Elephant

Generally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of the White Stripes... but this album is a banger.

The most perfect white stripes album. Which makes it one of my favorites. I love these guys so much. Meg, don’t listen to the haters. Your drumming is integral to the band’s sound.

Elephant is to The White Stripes is what A Night At The Opera is to Queen as in, it is the White Stripes album to me. It already starts off with a bang and a half with it's most popular song Seven Nation Army and it never lets up at any point. The guitars are incredibly crunchy, the drums are perfect for this music, the vocals are fantastic and the songs all have a great energy to them. Even with some of the weirder songs such as It's True That We Love One Another, the album never had a point where it was bad throughout it's nearly 50 minute runtime. This is the perfect way to end my run with The White Stripes because this album is everything i could ever ask for from them. Best Song: The Air Near My Fingers Worst Song: In the Cold, Cold Night Side note: Last White Stripes album meaning: 1. Elephant 2. White Blood Cells 3. Get Behind Me Satan

Would be 5 except there are a few fiiller tracks

Great group

3,5

This is a great example of reductive style over substance. Other than a few recognisable tracks the rest are fairly anodyne. I see Jack White is holding a cricket bat ‘as a nod to the UK’ where it was recorded, further continuing the reductiveness of this whole exercise.

Besides the first and last songs (Seven Nation Army, It’s True That We Love One Another) nothing really stood out to me. Nothing was bad, just not great

Love me some white stripes, this album is heavy rotation for me. Nothing groundbreaking but it rips plain and simple.

A great collection of songs. Their stubborn refusal to use bass guitars (doubly ironic since this album gives us one of the all time great bass lines) and commitment to honoring the mediocrity of the lo-fi movement are the only things keeping it from being a perfect album. 4 stars.

rock slop krijgt een drie voor seven nation army

niet beste white stripes album zwaar matig

These motherfuckers...4.5

I love this album and can't imagine a time when I would give less than 5 stars.

Good stuff

Paar leuke liedjes, rock achting, soms gebeurt er teveel voor mij.

Loved the style. Favorite song Little Acorns. Notable songs

Love the energy.

Nice

não acredito que não tinha ouvido esse antes!!! passada com essa lore deles fingirem serem irmãos

ahhh sim a banda do ex casal que fingia serem irmãos... engraçado que eu tinha ouvido esse dias antes de ter sido sorteado e, além da title track que dispensa comentários pelo hit comercial que foi, acho bem merecido o reconhecimento que ele recebeu, mesmo sendo bem mais recente que os outros da lista

goed tot zeer goed tot uitmuntend... als je dit kan voortbrengen met 2 man, dan ben je goed bezig... voor mij een 4,5 maar ik rond voor het gemak af naar boven

I like the lead singer’s voice and there are some catchy tunes on this album, but nothing that special

3.6/5

7/10 Me gusto, buen album. No aburre, no jode, esta piola

elephant in the room or maybe just the one with all the good songs still so good 💥seven nation army 💥black math 💥ball and biscuit 💥hardest button to button 💥hypnotize 💥girl you have no faith in medicine

this is hands-down, the white stripes best album. their others have moments, but from front to back, this is the most solid and the most solid output of jack white's career (although he got close with that second raconteurs album). it’s catchy, the guitar tones are great, good variation in song types.

I like Meg White

4/5

Pretty good not so much my taste of music.

Er, honey.... let's go and see if the Red Stripes are any better.

This was good, not great. Can appreciate it but won’t be going back to it regularly

While it’s my favorite of their albums, I can only handle the White Stripes in small doses. Probably because I worked in a record store when they debuted and most of my coworkers had them in near-constant rotation.

Enjoyed most of the tracks. Actually listened to it twice. This isn’t in my normal listening library but maybe it should be.

College football is back, I recently finished Peaky Blinders, and I'm nearing the end of a year long read of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Was there really any chance I wasn't going to adore this? Not a perfect album, as the slow songs were good but out of place, but if there's a mood to describe 2026, it's Elephant.

Common Jack White W. It is simple but simplicity is the point. This was very close to a 5.

I liked this a lot less than I thought I would going in being a fan of Seven Nation Army. The songs that I like I really liked, but the songs of “let me talk and then play some guitar and then talk some more” really dropped the overall enjoyment of the album. A solid 3.5, but will round up for Seven Nation Army.

It’s aight. Feels like nothing is as iconic/memorable as the opening. A nice garage rock sound but that leaves me rather unimpressed, oftentimes.

Great album, has all the WS sounds with lean songwriting. This was the record for them, and also one that broke them

Last time we spoke KRR still hadnt seen "It might get loud".. if songs like "There's no home for you here" , "Hypnotize" or "Ball and biscuit" dont convince him to watch it after this listen, nothing will. What a breath of fresh air after a tough week (musically) last week... they still sounded like a live band in 2003 and you really dont know what you are gonna get next after a song finishes.. will it be a bang of energy that makes you shake or a slower one like "In the cold cold night" ? you just dont know but everything is welcome. I think this was them at the full height of their powers in a style that in my opinion was very much their own. "I just dont know what do with myself" and "little acorns" remain 2 of my favourites of theirs... "The air near my fingers" is very close to the top though followed by.. aaah I think I just love this whole album too much!

BOom

One of my all time favourite albums. Can't think of many other artists who can so seamlessly move between tracks such as these. "Girl, you have no faith in medicine" to "It's true that we love one another" is perhaps the most clear example of my point. I can't really overstate just how important I think Jack White is, and has been, in forming music, holding on to principles while having no issue moving on to new ideas when they present themselves and showing how to be pragmatic and "making do". Unbelievable talent and hard work pays off. 5.0

Brutal

mi fa venire voglia di correre e spaccare un muro a tratti ball and biscuit stra interessante, seven nation army ovviamente

I’m sure there is some historical musical importance to why this album is included in the list. I don’t usually jive with bluesy rock. But I swallowed this one down okay. Ball and Biscuit and Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine were two songs that stood out. Would I listen to Elephant again? By myself, probably not… but in a group setting or listening party, where I could talk more about the album with people in-person? Hell yeah.

I liked this album, I like the rhythms of the songs, but especially the cover seems crazy to me

It’s fun that they have a noticeable style. The biggest hit is in here and it’s fun in general. 8/10

It is alright, but this I say from general knowledge and expectations. I did not listen to the album yet. Please do so in the future, cause it does have potential I'd say.

I'm actually surprised I've never listened to this one all the way through, but this was my first time. I knew the big hits on the album, but there are some other really good ones on here that I had never heard before. I always feel like the White Stripes are at their best when Jack is highlighted on the electric guitar and Meg is going all out on the drums. Just good rock music that always sounds a bit raw, which I love. There were a couple of fillers on here that I think didn't need to be on the record, but overall this is a good one. Kind of appropriate to pop up today as I get ready to take a little break from this while I'm traveling, including a stop in Detroit. Maybe I'll catch Jack at a Detroit Tigers game!

3/5

If this was the only White Stripes album on the list I would probably have given it more as it had more variety than previous albums (which is a qualified statement given their early propensity to do variations in the same riff). SNA is highly infectious in its simplicity but it is well structured (and the video was pretty iconic as well). Ball and Biscuit has a visceral quality. All good things, but this is at least the 4th Jack White album so far and I think there are more to come. This is too much. Far too much. For the sake of the children, no more.

Another reviewer said that listening to the white stripes is like painting with primary colours. I quite like that analogy as they don’t make any excuses that it is simplistic, but with very little room to hide as a consequence. Meg’s drumming gets a bad rap but it’s extremely effective and punches through particularly when Jack’s guitar is heavily overdriven. There are some decent songs on this particular album (‘I just don’t know what to do with myself’, ‘the hardest button to button’, and I have a particular fondness for ‘it’s true that we love one another’) but that’s contrasted with my dislike of seven nation army (mostly because it’s been co-oped many a mass drunken gathering since) and ‘there’s no home for you here’ (it’s just ‘dead leaves on the dirty ground’ recycled). There are better white stripes albums than this though.

I like the distinctiveness of Jack White’s voice, and I love the personality that comes through on this album. Overall though at times I found it a little jarring for a reason I couldn’t put my finger on, enjoyable but in an uncomfortable sort of way.

Yeah, fine

GOOD

Seven Nation Army is admittedly a banger, but the album really just has nowhere to go but down from there. Last track was a bit jarring.

peak garage rock. I love how Meg hit the drum, simple but effective when mix with Jack virtuoso guitar

It lagged in the middle.

3-4 et sted, men runder ned. Kritisert og mye omtalt, men jeg synes det fenger ganske greit og det var det jeg trengte nå.

What a good song to start off an album. I find it so hard to figure out what genre the White Stripes are. It’s alt-rock, blues, and all of it is so simple. Just a drum kit, a guitar, maybe a piano thrown in sometimes. It still manages to absolutely rock your socks off. They do a lot to fill in the sound, but it still has a stripped down feel that really adds to it. Jack White’s guitar playing shines throughout. It’s a great album and shows how they managed to make it all the way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Almost perfect - last track could have been an outtake.

Great album. Simply and beautiful.

Typ alla låtar är bättre än seven nation..

Better than Coldplay

🐘🔴⚪️⚫️🥁

Number: 228 Familiarity: Aware (2) Rating: 4 Before: ======= The White Stripes again. I had their album "Get Behind Me Satan" as my 155th album and yesterday I had Spiritualized's "Lazer Guided Melodies exactly 55 albums after their best album, "Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space". So, what can we infer? Nothing I expect. Anyways, I'm not that much a fan of The White Stripes as they are bit mainstream for my taste. Let's give this one a shot. During: ======= OK, the opener "Seven Nation Army" definately sounds familiar. It's decent, I'll give it a 4. Now, back to the weather. Thank God, I think we're done with the 100 F days. As of a few days ago, the forecast for today was going to be +100 F but today it's only 96 F and there are no 100 F's in the foreseeable future. Thank you Jesus. After : ======= I liked the music a lot. It's not all that innovative or interesting, but it is just really good. Not 5 territory but I'd rate it a high 4.

Great album. Borrowed this from the library and played it on repeat the whole time it was out.

There's a lot of late '90s/early '00s hooky, guitar-focused rock on this list: your Strokes, your Franz Ferdinands, your Arctic Monkeys, your Arcade Fires, and I enjoy listening to all of it. The White Stripes are more of this stuff, but with a better (or perhaps just showier) guitarist in Jack White, who likes to inject angular, blistering solos into his music, which I think it's great. He also fancies himself quite the singer, and... well, he's fine, I guess. The guitar-forward songs, "Seven Nation Army", "Ball and Biscuit," "The Hardest Button to Button" (my favorite song of theirs), "Little Acorns," (wonderful), "Hypnotize" and "Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine" are about as good as this subgenre gets. It also has softer, vocal-focused songs that aren't as good, but they aren't terrible, either, and White's ear for melody remains strong even if the delivery mechanism isn't as potent. In this case, the guitars win out, and I think the best moments of this album make it something special.

YES.. One of my personal favorite bands/influential bands. Some of their truly best songs show up on this although other deepcuts I will say I'm not as crazy about. I'll always champion the perfect firs 3 record run these guys had but this catapulted them in the best / worst kind of way to rock standard stardom.

Absolute classic. Probably their best record. Feels like a classic rock album updated for the present. It has aged wonderfully.

Spännande att höra de andra låtarna på detta album. Tyckte soundet var coolt men inget som fastnade för mig 6/10

Ironically I don't think it has some of their best! But I was also distracted while listening.

I’ve heard of this, but never heard it. It’s surprisingly good. It’s really tough to make an album of this genre. That’s good. This is aI’ve heard of this, but never heard it. It’s surprisingly good. It’s really tough to make a album of this genre. That’s good. This is a good album.

Jack White is the kind of weird little gremlin person you can’t picture doing anything other than making music, so it’s a good thing that he’s pretty great at it

One of my favorites

Essential

Some really, really strong songs especially the singles and the more bluesy numbers. Also some filler. I like a lot of songs on this album but this isn’t one of the White Stripes albums I’d want to listen to all the way through again.

love you <3

Some nice songs, but has always been only OK to me.

Love this album. Reminds of being a student in the noughties. Good combo of hard garage rock and slower, more chilled stuff

This was my first impression of The White Stripes! I knew a couple of their hits, but this is the first time I've deliberately listened to one of their albums - I'm very impressed! It's primarily a high-energy Garage Rock album with hits like 'Seven Nation Army' and 'Ball And Biscuit', but there are softer moments. The 2 least liked songs are generally 'You've Got Her In Your Pocket' and 'Well It's True That We Love One Another', but I loved both of them! 'You've Got Her In Your Pocket' is actually in my top 5 from the album! I'll definitely be giving some more of their music (As well as some of Jack's solo music!) a listen in the future as this was a really enjoyable and catchy album!

Yeah, this is alright. I don’t love it, but some decent tracks and it’s pretty listenable. A 3.5 start album but I’m feeling generous. (4)

*2003 *Several hits: Seven Nation Army, I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself, and Hardest Button to Button. *I like The White Stripes and this is a strong album, but it's a little tricky to stay in the right mood for an hour. There aren't quite enough soft moments for me - it's mostly pretty manic. Although it is a great workout album and each song individually is still pretty awesome. RATING - 7.5/10

It's pretty okay.

I love the blue influence and the change of energy throughout the album.

That album was excellent front to back

Solid album, I've never loved the White Stripes outside of a couple songs though. I think their sound is too bare-bones that it doesn't do it for me? Either way, an enjoyable listen but not amazing.

The white stripes being the white stripes. Great

There’s a good 4-5 songs you can skip here. But 9-10 bangers 4 stars seems fair.

Этот альбом однозначно лучше, чем пластинка 2001 года. У него гораздо более взрослое и осмысленное звучание. Плюс на этом альбоме есть две песни, которые мне очень нравятся: конечно же Seven nation army, но главное – The air near my fingers – лучшая песня Белых полос, на мой вкус

The last song does not suit the rest of the album. Besides that I was impressed by the record (and the fact that I never heard of The White Stripes before). 4/5

Jack White almost saved rock and roll. It was a helluva try.

I think what the White Stripes really mastered on this album was a mix of simplicity and variety. The band has a very stripped back approach that works wonders for them, making sure nothing distracts from their talent and visceral emotion. The contrast between Jack's showy guitar work and Meg's no-frills drumming keeps the songs feeling fresh and exciting without losing their rawness. About this half of the tracklist sticks to their traditional mix of heavy garage and blues rock, and the other half finds them wading out into more diverse sounds. I personally prefer their bluesier tracks, but the variety helps keep the album from feeling too one note. Jack is also a very talented songwriter, mining the relationship woes that blues is built on and combining them with more contemporary 21st century anxieties about changing times and social status. That mixture between old and new is basically the appeal of the band as a whole, and none of their other albums quite exemplify that mixture like this one.

Listened Aug 12, 2026

A great listen all round

Of the tens of thousands of songs I have listened to I am pretty sure that Seven Nation army is up there in my top 10 of all time. Such a great tune and still great two decades on despite being played to death everywhere since. The album is definitely one of their best with their trademark swagger and humour and so many great styles.

As always, a really great fun listen. But as always, their albums never hold my attention the same way that ‘great’ albums do. I don’t really know why.

This is basically The White Stripes’ best album. It’s not my favorite (that would be Get Behind Me Satan) but it is their most fundamentally balanced work, combining their early garage sensibilities with the polish and humor that has made them singular in the realm of modern blues rock. Nothing sounded like this when it came out and ESPECIALLY nothing sounds like this now. Nothing genuine at least. I’m not a fan of Jack White in general but his career with The White Stripes is unimpeachable and this is exhibit A.

Revisited having listened before. Seven Nation Army has become so ubiquitous but the rest of the album is strong. Never been a huge fan but got to admire the vision and how they stuck to that throughout.

When I was 14 i was befriended by the cute skateboarder that sat next to me in drafting. I did his spainish homework one day. He thanked me by giving me this CD. I have loved this album ever since. I always wished they'd released black math as a single.

music is love

So odd it's fantastic.

Oh Santi Cazorla! 5 stars for Seven Nation Army and the hours I've spent singing football chants to it. Probably a 2 or the rest of the Detroit Noise Blues. The uptempo stompers are good, but overall the gimmick wears thin after a few albums.

Musically, I recognize the band's brilliance--creative; great drumming; top notch guitar. But I really don't like Jack White's voice. And the dude overdoes the fuzz pedal (or maybe it's distortion, I don't know the difference). There's something deeply annoying to me about this band. They are clearly very talented, but not my cuppa tea. My husband reminded me of his recording studio, LP press, and all the cool things Jack White has done since this album. I get it. I can respect his work and not want to listen to it.

I'm rating this a 3 in the context of reviewing an album which I loved and voted a 4. Perhaps I should think again my reviewing process. I have a mildly unsupported theory that duos feel the need to have much more energy to make up for the lack of a wider group, for which White Stripes do, my other example being Royal Blood. Many of the songs pack a punch, 'Seven Nation Army', 'I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself', 'Ball and Biscuit'. That punch is built up of Jack's guitar, which is incredible, along with Meg's drums. Really enjoyed the album, perhaps a 3 doesn't do it justice. Let's say 3.75.

Vibes all round - people should get to know this album beyond Seven Nation Army, which in my opinion is mid compared to Jack's guitar licks in Ball and Biscuit. That scuzzy tone makes me wanna smoke a ciggy.

The superior White Stripes album

what's wrong with these "i don't like this so everyone who likes this is stupid" guys on this page? get your shit together . oh yeah great album, great songs, seven nations army is something that will be there forever

++*: Ball and Biscuit ++: Seven Nation Army, Black Math, There's No Home for You Here, In the Cold, Cold Night, Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine, It's True That We Love One Another +: You've Got Her in Your Pocket, The Air Near My Fingers +-: I Want to Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart, The Hardest Button to Button -: I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself, Little Acorns, Hypnotize 7,9/10

Debuutalbum dat indruk achterlaat

Great album with so many top tracks. Seven Nation Army deserves to be as popular as it is. I’m still not sure whether the two White Stripes members are siblings or married

A: WTF är det här albumet??? Vill shitta på det pga Seven nation army (som skulle vara en bra låt om int den sku ha dendä basslinen) men liksom de hände så mycket??? Dom är en onehitwonder truly (+ dendä irriterande YLP! låten). Men sen började hända allt möjligt???? Liksom what. De va en kvinna som sjöng (YAYYAYAYAYAY). De va soul? De va irriterande gitarrer? De va int irriterande gitarrer?? Oklart vad jag tycker. Inte ett enhetligt album alls, älskade den aspekten. 3/5 (BA-tier) D: Skulle aldrig ha tänkt mig att Seven Nations Army var på detta album. Helt galet album överlag, sådär prime millennial rock. Otroligt hoppigt till den grad att den inte går att lyssna på som en helhet. Resten av låtarna väl ganska ok men eh (Agnescore). 2/5.

Its okay

americana for the sake of americana? never really got the hype

Awesome

Very good. Some surprising moments that made complete sense, which is one of my favorite things. This one stands high above similar albums from the era.

So fitting that this popped up for me today. Currently on a family trip in Vermont, just as I was in August 2003 a few months after this record came out. I have strong memories of listening to the CD here at 14 years old and again and again for so many years after. I love this band and I love this album.

Solid album today. Some bangers on here, and some fairly weak stuff too. Overall a great listen, some fantastic rocky and blues stuff.

I was enjoying it but then it got monotonous. I didn't add it, but I will explore Jack White's other music.

good but i will be a seven nation army hater for life

Without doubt their finest moment. Such a well put together album, starting with their biggest tune (Seven Nation Army). Love the Dusty cover. Even the twee one at the end fits well and closes the album off nicely. A classic

This is a great album. At first, I read that it was White Snake and was hesitant... my bad. :-) Five stars.

great voice and energy but little development throughout each song

I'm not sure if Seven Nation Army is a real banger or if I just think it is because I hear it a lot. Overall, the blues rock gets kinda old in my opinion and I don't find any of the other songs all that memorable.

good

its okay

mom can i make a masterpiece k but take your sister with you

I wasn't that impressive, I think maybe I just don't enjoy the genre much and it seems the most of it was just really uninspiring and repetitive at times. Of course, you have the notorious 'Seven Nation Army' which might be the only one that survived to today. Some of the parts were quite irritating as well and I found myself really bored. 'Ball and Biscuit' was ABYSMAL. That being said, I did enjoy some of the tracks very much - 'In The Cold, Cold Night', 'You've got her in your pocket', 'There's no home for you here' caught my eye. By far my favorite was 'The hardest button to button' - it did everything this album failed to. The monologue in the beginning of 'Little Acorns' really reminded me of 'Yellow Brick Road' from Encore by Eminem, which just made me sad cause I could have used the time to listen to Encore and not this.

Jack white is a musical genius.. Even though I may not play this stuff often, there's no doubt that most of his albums are works of art.

It sounds like a band that’s been on the road for two years straight. There’s something about the song structure, and the way songs just explode. It’s designed to be played at a massive outdoor festival or arena.

seminal

Hey……hey jack…… I don’t think seven WHOLE NATIONS have any vested interest in stopping you from going to Wichita, Kansas. That’s a pretty innocuous thing to do. Look, as someone who likes a lot of twee shit I have to draw the line somewhere. This was my line. It’s SO annoying. My First Guitar Lesson level stuff. Leave me out of it!

Amazing opening, but many other standouts.

The early 00s rock revival is easy to mock in retrospect, but the leading lights rose to the top and it produced two or three truly great bands, The White Stripes being one. As much as a 'saviours of guitar rock' tag can be a curse for a band, it is remarkable to look back and see when a band was able to put something out that felt really new and thrilling, even moreso when it wears it's influences so openly. The White Stripes were not the only Motor City band that played stripped back, amped up blues pop rock, but they did it with the most verve, nerve and brilliance.

This album surely captivated all of us. Emerging seemingly out of nowhere, the band played pure rock and blues—always driving forward, never looking back, yet drawing heavily on influences from the history of popular music. The opening track, "Seven Nation Army," features a bassline so incredible that it is hard to believe no actual bass guitar is played on the song; Jack White experimented with a DigiTech Whammy pedal to create a bass-like sound, while Meg White provided a thunderous, stoic drum beat. As a garage rock fan, I was naturally thrilled and bought the record in various versions and colors. The cover art for *Elephant* is iconic. Unfortunately, I never saw the band live—something I truly regret. But as is the case in life, not everything is possible and everything has its time. Back then, raising children and building a house took precedence over attending concerts. A full 5 stars, without reservation!

I am a huge fan of the White Stripes' recordings from the early 2000's. Like their other albums on this list, I look at Elephant as an extension of their work pushing garage and blues music (and sometimes some other forms) for contemporary audiences. There were a lot of other musical ideas swirling around in 2003 (prominently, nu metal and, evergreen, corporate pop) but they all tended toward substantially more complication. Obviously there was no need for a live DJ in The White Stripes -- they didn't even have room for a bass player or a dedicated vocalist (or guitarist; up to you which you think Jack White would give up in that situation). Frankly, they didn't need it. Does it rock? Fuck yeah. Is it interesting? Endlessly. Is it simple? Ask Meg White how her drum patterns were received -- "too simple" is a charitable interpretation of some frequent criticisms she received. The truth is that you don't need much more than a human voice to make good, affecting music. There's a little organ on these songs and White does do some overdubs but Jack and Meg could play every one of these tunes live and by themselves. Frankly, you could learn a reasonable facsimile of most White Stripes songs in an afternoon. Don't be fooled, though: that is not to say that The White Stripes' music is *easy* to come up with. They deserved all the recognition they received and then some. 5/5 a masterpiece and exactly the correct response when someone dismisses Aughts music as all Limp Bizkit and listless indie.

Good album. Glad it came up

Weird, I think, to hear actual Seven Nation Army, and not a load of oafs singing Michael Van Gerwen/Robin Van Persie/something else with five syllables. Weird and actually strangely not that good a song in the end. The rest of this album is fairly standard fare from the White Stripes. Pretty good - definitely something that you're glad exists - but not pushing the dial particularly. Jack White, I think, has carved out an amazing reputation as a boundary pusher without ever getting very near the boundary at all. None of that is to say that it's bad, but maybe the fact that the best song is a cover of a Burt Bacharach song is quite telling.

White Stripes has gained my respect after I learned that they did Seven Nation Army. Still not a fan of them in general but I respect them more now

Really refreshing to listen to. Amazing to hear the concept of "less is more" be applied in such an effective manner, as the album didn't feel or sound overly engineered or written. The entire album gives a wonderful sense of feeling and sounding organic. My immediate first thoughts were "this feels very home grown", which adds to the authenticity of The White Stripes as artists and elevates their level of creativity. Ball and Biscuit was my favourite track of the bunch. With that said, the journey after Seven Nations Army was eye opening and continuously grabbed my attention. I would recommend this album. Solid 4/5 8/10

Alright. I guess I never really understood what The White Stripes were all about before starting the project. Now, after listening to two of their albums, I realize that they are actually pretty amazing. This album starts off with Seven Nations Army, which is certainly the most famous White Stripes song. That’s about the extent of my knowledge of them before a few weeks ago. Elephant is a very well known, for good reason. It’s better than pretty much all of the rock coming out in that era. I’m really interested in listening to the rest of their albums.

I hate that I can't hate this album. I was expecting to only like Seven Nation's Army, but this album has a pretty great energy. A bit too long and some songs are a miss, but it surprisingly rocks. Favorite Songs: Seven Nation's Army, I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself, Little Acorns

This isn't bad necessarily but it is defo 'rock music' for people that don't actually like rock music. Riffs are pretty bland and distorted to shit but its not heavy enough to make up for it. A couple decent tunes

This was good, not great. Can appreciate it but won’t be going back to it regularly

Better than I expected

Enjoyable from start to finish but nothing stands out to me.

I didn't enjoy this as much as I wanted to. Jack's a competent, exciting guitarist, but he doesn't have the charisma to carry the repetitive song structures or boring rhythm section.

It’s ok. Not the best. Likely background music.

still rocks, a couple i didn't enjoy as much

I know and like the White Stripes. I have 31 songs liked by them already on Spotify with 7 of those from this album. Curious to do a deep dive and see if i can pick up any more from this one. One thing that is great about these guys - it's mostly just guitar and drums and sometimes I hear a piano in the mix - but it's not boring or repetitive. They have a great way of mixing things up, and good sense of melody and rhythm so it keeps it interesting and fresh. Doing this project I've seen White Stripes compared to bands like The Sonics, The Ramones, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Sleater-Kinney due to the stripped down, DIY, "garage rock" vibe. But I like White Stripes so much more than any of those others. I ended up liking all of the other 7 songs that I hadn't already "liked" on Spotify. So I now have a new "perfect album" in my library. Great job Jack and Meg! Liked songs on Spotify: 14/14 (perfect album) Rating: 5/5

A bit rowdy for my mood today…

Seven Nation Army is everywhere. You know that riff whether you want to or not. Elephant has the hits — the riff, The Hardest Button to Button, the gnarly fuzz of two people making more noise than two people should. Jack White treats a guitar like it owes him something. Meg White holds the whole thing together by not overcomplicating it. But the one that actually landed was Little Acorns. It opens with a motivational radio speech about a squirrel — if a squirrel stores its food one nut at a time, you can tackle your problems one at a time too. Then it explodes into fuzz. It's absurd and sincere at the same time. And right now, in my current situation, the squirrel logic hit. 3.5/5 — the hits earn their place, the squirrel earned more.

So simple, so effective. Jack White's guitar style is legendary. Meg White's drumming is boldly simple, yet exactly what the songs need. The first four tracks are so good, and the quality stays decent throughout, with standouts like "Ball and Biscuit" and "The Air Near My Fingers". If I could, I would delete a handful of songs from this 50 minute album and make a 5/5 40 minute album from it. But as it is, it's still a consistent album that I would recommend to every fan of guitar based music. 4/5 - excellent

I still need some happy

Not bad could get into it with more listening

Pretty good.

All fantastic tracks with an undeniable sound

The White Stripes are... fine in my opinion. Jack White is a phenomenal guitar player, but I honestly generally prefer his solo and side projects. Still, there are a handful of solid, memorable tunes on here.

Not bad, but I just couldn't really get into.

I recognize Seven Nation Army; some of the songs rock my ears off the others are cozy and chill. Great for a fun car talk, moving into a serious tea-spilling session. The verses “I wanna hold your little hand if I can be so bold And be your right hand man until your hands get old And when all the feelings' gone decide if you want to keep holding on. " This is adorable. Some are kinda weird Hmm some are weird. I like 3 songs. So 21%. Ending was a weird aftertaste

Great album. Great sound.

There’s something oddly catchy about Elephant, even though, on paper, it probably shouldn’t be. The White Stripes strip everything down to the essentials—electric guitar, drums, and Jack White’s unmistakable vocals—resulting in an album that’s simple, raw, bluesy rock and roll, but also repetitive. In fact, many of the songs blur together enough that it should wear on me, but somehow it has the opposite effect while I’m listening. That said, I don’t find myself coming back to it very often. The repetitiveness that doesn’t bother me in the moment is also what keeps me from revisiting the album more frequently. I also think the album would have benefited from a leaner running time. At just over 50 minutes, it overstays its welcome, whereas trimming it down to around 35 minutes would have made for a tighter, more impactful listen. It’ll never reach the elusive 5-out-of-5 mark because of that sameness, but it’s an easy 4 out of 5. More importantly, whenever I do put it on, it’s just as enjoyable today as it was the first time I heard it over 20 years ago.

Well, this is something I listened to. I have never understood the fascination with Jack White or his many musical groups. This sounds like two 13 year-olds, still learning to play their instruments, haphazardly jamming in their parents' basement. Occasionally they settle into a nice toe-tapping groove, but Meg White's complete inability to stay in time throughout songs was distracting and infuriating for me. I can understand the appeal of a stripped down and more raw sound, but the music is so simplistic and repetitive it really doesn't inspire me to want to listen to this ever again. This is a band that has enough arrogance to think they're hot shit and no one wants to tell them how shitty they are.

some great guitar riffs, they do the garage rock and laid back acoustics well 3 1/2 stars

I'm a Michigander, born and raised. The White Stripes are revered here. I already have respect for these two and the legacy they've left, despite not being the most familiar with their music. I really REALLY wanted to like this, but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. There are some absolute rippers on this record - "The Hardest Button To Button" shines with its pulsating immediacy, "Ball and Biscuit" wins you over as it continues, and "Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine" is fucking LOUD. For all the highs though, there are some major clunkers - "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" plods along in the verses as it unsuccessfully searches for a places to land, and "You've Got Her In Your Pocket" is the epitome of Jack's twee bullshit that really turns me off from his work. The rest of the songs just kind of sit here, not pulling me strongly in any direction. Maybe worse than hating a song is hearing a song that doesn't move me in any way. I'm gonna bump this up a point because the good tracks are just so good, but all-in-all this was kind of a bust. Sorry, Jack and Meg. I still love y'all though.

This is fine, some songs are pretty good.

4.6 3x while not my most favorite, this had always been in the rotation as a top.

Im my memory this is the last good WS album. I think it's the last one where they remain truly distinctive and unburdened. Obviously Seven Nation Army has been massively overplayed, but it is still decent. Most of the rest of the album is far more interesting - highlights include Ball & Biscuit, I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart, Girls You Have No Faith in Medicine, and It's True That We Love One Another.

I'd rate it a 6/10. Playing ROR2 while listening but many songs kinda felt the same and i only really liked one. Didn't like the singing guy and some lyrics were boring.

It’s okay, the first song of the album set a tone that I expected for the whole album, but it quickly fell off and some songs just felt like auditory NyQuil, some decent here and there and some uninteresting to me and didn’t do much, but I think the last song is cute and unique and it’s definitely different album from most alt rock I hear.

Probably the apex of the White Stripes' signature sound, before things gave way to the more experimental and before Jack went off on other adventures.

Sacandl Seven Nations Army, un disco bastante normalon. No me llamo particularmente la atencion ningun tema.

Really enjoyed this album, obviously a bit carried by Seven Nation Army, but that is such a high bar so maybe unfair to compare to. Top Songs: Seven Nation Army, Black Math, In The Cold, Cold Night, Ball and Biscuit, Little Acorns, The Air Near M Fingers

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Good stripped down energetic music!!

Na. Not gonna listen.

So absolutely in love with this album, it just takes me somewhere on a trip that I really enjoy again and again.

Elephant occupied a significant part of the air for me during the last years of high school. It takes me back to those days, happy and sad, they had it all, but I am back. One of my all times.

One of the greatest rock albums of this era

This shit hit the early 00s rock scene like an atom bomb

I've gained a lot of respect for Jack White over the years as a producer and a musician. I hadn't listened to this all the way and there's some surprises throughout - "Ball and Biscuit" is one of my favorite new guitar tracks. Growing up watching Michel Gondry's music videos of the White Stripes, I still love all the hits, but there's quite a lot of filler and sameness throughout, even for a garage rock inspired band. Still, their sound is undeniably back to the basics for the time, especially Meg's drumming, which is still one of my favorites to this day with its hard-hitting, minimalist approach. 3.5 stars.

seven nation army is just timeless

That dang whiny guitar.

Excelente disco! Un gran dueto, disco de canciones ritmicas, rock n rolleras, y sobretodo con el himno de Seven Nation Army. Mis Favoritas -Seven Nation Army - I just don't know what to do with myself - Ball and Biscuit - The Hardest Button to Button - Hypnotize - The air near my fingers

Between a 3 and a 4 for me. I think the music was good, but I don't think I would reach for this album over other 4s. I'll give it a high 3 which also doesn't feel right considering the number of shite albums I've said were "decent" and gave a 3. Ehhh, I guess it's a 4 then.

Seven Nation Army headlines the album. Rest of the first half was fine, but picked up in the second half.

Such a fantastic album. All the way through, great sound, so simple and yes so rich.

Starts off with a bang (Seven Nation Army) but then loses it’s way immediately after and fails to recover fully other than a few highlights towards the later half of the album. Black Math & Little Acorns to me are truly awful songs, the high pitch electric guitar is far too loud in the mix throughout the album, it hurts my ears, sounds amateurish, lacks nuance, and along with the drum cymbals makes everything sound really washy & muddy in the more heavier rock tracks. That aside I did enjoy a few other tracks from this album which save it from a really bad score and happen to be the more mellow/acoustic tracks (such as ‘In The Cold, Cold Night’, ‘I Want To Be The Boy….’, ‘It’s True That We Love One Another’). I gave it 5 tries to see if my opinion improved, but the more I heard the more I disliked. FT: In The Cold, Cold Night Rating: 2/5

YES YES YES YES YES 10,000X OVER

Great album! Love the White Stripes!

I can’t believe how good they can make a 2 instrument band sound

Bra! Inte mycket mer att säga. Det svänger hela albumet igenom. Seven Nation Army är ju numera ett ganska tröttsamt anthem för typ allt men ingen kan ju förneka att riffet är trallvänligt. Min favorit är nog ändå I just don't know what to do with myself. Sjukt bra!

just fine

I like Ball and Biscuit a lot but at 7 minutes it overstays its welcome

I like Get Behind Me better, but their 3 album run here was in the pocket. More of a 4.5 for me, but bumped.

Last album of theirs positively surprised me. So I'll hold off my judgement. Seven Nation Army is one of those songs that exceeds the artist in cultural relevance. Everyone and their mothers knows this song, or at least recognizes the riff. Guys sang different versions of it at the locker room growing up (fuck that though). Yeah, it's good. Black math has a cool riff, but it sounds off. The mixing kinda sucks. Third track's great! Really cool! Reminiscent of Led Zeppelin. In the Cold, Cold Night is interesting, and a welcome change of sound, but doesn't do much for me (good lyrics though). I want to be the boy (...) fucking sucks, my god. I'm surprised by the record's sudden mood shift. Not sure it's successful, as You've got her in your pocket is also not very good. The Robert Plant impersonation continues on Ball and Biscuit, but the track's much better than what came before. Too long though. The Hardest Button to Button is closer to what I was expecting. Cool. Vocals match the instrumentals perfectly. It does get tiring eventually. The narration at the beggining of Little Acorns is probably the most sonically unique thing here. Rest of the song is more of the same. The Air Near My Fingers is cool! Finally something else I like! But even that doesn't develop into something amazing, just stays good. Okay so suddenly Girl, you have no faith in medicine shows up. Probably my favourite song since the opener. My God, the closer fucking sucks. I guess it's cute for them, but I just do not enjoy it that much. This whole record felt like ok, mid, acceptable but nor particularly exciting rock. Just meh, with some songs that are better than average (but not many). It goes on for too long for an album that doesn't do anything new, cool, exciting, or really that well executed. And man, people weren't kidding when they said the drumming is not that great. Yeah, overall, just not great.

One White Stripes album is all you need on this list.

It was a long listen for me personally as i like some variety

White stripes best, an ode to rock

A really solid album that was unique when it was released. It still holds up since it was released. Quality listen.

'03

If i could change my rating for kiwanuka from a 1 to a 2 I would. I thought it was bad, this is bad. This is so bad if I could rate half stars I would

The music is pretty good, and while I appreciate Jack White as a person (he's funny, personable, loves his hometown of Detroit) and as a musician (check out the documentary "It Might Get Loud"), his singing has always sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. Just not a fan.

Brilliant.

Listened. One of the all-time greats.

great one! definitely gonna be on my playlists

- first hi-res lossless - There’s no home for you is a jam - In the cold cold night is a nice break - Hardest button to button is on this!

Light 4. I rly wanted to not like this because I think of it as an album for people who “miss *real* music” 🙄. But unfortunately I found this pretty fun.

Seven nation Army carries this album Cold cold night is a solid song Little acorns is unique, but not my taste 4/10

Great, not my typical vibe but like.... It's the white stripes

2000s rock album - funny how much I heard Seven Nation Army played. Can't say I love this album aside from that - nothing really seems to stand out and I don't love the lack of a bass.

Yea, see this one is great. You don't need to include second rate White Stripes albums to the list when you have the best ones already on here.

Great

I especially liked Seven Nation Army, and the last couple of tracks.

5/9

이건 인정이지...

Seven Nation Army has become such a meme for me between basketball games and college pregaming that I was unsure how the rest of this album would hold up. It’s still awesome!! Their sound is so raw, analog and youthful. Such a warm, refreshing, face-melting blast of air after getting AC/DC the other day — simple rock but with someone who sings like a normal person. And Meg’s drumming kicks ass. Jack sings so earnestly that it makes me a little sheepish to blast this whole album on speakers, but overall this gets a firm stamp of approval from me.

The Good: We’re going on a safari! The Bad: Ain’t that kind of elephant… The Ugly: A zebra with an elephant’s “trunk”… That was terrible… the above… Album wise. What a way to start an album with a modern day classic… 7 Nations Army duh duhm duhm… I have to say, I never was too impressed by Jack W, but since this list I’ve changed my opinion. He is a great musician, and this band ain’t bad either… but three albums on this list? I guess that is my biggest gripe about The White Stripes: I won’t actively click play on one of their albums, yet, if one of their songs happens to be on a playlist I’d happily pay attention. Anyway, got to give this 4*

I've never listened to The White Stripes, except for the popular stuff. This was noisy, but completely fine.

Musically incredible. The lyrics are all nonsense, so I try not to pay attention and treat it like another instrument.

two stars for the song tears also come on a twenty minute song is way to much

greatness

Some great songs but a lil poppy for my taste - I like their album De Stijl a lot more.

Second White Stripes album so far, and second 5-star at that. Almost feels like when I discovered The Strokes.

Day 343 The White Stripes - Elephant A similar story to White Blood Cells. A bunch of phenomenal tracks mixed with a bunch of forgettable ones. Still, the duo is so damn charming that the album never becomes dull or annoying. However, as I said, it's a bit of a mixed bag. I think that the only Jack White album I'd consider consistently great is No Name. Favourite track: Ball and Biscuit A strong 3/5

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

Point of no return in the history of football chants

Kõva 00ndate alternatiivrokk. Hea album ja tolle ajastu kitarristidel on siit palju õppida. Kõik lood pole bängerid, aga kõik lood on head. 3.9/5

3.5-4/5 Dachte dass nach Seven Nation Army der Rest vom Album bestimmt nicht mehr mithalten kann, aber war eig ziemlich cool und abwechslungsreich

i loved!

I don’t like seven nation army and the other songs were ok

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.

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.

128. Elephant - The White Stripes (2003) 6.30.26 Variety: 4 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 4 Emotionality: 2 = 4.0 "I had opinions that didn't matter/ I had a brain that felt like pancake batter" I bought this album when it came out because I had already bought and liked White Blood Cells, and based on the singles I heard, this was more of the same. In my memory the best tracks from both kind of swim together as one great album as I ended up culling what I didn't like from both and keeping the best stuff in a playlist. The next one - Get Behind Me Satan - failed to capture me, but just to be sure, I went back and listened to the first two and found them lacking that certain something as well. And then I just stopped following them, and that lack of interest carried over into Jack White's solo stuff as well. Only just recently did I finally hear Blunderbuss as it was on the list, and it was ... ok. I gave it a 3 I think. Nothing special but fine enough. So I go into this one a tiny bit trepidatious because I have not listened to the whole thing in easily more than a decade, so not sure how it will hold up. There are obvious highpoints of course, given the impossibility of not hearing a certain track several times a year, from radio, tv, movies, sporting events ( less likely for me) or your kid's garage band practice sessions ( very likely for me). THE TRACKS "Seven Nation Army" - "Massive" describes not only the sound and effect of this one, but the cultural footprint as well. It does not take much imagination to feel the bleachers shaking under my feet right now as it thunders through my headphones and hits with all the power and genius of simplicity as it did the first time I ever heard it. White himself probably would never rank himself that highly in any sort of list of technical guitarists, but his ability to add voice, intention, and flavor to the deceptively simple, highly melodic lines he plays puts him in a special class of players who know exactly how to do what they CAN do to get the exact desired effect. In that respect he's up there with a Keith Richards at least. A seven-note riff that will long outlive any of us. The stripped down sound is still alive and well here, but White I think is too much of a perfectionist to let it sound in any way amateurish. Even the drums and guitar only gimmick is well supplemented by pedal effects and studio sweetening, and all to good effect. This sounds alive and dramatic and nowhere near approaching the kind of ugly dashed together sound that a lot of the other garage acts from the period seemed to cherish so much. Eyes on the prize, and calculated as all get out. And let's not dismiss Meg White's contribution here either. I've seen a lot of takedowns of her as being not very good, and I would say the proof's in the pudding, my friend. She does what she does well, and it's that MASSIVE and iconic groove. Minimalist? Sure. But I'd argue the same can be said of Jack White for the most part. There are plenty of amazing prog drummers from obscure bands you've never heard of that would wipe the floor with 90% of legendary rock drummers from well known bands if it came down to some sort of technical competition. That's not the point though, and these two knew that. To go back to the Rolling Stones - I'll take Charlie Watts any day of the week over Neal Peart ( who I also like just fine). You don't need to be flashy to get the job done. Anyway - I'd argue this is not even overplayed. It's played exactly enough given how awesome it is. "Black Math" - This one comes swinging at you with an energy that rivals "Fell in Love With a Girl" form the last album, but this is no repeat. The heavy fuzz breakdown / bridge section nestled in between a chorus-less song structure adds a bit of a metallic edge before we're thrown back into the crunchy whirlpool. This all works for me. From the not too specific lyrics about learning.... something, to the goatish vocal affect Jack adds at the end. I remember at the time finding the whole vibe of this band to be a pretty refreshing, unembarrassedly performative take on the whole rock genre, especially compared to a lot of the "aren't I so cool" 90s bands who wanted to appear as anti-try hards despite the obvious effort they were putting into their act. The White Stripes were a manufactured product and their goal was to sell you some catchy melodies and hooks. A band of gimmicks and a throwback to when bands were free to do silly shit like dress like pirates or monks. This whole vibes can be felt here. There's a looseness and fuzz and everything you expect from a garage band but you can feel the craft and the precision. "There's No Home for You Here" - A great example of how the band can still say in the same mode while easily travelling up and down that mode so easily. Quiet and subdued, but overbaked lyrics in the verse are contrasted with the bigness of the instruments over top of some easy harmonies and some scratchy noodling. White's lyrics at the best of times could hardly be called deep or even narrative, and operate on a kind of placeholder logic that works just enough to not draw attention. They're complete sentences, but they don't carry any real weight or hang together as anything other than maybe a kind of sophomoric philosophic statement or metaphor. That said, he let this one overcook a bit too long, and it ends up feeling like 3 or 4 ok ideas all at odds with each other, and resulting in a filling, but rather bland stew. "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" - And we're back on track immediately, as we get a Burt Bacharach penned very pretty downtempo sad sack break up song. We get the charmingly baroque bit of choppy strumming over the verses that contrasts very nicely with a chorus that pulls up the garage door and briefly allows a blast of sunlight back into the whole affair. I went back and listened to the Dusty Springfield version, which made me even more impressed with White's arrangement. His chorus is somehow even brighter and more epic than the lushly arranged 60s version. A vast improvement. "In the Cold, Cold Night" - Meg takes lead on the vocals here in a sultry, and simple number that wants to recall the Peggy Lee version of "Fever". It doesn't swing anywhere near as much as that, and avoids being a complete pastiche, but it does retain some the hushed, and breathless seductive quality of that. Great stuff, and a nice bit of variety. "I Want to Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart" - About as complicated a narrative as we get form White, it works ok enough, but drags a bit and suffers from a lack of dynamics. The wavy, bluesy guitar licks and piano are a nice touch though. "You've Got Her in Your Pocket" - Another very pretty one that gives Jack an excuse to stretch his folky side. His well known love of The Beatles I think can be heard here in regards to some of their softer acoustic stuff, most notably "Hide Your Love Away" which the key melody here echoes part of pretty closely. Compare White's "Where there's no way out now" line with Lennon's "Feeling two foot small". Again, this doesn't sink to the level of pastiche, and it works very well as a contrast to the brasher, mammoth sounds found elsewhere on this album. The playing itself is more reminiscent of Page's acoustic stuff on some of the softer Led Zeppelin tracks. "Ball and Biscuit" - To keep the comparison's coming, we get a salty bit delta-adjacent of 12-bar blues that ends up sounding more than a little like a cover of some lost George Thorogood song than it does John Lee Hooker or the like, but guessing the latter was possibly more on White's mind here. The fuzzed out scratchy, messy guitar solo as well as White's casual delivery works well to keep the whole piece sounding fresh and not like a poor attempt at a copy. This works really well for me, but I'm glad its a one off as I'm not sure he could pull off a whole lot more of the same. "The Hardest Button to Button" - The other big hit from this, if memory serves as it had a very memorable video. It starts sinister and driving and stays on that path with a couple of detours into some dark, faintly humorous detours involving some amateur family voo-doo which in, a less shaggily structured narrative, might put one in mind of a wry Edward Gorey tale or at the very least an Addam's Family single panel gag strip. The very basic, yet catchy as fuck groove works exceedingly well here though despite the loose approach to the lyrics, and we're left with a nice bit of brooding. It would e very easy to imagine this, filled out with more instrumentation, and done in the style of some underserved 80s UK post-punk band. Maybe one of those "in the style of" Youtubers could do it. Wire maybe. ( The Golden Filter have a great electro-pop version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaoVOWgDsDo ) "Little Acorns" - A swing and a miss! And what a miss. At least the spoken word sample anyway. I'll do my best to ignore that, but it's a pretty glaring misstep. The song proper works well though as a more ragged and blustery version of what we've seen already. For a supposed garage rock band, this is as garage as they've sounded so far, and I'm digging it. Points off for the too goody by half intro though. Bad Jack. No more of that please. "Hypnotize" - The tambourine on this adds SO much. Just a little touch like that can add so much seasoning when used just right, and going back to what I said earlier, White is terrific at figuring out those little solutions. Even the basic as it can get riffs on this one work incredibly well. "The Air Near My Fingers" - As awful as I am with titles, I had forgotten about this catchy little number, buried all the way near the end. We get what I think is maybe an electric organ adding something extra to the pot here which sounds more than a little circusy, but in a good way. "Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine" - The propulsive, fuzzed out blues rock theatrics don't really add much to the proceedings, and feel a little more generic than I'd like. This feels more like a desperate, flailing race towards the finish line than the well-considered, precisely paced stuff we've mostly gotten so far. "It's True That We Love One Another" - An assist from Holly Golightly formerly of Thee Headcoatees, on a very fun and throwback folky acoustic number in the mold of those Johnny and June Carter Cash like "Cause I Love You" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU1X6B2PdHU ). The playful bickering and vaudevillian vibes are charming as fuck. They stuck the landing. HIGHLIGHTS - "Seven Nation Army" - "Black Math" - "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" - "In the Cold, Cold Night" - "You've Got Her in Your Pocket" - "Ball and Biscuit" - "The Hardest Button to Button" - "Hypnotize" - "The Air Near My Fingers" - "It's True That We Love One Another" MIDLIGHTS - "There's No Home for You Here" - "I Want to Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart" - "Little Acorns" - "Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine" LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS As solid as I remember it being, with a few inessential, but not awful leftovers. This one, along with a probably similar number of highlights from White Blood Cells form the spine of my appreciation of this band, and I thought over all it held up incredibly well. It's just hard to push it any higher up in the ratings than the more than solid 4 that it is. I predict I'll maybe have a bit more praise to heap on White Blood Cells when it arrives, ad significantly less so for Get Behind Me Satan. Though who knows. As good as it is, I'd knock it hardest for the lack of any real emotional depth. Aside from the opener, nothing on here really moves me ( even that mainly excites the old lizard brain more than anything), and as great a performer as he is, I never quite believe White when he does extend his voice into any kind of emotional extremes. It's a great act, but it's just that. The stitching is very fine, but you can still see it in the harsh light. For a genre that seems born of rebellious, in your face energy and appeal to the baser emotions, his stuff is pretty calculated and cerebrally assembled. As much as that guitar can burn it up, there's absolutely zero menace. The enthusiasm to provide a good time and the panache with which it is accomplished remain impressive, and I'm almost tempted to go back and revisit those earlier albums once again to see if there are any gems hidden away in that rawer, half formed version of the band. Almost. Maybe if I'm blown away at how unfounded my assessment of Get Behind Me Satan was. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Keep those highlights coming FURTHER LISTENING - White Blood Cells by The White Stripes - You Can't Buy a Gun When You're Crying by Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs - Brothers by The Black Keys - Life, Love and Leaving by the Detroit Cobras

Yeah, I know we've all heard "Seven Nation Army," but would you believe me if I told you that it was powerful enough to break the two greatest curses in baseball, arguably in all of sports. Legend has it that Theo Epstein, wunderkind baseball General Manager, only had one CD in his car in 2004. That's right The White Stripes "Elephant." And they would only listen to "Seven Nation Army." On continuous loop. That signature "boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom" was the soundtrack for the front office of the Boston Red Sox in 2004 as they assembled a team that would break the Curse of the Bambino and win the World Series for the first time in 86 years. But Jack White wasn't done and neither was Theo Epstein. In 2012 he moved to the front office of the Chicago Cubs. Looking to recapture the same magic Theo had "Seven Nation Army" pumped into the facilities during the Cubs 2016 Spring Training camp. That October the Cubs would break their curse and win the World Series for the first time in 108 years. When Jack White created that opening to "Seven Nation Army" he was possessed by powers so divine it obliterated any dark magics before it. The results speak for themselves. This lifelong Cubs fan appreciates the craft. This album slays. Jack White is on fire and ready to rock. I mentioned elsewhere on this project that for me in 2003 Linkin Park's "Meteora" eclipsed everything else that came out that year. Even still, I heard the singles from this album on the radio quite enough to sit up and take notice. I remember the first time I heard "Seven Nation Army" I was on a drive in my car and couldn't believe how good that track was. It never fails to grab my attention and not let go. Playlist staple for certain. "The Hardest Button to Button" was also worth my attention when it came on the radio. Listening to the full album now is a nostalgic treat. "Ball and Biscuit," Jack White's George Thorogood impression, is seven minutes of bluesy licks that satisfy about as well as a bourbon and a beer. This album flirts with no skips energy for me, I'm not quite sure it achieves it, but I'll be damned if I know which track I'm skipping. So this is a solid 5/5. Go Cubs, go! Thanks for breaking that curse, Jack White.

I did like the songs since I could understand what they're saying. I love how straightforward the titles is and of course I love the beats and sounds of the instruments of their songs.

Me gustan más los de White Blood Cells, con temazos como Fell In Love With A Girl u Hotel Yorba, un disco que salió cuando el debut de los Strokes y suspuso toda una revolución. Este disco es esencial porque además de un paso de madurez incluye Seven Nation Army, el único riff del rock del Siglo XXI que se puede codear con cualquier clásico. Ball And Biscuit tiene un solo espectacular (1:48), The Hardest Button to Button es otro clásico, I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself es una buena versión del clásico de los 60, In the Cold, Cold Night cuenta con Meg a la voz. You've Got Her in Your Pocket es lo mismo que You've Got Her in Your Pocket en su disco anterior, es decir una maravilla. Little Acorns, The Air Near My Fingers y Well It's True That We Love One Another (con Holly Golightly) son de lo mejor de una cara B que no está al imposible nivel de la A. Esencial.

The early 2000s in a nutshell. Simplicity.

A decent start to the album with a track that is one of my rugby teams chants! However after that the tracks sound like they’ve been made in the bedroom By a couple of teenagers. A couple of ok tracks but nothing to shout about in the form of ‘I just don’t know what to do’ ‘the air near my fingers’ ‘girl You have no faith in medicine’ and ‘it’s true that we live one another’ was interesting! ‘Little acorns’ was all about the story at the beginning… But who told these two that they were good at making music 🤷‍♂️ Best track- ‘the air near my fingers’ Worst track- ‘you’ve got her in your pocket’ Slightly above Average 6/10

White Stripes - Elephant Lots of 'songs' but none of any note. And certainly none I couldn't live without before I died. (this book is really stretching what is essential sometime). The studio has obviously got more expensive from the last one we had, but the songs were even more paper thin. Best Track - Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine. Worst Track - In the Cold, Cold Night 3/10

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

Fairly enjoyable and raw Rock music if it weren't for Seven Nation Army. If a song can be so corrupted by the wrong people and overplayed to the point of getting a visceral reaction anytime it comes on, that must say something about the song itself.

“Seven Nation Army” is arguably one of the best rock songs of the 2000s, if not the best, and Elephant really cements The White Stripes as a force to be reckoned with. Jack White is a complete talent, from his singing to his guitar work, making that thing screech, growl, and basically sound like it was pulled out of a haunted garage. But let’s not forget Meg White, whose drumming gives the album this booming, steady pulse that reminded me exactly why I loved this band back in the day. The album jumps through alternative rock, blues rock, and garage rock, all while sticking to that stripped-down White Stripes style. Some of the deeper tracks range from just okay to pretty great, but even when a song isn’t blowing me away, the sound is still so distinct and alive. Hopefully these two play together again someday, because the world could use another reminder of just how much noise two people can make.

fun!

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.

I like many of the songs, but there's just something half-baked, half-stiff, half-done, and half-and-half about most of this (and most Jack White projects in general). Like a half-pale impression abandoned mid-way.

If Meg White were named Mark White, no one would be pissy about the drumming. Some great songs, but they get repetitive after a while.

I rate this album 6/10 not really a rock fan but it’s a good classic album tho. My favorite track on the album is Little Acorns because I like the story of how Miss Janet was going through a lot in life and how she saw the squirrel’s self determination to survive for the winter. If the squirrel can over come this winter so can Miss Janet.

Perfection

Good songs, good sound. It sounds like a Movie Music even if you ever heard in a Movie. Could have a better order but, anyways, great ambum

A bit silly but it is Jack White larp fucking his sister after all

It’s just a pretty average rock album

Football fight song

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.

Not quite my type since rock genre seems to be too much for my taste.

Enjoyed the album but didn’t join me or change my life. Felt a bit repetitive at times.

me gusta la variedad de sonidos. Solido álbum

More enjoyable listen, while the singles I was deeply familiar with I hadn't really listened to this album. Little Acorns stood out as being an odd but interesting entry in the album in its a huge depature from what you'd just heard before ("Hardest Button to Button") I could see putting this on to a listen to in the future.

One of few of the 1001 albums that I heard before and I looked forward to revisit it in its entirety. Jack and Meg rock the socks off and I enjoy the insertion of the slower songs to cool things down a bit.

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.

It's not bad.

Incestuous

Didn’t know I just don’t know what to do with myself was on this album - it was fun!

One massive hit to start and then some interesting tunes. Two more albums on this list seems excessive 'tho.

7/10, I do like it and may even save a few songs.

With Seven Nation Army as the first track, this album has a very strong opening - that riff is a classic. (US fans singing it all the World Cup in 2026)

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!!

I don't have enough fun with this band to lift them high in my mind, it feels like I ordered a meal at a popular restaurant and am disappointed by a very normal experience, not bad though

Yeah pretty good this

First CD I bought so I'm emotionally biased but this is a great album, not their best but still very good. Seven Nation Army is an all timer but Button To Button is probably my fav on the album.

This is unfortunately just my least favorite type of music. Early 2000s rock like this just grinds my gears. The style of it just immediately turns me off.

really cool sound to it, I love the rock and vocal yelling. It reminds me of almost like silent punk. Seven nation army being a banger along with ball and biscuit

I’m here for Jack White lol, who I am so glad went off to do his own thing. I prefer him solo over him and Meg on this album.

Garage rock and blues rock built from ferocious guitar riffs, pounding drums, raw production, and urgent vocals feels like watching someone kick open every door in a house just to prove they can—messy, energetic, and frequently exhilarating. The album thrives on simplicity, turning a minimal setup into something far larger than its components should allow. Best of all: It starts with the iconic song "Seven Nation Army". Unfortunately it doesn't keep the promise of genius it starts with

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

#385/1001. Anyone inventing a riff which gets banned in guitar stores around the world must be a genius. Also the music videos are genial, although Kate Moss sucks as a pole dancer, but that is not the band's fault.

Riddled with hits, maybe not my jam currently. I really love Seven Nation Army, There’s no Home for You Here and the start of Little Acorn really made me laugh. One thing that pleased me was this “back-to-basics” approach they quote for this album. I think anytime an artists gets to return to form will be a good time.

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.

Straight back to high school. There is a ton of singles but nothing touches the behemoth seven nation army.

It's a brilliant album but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. It was released right around the time I was getting into music, so it would've been prime for my adolescent mind. But now it's just passed me by. Seven Nation Army fucking slaps though.

Garage rock revivals were my fav revivals era

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

Dwarfed by their signature track, this album retains the blues, garage rock aspect with some country elements. I’m not to keen on the Bacharach & David cover, but it may have helped them go overground as the early/mid 2000s alternative rock darlings. Jack white is one heck of a talent.

Interesting. Really boring musically, but has a really distinct feel to it. Sounds like they like to start their songs by singing the title of the song. 3.75, Ball and Biscuit.

i was planning to say this band was an one hit wonder but this album proved me wrong. it had some decent bangers that i wouldnt have heard in my life if it wasnt for this, so yeah....

Medio decepción, arranca con un temón, pero después se me hicieron largos y aburridos otros temas. Quizá lo pondría algún día que quiera escuchar algo de este estilo.

Pretty solid album, I've heard the opening song many times in pop culture and pleased to say the ending song was just as captivating. The middle was fun, a few songs didn't hit for me. I felt at times the vocals were in the wrong place in accordance to the guitar but only on 1-2 songs. Overall good album that I'm surprised I never listened to before

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

super solid album. i think the middle drags a bit, but there are some serious standout tracks here. ball and biscuit, the hardest button to button, girl, you have no faith in medicine and of course, seven nation army. all killer tracks.

One of the greatest stadium pump-up jams opens this album on such a high key. The rest of the album isn’t nearly as iconic, but there are a handful of songs I have added to my library already from listening to this album growing up. Not quite five stars, but a solid four.

Good. Fucking. Album. I'm not big into The White Stripes, but this album rocks. Standout stadium songs and down to earth blues songs all in one. Totally deserves the hype.

I feel like this album shows the band in a much more technically proficient place, but it misses the passion that made White Blood Cells such a classic. In their efforts to expand their sound they lost the focus of their earlier stuff, and I think their ambition works against them here. Regardless of that, however, this is still a really impressive collection. There are some really strong songs in here, even ignoring the obvious Seven Nation Army sized elephant (see what I did there) in the room. Favorites: There’s No Home For You Here, Ball and Biscuit, The Air Near My Fingers

Yeah nice

Well, I hear 7 nation army at virtually every school concert I go to these days, so it was nice to be reminded that it is actually a good song 🤣 the rest didn't do much for me though, won't be making it onto my regular playlist.

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. !!!!

I recognize the talent here and can understand why they’re well loved, but The White Stripes just aren’t for me. 3rd album of theirs, and only one of them I’ve really enjoyed.