what's so good about Elephant is that it marks a turn for TWS in their sonic identity. Get Behind Me Satan, which would release two years later, leans more into Jack's piano playing and unique blues-infused rock ballads while maintaining the same affection and reverence for The White Stripes's earlier work. This isn't a perfect album, but it comes fucking close. This is like a 4.8. *Jack White in 2026 does suffer a bit from the grandiosity of his name: he has a Fender signature that's $3,700, and early 2000s Jack would have laughed if you had told him that's where he'd end up 20ish years later. On the bright side, 2024's No Name is a return to The White Stripes's sound, so maybe he's looking for his roots, idk.

Your enjoyment of the white stripes may depend on what your ears make of the 2-piece garage rock formula. The only bass on this album is produced by taking guitar sounds and suboctaving them (as on seven nation army) or dialing the bass eq up. The white stripes work best when they have their foot on the gas so that sound can fill up the space or when making it really quiet. It's on the in-between stuff you may wonder what's missing.

Jack White is waaay over represented on this list. That said, this is easily the best White Stripes album

White Stripes delivers a mammoth sound on this album. No gray area here, Jack White pachyderms a whole lot of noise in his trunk to make a powerhouse sound. Okay the elephant puns are weak. There are so many hits on here, it's easily the Stripes’ best album. Tusk me on this.

Surprise! Blues album! Never thought about it but really enjoyed it.

I was a big fan of this album on release and despite not listening to it much over the last decade or so it’s still great whenever I do. _Seven Nation Army_ has now largely been ruined by being overplayed and it turning into a football song but the rest of the album holds up well, despite it. Is it the best WS album? Maybe, maybe not but it’s pretty damn good Probably could do with a couple of songs being trimmed but it’s a minor point. The one-two of _ I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart_ and _You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket_ is perfect and has some personal meaning behind it for me.

Really, really solid album, love the vast majority of the songs. Forgot how good the white stripes on, but it’s barely short of 5 stars for me. I’m not sure what it’s missing, but it’s right below, the guitar and drums are great.

Only knew a few songs off the album before this, always liked with white stripes the shorter songs, keeps me entertained with different vibes

Interesting that the White Stripes are compared to the Rolling Stones so much, because I don't hear much connection apart from maybe (at a stretch) the blues. And even there's more resemblance to Led Zeppelin than the Stones. I guess the singer is sort of a mix of Plant and Jagger. Note that there's little, if any, blues present in Elephant until side B with the monster track Ball and Biscuit and several tracks following it. The genre/sound before that is a bit more amorphous, incorporating some elements of hard rock and garage rock, and focusing heavily on guitar riffs. That's one thing they do excellently. From the stadium-rocker tune in Seven Nation Army to the violent blues-scale Ball and Biscuit, to the stop-start melodic rhythms in The Hardest Button to Button... nearly every track's guitar part has something to say. In the form of a short, catchy, repeated statement. (I can dig that.) The guitar sound itself is odd, and it took me most of the album to work out why. It felt a bit... ungrounded, maybe? Turns out the White Stripes don't have a bass player, and the bass sound is created by heavily filtering and layering the lead guitar during studio recording. I can't imagine how they'd play some of this material live without a bass guitar. The whole sound is a bit simplistic and I can't imagine gleaning much more upon a second or third listen. And as a piece of art, for its time (in the 21st century!), it doesn't push many musical boundaries – mostly sticking to a mishmash of late 20th-century rock subgenres. So I'm a little surprised it had this big of a splash on the musical scene. That being said, there are plenty enough bangers on Elephant to jam out to with your friends, and there's no filler. 4/5 Key tracks: Seven Nation Army, I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself, Ball and Biscuit

Sure, Seven Nation Army is overplayed but Jack's songwriting and guitar playing is top tier on this record. Meg providing a thumping ass heart beat keeping everything on track without Jack getting too carried away. Their most cohesive record. This shit rules.

I liked this. It gives a vibe of stripped-down Beatles.

I've tried and tried with this one, as it's on every "you should like list" I've ever had directed at me. And yeah, Seven Nation Army is an absolute banger that holds up to listen after listen. But the rest of the album is like black coffee that I've never acquired a taste for. It's astounding that they can make that much noise with just a guitar and drums, and there's obviously some looping that goes into it, but a screechy guitar in front of a wall of reverb just grows tiring after a bit. While I certainly don't hate it, it's hard to find a second or third track compelling enough to make we want to put it on unprompted. As such, it's still a 3.5/5 that I don't feel compelled to round up.

Easy to listen to. 7 Nation Army is my 7 year old's favorite song. Jack White's personality is sometimes a turn off, but his music quality leaves no doubt. I like him better when he puts a twist of some kind on transitional rock and blues. Combining dissonance and unexpected instead of the same old riffs. And the variety is good. Sometimes a little folky.

This comes out guns blazing with "Seven Nation Army," "Black Math," and "There's No Home for You Here," then drops off and doesn't kick back up again for half a dozen songs (til "The Hardest Button to Button"). Aside form "Hypnotise," I think it fades out from there. The best moments on this are great, but the rest is a little snoozy. Kinda like the White Stripes in general. 3.5 stars.

If this was a picture it would be done in crayon. It'd be a nice crayon drawing but it would still be crayon

I wish I could’ve heard this when it came out. I think it would’ve been pretty mind blowing. I liked it now, but thought it was a bit long and repetitive. I liked Jack White, but I don’t always love his music.

3.5 I like Jack White/The White Stripes just fine but I can’t help but think they’re a little overrepresented on this list. I think this is a solid album, but Jack White is usually operating in a similar space. Solid Americans/roots guitar rock. Smacking the drums, that sort of thing. I like it! If you like it, you’re gonna love this! There’s absolute bangers on this album, but I don’t need to hear it (at least) three times. Make some room for some more diverse artists please!

It's a great album overall, it's undeniable, but it's also been very bastardized by those people who try to sell it like the best thing to ever happen to music, plus, it's definitely not the best The White Stripes album

Very much so "rocky", with different ranges of sound that incorporate blues, more "country" sounds, etc. Not very groovy, which is my preference, but i appreciate this for what it is. Could see myself revisiting when in the mood to hear more straightforward hard rock. Ironically thought this was an older album (I know nothing about the white stripes), was surprised to see this came out in 2003. Feels more "classic rock" than that. Also was dope to learn that the Ravens chant comes from this album. And I think that song was used in iPod commercials too? Idk, overall pleasant experience though. Favorite tracks: Ball and Biscuit, Little Acorns

its just so mid what should i say? Sometimes ok sometimes not -\(-_-)/- I feel like white stripes is a type of song people listen to when they want to hear "rock" music. 3/5

turned a lot more country vibes than expected after seven nation army

Loud rock with a splash of good old country? Solid singles

Soft rock - some songs better than others. Not keen on dialogue songs

Some good stuff on here, knew more than I expected going in. Potentially a bit on the longer side than I would really like, but enough hits kept me going through it.

My somewhat irrational dislike of Jack White is well justified here, apart from 2 good songs (the overplayed "Seven Nation Army" and "Hardest Button"). "It's True That We Love One Another" pretty much sums up the fakery that I dislike about the whole thing. But hey, I was entertained and didn't totally hate it.

He is going to Wichita!

As much as I appreciated the basic conceit and sound of De Stijl, I could never get away from the sense this was all just a pose. Something of an elaborate cover band. A very good, incredibly charismatic one, but still not moving the ball forward much, if at all. I saw the Stripes a few times around then and later at Radio City with The Strokes, where Jack’s clear star power and playing outshone that group, especially when he guested on NYC Cops. And yet, I could never shake the sense I was watching an extremely talented purveyor of old sounds doing a recital. None of that changed months later when Elephant was released, aside from using a bass pedal. Obviously I’m in the minority in largely finding this uninteresting.

This did not do it for me. I had high expectations but am not a fan of that squeaky guitar sound. Wish I could have rated it higher.

A really cohesive and artistic album, enjoyed the composition of songs and it felt v intentional. I guess I didnt click with most of the melodies really, or maybe it didnt get into my brain in that addictive/nostalgic way! Seven Nation Army will alwayssss be an epic tune though. I also liked The Hardest Button to Button, the guitars in Ball and Biscuit and Hypnotize

My last experience with Jack White was his first solo album and I hated it. I don't know that I currently have the mental energy to give another Jack White project. I will give 2 stars purely because Seven Nation Army is good. Maybe I'll be brave enough to venture back and give the whole album a listen, at which point I will update my review.

Never really been a fan of the White Stripes and I found a lot of early 200s Indie music to be very samey.

Would rather have listened to Seven Nation Army for fifty minutes.

not for me

meh, it all sounds the same. I turned it off after about 5 songs

Yes, yes, yes - I know I'm doing music wrong. But this BORES ME TO TEARS. Undoubtedly one of the most significant acts of my 20s but did absolutely nothing for me. Gets a bonus star for the video to "I Just Don't Know....." though.

Acceptable garage rock. Gets a little pretentious. Jack is too dorky to take seriously. Too many bad memories to ever want to hear this again.

Of course I enjoyed Seven Nation Army, but the rest of the tracks I could do without

already listened, didn’t resonate with it much… except for a few of the songs, it became redundant for me

OK.

Seven Nation Army is on the album. Mostly alright though I never cared for Jack White. 5/10.

Aparte del Seven Nation Army este disco me gusta pero no me entusiasma. Lo escuché en su época con muchas ganas y me decepcionó. Hoy sigo opinando lo mismo. (el tema 11 Hypnotise o Hypnotize no estaba disponible en Spotify pero si en Youtube y por cierto es otro de los interesantes de este disco)

There's not a groove in here. Not a dance, or a head nod, or a bump. Not even a paltry toetap. I went through the whole album, there are one or two decent melodies. Seven Nation Army obv the standout for that lick (which is popular but kiiiiinda lame), and unfortunately the last track is an earworm but in the kind of annoying way. I went through the whole album, that is, aside from Track 8. Track 8 sounds like a Dodge Ram commercial. It's the most toothless blues I've ever heard. I got one full time through the form on that one and turned it off, first time I did that on one of these albums so far. Just not my thing.

Pretty sure these two bang each other. Seven nation army is alright. Rest of the album is pretty annoying. Not the kind of music i like. 1 Star

... (Θ︹Θ) bro

I must be missing something here. While I do like a couple of songs on here (Seven Nation Army and to a lesser degree Ball and Biscuit and Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine), the rest of the album is filled with unimaginative songwriting, sloppy playing and weak vocals. Why Jack White is considered a revered and influential guitarist is something I will never understand. I can applaud him for his tone occasionally (though it's not like he's super influental in that regard), but his playing is neither groundbreaking, technically good, nor particularly interesting. I have spared the drummer here but similar things apply there. Most of the tracklist, aside from the few songs I mentioned above, sounds more like rough sketches or ideas than fully realized and developed songs. Like they recorded the first thing that came to their minds. Honestly, I was genuinely shocked at times by how little effort seemed to go into these tracks, both compositionally and performance-wise. Sometimes it felt like I was listening to random highschoolers messing around in their garage - they sound completely out of sync and seem to have no chemistry whatsoever. Maybe some people call that "raw, gritty, and honest," but I’d just call it skill issue. 1.5/5

Jaha oli joku suosittu biisi.. olikos.. heheh ve vill ve vill rock you biisi... tais olla... Heh.... Joku biisi... Heh.. ensimmäisenä... heh... Sen jälkeen.. SONNAN SOITATUSTA!!!.. Noh.. sentään saman tyylistä.. palpatusta.. kuppaloppalointia... pippulpapsulaa... Intialaisia,,, viisaita: "Elephant is elemental music, painted in primary colors. There is no shading to speak of. The instrumentation is unadorned aside from a little distortion here, a little reverb or echo there." "- - these are mostly genial but part-formed blues-rock etudes. In other words, too much jam in this donut." Tekninen puoli:..... Ei bassoa

Listened. One of the all-time greats.

Great

5/9

greatness

I didn’t think I was a fan of The White Stripes - but I definitely am now.

Great album: for sure one of the most enjoyable of this century. Besides the raw energy, the riffs, the hooks, and Meg's elemental drumming, we have to clarify two things about Jack: 1. he is a fucking good singer 2. the way he plays guitar is amazing precisely because it's imperfect. In other words, he does not jerk off the guitar like those who pursue technicality per se but he actually plays it and, doing that, conveys meaning

Not going to lie, I only knew 7 Nation Army which is a great song but I was fully prepared for a straight downhill from there. Could not be more wrong - loved every song for different reasons, and loved the album as a whole. Incredibly cohesive work, great sound and a huge fresh feeling. 5 stars through and through

Every note of this album is tattooed directly onto my soul. One of the great stadium rock songs. One of the great cover versions. More guitar solos than you can shake a stick at. And after three albums of raw, minimalist, full-throttle rock and roll, here we get the first real glimpses of the breadth of Jack White's influences and interests. It doesn't always work but it is fun. Oh, and Meg White is still a badass drummer. None of this works without her.

Perfection

Three great, inventive albums before this one couldn't really prepare listeners for all the sounds coming out of this one. Coming back to the album after many years of just hearing various songs pop up in playlists. 'Black Math' is the song that really grabs me on this listen, I feel like I've underappreciated it, like it might be the greatest White Stripes song. But the first two sides are brilliant. Note on the medium: for me, this album arrived in CD format, 14 songs in line, easily skipped. I really enjoyed the vinyl sequencing, with the opening three rockers, a sweet lovestruck Side B, and the return of overdriven blues leading of with 'Ball and Biscuit' on Side C. 'The Air Near My Fingers' is the only weak track on the album and really drags down Side D, which concludes with a gimmicky closer 'It's True That We Love One Another.' 4.5 rounded to 5/5. Yes on the lists.

It really shows how great Jack White is when he can produce this big of a sound with just him and drums. Loved this album in college and love it now. They’ll be playing Seven Nation Army at sporting events long after we’re dead and gone.

A great record with several strong songs. Still good after all these years.

How has it been so long since I’ve listened to this?! Easy 5.

thank you critically acclaimed band The White Stripes for saving me from Korn and his Children seven nation army is the big hit of course, but it didnt feel like a case of "big hit among mid"; the rest of the album kept the momentum while having each song feel distinct from one another. good stuff!!

great album, gotta listen to it again. Loved it.

My 4 year old son loves the White Stripes. He's always randomly humming "Seven Nation Army" and he likes listening to all of their music on car rides. This album has so many good songs, all with a great beat (courtesy of Meg White on drums) and amazing guitar hooks. The combination of bluesy guitars and hard-hitting drums are not only unique, but make the songs catchy and easy to be into. Fantastic album.

Garage rock revivals were my fav revivals era

Another cracking album from the siblings/divorced couple. Favourite track: The Hardest Button to Button

I mean the White Stripes just put out good rock and roll. All of their albums are great but this was probably their high point in their 2000s run of albums. One of the few bands who live up to the hype. Lots of catchy tunes on this album, no notes.

Oh yh so good

If your album starts with 7 Nation Army, holy shit you have a banger on your hands. Best White Stripes album, hands down. Best riffs. Best personal lyrics from Jack. Best Meg song. !!!!

9/10 Yep, awesome. Solid rock done good. Stripped back, there is nowhere to hide. The songs rock hard, and that is a good thing.

Oh man. So good. This project is easy when you pull albums like this. It's one that I'll revisit every so often and have been for 20+ years. Pretty cool that I went to Third Man Records last week. They're sold out of this on vinyl or else I would've gone home with a copy of it from there.

Man, what an album, from a certain time in my life. Seven Nation Army has been abused by sports, but that solo still gets me. Ball & Biscuit, all of it - just so damn good.

Honestly, this was a really solid album. Everyone knows seven nation army and the hardest button to button, but the other songs here are solid and I wouldn't call any of them bad. They also had decent variation in sound and style in this album while maintaining a coherent sound, so kuddos to that.

Did any other album in the 00’s rock this hard? Maybe their best. I kinda want to relisten to them all right to find out!

Strong songwriting and a really bold, confident aesthetic. 5

This is an album that not only contributed to the revival of the garage rock genre in the early 2000s, but also popularised blues rock around this time as well, all thanks to the modern guitar hero Jack White, who manages to blend these two genres together to create some of the most unique and recognisable riffs of the 21st century, while standing on the shoulders of giants such as jimmy page, jimi hendrix and brian may. and you can't dismiss meg whites simple yet highly effective percussive style that manages to carry 50% of the whole band throughout their entire catalogue. It is no wonder that she was not a fan of having the spotlight on her.

album so good the first song was used for the best videogame trailer ever anyways not much need to be said. It is golden. Listen to it. Some parts were a little slow but not unwelcomed. 5

nobody who's ever known what the hell they're talking about has ever called meg white a bad drummer. these drums are the beating fucking heart of this album. jack white's songwriting has carried him past the breakup of the white stripes but this is still the peak.

It was good

Hard hitting indie rock from a married duo pretending to be siblings. So many contradictions, but the sound they came up is fantastic. It worked then and it still rocks. Seven Nation Army Ball And Biscuit The Hardest Button To Button The Air Near My Fingers Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine

Might be my favorite White Stripes album. Just fun bops throughout the entire thing. Starts off incredibly strong with Seven Nation Army and keeps up the energy from there.

Simple beats, yet a banger

So good and found a new favorite song.

No skipped songs, all of it was great!

Easy five stars - the single most original work of its time with its mix of almost swampy blues and that garage rock. He was just a master of his craft and right in the zone with these songs and also with the follow up album get behind me satan. I actually love that at his heart Jack is a storyteller with his songs and it’s his wordplay as much as hos shredding that brings me back. Check out his solo stuff too, especially lazaretto.

Sooo taff jeder song fühlt sich creative an. Es ist einfach Bluesrock Weiterentwickelt

Вони круті)

Classic album that just hits the beat

Nice album, isn't it?

I like this more every time I listen

A classic. Ugh

Jack White could never do anything again musically and Seven Nation Army would be a legacy better than most. This is the fourth album from the Stripes and there is a reason people who are fans would argue that this is their best. So many great songs on here. Ball and Biscuit is just a crushing blues jam. Meg gets the vocals on In The Cold, Cold Night and provides a mood change. Hardest Button to Button is another masterpiece. Be like the squirrel girl, be like the squirrel.

Great album.

banger this is the kind of album you expect to listen to in this project not cupid & psyche 85

I loved it so so so much, almost perfect. Lots of experimentation and diversity with sound, and i loved the vocals!

Whenever I just don't know what to do with myself, I know this album will be there for me. Even in the cold cold night, I know this album will be there for me. Isn't it comforting knowing you've got her in your pocket?Jolly good.

Seven nation army - 5 Black math - 5 There's no home for you here - 4 I just don't know what to do with myself - 4 In the cold, cold night - 4 I want to be the boy to warm your mother's heart - 5 You've got her in your pocket - 4 Ball and biscuit - 4 The hardest button to button - 5 Little acorns - 4 Hypnotize - 4 The air near my fingers - 4 Girl, you have no faith in medicine - 4 It's true that we love one another - 4

POW!! Well it’s true that we love one another I love Jack White like a little brother Well Holly I love you too But there’s just so much that I don’t know about you 🥰

Yeah thats a 5

Some tracks I could do without, but overall excellent album. I know that Seven Nation Army is now ubiquitous due to sporting events, but it’s an awesome opener. Ball and Biscuit is one of my all time faves. The Air Near My Fingers is EXTREMELY underrated. In retrospect, it’s interesting how Seven Nation Army is nearly forgotten by the end of the 50 minutes as the rest of the album endears itself to you. Very good experience.

Et album som betyder mere for mig en 5 stjerner kan tydeliggøre. Det er lyden af venskaber, oplevelser for livet.

Fuck hvor jeg elsker det album. Fantastisk garagerocket blues.

Weer 5 sterren, was erg verrast door dit album. Ik dacht eerst dat het wat heftig zou zijn maar vond het echt geweldig, flinke rock maar met zoveel emotionele lading.

Doesn't matter what the contrarians think, this album was an instant classic for a reason and holds up over time (and I was one of those contrarians when this album came out).

Best Stripes album. Listening to it is like putting on a comfortable old hoodie that smells like home. I can’t possibly count how many times I’ve listened to this album over the years but every time I do I am reminded of how brilliant it is.

Hard to imagine someone starting this album without the prior knowledge of the absolute juggernaut of a song that is Seven Nation Army. Did anyone on this site hear it for the first time pulling this album? Is such a thing possible? Did Jack White write the riff knowing it would become the de facto sport chant? Is there an as yet undiscovered riff as simple as this one that could hit quite as well? All this to say - what an incredible song - but I’ve heard it enough for 10 lifetimes. Anyway I’m plenty familiar with this album. It’s stacked front to back with some light and much heavy, plodding along with the pure metronome of Meg Whites hypnotically simple drumming that largely serves to accentuate the ferocious guitar work, but hits in just the right way nonetheless on its own when it ought to. Couldn’t possibly give this anything but a 5. Fav tracks I just don’t know what to do Hardest Button Hypnotise Ball and Biscuit Medicine Little Acorns … Seven Nation Army

I was late to this album. Probably heard it a full decade after it came out for the first time. Loved it on the first listen. Haven’t heard it in quite awhile. Almost 25 years after its initial release, and honestly, it still rocks and I still love it. It’s easy to love for me, obviously. So that’s a 5. Boolean: yes, definitely glad I heard it once and was reminded to hear it again.

Yes! So good!

I mean, i’m sure it’s not a flawless record, but this played a pivotal part of shaping my music taste, so I’m gonna be biased period. That said, the bangers are bangin, the riffs are riffin. Can’t complain at all. Ball and a Biscuit is an all time best song.

Automatic classic! Seven nation army is an anthem!

Arrancamos la primera semana de mayo con éste discazo de una de las bandas de mi adolescencia. Imposible no recordar los videos de Seven Nation Army y The Hardest Button To Button en MTv y su hipnotismo, así cimo lo cools, lo geniales que se veían Meg y Jack con toda su estética y esa idea que teníamos todos de que eran hermanos. Fue el disco por el que los conocí y mucho tiempo después escuché completo. Quizás la escucha fragmentaria comenzó en ése momento. Quizás, también, lo difícil de conseguir un CD en esos momentos por su precio y porque seguramente era importado (otro motivo más para envidiar a las grandes ciudades). Sin duda esta banda es un ejemplo de que no hace falta complejidad o virtuosismo para hacer rock. Sólo actitud. Hasta mañana.

Outstanding

It's hard to overstate how big this album was back in it's day. I liked but didn't love the White Stripes, but over time, nostalgia has snuck into the space between the notes and this album hit yard when I listened to it today.

🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘

Where should I start? It was quite a privilege to be almost 20 and in full control of my listening habits when the whole garage revivial was on. Mostly radio friendly content like Vines, Hives and Strokes. But never in my wildest dreams could I imagine that the White Stripes would follow up White Blood Cells with album that would start with a song that would be a stadium anthem at the height of Queen songs. There’s really no one else that can sound so powerful with only 2 people playing. Meg’s drumming fills so much space and Jack’s riffs are as memorable and catchy as his lyrics. No weak links, hard to even make out influences other than broad genres. Love this album, can’t even pick a favorite from it. Some days it’s Black Math, others Ball and Biscuit, others Cold Cold Night. I’ll stick with Hardest Button to Button, in an alternate reality that would be the stadium anthem, it’s that good.

Jack White is a phenomenal song writer and will probably rest in the upper tiers in the history of rock once he's run his race. This album has everything, songwriting, production, innovation, pop hits, grunt, grime and melody. All with something that on the surface is really simplistic pop. Remarkable. There is a reason it has endured and outlasted it's peers from the time in credibility and recognition .

Look, I like Seven Nation Army as much as the next guy. And if all this album was was a bunch of thumping rockers it would fine. But this album takes a bunch of wacky swings and has a secret weapon hidden up its sleeve . That secret weapon is a continuous battery of clever, funny, and, dare I say, insightful lyrical gymnastics that sets the album apart. Grimy and smart, and most importantly of all, fun.

Know the white stripes. Own elephant. I love this album. Minimalism but maximalist. Amazing sound. Well written songs. They had the formula with white blood cells, but they perfected it on Elephant. Absolutely belongs on the list.

Garage band rock, taken to the nth degree. This is the 4th studio album by the former Mr and Mrs White (why they started or continued the ruse of being brother and sister is beyond my comprehension). This is also the first White Stripes album I ever heard, and it knocked me out. If this were an LP, is have been able to say I played the grooves right off it. For starters, the damn Opening Track is Seven Nation Army. If you watch sports, this song is ubiquitous. It's literally everywhere. World Cup. College Football. MLB. NHL. I actually wonder if Jack White hears it at stadiums and thinks, "Hell yeah. I WROTE THAT!" Saw him live in concert, and Seven Nation Army was incredible. The song I first fell in love with was Ball And Biscuit, absolute banger. Big loud sound, evocative of a Gibson Les Paul blasting through a Marshall stack. No matter how old I get, I'll always crank this one. So many good songs, hard to believe I'm on the fence between 4 and 5. But based on the number of times this got played in the CD player in my old Suburban, it's a 5.

Weirdly, I don’t feel like I have that much to say about this album. I figured since it was their bigger, more famous, more acclaimed album that I’d have more, but… no, it really is just an album that speaks for itself musically. Obviously, “Seven Nation Army” casts a big shadow on the rest of the album, setting a weird expectation that each track should be trying to chase that high, but that’s not what this album is trying to do at all, and as an album experience, it’s a set of tracks that works really nicely together. I do wish some tracks actually transitioned into others, to give a sense of connectivity that generally feels missing on the album, but overall, it’s an album you can enjoy off of the vibes & energy alone. As a whole, I really enjoyed this, for my tastes. I do, however, wish the range of instrumentation was present on their other albums were on here as well. With no bad tracks, some very high highs & a super enjoyable energy, how can you really complain? It didn’t quite hit the extreme critical acclaim for my ears, but it’s a solid album regardless, and a worthy bump up to a 5.

They do be knowing how to make a guitar scream.

Starting off with Seven Nation Army is probably the reason I enjoyed this album so much. Absolute banger.

this album is perfec!!!

This is a fucking great chunk of music, haven’t heard the whole album for a while, but what an absolute Banger - every track, I used to listen to this everyday for about a year😎

Incredible album. Seven Nation Army might be one of the best songs ever written

Incredible Album.

5/5 prolly their best n my favorite besides white blood cells

5 de 5 Gran obra de garage rock, vistoso por sus arreglos de blues con un sonido crudo y visceral, donde Jack White muestra toda su virtuosidad y destreza con la guitarra, haciendo un disco moderno pero tan actual, consolidando a la banda como la mejor de su estilo y situándolos en la cúspide de el rock.

esse álbum é maneiro danilo me indicou

Boiled down, raw, rock and roll excellence. Hell yes.

Хиты хитяры

simplesmente sem palavras, que album meus amigos, n tem uma ruim

I love this album!! They really condense the songs down to such an elemental level. His guitar playing is unbelievable and his voice is the same. These songs are one of the strongest set of songs you'll hear!

iconic songs

An absolute masterpiece. Jack and Meg at their creative and performing peaks. Garage rock that is polished enough to create enduring crossover anthems that 25 years later are just getting more popular, but rough enough even the edge lords can’t complain. Elephant is the complete rock package and a perfect snapshot of 2003.

This is EXACTLY what rock should be! Is Meg the best drummer in the world - probably not. Is Jack the best singer in the world - probably not. Is Jack a fantastic guitarist - very definitely yes! But first and foremost, this is authentic, raw, dirty (in the best possible sense) rock. Love every bit of it.

This album is just brilliant, peak White Stripes. It is amazing what they could do with just a guitar and a drum kit (and a few gadgets).

Could this be my generation’s Sgt. Pepper? (Whatever that means.) it was such a colossal album when it came out, and made The White Stripes one of the first modern bands I sought out at the record store. Revisiting it decades later, I’m a little bemused by the lyrics but still awestruck by the performances and the power of its barebones production. My listening notes are basically just descriptions of the textures I’m drawn to: the keys on “In the Cold, Cold Night,” that slide on “I Want to Be The Boy…,” that distortion on “Ball and Biscuit”!

The White Stripes are one of my favorite bands and this is peak Stripes. I must have listened to this record a hundred times, and I will a hundred more.

Mwah! I thought White Family will be one of those artists with no 5 star albums, but I might have been wrong here, upon re-listening to this on my way to Stonehenge today, it rocks hard as it ever did, one of the crown rock achievements of 21st century, probably deserving 5 stars. However I put 4.5 on RYM, so exactly they still might not get a single 5.0.

Cindy & I saw Meg & Jack at the Masonic in Detroit a couple of times. Loved this band!

I’m a millennial. 5 stars.

Phenomenal album through and through between the bluesy/folk and hard rock riffs it becomes a very well rounded influential rock album that has been a personal favourite for a while

A unique voice in rock, the album has aged very well.

The day I heard songs from this on classic rock radio was the day I felt old.

Excellent album

Amazing that an album can start with Seven Nation Army and end with It’s True That We Love One Another and have it work. Great album. Formative album for me and still one of the best live shows I’ve ever been to.

dispite my heavy association of Jack White with my ex-husband, I really do love this album. almost every track is a banger

Brilliant album.

Generally pretty good rock album with some pretty good and interesting songs.

Awesome album. Some amazing guitar licks housed in lyrical and at times funny music. A keeper.

Es ist sehr abwechslungsreich hat eine belebende Stimmung das ist bis jetzt mein favorite Ich war sehr excited es mit meinem Freund zu teilen

Редкий для меня пример того, как туборг музыка может быть по-настоящему блюзовой, по-хорошему панковой, честной, грязной, доступной. То, что они вдвоем выдают такой жирный звук - потрясение для меня. Я знал Джека Уайта по некоторым работам и коллаборации с Бейонсе. 5/5, хоть и не весь альбом пришелся по душе, я думаю, со временем я распробую.

With how popular The White Stripes were, it's kind of easy to forget that they managed to forge such a clear identity in quite a crowded guitar-driven music scene. Great blend of pop, rock, blues, and noise. The album holds up so well.

I love the variety on this record. I probably wouldn't be that interested in the artists that influence Jack White, but I love his particular blend of those influences. A thoroughly great album from beginning to end.

fünfer! c

It would be foolish to pretend that nostalgia doesn’t factor into my reverence for this album - I was just about to turn 12 when it was released, already a fan coming off White Blood Cells - but I also don’t think that nostalgia is an invalid means of enjoyment. If the purpose of music is to evoke emotion, what could be a *more* valid factor in measuring subjective worth? To that end, yes, part of the reason I love this album is because it reminds me of what it meant to fall in love with music. And not just the music that my parents introduced me to, since many of those artists were either past their prime or had passed away; exciting, relevant music that was being released in *my* formative years. Mostly, though, I love Elephant because it still embodies so much of what I musically value. It’s extremely cohesive, yet it covers so much ground. The ferocious, tempo-shifting stomper that is “Black Math” sits perfectly beside “There’s No Home for You Here”, an exercise in dynamic extremes. The three-ballad run in the middle of the album (“In the Cold, Cold Night”, “I Want to Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother’s Heart”, and “You’ve Got Her in Your Pocket”) ranges from subdued, organ-driven eeriness to midtempo, Faces-like swagger with a Southern rock tinge to classic, fully acoustic intimacy. They’re all so beautifully unique from one another, and they wonderfully set up “Ball and Biscuit” to blast the fucking walls down. It’s a classic blues structure at its core, but Jack and Meg aren’t too precious about it; they add and drop bars at will, and Jack’s frenetic soloing not only surpasses your average white boy running pentatonics on a Strat, it actually honors the raw musical spirit of the blues. I understand that critics have slobbered Jack White to death for almost 25 years now, but for me, it’s one thousand percent warranted. Between his guitar tones and his actual playing, his work on Elephant might make it my favorite guitar-centric record period, full stop. Sure, the flashier moments like “Ball and Biscuit” are awesome, but I’m even more impressed by his ability and willingness to use his guitar as an emotional vessel. The sustained note that gives way to some whammy bar trickery in the third chorus of “There’s No Home for You Here” gives me goosebumps every time; the single note stabs in “Little Acorns” are positively demonic; the solo in “Seven Nation Army”, where he harmonically plays off the main melody in the most exhilarating ways, is brilliant. None of these moments are showcases of technical virtuosity, and that’s exactly why I love them. Their tastefulness and raw intensity are, to me, more badass and evocative than anything Eddie Van Halen, Slash, or Steve Vai ever committed to tape. Jack’s guitar work is aided by his own lyricism (“There’s No Home for You Here”, “I Want to Be the Boy…”, and “You’ve Got Her in Your Pocket” are particular highlights) and, yes, Meg’s absolutely perfect drumming. She provides all the power, attitude, and space that these recordings require; at the risk of sounding even more pretentious than I have up to this point, I honestly feel bad for people who don’t “get” why she is the only drummer who could have worked for this band. Their loss, I guess. And my gain! I have listened to this album a thousand times and I will listen to it a thousand more without ever tiring of it. My favorite track these days is probably “Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine”, the exact halfway point between blues and punk, but on other days, it might be “The Air Near My Fingers”, the smoky cover of “I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself”, or literally *any* of the other songs I’ve already mentioned (yes, even “Seven Nation Army”, which has never been a victim of overplay for me). I even love the closing track, ridiculous as it may be. I love, love, love each and every one of these songs. I love the way they are written, arranged, performed, and produced. I’m so grateful for the place this album holds in my heart. 5+/5

Elephant — четвёртый студийный альбом американского рок-дуэта the White Stripes. Он был выпущен 1 апреля 2003 года в США на лейбле V2 Records, а в Великобритании — на XL Recordings. Альбом, спродюсированный вокалистом и гитаристом Джеком Уайтом, продолжает концепцию «возвращения к истокам», заложенную в предыдущем альбоме группы White Blood Cells (2001). Альбом был в основном записан за две недели в Toe Rag Studios в апреле и мае 2002 года, в нём есть песни о «смерти возлюбленной» в американской поп-культуре. Elephant вошел в десятку лучших альбомов во многих странах, заняв шестое место в американском Billboard 200 и возглавив британский чарт альбомов, а также получил множественный платиновый статус в нескольких странах. Альбом включал в себя такие хиты, как "Seven Nation Army", "The Hardest Button to Button" и "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself", первый из которых способствовал росту продаж. Альбом получил широкое признание критиков и несколько наград, в том числе номинацию на «Альбом года» и победу в номинации «Лучший альтернативный музыкальный альбом» на премии «Грэмми» 2004 года. «Elephant» широко известен как влиятельное произведение 2000-х годов в жанрах инди и возрождение гаражного рока, закрепившее за Джеком и Мэг Уайт ведущие позиции в этих направлениях. Несколько изданий назвали его шедевром группы The White Stripes, а также включили в списки лучших альбомов всех времен. По всему миру было продано более четырех миллионов копий, что делает его самым продаваемым альбомом группы. Да, да, да и ещё раз да. Идеально! Тот тип рока, который мне нравится больше всего. Определённо пока что самый любимый альбом из прослушанных в этом списке. Есть альбомы, которым я поставила пять, но тогда этот - все шесть. Он приятный, он не банальный, и он разнообразный. Нравятся все треки без исключения. "In The Cold, Cold Night" - это любовь. Мег Уайт, мама, вернись.

This album took me back to early 00s when I used to watch "7 Nation Army" and "The Hardest Button to Button" on MTV. The album has the same in your face attitude, so rich, with great narratives by Jack White. A fun and necessary album and did influence loads of people. A classic that I am happy it belongs here 5/5

I used to not be a fan of the White Stripes. But then it just clicked (I'm pretty sure "Conquest" was the catalyst) and I finally got it. They rock. This album rocks. Favorites: Seven Nation Army, There's No Home for You Here, Ball and Biscuit, The Air Near My Fingers Would I listen to it again: Yes

Banger! Every once in a while it is good to force oneself to listen to Seven Nation Army on its own, outside of the cliche world of stadium rock at a football or basketball or hockey game. Jack is brilliant in every sense of the word.

A+

An incredible album that accomplishes so much whilst being so simple. Iconic.

One of the best live shows I have ever been to. Best Song: Seven Nation Army Rating: 9.0/10 Stars: 5/5

If there’s a better White Stripes album, let’s bleeping go.

I loved it

Kicking off with "Seven Nation Army" - home to one of the most iconic rock riffs ever recorded - "Elephant" remains faithful to the band's roots, delivering a stripped-back and raw album. Recorded at London’s Toe Rag Studios, a virtual time capsule of analogue gear, the album was produced without the aid of computers or any equipment manufactured after 1963. The result is a unique, gritty, and intentionally harsh sonic profile. This deliberate abrasiveness demands the listener's attention, cutting through the polish of modern production with a visceral energy. Elephant is a extremely engaging album, maintaining momentum from first to last. The song writing quality is remarkably consistent, with track ratings never dipping below four stars. The standout moments include the anthemic "Seven Nation Army", the frantic "Black Math", the layered "There’s No Home for You Here", and a transformative cover of "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself". Towering above them all is "Ball and Biscuit", a superb, blues-drenched epic that cements the album's status. Five stars. 1 "Seven Nation Army" (5/5) 2 "Black Math" (5/5) 3 "There's No Home for You Here" (5/5) 4 "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" (5/5) 5 "In the Cold, Cold Night" (4/5) 6 "I Want to Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart" (4/5) 7 "You've Got Her in Your Pocket" (4/5) 8 "Ball and Biscuit" (5/5) 9 "The Hardest Button to Button" (5/5) 10 "Little Acorns" (5/5) 11 "Hypnotize" (4/5) 12 "The Air Near My Fingers" (5/5) 13 "Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine" (4/5) 14 "It's True That We Love One Another" (4/5) Total - 64.00 Average - 4.57 255/1001 138/255 albums reviewed were new to me

Their fourth album. Rock / Alt Rock. The album is stacked, right from those opening bass notes all the way through to the end. Lyrically playful and poetic throughout. Seven Nation Army and The Hardest Button To Button are my two favourite tracks, but honestly the whole thing just rocks.

10 stjerner 🫶🏼

love these guys!

Near perfect album that might actually be better than White Blood Cells. A strong contender for best guitar album of the 2000s.

This one was a joy to listen to the whole way through.

I mean, I've been listening to this album for 22 years. It was foundational in my music education. And it obviously predated the lead single becoming the de-facto stadium anthem worldwide. One of the first albums that let me see an artist being pure experimental and obviously the vague siblings or lovers? story was compelling af. Saw them live at Oxegen.

Blues rock perfected. Jack White is the best.

I am so happy that this album still feels just as awesome as it did when I was 14. I think on Elephant the White Stripes perfectly captured what is cool about authenticity. This album is weird, and heavy, and subtle and soft all at the same time. It lives and dies by it's aesthetic. It drew me and captured my imagination years ago and I still draws me in today.

Genius album. The 2 punk tracks are awesome.

Better than I thought. The stand out was hypnotised

Decent start, I remember doing a video editing project in high school that I tried to do in the style of "The Hardest Button to Button" music video. Wish I still had it. I think I remember a Conan O'Brien podcast where he describes Jack White as having the aesthetic of a 1960's Batman villain.

Adored this. Haven't actually sat down and listened to The White Stripes prior to this and they're phenomenal. Picked up a couple new favorite songs.

Meg White is an awesome drummer. I knew this would be good but not this good. Black Math. Ball and Biscuit. Little Acorns. Well It's True That We Love One Another. The whole fucking thing rocks

Álbum icônico do início dos anos 2000. Muito bem feito e influente. TRI x HBB Kai.

A perfect 10 out of 10 album from my favorite band. No notes.

Great memories from when I first listened to this album. 7NA is an absoloute standout - on any album for that matter!

Excellent choice

This album rips.

What can you say about White Stripes that hasn’t already been said. Jack White is an incredible guitarist and writer of riffs. And Meg shines in her own right as a drummer and vocalist. Awesome stuff

Mainly cuz of song no.1

Have loved this one since it came out.

I obviously loved Seven Nation Army already but surprised to see how many other songs I liked from them.

Great example of an album where one song is incredibly famous but the rest of the tracklist is just as good. As a whole I didn't find any tracks skippable. Very happy to add this one to my library.

Elephant was never my favorite White Stripes album. That one goes to Icky Thump, but I do still absolutely adore this one. I hadn't listened to it probably since late high-school/early college and I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. My personal top here is The Hardest Button to Button. Ball and Biscuit is a journey as well and I love it.

This album is one of the best rock albums in my opinion. I love it all. And personally, it takes me back to a very specific moment in a road trip that reminds me of the best parts of young love, feeling free and youth. Things I like to be reminded of.

Jack White is amazing. Great throwback!

Bangers!

Play this all the time

Classic album with simplistic tunes with deep lyrics, sad to see how they ended when you listen to this work of art

Amazing album start to finish.

What an EXCELLENT and music world changing album this was. I was them as a teenager when they did toured this album and it RUINED all future concerts. GREAT pick! must have in your collection!

I played the shit outta this album as a teenager but hadn't really listened to it as an adult, so it was mostly an exercise on how well the rest of the album held up (because let's be honest, Seven Nation Army will always be impeccable). And for the most part the album is just good, but I'd forgotten how great some of the other tracks were, especially The Hardest Button to Button and Little Acorns. A borderline 4-5 for me but gonna give it the benefit of the doubt.

Listened to it three times in a row yesterday, it's just that good

A fantastic album. Don't let Seven Nation Army outshine the rest of the album, because there's a lot of bangers on here. Jack White is a fantastic musician and songwriter, and Meg White is (in my opinion) not appreciated enough as a drummer. Outside of the most known track, I'd say my favorites are Black Math, I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself, and the Hardest Button to Button.

Fantastic album. *****

Crazy how much noise two people can make. Love Meg's no-nonsense drums, Jack's impassionate vocals, obviously the riffs, and overall, how unique their sound is. Faves: Seven Nation Army, I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself, Ball and Biscuit, The Hardest Button to Button, The Air Near My Fingers

one of the best albums ever

Begon aan het album met een beetje negatieve verwachting, kende alleen 7 nation army en die ben ik ondertussen wel een beetje zat. Hele album heeft me erg positief verrast. Een duidelijk thema met 2 duidelijke uitschieters die ik misschien nog wel het leukste vond in little acorns en it's true we love one another als een goed intermezzo en einde. Al deze tracks zijn nice little acorns die het album in kleine delen breken.

What Jack and Meg lack in technical prowess they more than make up for it with sheer tenacity and earnestness. From thrillingly explosive moments to the more tender showings, I am hooked. This really threads the line of grimy garage rock and catchy pop sensibilities in a captivating way. I have a lot of nostalgia for this record from when I was younger so that may play a big part in this but I think it still holds up. Also Jack White is the king of doing a cover song, never fails me there.

I’ve loved this album since it was brand new. It’s probably getting an extra star for nostalgia reasons, but I don’t care.

Mostly great stuff here.

visuals is so good

Easily one of the best rock albums of the 00s.

These tracks don't make me feel as much as other albums I rate highly, at least not in the poignancy and grief department, but they are irresistibly catchy and hard driving and fresh.

In 2003, this sounded like wildfire, and it's aging well. The secret sauce they found on Elephant is their ability to match tempo and dynamic changes. It's like a pitcher who had two pitches suddenly coming back with five, mixing them fluidly and perfectly. Notice: The beat change 1:04 in on "Black Math" and the return to the original, raging tempo at 1:50. The way he comes in for the refrain of "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself," his voice barely holding on, and the second time it happens, when the guitar goes to 11. The low rumble of "In the Cold, Cold Night." The one-two punch of "Ball and Biscuit" and "The Hardest Button to Button," two songs that go hard and take no prisoners. You feel every tempo and dynamic change in your bones. Easily my two favorite songs in their catalog. For that matter, the entire stretch starting with "Ball and Biscuit" and ending with "The Air Near My Fingers" is one of the most badass five-song runs ever. And of course, the total restraint of "Seven Nation Army," immortalized in every arena to bring the crowd all the way in, a magic trick of a song that wants to go 90 mph but hits cruise control at 43 and drags you into its weird pace. 14 songs, no skips.

Seven Nation Army I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself In the Cold Cold Night Ball and Biscuit Hardest Button to Button Hypnotize The Air Near My Fingers

Amazing album that put The White Stripes on the map.

Amazing

The year i was born hell yeah

Absolute fire!

Classic of the era. It was hard to believe that they were going to top white blood cells and yet here we are

Yeees. Njiju bi tko rada v živo vidla, but alas. Mam vsaj Under Great White Northern Lights. A sploh morm rečt, da mam vse na cdjih? Začne se sam z enim bolj ikoničnih 2000s komadov ("Seven Nation Army"). Bridge del v "Black Math" mi je bil zmer ful všeč. Uf, po pa "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself". ) K crescenda, pa ta Jackov kričeč vokal - super. Pa redek primer Meg za mikrofonom? ("In the Cold, Cold Night") "Ball and Biscuit" & "The Hardest Button to Button" sta super. Pozabila sm že, da je "Little Acorns" mal unhinged, sledi mu pa najbl old school stil White Stripes komad, "Hypnotize". Pač, zame na tem albumu ni slabega komada.

Love this Shit! 😊

Love every song off this album. So many underrated tunes layered with hits like Seven Nation Army and Hardest Button to Button.

The White Stripes for some reason didn’t resonate with me like it should have but this album is hands down one of the best by a new band of the 2000s.

Except for several songs sounding pretty similar this one consistently rocks

Like Smoke On the Water 30 Years before, Seven Nation Army has become so familiar and overplayed that you forget how good it is - a simple sounding riff of which football chants are made, but the song is so much better than that. And the album is so much more than SNA - The Hardest Button to Button; the cover of I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself, which recalls Dusty's version and yet is so different from it; Meg's vocal on In The Cold Cold Night; the wonderful noise that these two could make; the clean, clear, loud production. I'm not a devoted Jack White fan but, when he's on it, he's on it and never more so than on this album, with his divorced wife-sister.

Jack at his Page/Plant worshipping peak, one of the greatest rock records of the aughts. SNA being adopted by football fans all over the world has ensured their immortality, but for me they are already one of the best of my generation. To say neither is a virtuoso would be hilariously understated, but I love them both, Jack with his Neil Young-esque just exactly perfect style of louder is always better guitar and Meg, a wild card of a drummer if there ever was one who had a singular connection with JWs right hand (not for that, you filthy animals). Their live shows are where she really shined as the only accompanist who could follow his adhd fueled insanity. Anyway, I like them, ok?

I remember first hearing this album and was blown away at how many tracks I liked. Kept it on repeat for quite some time, and came to appreciate what an immense talent Jack White is.

The album that I got just before this one was King Crimson's 'Larks' Tongues in Aspic'. While that album and this one are both labeled as "rock", the two albums couldn't be further apart musically. If King Crimson is pretty much as complex as rock gets, then the White Stripes are as close to being the complete opposite as possible. Still, I wouldn't call one better than the other. It's like comparing apples to oranges. This is just about as simple as rock gets. Just guitar and drums. Pair that with incredible songwriting and that's honestly all you need for a timeless album. What else is there really to say? 5/5

Almost perfect.

Essential listening. The type of album that should be on this list.

Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Jack White bouncing off the simple rhythms of Meg White is just a great blend. Organic sloppy fun that sounds great and ages well. Almost sad that Seven Nation Army got so popular as the rest of this album is a great listen.

Great riffs .simplicity and power

Okay this ate. Amazing rock album with a splash of blues.

An all time triumph!

stellar stuff over here, i don’t think jack does much better when he’s on his own

Just as I've been thinking about wanting to listen to the white stripes. Probably my favorite from them, seven nation army is my all time favourite song.

Peak White Stripes. Not listened to it in a while but it takes me right back there.

I still vividly remember the first time I listened to "Seven Nation Army". I can't remember exactly how I first got into the White Stripes, but it was either through hearing the songs "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground", "Fell in Love with a Girl", or maybe after seeing the video for the latter. Regardless, I was hooked on White Blood Cells, so when I heard Elephant was coming out, I bought it on the day of release. I couldn't wait to get into it. Literally. I was 19 years old and working in a supermarket hot food counter. I bought the album on my lunch break and couldn't wait until the end of my work shift to listen, so I nipped into the bathroom with my discman. Not the most glamourous setting for the first time I heard "Seven Nation Army", but my mind was absolutely blown. I went back to work, and somehow made it to the end of the day. Anytime anyone spoke to me, it was like the adults in Charlie Brown. Trumpets. Muffled wah-wahs. My brain was busy replaying that riff. The album became a soundtrack to my late teens and early twenties, the music perfectly matching the chaos of that time. Some albums bring you back to a particular time in your life, and Elephant is one of them: every listen pulls me straight to the smoky dancefloor upstairs in Cuba nightclub, to clumsily hammering out "Ball And Biscuit" on guitar in my childhood bedroom (much to my neighbour's despair, I'm sure), to laughing with friends about the cheeky humour of "It's True That We Love One Another". When I lived in Greece for four months, the album came with me. We used to blast "There’s No Home for You Here" at full volume to not-so-subtly evict an overstaying house guest. For a band that famously brought everything back to basics, The White Stripes still found ways to innovate within those restrictions. Jack White made all of us bedroom guitarists go wide-eyed when he introduced a fake "bass guitar" switch through his Whammy pedal, "Seven Nation Army" and "The Hardest Button to Button" being the prime examples. Then you've got the lurching slow-down/speed-up madness of "Black Math", the glorious, unhinged Whammy-drenched solos in "Ball And Biscuit", and their creatively raw reworking of a Dusty Springfield classic, complete with that jarring, buzzing guitar stab at “I need your sweet [blarrrng] love [blarrrng].” Then there were the music videos for the singles. "Seven Nation Army" caused dizzy spells with its infinite zoom around triangles and optical illusions. "The Hardest Button to Button" out stop-motioned Michel Gondry's previous White Stripe stop-motion masterpiece of "Fell in Love with a Girl", and then there was the jaw-dropping black and white Kate Moss pole-dancing video for "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" (insert eyes emoji 👀). Their dedication to that red-white-and-black palette, the stripped-back musical style, and all those inventive videos just added to the whole White Stripes mythology. Elephant is where everything - sound, visuals, attitude - came together perfectly. Their masterpiece.

I got this album the weekend after it was first released. “Seven Nation Army” had already taken over every available music channel in the weeks before and, in the scant minutes between plays of the video, I was treated to a brief education of the Stripes’ career hence (“Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground”, “Hotel Yorba”, “Fell in Love With a Girl” – all absolute lightning rods of songs in their own right). I was a little under the weather that Easter long weekend. Stuffy, snotty. An unremarkable state. Still, the memory of getting stuck into a Cadbury’s Easter egg while “Black Math” blew me and my portable CD player away feels tantalisingly close. So too does the memory of stabbing out 7NA in my parents’ living room in preparation for my first ever gig (I think most, if not all, bands playing that night did a cover of it). Or the memory of that night at the Salvation Army, or a subsequent Leeds festival spent being told I looked just like Jack White, or … Some albums organise time. And that time that Elephant was my whole listening universe was one of the most curious, transformative and exciting of my life so far. Song after song of edifying, theatrical, loud/soft rock and roll that sounds, even today, like the result of spontaneous alchemy. Song after unskippable song, the whole thing speaks of a magic made through patience and constraint; a delicate sonic haiku only pretending to be diesel-doused doggerel. It’s still as thrilling and essential today as it was in 2003 … but could a person ever, in all seriousness, ask for a better soundtrack to being 13?

One of my favorite albums of all time, 5 ⭐

Gear: Penon FAN 3s Artwork: 🟥🔎🫨 Production: 🎚️🥩📀 Music: 🥹🎸‼️ Rating: 🐘🐘🐘🐘🐀/5

Another White Stripes album? Thing is, this one really deserves to be on this list. OK, perhaps there are many Stones influences. I like the Stones. 5/5.

The apotheosis of garage band music. Somehow slick and filthy at the same time. Plus the most iconic bass line of all time.

This is another one where I only know one song off of the album, but it’s a banger. The rest of the album was pretty interesting. All over the place, really. And the suggestions iTunes gave me after this one were great as well.

Meilleur album ever selon China China. Quand même un exploit d'avoir tout enregistré avec de la gear de max 1963.

Jack white maitrise avec brio les codes du blues rock. Incroyable avec le recul comment ça sonne Led Zep dans le core. Avec une tite touche grungy bienvenue. Un album qui a beaucoup tourné chez moi en début de secondaire.

Première fois que j’écoute « pour vrai » du White Stripes et j’ai adoré. Du blues-rock terriblement efficace. Vraiment aimé entendre Meg chanter sur In the cold cold night, c’était magnifique.

Back to basics, no equipment newer than 1963, garage rock Seven nation army I want to be the boy The hardest button to button

The zenith of their power. They were good before and they were great after…but they were perfect here.

I’ll admit that for many years, I haven’t really “gotten” Jack White. In recent months, however, I’ve really started to embrace him. This album kicks ass, and I’m going to continue to dig into the rest of their discography and Jack’s other projects.

Great album, one of Jack White’s best. Drenched in fuzz tones. Seven Nation Army is obviously one of the top songs of the decade and still seems ubiquitous today. Favorite tracks include Seven Nation Army, There’s No Home For You Here, I Just Don’t Know What to do with Myself, I Want to be the Biy to Warm Your Mother’s Heart, You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket, Ball and Biscuit, The Hardest Button to Button, The Air Near My Fingers, Girl You Have No Faith In Medicine.

a new classic

Hhhhoollly fuck yesss thanks god

If the Velvet Underground was just Lou and Mo…and if Lou was a slightly better guitarist.

4.5*. Peak White Strips, in my estimation. Feeling generous, so rounding up.

i would have given this album 5 stars blindly. love it since forever. "Seven Nation Army" is a classic sublime masterpiece.

Jeg er en Elephant man, uten tvil. Ingen stadionkor har klart å ødelegge "Seven Nation Army" for meg, og det tror jeg handler mye om det Jack White får til med gitaren sin. Jeg har vansker for å høre for meg et annet band gjøre "The Hardest Button to Button". Det er et riff som er perfekt for amatørgitarister og en beat som er perfekt for amatørtrommeslagere. Så det kunne hørtes ganske kjipt ut om det ikke hadde vært for soundet. Det er jo egentlig ingen som høres ut som White Stripes før eller etter. Det er utrolig hva de får til med så få ingredienser. White Stripes er litt som cacio e pepe eller carbonara. Det er vanskelig å velge en favoritt blant platene deres, for det er så og si ingen svake låter. Samme gjelder her. Selv den mer køddete "It's True That We Love One Another" er så sjarmerende at jeg alltid blir glad av å høre den. Jeg vil også nevne "In the cold, cold night" som et spor hvor Meg får skinne i kanskje platas mest mest minimalistiske låt. Får vibber til Nancy Sinatra.

Jeg mener Jack White og White Stripes er undervurdert. Hvis rockehistorien har en kanon, er Jack White den siste som får plass. Etter White Stripes døde rocken. Joda, det finnes rockeband fortsatt, men White Stripes er det siste rockebandet som står så støtt i tradisjonen, samtidig som de innoverer såpass, samtidig som de var i popkulturens senter. Det kommer aldri til å skje igjen, rocken hadde sin tid, og White Stripes avsluttet den. Hver gang jeg hører en White Stripes album så blir jeg også glad av tanken på at noe såpass rart kunne være såpass populært. Albumene blir også bedre og bedre for hver gang jeg hører de. Dette er et fenomenalt album, fra en fenomenal og kompromissløs artist. Vi trenger flere slike.

Kinda expected more, as this was supposedly a classic. Still, 4-5 songs I really liked, and that's enough for me to make an album worth it.

This is home ❤️

They could have made an album with average songs, but the fact that it includes Seven Nation Army alone makes it worthy of note. So, a 5 it is :-)

I actually just listened to a majority of The White Stripes catalogue last week, and this and Get Behind Me Satan are both easy 5s. I've listened to I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself a handful of times since. 5/5

Nice

Diverse rock love the electrical piano which pokes its head through every now and again. For a rock fan this is a 5 theres bluesy to cool punk to even a little ballad. Fun and diverse

seven nation army always a tune

So good. This was their pinnacle. Well produced. Anthemic. Not a bad track.

There’s little doubt that The White Stripes — all two of them — were at the height of their powers on this release. “Seven Nation Army” is now a universal stadium sportsball anthem, which is crazy except that I distinctly remember it had unusually widespread crossover appeal when it came out. They unleash their inner Zeppelin on tracks like “Black Math,” “There’s No Home For You Here” and “Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine,” my favorite on the album. The White Stripes stripped rock and roll down to the basics to create something primal, powerful and exciting, and they played a big part in reclaiming the genre from the Limp Bizkits of the era.

It's the White Stripes. Pounding drum. Catchy riffs. Silly lyrics. It still works.

Here's my thesis: as a civilization, we are lucky to have this. This album splits the needle like almost nothing else. It has insanely good production, but they didn't overwork it. It feels raw. Nobody's ego got in the way - or at the very least - it sounds like it was a loving give and take? Sometimes Meg is out in front of the beat, pulling Jack ahead. Sometimes, it's Jack pulling on Meg. However they recorded it (please don't tell me) it sure doesn't sound like one day Jack tracked his parts and then the next, Meg slouched into the studio to lay down her tracks. It sounds like you're hearing these glorious moments captured live. It fucking rocks.

Such a good album! My favorite vid the white stripes and such a classic! Has so many good songs and just then being them at their best!

no notes

Love it

This album rocks! The bluesy guitar riffs are masterful. Punch you in the gut drums. Meg and Jack White hit you in the face with their music and it’s just awesome!

Это охренительный альбом. Здесь буквально нет плохих песен, все звучит сочно, стильно, фуззово и гаражно. Севен нейшен арми, конечно, уже порядком надоела, но помимо нее здесь десяток замечательных песен, которые вы, возможно, никогда не слышали. Это реально современная классика.

Brilliant

LOVE LOVE LOVE

This makes me feel full, in the same way a hearty meal does. Satisfying, familiar, yet exciting at the same time. There isn't a low point in the whole album for me, nowhere that I switched off.

👏🏻😎

Second The White Stripes album on this list and it’s the one that gave us the world’s national chant in sports, Seven Nation Army. Favorite songs: Seven Nation Army, I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself, In The Cold, Cold Night, The Hardest Button To Button, It’s True That We Love One Another

Excellent

When I was exploring The White Stripes, I think it was roughly 2022 or 2023, it was one of those bands which I discovered by listening to their best hits, rather than their albums. So despite having a lot of listens, I don't really know what to expect from which album. Elephant is a bit disjointed, but maybe not too much. Has some good songs... but holy hell, it has I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself, it has Ball and Biscuit, The Hardest Button to Button, Little Acorns... and the song for which I've decided I'll try my hand at playing a guitar. You know which one.

I listened to this CD so many times when it came out and must admit I am a bit biased, but I must mention that Seven Nation Army has been overplayed for me and I don't really like it or enjoy it all that much. However, the rest of the album is so good, not a miss on it, that my feelings towards their biggest hit won't even stand in the way of this album being nothing short of a 5. All bangers no fluff

Love it, obvy

muito bom

Reminded me of the good old days back in high school!

My first album on this site, and it's a great one! Seven Nation Army is a fantastic way to start an album. And the rest of the album doesn't let down either. Very solid stuff, some of the best from The White Stripes

I love this album and had it on repeat for a long time. Something about the songs are so different but mix into a really interesting story is just really interesting and fun to me. Jack White is also off in his own world with lyrics and his voice but he also doesn't take himself too seriously (close but not quite). Top that off with some guitar, drums and other instruments that change and morph with the songs makes this an amazing album to me.

This album is bookended by the two best songs, and they are perfect intros and outros. What's in between is pretty great too. I love how much they alternate between rocking out and singing softer love/breakup ballads. There's a storytelling he incorporates really well into his music too. Second 5 in a row for 2003!

LOVE! Good rock

One of the few CDs that I ever actually bought. Played the hell out of it.

Probably their strongest album, also one of the first CDs I ever bought. Meg White is the best and I love her. Jack White is also the best.

This album just rocks. Opening with Seven Nation Army sets the tone right away. Has sooo many of my favorite White Stripes songs. I think I said this when I reviewed Blunderbuss, but they're the only people I trust to make music like this. Love em both.

Zaboravio sam koliko je ovo dobar album jebemti

Great album

Already know this album by heart. The White Stripes are one of my favorites. 7 Nation Army is a classic with a recognizable guitar riff.

Great listen!!!

Garage rock taken to the next level. There were plenty of bands around for the 2000s rock revival but none of them were capable of making something like this.

All time classic. Slippery slope indie rock inductor

Enn og aftur: Jack White er minn maður, og með Meg er hann frábær og platan mögnuð 🫡

Das Album lebt von der Abwechslung zwischen reduzierten, fast schon balladenhaften Momenten („You’ve Got Her in Your Pocket“, „I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself“) und rohen, druckvollen Rockstücken („Black Math“, „The Hardest Button to Button“). Auch die Mischung aus Blues-Anleihen, Garage-Rock-Energie und minimalistischer Produktion macht es so zeitlos.

this was genuinely amazing