Reviews (page 4 of 14)
Another White Stripes album? Hell yeah. I've said in my other reviews that I wish I saw them live and have been a big fan for almost 2 decades. I didn't really need to listen this album since I know every White Stripes song forwards and backwards. So good.
- Good god, inject this straight into my veins. Pure garage rock sound. I knew the White Stripes were talented (and had heard of this album and its incredibly famous opening track), but I did not realize how stellar their sound was overall. - Raw...so fun and raw that you keep feeling it in your chest; the blues influences are right in your face. And simultaneously simple, surprising, and masterful. - Jack White essentially makes his guitar into a tommy gun with the staccato syncopation of many of these solos. - I added half the songs on this album straight onto my "Liked" playlist. First time that has happened.
Elephant is undoubtably the best garage rock album of all time. It's a shining piece of 2000s music and should be cherished by future generations. It also spawned one of the most iconic (but maybe overplayed) songs of all time, Seven Nation Army. Overall, it's a top tier album that deserves it's flowers. Best Songs: I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself, In The Cold Cold Night, I Want To Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart, Ball and Biscuit, Hardest Button to Button Worst Songs: NA
Great album! Solid rock grooves, lives up to it's potential. The album that so many wannabes dream of
Good
Fantastic, easy 5 stars
Amazing !!!
# Playlist track - The Hardest Button to Button # Notes - Seven Nation Army has been played to hell, but it still SLAPS. +1 - Interesting, fun and energetic throughout +2 - Not one bad track +1 - Cool visuals +1
Well, my first consecutive albums by the same artist, and after having declared that Get Behind Me Satan was possibly my favourite White Stripes album. Time to put my money where my mouth is? Elephant is a more perfect work, an exploration of love and courtship, that’s always surprising in the tenderness displayed, despite the ragged nature of the duo’s music. Both I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart and It’s True That We Love One Another are almost Country-esque in their corny sincerity. In The Cold, Cold Night is one of the most seductive things I’ve ever heard, and Meg White’s voice has an untrained sweetness that always reminded me of Mo Tucker. She’d do a great version of After Hours. Oh man have I enjoyed my couple of days with the Whites. I’ve not listened to them for a while, and as soon as I heard the opening salvo to Seven Nation Army, I was in Uni again, watching bar bands cover it, getting the crowd to chant ‘Oh, Jeremy Corbyn!’ along to the riff, doing my special melody to the final verse. I do still think that Get Behind Me Satan is my favourite of their albums; I have a soft spot for flawed works, I have a soft spot for vulnerability, I have a soft spot for acoustic works, it’s basically a perfect storm of soft spots for me. But Elephant is definitely a perfect work of art, and despite not being my favourite, it is damn, damn close
I was only familiar with Seven Nation Army and Hardest Button to Button (and the original of I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself - fun to hear this cover!). Really enjoyed the rest of the album, thought there was great variety and the last track was very fun. It made me want to insert some family names - “I love Nate White like a little brother.” 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 (just slightly below my beloved Pogues and the Beatles!).
One of my all-time favorites. Easiest 5 of the project so far.
Insanely good and consistent album. Really loved some of the variety here. Great from front to back
When I was younger I thought that Seven Nation Army came out in the 80’s based on how engrained it became in popular culture. Every other song on here is fantastic. Jack White is a fantastic guitar player and Meg is the perfect drummer for the band.
A legitimately great rock album. Equal parts of the Beatles, Nirvana, rolling Stones and The clash; but still distinctively Jack White.
The best.
The album cover says it all. 5 stars. No notes.
Rock & roll is back
It is really a masterpiece! I like it so much! It is hard a little bit, but soft and melodious. It is one of my favorites now!
masterpiece
Years ago I went to V Festival. Standing waiting to get a beer I overheard the following conversation: "I've just seen Hard-Fi." "How was that?" "They did a cover of Seven Nation Army. They used a kazoo." "Fucking hell - what was that like?!" "What do you think?"
Easiest rating I’ve done in a while. Brilliant album
One of my favorites from the aughts. Something about this duo that still brings me joy.
Deserves every single bit of the praise it earns. How amazing that two people can create such a huge, powerful sound!
Fabulous
It's everything you want a White Stripes album to be.
It's such an amazing album. The only thing that always bothered me is that Seven Nation Army is the opening song. It is arguably the best song of the album and it sets the standard for the rest of the album incredibly high which makes it kind of hard to enjoy some of the other songs.
10/10 would listen again. Rocks
This feels like the maximum potential of this band. Some great, catchy riffs and lots of creativity with feeling too avant-garde or disjointed. Really good performances too
Great albums, lots of earworms. Enjoyable all the way through.
Unique and simple at the same time
Damn. This was pretty entertaining. I liked it a lot.
Thoughts before listening: This week has been nothing but 00s bangers. The White Stripes were an incredibly important band to me in my 20s, and Jack White is probably the ultimate rock star of that era. This is a great album. Review: Right out the gate this album hits you with "Seven Nation Army" which is quite possibly the last great rock anthem, becoming part of American culture as a jock jam, Guitar Hero track, and even popular marching band song. Few songs outside of the 60s and 70s classic rock hits have had that kind of reach. Other than that song, this album is full of bluesy stomps powered with a punk rock grit and Jack White's unique guitar playing style. I love it. 5-stars.
many people, me included believe that this album is probably one of the most iconic rock albums of the 21st century, a modern... blues album. very fuzzy, thumping and infectiously raw. i know you can already hear that iconic riff from seven nation army. lots of people can hear it. a great album with great stories to tell.
A brilliant album, with legendary tracks that keep on giving. even the tracks that never made it to legendary status are earwurms!
Jack just knows where it’s at.
This started really strong with Seven Nation Army, and I did not expect to enjoy the rest as much as I did. A great mix of heavy and slower songs, all very well done, and quite interesting and experimental. Stand-out: I Want to Be With the Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart
HELL. YES. This was an awesome one
Achei muito bom e só conhecia algumas musicas mas amei o album como um todo
What do you get when you take two weird kids from suburban Detroit and have them meet at a bar in Royal Oak? One of the greatest garage rock bands of all time. The White Stripes started with a simple blues and punk-based influence and a minimalist approach of only guitar and drums. They were relatively short-lived releasing only six studio albums but their albums sold millions of copies and have had a lasting legacy. Jack has continued as a solo artist and with numerous other projects supporting other bands. His musical ability is no less than genius. Meg has been very controversial as an artist, with many believing her playing to be rudimentary and with very little technical ability. Say what you want to about her ability but her playing had a distinctive sound that was integral to the White Stripes' music. When she decided that she had enough, Jack knew the White Stripes were done. This album is a testament to how great a band they were.
2003 was the year fake siblings and real divorced couple Jack and Meg White were crowned as the most important act currently performing by rock fans all over the world. *Elephant* is not even my favourite album of that year--that would be Grandaddy's *Sumday*, closely followed by Yeah Yeah Yeah's *Fever To Tell*--but it sure had the necessary material to reach that much coveted status for a lot of listeners in 2003--even in front of the excellent *You Are Free* by Catpower, or The Strokes' *Room On Fire*. This album is a devilish hit machine, enough said--recycling blues tropes into miraculously fresh reënactments, one track after the other, with some other suprises added to the mix. Obviously, opener *Seven Nation Army* is one of the most impactful and most memorable rock songs ever released this side of the year 2000, an earworm whose bassline has conquered every sports arena out there--quite an hilarious feat given that the instrument playing that bassline is actually... no bass at all! After that now-legendary opener, "Black Maths" and "There's No Home For You Here" dig that same garage blues-rock trench further to great effects (that short repeated break with haunting vocals on the latter is a moment of pure wonder). Then comes Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself", in an iconic cover version if there has ever been one in The White Stripes's discography. I still remember the first time I listened to the song as played by Jack and Meg. It was during a festival in Paris where The White Stripes were performing--I wasn't really a fan of the band back then. But dicovering the band onstage *before* I properly listened to their albums was a privilege I will always be grateful for. And I remember how awestruck I instantly was when I heard that cover. To me, that was the key that unlocked their world. Since we're talking about The White Stripes as performers, a quick aside about its members' musicianship here. Jack White is obviously a great guitar player--not so much a virtuoso, but rather a careful craftsman using every skill in his book and pedal in his pedalboard to make his instrument shine. But the true enigma when it comes to musicianship within the band is Meg White's minimalistic drumming style. Drums are usually a pretty "formatted" instrument. Either you have a good sense of rhythm as a drummer or you don't. Usually, drummers just *can't* have the sorts of weird idiosyncracies that can be found in a guitar player, for instance--where a lack of technical skills can be mitigated by an instantly recognizable, very personal playing style. Drums are way too pivotal for the structure of a song to allow an overabundance of those, well, "irregularites". But the way Meg White plays those drums authorizes that, miraculously. For instance, her kick on the bass drum on fast tracks is actually quite... irregular, to use the exact same word I used before. But here, instead of ruining the songs, said irregularity actually adds to them--because it brings a welcome ambiguity and *literal* timelessness to those tunes already drawing from all sorts of American grassroots traditions. The whole White Stripes guitar-and-drums dynamic sounds legit, authentic. And so do the technical "flaws". And when you factor in the relentless "drive" that Meg emphasizes in most of the cuts on this record, her style becomes a pure treat for the ears. Going back to the tracklist, I'm gonna play the fast-forward button and leave aside the three cuts after "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself". Not that those cuts are bad--they even add intimate, folk textures to an album that's far more varied that The White Stripes' reputation lets on. But we need to move to the real "meat" of this record quick, which is the *whole second half of the album*--proving that *Elephant* is not merely the "one with *Seven Nation Army* on it", but also the probable equal of *White Blood Cells* in terms of overall quality. For example, as obvious as it is that *Ball And Biscuit* rips off countless blues acts from the past, the result (and that iconic guitar riff), is simply, utterly, irresisitible. And so is "The Hardest Button to Button" with one of the catchiest guitar and drum interactions ever penned by the band (which says something!). Truly one of the five most memorable songs ever written by Jack White. "Little Acorns" explores darker territories with its borderline-hard rock/heavy metal mood and its parody of self-help advice in the lyrics. "Hypnotize" then goes full-blown "lo-fi", with welcomed punkier outcomes when it comes to both sound and performances. Following that short cut, "The Air Near My Fingers" offers a wealth of other iconic riffs and vocal parts. Plus having that rhodes piano double-tracking the guitar riffs was a stellar idea to push the enveloppe just a little sonically speaking, just the way the sound of this record needed to be "pushed" towards its end. Finally, "Girl, You have No Faith In Medecine", the last rocker in the album, gives you the feeling that it has existed for the last four or five decades, just like 80% of the other songs on *Elephant*. One little meta-joke-of-a-song after, with a guest singer named Holly Golightly suggesting the possibility of love triangle rock fans shoudn't fantasize about *too seriously*, and the album is over. Revisiting it, I thought I would nitpick about a few things and give it a 4.5/5. But nitpick, I will not. The *Elephant* is out of the room from the get-go when you start spinning this LP. Because the "deep cuts" have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, and the highlights are just incredible. 5/5, then. Number of albums left to review: 275 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 321 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 177 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many other records are more important to me): 233
9/10
The first band to wear black and red, can you believe it?
All songs saved
Decent over all, some really good songs. Much prefer the bluesy ones. 7 nation army almost lost the album a star though, something about it annoys me
I was vibing the whole time. This album definitely shows why Jack White has the standing that he does. Loved the composition of the album.
A classic as soon as it came out, and you know it's a classic at the first song
Simultaneously rough and tender, this LP is probably the White Stripes' opus of the garage rock sound before moving onto more diverse musical pastures. With nothing but Jack White's guitar and Meg White's kit, the sound is still layered in such a way that nearly every track blankets the ears. Some may not like Meg's somewhat mousy vocals on "In the Cold, Cold Night" and the record ends on a somewhat corny duet with singer Holly Golightly, but the rest of the album, dripping with love lost, is a driving treat.
Most of the criticisms about this album that I recall from back then were in the vein of it being too simplistic. The thing is that's what made it brilliant and stand out. A 2 piece band playing back to basics rock with catchy hooks and an interesting sound.
¡Un álbum buenísimo! Vinilo.
10/10
This album rocks so hard. Ive always loved Seven Nation Army and its short solos, Hardest Button to Button, and Ball and Biscuit, but kistening through the whole album was a treat and I will definitely be coming back.
Legendarisk
LOVED IT!!
I was surprised at the fact that--not only was this the first time I've listened to this album--there are so many genuinely awesome songs there are here. Of course, we all know Seven Nation Army...but it is hard to find a weak song on Elephant. This seems to have captured the magic of Jack and Meg at their finest as an artistic group. Simplistic garage rock at some of its finest. Meg never has gotten the credit she deserves for providing a damn solid rhythm section! The vocal patterns on There's No Home For You Here are fantastically pleasing to my eardrums and Jack's various instruments, particularly the slide guitar and keys on songs like I Want to Be the Boy That Warms Your Mother's Heart, are ear-wormy and destroy the idea that The White Stripes were just drums and a fuzzed out guitar. This is my first five-star rating for an album on my 1,001 album journey and I feel confident in this rating. This album is absolutely fantastic and has massive replay value for music fans of various genres. Several fun Wikipedia factoids about the album: *"In an interview with Q Magazine in 2007, Jack White said, 'If you study (the album cover) carefully, Meg and I are elephant ears in a head-on elephant. But it's a side view of an elephant, too, with the tusks leading off either side." He went on to say, "I wanted people to be staring at this album cover and then maybe two years later, having stared at it for the 500th time, to say, 'Hey, it's an elephant!'" *Including the song "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" (a Dusty Springfield/Burt Bacharach cover) in their repertoire was Meg's idea, and the band had begun to cover the song live. *"You've Got Her in Your Pocket" was a song that had been written by Jack soon after the band's debut album was released in 1999. He had planned on eventually giving it to a local band to cover, but ultimately felt it was too personal to give away and decided to include it in the album. *Meg is featured for the first time on lead vocals in the track "In The Cold, Cold Night", having only performed background vocals for De Stijl and White Blood Cells previously. *"Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine" was originally written for the band's previous album, White Blood Cells, but Meg had disliked the song, finding the lyrics to be problematic, and it was removed. After debating it, the song was rerecorded and included in Elephant. Jack removed a line from the song that he felt was too harsh. *"There's No Home for You Here" was made with the idea "to see how far we could go with an eight-track recorder, and I think how far we went is too far." Standouts: Seven Nation Army, Black Math, There's No Home For You Here, Ball and Biscuit, The Hardest Button to Button, Girl-You Have No Faith in Medicine
The tones Jack White gets out of his guitar are amazing. It's impressive they get so much sound out of only 2 people, especially since the drum parts are so basic. "Ball in Biscuit" will always be my favorite track from this album, but there's so many other great ones.
Huge fan of the white stripes. Listened to them sooo much when I was in high school. Distilled down blues rock power duo with innovative song writing and instrumentation. Nice variety. Some people may claim it’s “simple” but that’s the best part.
Incredible follow up to White Blood Cells. Took their own garage sound and made it just a tiny bit more accessible. Has some of the worst technical drumming I've ever heard but JW embraces it. They ended up with fucking international soccer anthem. one of my all time top 50 albums.
Gui
All time classic !
Love this album good vibe
I had never heard this album before. I really like it! Thank you Album a Day!
Jesus Christ this is amazing. Was really lucky to have not listened to this before. I've listened to their first album and to White Blood Cells but other than Seven Nation Army, Hardest Button... and Ball and Biscuit, Elephant was new to me. Black math is a perfect statement of intent for the rest of the album. There No Home... is literally just Dead Leaves in the Dirty Ground with new lyrics but I'm not complaining. Other highlights for me were Little Acorns, Hypnotize and Girl You Have No Faith... but I absolutely loved every song and could and will and almost already have listened to this album countless times.
I must have listened to this on 100 times before this. It's good.
I like this album very much. Only heard a couple of songs that I had heard on the radio. One of those bands that actually has better stuff on the album. Their sound is full with overtones of great many rock bands like the Beatles, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix and the like. Will definitely seek more of their music!!
Though everyone knows a couple singles from them, I still don't think they get the respect they deserve for being one of the best rock bands of this century easily. 6 albums in under a decade, 5 of them bangers and 1 kind of a dud ('Get Behind Me Satan' is that one). They just rocked too hard, how can you not scrunch up your face when 'Ball and Biscuit' starts shredding.
Straight up masterpiece. I didn't get into this album until a few years after its release, but it is an achievement of a singular creative vision. The production is raw but brilliant, there is something to be said about limiting your tools to push creativity. The backstory about recording it in 2 weeks, not using any computers or recording equipment from before 1963, is intriguing and doesn't negatively impact the results in any way, but probably enhanced the output. It doesn't sound dated. Obviously "Seven Nation Army" is the standout cut from the album, but every song is fantastic and is a showcase of songwriting talent.
10/10
Oh my god this album. This is the peak of garage rock of the Aughts, I reckon. Seven Nation Army is going to get shot into space as a 21st century representation of our artistic prowess as a species. An easy 5 stars.
Classic, hits me right in the college. I think I didn't appreciate Jack White until a little after this came out, but he really does a great service to modern rock and roll.
Love the White Stripes.
This album is already so legendary. I love the white stripes, not a long-time fan but definitely respect Jack White and his musicianship. Such a good album
What else can be said, it was an instant classic. It's a seminal recording. It's, in my opinion, The White Stripes at their best.
After knowing mostly the singles of their career, this is my first dive into a complete album and I loved it. Not a bad song in the bunch. Stellar songwriting, playing, production, the whole shebang. This one will be in rotation.
If I had to pick a favorite White Stripes album, it would have to be 'Elephant'. The whole thing sounds tighter and more powerful than their previous releases. It's amazing how much variety two people can produce using old instruments and recording equipment. There are a few stand out songs here, including the amazing and instantly recognizable 'Seven Nation Army'.
Some odd things about Jack White that shine through in this album: he was known for favoring guitar technique over the quality of the instrument and is known for making his own guitars out of the bare minimum components. This comes through to the music with harsh highs and muddy power chords. Another oddity is the low production value of these first few albums, it’s really not until Get Behind Me Satan that you hear the production rival the technique. Then there’s the obvious bare-bones song composition. You have ragtag piano sing alongs and absolute filthy guitar blues. Here’s the thing, this album may have what appears to be a nonchalant production value, and the fact that Meg White only serves to accompany the madness and not take any sort of lead doesn’t harm the value of the finished product in any way. That’s the beauty of art and music. Jack white knew he was magic and he was able to concoct a potion to redefine Indy/blues rock. This album combines passion and rock rhythm into something in excess of its parts. It’s remarkable musicianship from a guy who is not only arrogant, but can live up to his hype.
Classic.
So good!
The White Stripes is one band that seems to have completely passed me by. I've heard Seven Nation Army, of course, but nothing else, and I was suprisingly impressed by this album. I then made the mistake of going down the rabbit hole of Wikipedia and found out that they weren't brother and sister as I had presumed, they were husband and wife and that White wasn't his surname, it was hers, but he took it when they got married. How progressive, just like this album.
Great listen
forgot how amazing the white stripes are
Classic and brilliant!
There’s not a bad song! A banger with a super bluesy rock. How come I don’t own a single record? I don’t know, it has been on my list for a while. [1103/1001]
Love at first listen!
i want to marry meg
i want to marry Med White
not my all-time favorite by the White Stripes, but perhaps the best demonstration of just how almighty they could sound.
It might seem overplayed but that 7 nation Army intro is iconic. Ball and biscuit still prob my favorite.
I'm not sure that anyone ever rocked harder or has since. Every track is gold, with variety, charm and punch.
Seven Nation Army deserves 5 stars alone
Fantastic album. The guitar work is so memorable, but very creative and intricate as well. The garage edge to it makes it feel a lot more authentic as well.
Amazing album. No skips.
Back to back Stripes albums, this being the greater of the two (previous album being Get Behind Me Satan). Let's start with the obvious here - Seven Nation Army is an absolute masterpiece. There's a lot going on in this album, but I think first and foremost the White Stripes have always been defined by a certain element of stripping back songs to just the core of what's needed to make them shine. Mary is stunning on drums throughout and absolute killing it - hitting exactly the right level of intensity while pulling back when needed to compliment everything else going on. Jack has an ear for simple melodies that turn into rocking guitar jams, rather than more difficult and technically complex playing. But I think where Jack has always stood out is his voice and lyricism, which is on prime display throughout Elephant, and the simplicity of the guitar serves to elevate these aspects. The simplicity of it all actually reminds me most of Nirvana, but obviously with Jack White's own signature twist. It's one hell of an album and, unlike Get Behind Me Satan imo, well deserving of this list.
Great album! Always turn up 7 nation army when it’s on the radio but this album is going on my permanent playlist! Amazing drumming and guitars in a very stripped down but perfect collection of songs!
BL: the white stripes are a band I love a few select tracks from a lot but never got the chance to properly dig into their discography. Will be good to hopefully properly get into them as all of the tracks I’ve heard by them I love AL: this album left me speechless, awesome, no frills rock from start to finish. Only track I didn’t really like was the closer. Truly one of the most anthemic bands of all time FT: “Seven Nation Army”, “Black Math”, “In The Cold, Cold Night”, “You’ve Got Her in Your Pocket”, “The Air Near my Fingers” 5/5
Forgot how many great songs are on this, very few weak points on the album. The guitar tone, vocals and general sound of it is perfect for blues rock, sounds really authentic but it's still fairly tight, imagine it takes a lot of effort to get this balance. As discussed, I passed up on opportunity to see them that seems ludicrous now. Such a good album.
I used to listen to this album all the time when it came out. It's great to be back after having not heard it in many years. So many great tracks and the guitar work is just sensational. Highlights: Seven Nation Army Black Math I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself Ball and Biscuit The Hardest Button to Button
Fantastic blues rock album. The fact that there's only 2 of them helps too. Remember there was always confusion to whether they were siblings or married Seven nation army was obviously the biggest hit here but it has been played to death. it's not even close to being the best song on the album, probably isn't in the top 10!... which seems crazy to say Highlights: Black math Just don't know what to do with myself In the cold cold night Little acorns Hardest button to button There's no home for you here You've got her in your pocket Girl, you have no faith in medicine Easy 5
Rating this on the strength of the track listing alone
Probably the best White Stripes album that they ever released, and for me personally, how can it not be as Seven Nation Army was one of the first songs I learnt on guitar. The simplicity of the duo which focused on 3 main components of a song at any one time so they could perform live shows is genius. Best: Seven Nation Army; The Hardest Button To Button Worst: It's True That We Love One Another
The classic. Solid from start to finish
Good
Great album!
Always love the white stripes. This album specifically I can listen on repeat for a week.
I did have individual ratings for everything but for some reason they didn't save. I've always liked the white stripes and jack white. This album has a lot of really good songs and a couple that fall short for me. Overall, probably a high 4. But I'm giving them a 5, because you should hear some of the other shot on this list of 1001.
Mye bedre enn forventet, så for meg en one hit banger med litt ymse gode sanger, men dette leverte stort! Basstromma jobber på overtid, gitar er rockete og vokalen er gaulete og rå. Til tider kommer roligere sanger som You've got her in your pocket og avslutningslåta It's true that we love another. De kommer ikke bare som gode pust fra rockinga, men heller som noen av de beste bidragene til skiva. Highlights er Seven nation army(duh), You've got her in your pocket og Little acorns, med en helt rå skit på starten.
YES
A super fun and iconic record, easily White Stripes best and one of the highlights of the century so far
Hood classic
Excellent
very good heard before obvs
Absolutely love this album. Every song is amazing. No fillers. Brings back lots of memories :)
who i aspire to be
I could live in these guitars
Volgens mij heb ik die openingstrack wel eens eerder gehoord. Een album vol ontzettend ruwe gitaar en kinderlijk eenvoudige drums. Na 3 of 4 tracks ben je even toe aan wat ademruimte en dat krijg je dan ook, met wat rustiger nummers. Ik vraag me wel af hoeveel mensen dit album kochten voor Seven Nation Army en vervolgens het album na het horen van track 2 en 3 nooit meer hebben aangezet. Die moeten er zijn. Ik kan er zeker van genieten als kapitein Jack vol inzet op de blues. Wat is dat fuzzy gitaargeluid toch perfect, met "Ball and Biscuit" als absoluut hoogtepunt. Het maakt me nu zelfs niet meer uit dat tante Meg eigenlijk niet kan drummen. Ontzettend sterk album. Lichte 5, ondanks dat ik hem luister op een maandag.
Fun garage band - great music!
The album is a classic. The songs are simple in structure, but they convey complex emotions. The guitar playing on this album is simply jaw-dropping.
I've grown up listening to this album and still love it. I listened to it multiple times just for this rating. The music is good and their aesthetic is cool, what else can I really say?
Earworms coming out the wazoo. That last song is so damn sweet it hurts, reminds me of I'm Sticking With You by Velvet Underground.
Still an awesome album. Great guitar. Bit more experimental than I remembered
Absolutely class. 5/5
This is in the regular rotation as it is. 'Seven Nation Army' is an all-time rock anthem for that riff alone. The best part of this album isn't the rocking, but the simplicity of the music. It is simple, but powerful. 5/5
Very interesting album to listen to. Love the blend of classic rock, blues and even some punk rock here. This is quintessential indie rock and I am 100% here for it
One of my all time favorites.
Album 196 of 1001 The White Stripes - Elephant Rating : 5 / 5 Favorite Tracks : Ball and Biscuit / Little Acorns White Stripes are a favorite. It is going to take a lot for me not to like something of theirs. Also one of the most enjoyable live shows I've seen. Most of the songs from this album are already on my "Liked Songs" list. I had forgotten just how much I like this album. I was happy to see this pop up for album of the day. You should make it yours, as well. Then go check out The Raconteurs, another band with Jack White.
Yeah, this is a great album. Such a lot of passion, feeling and pace for a guitar/drum/vocal band.
Pretty good
What a banger of an album. Thank you for reminding me of its existence
Know this album very well, but been a while, so cool first one it is. overall 9/10 best song Ball and Biscuit
Great album. Wish I had listened to it when it first came out.
OMG!! The iconic, ever-exciting- Seven Nation Army. It never fails to make me jam to it. The rest of the album is a delight- no electronic synthesizing, just bass and percussions. I particularly enjoyed the last track, very tongue in cheek
Un classic, super!
i am a bit biased when it comes to this album, i like the white stripes a lot and loved this album when it came out. even though i think seven nation army has been played to death at this point, i think the whole album still sounds fresh and as good as i remember it did upon release.
Taking me back to my uni halls of residence days. Haven't listened to this for years for some reason - it was a joy to be reminded of each and every song. No filler whatsoever.
Really good, I’d only ever heard Seven Nation Army before but the whole album was great. It’s packed full with great songs. Fav tracks: It’s True That We Love One Another, In The Cold, Cold Night, There’s No Home For You Here, You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket
Probably my favorite album by one of my favorite bands. Alfa guitar and drums.
My favorite single White Stripes. hands down. And no, not because of the Seven Nation Army, which is a bop, but not the best track. All of the play that punctuates the White Stripes is on full display here. Constraints breed creativity. This is the apex of the White Stripes' evolutionary curve.
Mér finnst eiginlega allt skemmtilegt hér og flott. Mikið úr litlu. Og eitthvað nostalgískt líka. Er það fjarki eða fimma? Er í góðu skapi í dag.
One of my fave albums of all time. Crazy that it was the first album that appeared for me out of so many! Insanely good - Megs drumming is the key to the White Stripes - the way the rhythm drags it’s just so tasty.
My favorite album ever!!
An absolute classic
One of the best records of the 2000s the hardest button to button is one of my favourite songs Ever
Except for the singles, I've never actually heard this album until now. I love the grooves a lot, right up my street for a good nod-along, my favourite being Ball & Biscuit. Saved to the library!
One of my favourite albums
Algjört uppáhald.
Fantastic album.
Listened to this in college (or attempted to?) and it didn't catch me. Now it did. Wow!
overall rating: 10/10 favourite song: seven nation army ( 10/10 ) runner up favourite: black math ( 10/10 ) least favourite: in the cold cold night ( 5.5/10 ) album cover: 10/10 vocals: 8/10 instrumentals: 10/10 would i recommend ? : YESSS other: one of my friends is obsessed with the white stripes , they have similar taste to me so i think ill like this. i love the radio sounding voice. the instrumentals are very impressive.
really like it
Sort of forgot how good this album is, made me wonder why I took so long to get back to it.
This album can only be described as raw. Just guitar and drums, nothing else. It is both expansive and minimalist. Jack's guitar work is conventional and experimental sometimes in the same song. This album perfectly encapsulates the white stripes. Overall great album from start to finish
I really miss this band. Meticulous yet gritty, this is perfect rock and roll.
One of my all time favorites. So repayable
What an opener; Seven Nation Army is sooo good. But immediately followed up by Black Math which also kicks ass. Love the understated guitar solo in "I Want to be the Boy". Amazing that twelve bar blues went from Fats Domino to "Ball and Biscuit". The Hardest Button to Button might be the best track on the album. Easiest 5 stars since PJ Harvey.
One of the defining rock albums of the 2000s Meg White’s simplistic but effective drumming blends greatly with Jack’s loud and iconic riffs Favourite tracks: Seven Nation Army, I Just Don’t Know…, You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket, Ball And Biscuit, Little Acorns
Awesome production, I was worried every song would have the same flavor but this goes a lot of different ways. Fun to listen to. 7NA might be one of the weaker overall tracks honestly.
Undeniable
picado
are you kidding me
holy shit this gets so depressing so fast. fucking alton towers level of an emotional rollercoaster. fav songs: in the cold cold night, i just dont know what to do with myself, youve got her in your pocket, the hardest button to button.
I am not fully bought into the Jack White hypetrain, but I do enjoy the sound that he made as a part of The White Stripes. This album blasts out of the gate with Seven Nation Army. A couple of forgettable tracks, then I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself > In The Cold, Cold Night; both great songs for different reasons. Ball And Biscuit is a pure classic rock jam -- digging the energy it evokes. Feels like something that The Black Keys aspire to. The Hardest Button to Button has long been in contention for my favorite White Stripes song. Always found it to be a weird radio hit, but I love it. This is a soft 5 for me. If I could I would give it a 4.5
This is an album that I have always wanted to listen to but never have so I'm glad it came up. That guitar sound tho!! I know it's a band of two but they somehow make sound like there are 4 people. I really like that they both have songs that they sing. I really wish that Seven Nation Army wasn't ruined by being played at every single sporting event because that is such an epic song. I always love albums that have a combo of slower and faster songs Ball and Biscuit is a jam
Tim I'm down to Metro this weekend. I'll be there tomorrow around 7pm. This album fucking slaps. IDGAF that Seven Nation Army is overplayed to shit it's such a jam when you aren't hearing it at a game or whatever. Ball & Biscuit --> Hardest Button to Button --> Little Acorns is an insane 3 song run. Might be one of my fav's of all time. Still remember watching the Hardest Button music vid on MTV or VH1 every morning in middle school. So fucking good.
Own on Vinyl
Excellent
Enjoyed this so much. Even without SNA and HBTB it's great. Ball and biscuit absolutely slaps.
It's quite possible that I'm your third man, girl But it's a fact that I'm the seventh son It's quite possible that I'm your third man, girl But it's a fact that I'm the seventh son And right now, you could care less about me But soon enough, you will care by the time I'm done This is an excellent album. Its exceptional in theme and in replay-ability, I dont think that theres anything else that directly compares to it in terms of a blues-rock album. 5/5
Jack White is a top 5 guitarist of all time. Ferocious.
A few different styles going on in the one album. Bops - Seven Nation Army, Ball and Biscuit, The Hardest Button to Button & Hypnotize.
That was jolly good.
excellent album. Really enjoyed it!
Another record that I loved in my youth but kind of slept on these last years. Revisiting this one is great though. The white stripes can write riffs for days. Their music isn’t too complex but they keep it interesting. Jack White is one of the best in the business. 9 out of 10
I loved this album when it first came out and I’m glad to have it reintroduced to me years after the last time I gave it an entire listen. Jack White’s crunchy guitar licks are the stuff of legends!
Excellent. Perfect. Extraordinary. Rock at its finest.
Not available on spotify
It's Garage Rock, and the best of its era. You'll enjoy every song. There isn't a skip-track on it.
Banger.
I love the white stripes so much!!
Fuck. Yes.
icky thuuuuuuump
OMG!!!!!!!!!
Love this album. Not a bad song on it, and a nice variety considering it’s all done by 2 people. I forgot how good the White Stripes were/are.
When I was a young boy I heard Seven Nation Army but didn't know who it was or what it was called. It stuck itself in my head so thoroughly that I spent a decade trying to find it. When I found it I listened to it on repeat for a week. This has biased me so much that no matte what else is on the rest of the album, it's five stars. It does help that I loved the rest.
Daaaah da da da da daaaaah da. Stripped back music, retaining all the energy and fun that makes it great.
Yes mate probably their best. Only one i like any road.
Sometimes you just need good lyrics, a guitar and drums. This album was played on full on 6 Music the other night and a song got stuck in my head, consequently it's the third time I've listened to the album in full this week. I still enjoyed it.
great
always been very close to my heart since a bunch of these songs were the first things I learned on guitar as a 4th grader
The highest quality 00’s rock. A nice dose of minimalism is here due to the lack of bass, and bluesier elements add to the music.
Jack White is so incredibly inventive and prolific. I "liked" just about every song on here. This was one of those albums that comes out once every few years that just renews your faith in music.
I think I love this album. Turns out.
Bueno, que discazo. Es la combinacion de las mayores influecnias del rock pero se convinan y dosifican en los diferentes tracks para brindarnos una obra que con poco hace maravillas. El hitaso seven nation army encabeza el disco dejándolo en un pedestal del que es facil bajar, por suerte, logran mantenerse y agarrarse de las uñas a este, pasando por el rock, trash, garage, grunge, folk, folk-rock, blues, balad rock, entre otros tonos. Si bien son muchos apartados, los solos de guitarra y líneas de bajo, más los ataques rítmicos, son la frutilla de la torta, hace que tenga un sentido de personalidad que le finaliza de dar el toque a lo que se llama The White Stripes 9/10
What a great album from start to finish. Never listened to them before but this will be the start of listening to them.
GIVE ME A RECORD I HAVEN’T HEARD YET!!! 9/10
Awesome
I love this album
Impressive. I knew the first one of course, but the rest of them is even better!
The waves of classic rock'n'roll peaked at this album and after it crashed and it's probably hard to reach these heights yet again. It's a record that condenses around half a century of blues and country influenced rock, and bottles it to perfection - yet adds it's own flavour and tint, while stripping it all down to it's most barebones ingredients - a guitar and drums and voices. It's a punctuation mark for guitar music - and whether it's a semi-colon or a fullstop - it's hard to avoid thinking that there cannot be anything beyond this album that is not derivative of it, or any of it's vast canon of influences. But, hey, guitar music, what a way to go.
Love it. What a classic opener with seven nation army.
Pas loin d'être un album parfait si on me demande
This album is great. Some really good rock songs and some really sweet songs too, and they mix really well together. I really liked the fact that "I just don't know what to do with myself" is right before "In the cold cold night". Such a powerful song next to a calm and sweet one. And well, of course there's "Seven nation army" at the beginning. Great experience, deserved stars.
Top form White Stripes
It's one of those formative teenage albums for me. I first heard it in 2004 when I was 12 and I've loved it ever since. This thing not only made me dig deep into the blues and garage rock, it pushed me to pick up an electric guitar! It still rocks and I don't think there's any weak track on the whole thing. Still, all the heavy guitar playing aside, I think my favourite is In the cold cold night. I just have so many memories come up when I hear it! Love this album, one of my all time favourites.
Un des meilleurs albums de garage rock par un des meilleurs groupe de garage rock à son peak.
Pretty much a perfect album, if I could rate higher than I 5 I would. I can't do a best tracks because I honestly don't think I could choose just a few, the whole album is just so well done.
Probably my favourite album of its decade? Songs like Seven Nation Army through Ball and Biscuit and Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine are songs I can listen to all day (and I do/did, a lot). But really, it's the entire album: Elephant provides a very vivid example for how to do rock right in the 21st century.
I was late in discovering the White Stripes, but this record broke through. One of the greatest riffs to open an album. Stellar guitar and great Melodies. Love this.
awesome
It’s just a masterpiece. I saw Jack White this last summer and went through their whole discography beforehand. It all lasts the test of time, even while it could’ve been easy to write them off as slightly gimmicky. But that is some good shit that I’ve loved since it came out when I was in middle school. And hell, I may even love it more now! Also, Seven Nation Army doesn’t even come close to being their best song… dig deeper, y’all.
A game changer for 2000s rock. Every crunchy note is it’s own symphony. I can’t get enough of this album even after all these years.
Just a smidge less good than The Stripes’ previous “White Blood Cells”, but will always be a 10/10 must listen from me.
Home run.
Versatile amazing, can’t wait to listen to more of their music.
A couple of days ago I was listening to Jazz FM and a version (featuring some nice tenor sax) of Seven Nations Army came on. The DJ went on to provide a short analysis of the lyrics and how the song meaning has changed over the years – this is a jazz channel, remember. Outside of that anthem and future jazz standard, “Hardest Button” was the only song that was familiar to me. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of nicely crafted songs on the of the rest of the album. The power and energy, the vocals and especially the guitar-playing are all outta the top drawer. I think the fact that there are only two instruments is a plus – the empty spaces give the rest more impact. My co-judge saw them live in 2007 and still talks about it.
Enjoyed this one
The lost art of naming your songs after the first line in the lyrics.
Jack white is one of the most creative guitarists of our time.
Seven Nation Army já é um clássico. Boa primeira música para começar esse projeto. Muito surpresa como nunca tinha ouvido o album todo antes. Muito bom.
Anybody who doesn't find themselves bopping to Black Math has no pulse. There's more light and shade than I was expecting with quieter songs like You've Got Her In Your Pocket. The guitar on Ball and Biscuit is perfect, both rhythm, lead, and that muddy, squealing solo.
I loved this album when it came out. Still holds up!
This was a great album from start to finish. I enjoyed it more than Whote Blood Cells, which is why I’m giving it a 5 since that was a 4
I mean, I love Jack White vocally, and there is just something so potent about this sound that was so pervasive in the midst of other mainstream successes at the time.
Tätä albumia ei oo tullut kuunneltua kokonaisena hetkeen, niin siinä mielessä tähän oli kiva palata! :) Suosikkeja: There's No Home For You Here, I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself, Ball and Biscuit, The Hardest Button To Button
Fav songs: - Seven Nation Army - There's No Home For You Here - In The Cold, Cold Night - I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mothers Heart - The Air Near My Fingers - Well It's True That We Love One Another
Instant 5. Jack White at the height of his considerable powers. Oh yeah Meg is good on it as well
Cracker
It's indie rock, so I'm very biased in favour of it. Nevertheless, biases notwithstanding, this is a fantastic album. 7 Nation and Button to Button are great head banging catchy tunes, two nice stripped back tracks in the middle. More bluesy than I expected, not entirely unpleasant.
With a striking 3-color aura and a ravaging blues-punk elephant of an album, The White Stripes is one of the most prominent acts of the 2000's.
I love this album. I have loved this album for almost 20 years, so I can't have a objective opinion on this. Obviously 7 nation army has grown to cultural level, people know the song even if they don't know the song. But the rest of the album is also brilliant, stripped down rock and roll blues at their best.
4.5/5
What a great album. Brought back so many lovely memories listening to this. Jack White is a genius
What an amazing record!
All-time classic by The White Stripes and easily one of my favorite albums of all time. The simpleness of the instrument work helps the album create some the catchiest riffs written in rock. The songs on the album range from good to fantastic with highlights being Seven Nation Army, I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself, The Hardest Button to Button, Ball and Biscuit, and Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine. The acoustic tracks, while not as instantly memorable, are nice songs that break up the constant fuzzed-out guitar tones. This album is the longest White Stripes album, but isn't dragged out by any means. If you're interested in The White Stripes, this would be my go-to album to get started with the band.
19th September 2022 Listened while painting the cupboards in the spare room. Bank holiday, went to the field with Js and the boys. One of my all time faves. Blistering, centred on ball and biscuit which is stunning. And of course 7 nation army.
Seven Nation Army
Fantastic album here I really don't know how to put my feelings into words about it. It has great peaks and valleys. Hard hitting tracks and fantastically calming smooth spots that flow between each other so well. The monologue in Little Acorns. A grungy garage blur guitar tone like no other with some hard slapping drums. It's all you need.
I'm very fond of this one.
Good, really showed off how to do a minimal striped down version of drums. Made me realize that I need to double all my guitar and voice parts on left and right. Also his acoustic guitar songs were nice to listen to with the picking guitar and his voice cut through with strong Melody’s
Great album front to back
listening to it for the first time in years....holy s@*t - I forgot how great it is! Just pure loud live guitar - superb.
Great rock album, forgot how solid it is beginning to end
Good memories of this album. Still holds up.
Okay, hear me out. This popped up today and I was like "YEEESSSSS". Seven Nation Army is definitely a MF CLASSIC and I love the song. Black Math not so much what I like, very loud and I can´t feel the groove. There´s No Home For You - WHY didn´t I know this song before?! Awesome, love the guitars and of course Jack White´s singing fits so perfectly. I really like the lyrics, too. Perfect break-up song, I dunno. I Just Don´t Know What To Do With Myself - also a classic. I totally remember the music video within the first two SECONDS of the song. I remember some chick dancing super sexy - oh it´s Mrs. Moss. Fine. I feel this songs has really strong Rolling Stones vibes. In The Cold, Cold Night - Love the bass, love the singing. Shit. I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother´s Heart - Glorified version of Stacey´s Mom? Oh Jeez, what. I GIGGLED. You´ve Got Her In Your Pocket - Sounds a little like a B-Side Song. Not really my thing. Ball and Biscuit - LOVE the guitar and the drums. Does anyone strip to this? If yes, congrats. Great song, good beat. The Hardest Button to Button - Like the guitars and the beat, but still don´t feel the song. Oh wait, not true. 2 minutes in and it´s good. Little Acorns - completely catches you off guard. Ooooohhh, piano. Like the story, like the actual lyrics. "Grab all your problems and rip them apart" spoke to me, dunno why. Hypnotize - like it. Not much to say here. Short n´ sweet. The Air Near My Fingers - really like it. Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine - I really am enjoying this song, once again. It´s fun and typical White Stripes rock. But also: random. Acetaminophen so Tylenol. Makes me laugh Well It´s True That We Love One Another - I still remember the rumors about them being lovers. So this made me laugh. Resume: Really, really, really good. You always forget about music you listened to almost 20 years ago.
10/10, loved this album for years.
Masterpiece Meg White you are a master. Good for you for taking care of yourself. This album contains some of my favourite musical moments; -Seven Nation Army opening -the sustained feedback on There’s No Home For You Here -The solos on Ball and Biscuit -I got a backyard with nothing in it, except a stick, a dog and a box with something in it. We are poorer for not having the White Stripes in our lives anymore. The bands that followed in their wake never really reached their heights. Jack Whites fine on his own, but there’s something about the raw, deliberate energy the Stripes had. I listened to this album twice today. Does not seem like it’s going to be 20 years old next year; most stuff on alternative radio hasn’t evolved since what these two put out. Incredible lineup of music videos that went with this album too. Seven Nation Army is still incredible to look at.
I really really loved this album in high school. “Ball and Biscuit” is still one of my favorite White Stripes songs — Jack White’s soloing on there made me want to play guitar. This certainly isn’t my favorite Stripes record because there’s a couple songs on here I didn’t like much (they all happen to be smack dab in the middle). What I like about them, and what most people seemed to like, is their marriage of blues and garage rock with a naughties rock production style. The aesthetics of the White Stripes and the silly story surrounding their relationship (siblings or couple?) add to their charm and mythos. Though not my favorite Stripes record, I’m inclined to give this a 5 because of the nostalgia and in case I don’t ever see another Stripes record here again (I don’t want to skew my summary up! I love the White Stripes). 5 5 5!
Listened to this after dusty, and woo boy
oh nice, Seven Nation Army: The Album but seriously, it sucks how overshadowed this album is, like yeah SNA is a great track but so is nearly the whole tracklist this is a 10/10 for me can’t decide what my favorite song is, so many to choose
Genius album by a genius (and Meg), never going to be any less than 5 🌟!
Here's what I love about Seven Nation Army, the first track - it is so simple (one guitar and drums) but sounds like so much more. The opening chords sound like bass but it's just Jack White playing the top couple strings. And then he switches into chords and his signature high-pitched guitar sounds for the choruses. I just love his creativity and high-tempo energy, and Meg White pounds the skins pretty good too. The album might be 5-star if they could keep it up the whole way through. There are some snoozers (tracks 5 and 14 when Meg White sings and tracks 6 & 7 although I started to dig their softness on multiple listens). But pretty much the rest of the songs are rockers. That includes the well knowns like There's No Room for You Here, I Just Don't Know What to do With Myself, Ball and Biscuit, The Hardest Button to Button and the lesser knowns like Black Math, Little Acorns (after the intro), Hypnotize, The Air Near My Fingers, and Girl You Have No Faith in Medicine (the first and last of which are freakin' awesome). It's a definite 4.5 star album since I named 10 out of 14 songs as rocking. I think I'll ignore the so-so songs and round up for the fun and awesomeness that the rest of the album provides.
This came out the year I lived in Providence. I think the first time I heard it I was going to a Stop and Shop grocery store when I heard "Seven Nation Army" come on over the PA system. The line about Wichita really made me perk up my ears and feel homesick after having lived in Kansas for so long. The pitched down guitar basslines really stuck out from their previous records. Seems like they got a little slicker on this record, and started throwing on more bells and whistles - much to my delight. Had a friend Brian who was living up in Detroit and helping Jack White's brother build a geodesic dome around this time. Brian made sure I became a White Stripes/Jack White believer for life. This album became a big part of the soundtrack to my life. A beautiful time when something so idiosyncratic and, how should I say... analog, could be massively mainstreamly successful. Good times.
Dat 'Seven Nation Army' zelfs niet het beste nummer is van dit album zegt genoeg. Topplaat
It's one of the best rock albums of all time.
This record is almost 20 yrs old, a 00's classic. Jack White is a tremendous musician and I think this is his best work. Favorite tracks: Black Math, I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself, Ball And Biscuit, The Air Near My Fingers
A journey of an album, what a banger!
Super special album. Saw then at Ally Pally shortly after this album was released. Great gig...
A masterpiece
“Seven Nation Army” is one of the greatest rock songs of all time. What an opener! And amazingly, the rest of the album lives up to it. “There’s No Home for You Here” is another great song. I think it’s a good example of how they draw influence from a lot of different musical styles but blend them into something unique. Like, there’s no doubt who you’re listening to with that song. It’s so White Stripes. Their version of “I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself” is stunning. It starts with a slinky, sexy energy and explodes into grungy hard rock. “Ball and Biscuit” is an epic one too. Scorching hard blues. 🔥 And “The Hardest Button to Button” follows it? Wild. The back half of this album is stacked with head banging hard rock. I want to list other album highlights but I feel like I’ll just end up typing out the whole track list. Great album.
Clearly one of the strongest rock albums of our generation.
Champion album, masterpiece of rock. Mix is perfect for the style, too.
Great and different at the time.
There's more than meets the eye in every aspect of this album - the cover art, the drumming, the writing, the pedal stomping riffs. It's all deceptively complex, thought provoking and face melting
the year is 2001 and a wee 16 year old not-nigel is crushed up against the stage at manc academy 2 for the white stripes. this blew my tiny little mind and as such has them firmly close to my heart. Thanks to that gig i am massively skewed towards De Stijl and White Blood Cells, those two albums are stone cold 5 star albums. Elephant to me is the first of the second, more popular, phase of the white stripes. i still listen to the first two albums regularly, but i rarely got in to any of the later stuff. so listening to this almost feels like listening to an album i haven't listened to before. what its lost in rawness and originality it has gained in the quality of the hooklines and his playing is stronger. it doesn't get near the first two albums but if i didn't know about those albums then i'd probably be raving about this one. shame football has absolutely shat all over seven nation army. i wonder if the pet shop boys feel the same about go west?
This album rules
Gotta loveSeven Nation Army.
Easy 5.
So many great songs, it's certainly what brought my attention to the band.
Gritty rock and roll. Worth another listen.
A long time ago, this was one of my favorite albums, and listening to it after some years brings me some very good memories. However, now I can note that this album does not deserve 5 stars because it's a little bit dated... Who cares...this is a 5 ;-P
Honestly, its pretty effing great
Kicking myself for never giving the White Strips a chance. This album is awesome, a great mix of highs and lows. Opens with a banger in 7 Nation, has some songs that made me soon (I want to be the boy…) I just genuinely loved this album and will be adding it to the rotation.
One lunch in early high school Joel Meersman was humming the riff to Seven Nation Army and tapping on the table and I had to know what it was. The rest as they say..is history
Some people don't like Jack White, and those people are wrong. Some people don't like Meg White, and those people are *extremely* wrong. This isn't the White Stripes' best album, but it is probably their most famous and enduring if only for Seven Nation Army. Its power is undeniable, and just about every track is great. I am not a huge fan of Little Acorns. The run of You've Got Her in Your Pocket through Ball and Biscuit to The Hardest Button to Button is one of the strongest hat tricks the White "siblings" ever composed.
Such a great record. Thumping bass drum backing up brilliant guitar.
Blusey, crunchy, dirty, and fantastic. One of my favorite albums from the early 2000s.
Yes mama
Solid, classic.
Jack and Meg had intended to name their band after the candy they loved, The Peppermints, but instead took their last name White and playfully added Stripes as a nod to their favorite treat. Peppermints are beloved by children, bringing sweet joy, which is who/what, I believe, they yearn to be/have, or have been. Alas, the songs on 'Elephant' tell a different story, experiences as children and young adults (their own, perhaps?) that are anything but joyful. The heartache and longing for affection and attention (including self-love and respect) is just palpable on this LP. ‘The Hardest Button to Button,’ offers a heartrending lyric with which any child from a broken home will immediately identify: ‘I had a backyard with nothing in it except a stick and a dog and a box with something in it.’ Few words spoken, much said. The moods The White Stripes capture, both lyrically and in their playing are an integral component to their appeal, and they set them well. Jack White does have a way with lyrics- striking images, unusual cadences (‘There’s No Home for You Here,’ ‘The Air Near My Fingers’)- creativity just pouring from his written word… and then exploding out of his amp. You’ll be hard pressed to find any more authentic 12 bar blues solo (especially from a young white dude) on ‘Ball and Biscuit,’ or the searing guitar solos he plays on ‘Black Math,’ or ‘Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine.’ While there are no computers used on Elephant, nor any instruments made beyond the early 1960s, the guitar solo on ‘There’s No Home for You Here’ sure sounds computerized. I can't bring to mind a more quirky (in a good way) guitarist then Jack White, in both tone and fingering. And the variety of music on 'Elephant' is pretty terrific too: everything from quick, loud, trashy punk (‘Hypnotize’) to tender acoustic finger picking ala the Laurel Canyon scene, circa 1960s (‘You’ve Got Her in Your Pocket.’) Piano, both acoustic and electric, rounds a few numbers out; and, even an intentionally hokey, but playfully good-natured country/folk number to close the album. The White Stripes make a big sound for only two persons, especially given one of the two is drummer Meg White, all of 5’6”, and mesmerizing in an unexplained way, as if she’s studying, almost willing the beat. She might not be a big powerful gent, like John Bonham, but she can pound the skins and crash the cymbals with the best of the boys; then, just as quickly quiet down to tap the same with great finesse. Yes, another great feature of The White Strips is their use of dynamics. Both her and Jack’s playing on 'Elephant' is nothing if not passionate, and where some bands just ‘phone it in’ the Whites prefer a megaphone! But they also bring to 'Elephant' a sophisticated understanding of dynamics, an almost Taoist philosophy to song arrangement: ‘Thirty spokes share the hub of a wheel; yet it is its center that makes it useful. You can mold clay into a vessel: yet, it is its emptiness that makes it useful. Cut door and windows from the walls of a house; but the ultimate use of the house will depend on that part where nothing exists. Therefore, something is shaped into what is: but its usefulness comes from what is not.’- Tao Te Ching: Chapter 11. The boom of The White Stripes is absolutely dependent upon their effective use of silence. A good example of this may be found on their cover of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s (yep!) ‘I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself,’ when Jack and Meg utterly cease to play just seconds before Jack then sings acapella, ‘Like a summer...’ and then just a hair past, ‘rose,’ a tremendous surge of pure garage band distorted guitar and thunderous drums and cymbals to accompany the next lyrics. The knowledge and ability to insert just little bits like this turn an otherwise good arrangement into a great one. The listener will find plenty of that stuff throughout 'Elephant.' And while Jack’s voice is somewhat of an acquired taste, not unlike escargot, once you get used to its unusual flavor I think you’ll find it deliciously irresistible. And given that escargot is loaded with garlic butter, an after dinner White Striped peppermint seems quite appropriate.
Increible
A very excellent album. This is a very nostalgic album for me. I specifically remember singing Seven Nation Army on the way back from scouts in my friend's dad's land rover. Also I reckon it was the first song I learnt on bass... The whole album is great, such an excellent sound. I love Ball and a Biscuit, that guitar is PENG!
The White Stripes have always had a unique sound. This album showcases that sound and adapts it to several different formats.
Starts with Seven Nation Army and finishes with a duet with Holly Golightly, fantastic album
Loved this album all the way through. Great songs, lyrics and riffs
one of the best alums of the 2000s decade. 7 nation army is a rock classic. plenty of genuinely great rock songs with some fun and humour thrown in too.
Modern rock masterpiece.
Absolutely brilliant album. Brings back lots of memories of Fopp days. Much stronger album tracks than I remembered.
This is so in my wheelhouse. Punky garage rock at its finest. Loved Little Acorn.
Excelente
There were a few songs that didn't do anything for me, but I thought I'd like this album pretty well and I did. I've always liked Seven Nation Army- I even backed it up to start it again so I could listen to it louder. I also liked Black Math, the understated In the Cold, Cold Night, You've Got Her in Your Pocket, The Hardest Button to Button, and the inspirational message leading into Little Acorns- I haven't gone over the lyrics to that one yet. 4.5.
I have cold feet. Because this album rocked my socks off. Every. Single. Sports. Stadium. Plays. Seven. Nation. Army. And to start an album with such a strong thumping bass crescendo is just unfair to all the other songs on the album. The whole thing is sooo... original.
Nugget after nugget of deliciousness. It's varied and raw, with lots of great surprises. Stellar album... even with the squirrel story.
Stunning
Hardest Button to Button, I Don’t Know What to Do With Myself, Little Acorns, Black Math, the list goes on and on. Ball and Biscuit is a classic blues rave-up, Seven Nation Army is a sports stadium staple. The White Stripes at their world conquering rock n roll height. Blistering, thumping, a little sensitive, and a lot weird.
Probably a 4.5 for me but on the higher side. I have lots of love for the White Stripes
Ja, dit is toch wel een klassieker. Goede variatie in de nummers, lekker
A childhood favorite
Should get more from them, great album!
This album is on my list to buy now 😄
Loved this way more then I thought I would.
I was familiar with Jack White and the White Stripes, but had never engaged in listening to them. This is great stuff!
Enough to heal pent up energy, great to listen loud. That slightly unpolished sound that makes it so good