Reviews (page 2 of 13)
Practically perfect, and it still feels fresh after 25(!) years. Favourite track: Every track is a favourite, but I do love The Union Forever.
wowowow love at first sight perhaps? Or… second or millionth sight for a couple of these songs, but I never remember this is who Jack White is! What a thrill to hear fell in love with a girl and we are going to be friends in context. This album is good. I had to pause midway and express my risk of obsession to Allison via unhinged typo ridden indecipherable text while driving home from the city. Corrected via voice note. Truly a perfect listen for a no traffic drive down the LIE. This may be a close to zero skip addition to my drives. I found myself beaming and giggling so many times! Little Room is comedy, I Think I Smell a Rat is theatre… What was I doing in middle and high school not listening to them! Can I time travel? Learning… Jack and Meg White divorced the year before the album but kept working together? Classic. (Also love that he took her last name) HA Jack effectively said this album is less bluesey bc of white guilt. Union Forever is just… Citizen Kane dialogue? HAHA Oh yes! The Silver Lining’s dance! Can’t wait to five star the fuck out of this.
Sounds like old blues and modern blues at the same time.
Ахуенный альбом, не знаю почему, но ощутил себя подростком 80х годов в Англии, у которого вся жизнь впереди и мне предстоит много жизненных испытаний, но щас я еду на байке и курю сигарету и мне все похуй, ноты панк культуры тут присутствуют и естественно протеста
I really like The White Stripes, and even though they came up during the "garage-rock revival", I feel like their output has gotten better with age. This album is great, although if I had to pick one album from their catalog it would be "Elephant", this album is bristling with energy and the output is greater than the sum of its parts (primarily just guitar, drums, and vocals). Jack White is a genius, and in comparison to some of his contemporaries (The Black Keys), he takes his influences and melds them into something that sounds exciting and original, rather than just rehashing the same sounds over and over.
Important.
So ein banger Album
I can tell we are going to be friends, so good.
I can't really be objective when it comes to the White Stripes, I grew up with a lot of their songs and they hold a special place in my heart. Yet somehow this is the first time I've listened to this entire album. Not overstaying its welcome at about 40 minutes, the songs are punchy and get their message across. They have a unique sound that stood out among the deluge of indie/alternative bands in this period, and are raw in a way that feels fun instead of forced. You definitely hear some hard rock/blues influence but they're not beholden to that sound. They're certainly not beholden to their lyrical style either, lol. I don't think there's a major rock singer since McCartney that's written such unabashedly sappy, sincere lyrics. Jack White explicitly states that he's not going to try to fake this badass rock star persona or put on 'tortured, dark artist' airs, and then sings about wanting to marry his girlfriend or how he's chronically off-putting in social situations (me too, man.) He kind of reminds me of Jonathan Richman in the way he takes this sound that he clearly loves (hard rock/artsy VU punk) and adapts it into his own voice instead of trying to pretend to be someone he's not. Other people might find some of the songs corny but I really respect that attitude. God and the DRUMMING, my monkey brain lights up when I hear Meg White's drums. Such a clear, thick, no-nonsense sound.
This is even more of a banger than I remembered.
Great album. Just good music
yeah I'm a basic White Stripes loving elder Millennial deep down inside, I'm sorry
Yessssss dude. The simple and raw sound really forces them to be creative with the music, and they do not fail to capitalize. Honestly not every song on here is great, but I feel a 5 is still justified on a personal level
From the opening reverb and 7 notes in this is an automatic 5 star album Had the pleasure of seeing the white stripes in 2005
Nice. Solid rock and roll
Such a great album! I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did. I’m not sure if this is supposed to be the defining White Stripes album because I definitely knew way more songs from the two that came after (Elephant and Get Behind Me Satan), but turns out I was actually secretly familiar with half the album. Fell In Love With A Girl is my favourite White Stripes song but actually everything sounds great and it feels like there are so many classics on here. The mustachioed (is that still a real word?) underwear model turned PE teacher at our school Mr Fine performed Hotel Yorba on ukelele at our year 10 camp and I remember feeling uncool because I didn’t know the song at the time (but still felt way cooler than the kids playing Bruno Mars’ The Lazy Song on ukelele at the same camp). Also We’re Going To Be Friends is just uncharacteristically beautiful and I shall be listening to that a lot more Keen for maybe more White Stripes to come? Also my final thing to say: I reckon half this album is better than Seven Nation Army
Great stuff
Incredible Album
This is the kind of 4.something that you round up to a 5 because it's damn good. You can hear the hunger, you can hear the reality, even when the sound is big you can tell it's not a group effort, it's two people killing it. Love love love it
Haven’t listened to this album in full In forever keeping mostly to the few songs in my playlist. But was really happy to go back and remember just how good this whole album is.
Not the best WS album, but the creativity and variety is undeniable. Also, very unique for the time. 4.5/5.0: Excellent
really great song writing from Jack
Classic White Stripes album. Definitely top three of their albums. Love it.
I'm already a fan but had never heard this whole thing. Love them.
the songwriting on this is top tier, what a bunch of really powerful tracks, everything pretty straight forward but so cohesive at the same time keeps a high energy constant pace with the help of potent riffs and primitive rhythms choosing to sacrifice complexity in favor of immediate impact and, boy, it does work the rawness and imperfections that give it that lofi vibe are not only what separates it from its contemporaries but also what gives it that timeless character maybe being too generous with my 5s but who really cares
so peak
love being able to go from a track with appreciable silence to some lower fidelity wailing and wanna dance around to both. some goldilocks type shit. anyway i'm back in my white stripes era ty jack white!! fav: fell in love with a girl (honorable mention to we're going to be friends)
5* Great rock record. Fun. Simple.
Huge fan. Elephant is my favorite of theirs, but this one is full of classics
Great album by a trendsetting duo. Lo-fi sounds and the writing is superb for a two piece
buenísimo
fucking masterpiece
👍🏻
An absolute masterpiece, and rightfully the album tha really put them on the map, setting up the success of Elephant.
Me gustó mucho, es muy mi estilo para musica en inglés. Ritmo muy movido y variado.
It really holds up. I still listen to individual songs from this album but also the whole album holds up.
Garage rock, alternative rock, indie rock.
I think De Stijl is the true peak Stripes but this is probably the most “White Stripes” White Stripes album they made. 14 year old me gives it 6/5.
solklar femma, deluxe version all the way baby
Goodbye blues, hello garage rock! When this came out, I feel in love immediately. Give me the stripped down sound any day.
I adore all time Jack White so am biased, but this is an exceptional album - I just love the raucous energy and the tenderness of his vocals on quiter songs. As always his guitar skills are unique, and say what you want about Meg's drumming by it works. 10/10
5/5. The best White Stripes album and one of the most untouchable rock records of the 2000’s in my opinion. A lot of the greatness of this album really lies in its simplicity. nothing here is complicated or flashy but it’s performed in a super emotive and hard-hitting way which is perfect for this style of bluesy garage rock. That’s why I’ve always loved Meg Whites drumming as well. Sure she isn’t some technical wizard like Neil Peart, but she is perfect for this type of music and her drumming adds so much texture to Jack Whites guitar playing/vocals. And as for the songs here, there really isn’t a second of filler, every song is fantastic.
Someday there will be movies made about how Meg White and Jack White resurrected rock music from a doomed future.
Jack always slaps
10/10
Is it punk? Blues? Garage? All of them? Whatever it is, it's great
My favorite band growing up
I know this album like the back of my hand. Still holds up. Solid album. It's really good. Elephant is only slightly better as it's a more cohesive and fully realised project, whereas this album is more sprawling and eclectic. Elephant is the better album, while this is more a collection of really good tunes. A few like The Union Forever, Little Room, and Aluminum are almost avant-garde (as much as garage rock can be) which can be an understandable turn off for some, but I dig it all the same.
It felt like a sugar rush on the veins, it was chaotic, it was fun to hear, it feels like a nice album to play some game or do some homework when you're about to play because it really wakes you up. For me, it was really long and it felt kinda monotonous at some time, but it wasn't because of anything but its duration, still cool tho
Formative.
Still sounds as good as ever
Love the White Stripes
Ultimate garage rock. Love so many of these songs.
So good. Every one is a banger.
Loved this when it first came out, love it still now
Jack white is a genius.
A classic, a true classic of my own vintage. Binding a classic rockers gift for iconic riffs, bristling guitar tones and pace that ranges from the Ramones to Led Zepplin, with lyrical sensibilities that range from the potently juvenile to the suprisingly mature and vocals in a league of their own. If I had to describe Jack White's voice, maybe somewhere between Neil Young and Brian Johnson. Somehow they manage to squeeze in 16 tracks to this 40 minute record, and that just speaks to their economy of style. They never milk a simple hook for all its worth. And they sprinkle the instantly unforgettable tracks, like Fell In Love With A Girl (delerious and cathartic) and We're Gonna Be Friends (delightful and arcadian), among tracks that are more about the driven lick than a catchy vocal hook. Their styles and genre references are broad as deep south vampire rock, made for TVs True Blood (no not really) in I Can Learn to 60's Beatles changes in Now Mary. If it weren't for the cornerstone texture of Meg's bombasticly battered kit and Jack's double dialed up screaming vintage guitars and catscratch voice that somehow sounds overdriven too, which glues the whole grab bag together, it could have been an extremely fractured record. Instead it's an album with enormous range. It's no suprise it launched an enormous and legendary career. 5 stars.
Great band and music
Underrated in my eyes. They're formulaic, every song goes dum dum dum dum chh chh chh chh chh chh, but you know what? I love that.
Fun from start to finish
A 5er. Jack white can do no wrong in my books. He's been consistently putting out amazing music for the last 25 years.
The best White Stripes album. I will die on that hill.
I love this album, I love The White Stripes and Jack White. I have listened to this album so many times.
Please excuse my language.... This album is fucking glorious.
what a great band, man. theres a whole history (both canonical And personal-feeling) of rock music imbued in these songs...its hard not to catch glimpses of everything from the beatles to the ramones to black sabbath to tom petty to big star (we're going to be friends, the worlds greatest Thirteen fanfiction). but even tho each track can feel almost like a full creative reset in terms of musical ideas and inspirations, the whole thing is also filtered through the unbeatably strong personality of the band's constants, from meg's drumming to jack's taste in guitar tones to the overall melodic sensibility. it never lapses into feeling like a pastiche, or wholly like anything but itself, leading to all the borrowed bits and pieces feeling like a Richness. i probably prefer its more technicolor followup, but hearing all the wild ideas filtered through the rickety garage sound is still its own incomparable pleasure
Jack White's guitar sound is as impressive as ever. More "calmer" songs in this album, but I loved the overall feeling.
Es gibt objektiv nur ein gutes White Stripes Album. Dieses lofi krachige, wunderschöne Album, bevor Jack White ein Mucker wurde. Was für schöner Lärm
Great stuff, it's a really good sound, overlayed with some fantastic lyrics. He showcases his eclectic range and I've always loved the short tunes, it works. The production place a heavy interest on guitar playing, in all its guises, which I love. Put it on deadbeats, it is fabulous.
Elephant was denk ik hun grootste album, met Seven Nation Army, maar daar zaten net iets teveel opvullers bij, waardoor het op 4 sterren bleef steken. Neem dan White Blood Cells, waar ze doorgaan met hun "Stijl". Leuk om daar vorige maand meer van gezien te hebben in het Stedelijk. Geen idee of je daar dan iets van terughoort in de muziek. Of het moet het sobere zijn, alles teruggebracht tot drums en gitaar. En toch kunnen ze daar hele verschillende nummers mee kan maken, van akoestisch tot bombastisch, van het ingetogen "We're gonna be friends" tot "the Union Forever", dat bijna the Doors-achtig klinkt. Ik denk dat ik dit het beste album van the White Stripes vind. Laat ik weer eens 5 sterretjes uitdelen.
I used to listen this album when it came out. Just listened to it again and it is as fresh as ever. Now I love it even more!
Охуенно просто
Great
i only had time to listen to the first track but it was awesome! if first impressions are anything to go by, damn!
Wanted to listen to it for a long time this is great
This is the most White Stripes-y of all the White Stripes albums. Very lo-fi, very raw, very simple, and very, very good.
Great album. One of their best. Every song is good. Has a stripped down, garage rock sound. The production really works to capture their energy. This was my first White Stripes album back when it released and it holds up well today.
Great riffs abound on this album. It's wonderfully lofi, low tech, and high energy. The album sounds as though they just put a single mic in the middle of the room and let them play. Mistakes in Jack White's playing crop up, but they just add to the live feel of the album. The songs are very simple, but the songs are so great that you never get bored. This is helped by the fact that the songs average out to 2.5 minutes each. If this were just guitar and drums for the entire album, that could be tiring, but there are songs with organ and piano mixed in throughout to keep things interesting. This is a FUN album that can be listened to over and over again.
I’m legally obligated to give this 5 stars because of my lawsuit But I’d give it 5/5 anyway!
I love The White Stripes! Enough said.
It's very interesting to compare this against another 2001 indie rock record I got earlier in this project, The Strokes "Is This It" While I thought ITI was good but all kind of blurred together this is great and the songs vary a lot sonically while all still feeling cohesive which is a feat in and of itself. I mean even if you only compare the two biggest hits "Fell in love with a girl" and "We're going to be friends" they sound completely different but for the uniting factor of Jack White's voice. This is also strange for me specifically because the only other White Stripes album I've listened to fully is Icky Thump and while not wildly different there is a distinct change between the 6 years seperating those albums specifically
#270/1001. Stripped, raw, minimal. Rock.
So good!
This made me realize I really enjoy 2000's indie garage rock, especially the bluesy stuff. An unexplored territory I ought to discover.
first time love
- 2 nummers toegevoegd aan MMMM - 0 nummers al toegevoegd aan MMMM
Jack White rules. One of the best guitar tones in popular music. It feels like a blanket on a cold winter night.
This album is beautifully made. Every song is interesting and good to listen to. They change it up quite a bit with song length, theme and style. It's everything I want in an album, honestly.
maybe the coolest album of all time
songs are so contrasting! i didn’t realise we are going to be friends was on here, i really liked this album i felt like koga. union forever was fire, so was expecting, i saved loads of them! love the rock vibes, haven’t even finished it yet as im typing this but im almost done, so good!
Saw the perform on late night tv and immediately headed to buy this cd. It’s been huge in my life since. Absolutely 5 stars for me. Still a regular in my rotation.
REALLY enjoyed, was a surprise
mi yo de 14 le daría cinco estrellas. mi yo de 28 tmb
Monster
Even better than i remembered it to be!
My wife would divorce me if I gave this anything other than a 5
Still slaps
Classic .Best white stripes album .
Great album, 9/10
I like them. So be it.
And to think, maybe one day *I*'ll pretend to be siblings with my ex-wife!
When I first looked over the tracklist, I was convinced I had heard this album at least once before and it just hadn't stuck with me; when I began listening to it on my morning drive, however, I realized I was very wrong. If I had heard this album before, I damn sure would have remembered it. This album rocks. I recently saw The White Stripes mentioned as an example of this rare yet classic band format: one person who plays drums, and one person who does everything else (this is not meant to be disparaging, Meg White contribute more than enough on the the drums to prove her significance to the band). Within this esteemed subgenre, The White Stripes may very well be the best of the bunch, and this albums represents a raw and rough-aroumd-the-edges version of their sound which I absolutely vibe with. Highlights: Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground, Hotel Yorba, I'm Finding It Harder To Be a Gentleman, Fell In Love With a Girl, Little Room, The Union Forever, The Same Boy You've Always Known, We're Going To Be Friends, This Protector
It took me way too long to get fully onboard with Jack White and the White Stripes. I definitely have always liked a handful of songs from this album but it's only been the last couple of years when I started getting more into garage rock that I started to appreciate this stuff. I love this record and there are some absolute classics on it. It deserves all the praise.
One of my absolute favorite records. This one has been with me for a long time. I know every song by heart, I'm certain I've listened to this all the way through hundreds of times. I love how raw this one is. It feels like they got the perfect mix of blues, garage and experimental with this. The instruments (especially the drumming) is so simple, but there is so much going on with every song. I love how creative and wild they get with each song. One minute, you're listening to a spooky bluesy song that breaks into an acapella section, where you're then dancing along to Fell in Love With a Girl. Hotel Yorba is still my favorite song to play on the guitar. It honestly became part of my identity when I was a teenager. Jeremy and I played this song for Chris the night he went to jail. Chad and I played it for Battle of the Bands in High School. Dead Leaves is a perfect opener for an album. I can listen to that song on repeat all day long. The garagey rawness + blues is perfect. We Are Going to Be Friends is one of my favorites (shout out Napoleon Dynamite). Little Room and I think I Smell a Rat are such a rad interludes, while Now Mary, Same Boy, and I Can Learn keep me grounded. This Protector is the perfect book end. This record rocks. I listen to it frequently. Its my favorite album by The White Stripes and I'm grateful its been in my life as long as it has.
LOOVE esp fell in love with a girl omg
Amazing album, fades a bit towards the end, but overall excellent
Absolutely phenomenal album. Best one so far.
Such a beauty
Good
It’s cool. It’s funny. It’s sweet. It’s got variety. And it rocks.
Very close contest between this and Elephant for the best White Stripes album. Lots of diversity in songwriting here. It’s a fun time that flows really well. We’re Going To Be Friends feels like the quaint type of song Paul would have written to slot right in the middle of a Beatles album.
It's a toss up as to whether this or Elephant is my favorite White Stripes album. I like a lot of these songs individually, but the back half of the album I like less. However, even the songs I like less are better than so many other albums on this list.
Any enemy of Trump is a friend of mine. And with songs like Hotel Yorba and Fell in love with a girl it is even easier.
I enjoyed every song suprisingly, this is not a genre i typically listen to. Great album, an easy listen.
amazing
different types of styles of pace, melody and overall sound, I enjoyed. A few that stood out and added to my library but overall 6.5/10
5 stars
Love Meg White’s drumming. Solid record.
Really good album! Heavy than expected to be honest. Had elements that felt very punk rock, White Blood Cells felt very raw and in your face. I knew the popular/mainstream songs off this album but I genuinely enjoyed every track. 5/5 stars!
Pretty good alt rock album honestly. Varied and doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Ts is perfect
4.5, rounded up
Bangers, bops, ballads, lots to love on this album, though the latter quarter drags.
Fantastic album, such a unique sound.
One of the best blues rock albums to ever exist. This was early white stripes so the sound is raw but so well put together that it still holds up over 20 years later. This album defined a decade+ of rock music to follow it.
My introduction to the White Stripes. Tons of killer tunes on this one.
This is tough to rate, my heart says 5 but my mind says low 4 so I'll split the difference with a high 4. Treasure trove of white stripes classics
No notes 10/10 Jack White is brilliant.
Banger
Great album, love The White Stripes
Less of a guitar hero record than I remembered, but so stacked with garage bangers that I keep going back to. Not my favorite of their records but probably my favorite vibe from the band. Rounding up from a 9/10.
i remember this one coming out!!
I can still remember when the video to “Fell In Love With A Girl” premiered. All of a sudden, the kids who’d grown disenchanted with the pop schlock being pushed onto us by the very media angle, had a band- a REAL rock band- to look up to and obsess over. And they had grit, unlike The Strokes and various other NY “Neu Wave” bands making their appearance at the time. The resurgence of the Detroit Sound was a much needed breath of fresh air for us middle of nowhere kids still in love with rock n roll. We discovered so much cool music through The White Stripes, and this album was kind of the start of that era. Can’t believe how nostalgic these songs made me, or that I hadn’t listened to them in years before today. It was a nice day to time travel.
Raw, gritty, distinctive. Love it or hate it, this is true rock n roll.
Oh this was class. Some classic bangers here plus some I haven't heard that really resonated with me. Another album that I can't believe I didn't listen to earlier.
My most favourite album ever. It combines the rawness of the first 2 albums but slightly more polished
Really enjoyed the garage rock, low sound quality and pure concentrated focus
eternally iconic i love the white stripes
I’m the right age and have the right tastes that I should have been super into the White Stripes in the 2000s but I just wasn’t. So now, 20+ years later, I’m discovering that I really like White Stripes. This one is a bit more raw than their later stuff, but would still be at home in an iPod commercial in 2002. It’s not a bad thing, iPod commercials used to have some cool music in them.
Forgot how good this one is
so many fun tracks, but I love how "were going to be friends" interrupts it all so beautifully
Another album I already knew and loved most of. "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" "Hotel Yorba" "I'm Finding It Harder To Be a Gentleman" "Fell In Love With a Girl" "Offend in Every Way" and "We're Gonna Be Friends" have been in my playlist rotations for a long time now, but checking out the rest of this album I also enjoyed "Expecting" and "I Think I Smell a Rat"
Yep. This bangs from wall to wall. I'd like to apologise to the Whites for not giving their other album a 5. We'd only just started the list so I wasn't calibrated properly.
Genius. Two superb musicians making each other better
Despite the lack of Seven Nation Army this is a solid album all the way through.
Surprisingly good. Not my style, but a solid mix of folksy and more intense sound.
Yaaasss Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground!!! I will always love The White Stripes ❤️
Great album. Really captures the raw energy of the White Stripes.
'I think I smell a rat' Riff 10/10, got me vibing while I was working 🐀
This was part of the soundtrack of my life for a couple of years. How does a two piece get such a large and full sound? People shit on Meg White for not being a good drummer but they’re wrong. She keeps the beat and lays down a fat bottom. This album rocks so hard. Every single song is a standout. Listening to this after so many years flooded me with nostalgia.
I’m a little biased as “Fell in Love with a Girl” was the first White Stripes song I heard and I immediately bought the album and after I heard “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground,” I was a fan. My sister was super into like Britney Spears and Christina Aquilera and I turned her onto the White Stripes and she’s been a rock fan ever since. My dad even made a comment to me that it was a bummer that there was no good rock and roll any more and I played him this album and he said, "I was wrong, I guess rock and roll will never die." For just a guitar and drums they manage to fill the space. The layered instruments, cymbals, chords vs melody, etc., really seems like a much bigger band. The lyrics are catchy, but unique. Everything about this album is great.
Jack White rules
jack white might be my favorite guitarist
Album 928 of 1089 The White Stripes - White Blood Cells (2001) Rating : 3.5 / 5 This one is an easy 5 out of 5. No hesitation, no second guessing. It’s one of those rare albums that hits on every level — raw energy, stripped-down genius, and that perfect blend of grit and melody that only Jack and Meg could pull off. From the opening notes, it just bursts with life. Every song feels essential, every riff sticks, and the simplicity of it all only adds to the magic. “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” still sounds like a thunderclap of garage-rock perfection, “Hotel Yorba” is pure fun, and “We’re Going to Be Friends” remains one of the sweetest, most disarming songs ever recorded. You can feel the chemistry between the two of them in every beat and distortion crackle. This is The White Stripes at their best — raw, inventive, and completely their own thing. No filler, no overproduction, no ego. Just passion, rhythm, and a sense that you’re hearing something timeless. Greatest thing since Carter’s Little Liver Pills? Yeah, I’d say so.
Their best album. Makes me want to go out and do shit.
Definitely solid. Nostalgia up the wazoooooo
One of my favorite albums, so many great songs on this one. Offend in every way!
The break out album for The White Stripes/Jack White. Incredible talent on an incredible album. Can’t just listen to it once
Very good rock.
Great album
I had tickets to see the White Stripes on what would have been their last UK tour, but they cancelled the tour and I never got the chance to see them. I always liked the White Stripes’ earlier stuff, but this was the first time where they felt like a huge deal. The amount of bangers on this album is staggering. It’s not my favourite Stripes album (we’ll get to that eventually), but this is such a strong album all the way through whilst keeping as true to their garage rock roots as they ever got again.
I love Jack White and everything he does! And this is one example - Jack and Meg were one hell of a rock-n-roll power-duo! 5 stars.
This shit rocked young me's musical foundations back in the day
First time hearing this album, but easily one of my favourite new era rock albums along with Wolfmother and The Hives. Love it.
White Stripes
Repeat listen
Love this album
Insanely good album, so many great songs on it - no weak spots on this album.
Great raw hard rock.
Great: loved it then, loved it now. I absolutely can see why they took off!
Cool and weird with great songs and loads of creativity. Oh, and it rocks. What more do you want?
One of the best. Love the style.
Favourite tracks - Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground, Fell In Love with a Girl, We’re Going to Be Friends
We’re going to be friends is one of my all time Jack White favorites.
From beginning to end, every single song was great. You definitely can hear some Beatles influence in some of the songs. I really enjoyed the entire album.
Raw, loose, and catchy. Rock n Roll! 4.5/5 #178
This is such a banger album
Fantastic. Raw, pure angst and lovely little riffs everywhere you look. Jack White’s a creative monster
I am of the exact right age to rate this 5 stars out of pure nostalgia, and to be crushed to realize this album is 25ish years old
The White Stripes start to feel the pressures of fame, and the ambiguity of their relartionship as brother/sister or husband/wife hence the album cover. They knock it out of the park with this project, even with 16 tracks it feels like a breeze of fresh air, even after almost 25 years. "attention is both good and bad" Jack White on Little Room
wouldn't have worked if they were the gillis stripes. god works in mysterious ways.
Either the best White Stripes album or tied with De Stijl.
9/10 rough as hell and still managing to kick ass after so long
The White Stripes are probably one of my all time favs. I would pay good money to see them play live again.
it was amazing
No notes. LOVED this! Can definitely see how this influenced some of my favorite bands.
Such a moment in time. Sometimes an album comes out that brings back such nostalgia... and this is it.
Peak jack white I think. The whole thing is absurdly fun. Dead leaves, hotel yorba, fell in love with a girl, offend in every way, we are gonna be friends. This is non-stop action, even the songs that you don't remember the name of flow in and out of everything perfectly. Couldn't ask for any more
This is a really good album but I still can’t listen to We’re Going to be Friends without thinking of the intro to Napoleon Dynamite
GOOD ASS FRAKING ALBUM
It's good to rediscover how good some albums are ! Having got tired of Mr White in recent years it's great to hear him (and Meg) when he was fresh and new and exciting. I'm sure it helps having heard it before, but a treat all the same.
An absolutely fantastic album. I’m completely on board with the raw energy and the fearless mentality Jack and Meg bring to the table. The songs burst with life and attitude, yet keep that stripped-down garage rock charm. For me, this is a perfect record – vibrant, bold, and endlessly exciting. 5/5
Banger album. Mixes some blues influences with their garage rock sound with some indie sounds mixed in. Simple but effective production all throughout. Instrumentation is consistently great. Writing is simple but evocative.
Ben oui, évidemment que oui.
Classic album, will always live listening to it
White Blood Cells (2001) is what happens when you give a guitar, a drum kit, and two emotionally overcooked garage trolls access to raw electricity and heartbreak. This album sounds like Jack White stomped into a thrift store, found an amp made of bees, and said, “Cool, let’s scream our way through a breakup.” ⸻ 🎯 Rating: 4.8 / 5 💡 Short Review: Messy, minimal, magnificent. The sound of two people holding it together with duct tape, feedback, and pure feeling. 🧨 Favorite Track: Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground Opening riff slaps you awake like heartbreak with dirty boots. Runner-up: We’re Going to Be Friends — weaponized nostalgia wrapped in lullaby bones.
🗯 Before they were, well, legends, Jack and Meg were just two people in red, white, and black making the coolest garage rock around. White Blood Cells is the moment The White Stripes broke out of Detroit and directly into the world’s bloodstream. It’s raw but confident, brimming with scrappy hooks, stomping riffs, and that unpolished charm that made them feel dangerous and inviting at the same time. ‘Fell in Love with a Girl’ is a shot of pure adrenaline, ‘Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground’ a perfect opener, and ‘We’re Going to Be Friends’ a rare moment of gentleness amid the fuzz. ‘Hotel Yorba’, ‘I Smell A Rat’ — it all plays like an early greatest hits. The magic here is in its simplicity — Jack’s guitar and Meg’s drumming, nothing more, nothing less. It’s proof you don’t need much to sound massive, just chemistry and conviction. Was astonishing then, remains astonishing now! Verdict: Essential For fans of: The Strokes, The Black Keys, garage rock revival, and strict colour codes.
Rock on! Garage rock redone.
Great
I did save 3 songs so we will rate 5/5. I enjoyed this album. I feel like I did not get to do as deep of a dive as I would like to with an album like this.
Great album. Love Jack White. 3rd man records is a cool place a must see.
Dojam da je možda malo manje upakovan i dorađen od njihovog drugog albuma dosad ali osim toga mu se ništa ne može prigovoriti. Nisam bila sekunde svjesna da ovoliko volim White Stripes. Svega se genijalnog može strpati u pjesmice od 2-3 minute.
Wow. What a discovery. I’m from Detroit so I know Jack White’s music better than the average listener. I have heard a lot of this album but hearing the entire album is mind-blowing! Such talent in every song. A journey through life. Immense passion. I love this. I listened three times and saved it to my Keepers file. In my opinion this is 5 stars of legendary music.
It doesn't get much better than this
Really nice to give this a full listen without even thinking about writing notes. But now I gotta write notes (I don't have to, I suppose). This rocks. An album that changed music. And easily the best the white stripes produced. Notably, I think this album kills while not really having as much of standout songs as their other work. The whole concept just works, start to finish. Okay I'll write some notes now. Listening notes: -Notable, I think, that this album succeeds despite not really putting much effort into lyric writing. These are not lyrically powerful songs. But they're GOOD. -These songs are all so short. That's cool. Review: I'm not putting too much effort into this review. An album which succeed without brilliant lyrics. Or single tracks that put the album on their back. Really near-perfect stuff. Just simple, well put-together blues rock. Crushes it. 5 stars.
I don't know what it is about Jack White when he's in The White Stripes, versus his solo work. But, whereas I found his solo album Blunderbuss bad (if not terrible), I really enjoyed him in this one. The first few songs were good enough to get White Blood Cells a four. But then we got to "Fell In Love With a Girl" and this album kicked into a high gear and earned itself five stars.
Man I grew up on that one.
Rock and roll at its finest. Love the heavy guitar and bass
What an incredible album by an incredible group.
Chef’s kiss
I wonder if there are still teens out here listening to this for the first time and having their minds blown
No private session used for Spotify. I love this album and the band. Both Hotel Yorba and Fell in Love with a Girl have made it to into guitar jam songs.
let's go!
Good all around. Favourites: Dead leaves and the dirty ground, we're going to be friends.
Fuck yeah. I love this fucking album, it really does it for me.
Oh man… a personal favorite
Detroit sucks. I'm sorry to the people of Detroit, but it's true. Detroit SUCKS. Kid Rock, stratospheric crime rates, urban decay, economic stagnation, the Lions...Oh, to be so close to Canada (which also sucks, but less than Detroit) and yet so far away. Can you imagine. For such a terrible place to produce such fantastic music is...well, surely some kind of cosmic sign. The White Stripes belonged to a long lineage of acts from Detroit. Let's not give Detroit too much credit...I don't want mention Kid Rock again, but I'll do it, so help me God, I'll do it. This album is TIGHT. Clocking in at 40 minutes, there is no fat, only lean, muscular guitar rock. They lyrics sound like they were ad-libbed in the studio - in a good way. If Jack White went in unprepared and just started freestyling off the top of the old noodle and just threw some shit together, it wouldn't surprise me. And yet, it works. A guitar, a drum kit and two oddballs just making music. Fantastic. Music to bring the snobs and the philistines together. Actually, I take it back. I rescind my apology to the people of Detroit. Your city sucks. Be grateful that you have good music.
This may honestly be the best week of music I’m ever going to have on this site. I had Rumours on Monday, and now this today. This is the second Jack White album I’ve rolled so far, and I’m pretty bummed that I don’t have many left after this one. For some added context, this album is extremely special to me for sentimental reasons. We had it on CD when I was a little kid and listened to it a ton. For many of these songs, I haven’t heard them in a long while, but as I was listening to them today, I was extremely happy and still remembered all of them in their entirety, almost like I was catching up with an old friend. Every single song is good. Not a single dud on the entire album. Picking my favorite song would be a gargantuan task, so once again I won’t even attempt to do so. Previously, I gave the album Get Behind Me Satan a 4 star rating and felt guilty doing so, as Jack White is my favorite artist of all time. To put it simply, this is the easiest 5 star I’ve ever given in my life. At least, it's the easiest so far.
One of my favorite White stripes albums.
If you need to listen to only one White Stripes album, this is what I would recommend every time - a feast of ideas served up loose - driving, loping, and grooving. Not perfect, but perfectly creative
My favorite White Stripes record. While Elephant may be more consistently great, it doesn't reach the staggering heights of this one. From the absolutely grimy guitar on Dead Leaves to the Citizen Kane-inspired freakout of The Union Forever, from the pure joyful innocence of We're Going to be Friends to the unhinged paranoia of Smell a Rat, this is the duo at their most versatile and thrilling
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
Phenomenal and iconic
El mejor album de los white stripes!
Yes please! Such a great record.
Very good album. I already own this, so I"m aware of it's work!
Excellent thumping and screech rubbing of strings, me like. scrotum has engaged, swollen with anticipation.
2001 saw the breakthrough albums of the Strokes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and the Magnificent White Stripes which dispel the myth that Rock n Roll was dead. This album has great variety and catches the raw energy of their unique sound and style. Punky and carefree in places and more mature and thoughtful in others. Great songwriting throughout with the highlights being Hotel Yorba, Fell in Love With a Girl, and We’re Going to be Friends.
Such a good, tight album. JW's best.
Man,you can't really fault Jack White can you? Simple arrangements, basic drumming, only two instruments (although there are multiple guitar layers) and yet the pure nursery rhyme quality of the songs get stuck in your head. I'm not an obsessive WS fan, and if you don't like blues rock this won't change your mind, but it's a perfect example of the sound. Unimprovable.
4.75
The perfect album.
Been loving the white stripes lately, i really enjoy this album, particularly fell in love with a girl has been my hype up song as of late
I really like The White Stripes and this album came out in a time period where guitar rock was basically dead. Jack said, no, this is how it's done. It's probably only a 4 star album, but I've listened to it too many times and it never gets old, so I'm going the full 5.
Yes.
I remember spotting this at a listening station right after it came out, the cover caught my eye immediately. By the end of "Hotel Yorba" I was hooked, and I've been a fan ever since. I prefer De Stijl over all their albums, but this is a close second and will always be cherished for introducing me to The White Stripes. Out of all the bands labeled as garage rock in the '00s, The Stripes were the only one that felt like they were coming at it genuinely. Their energy was unmatched by their peers, and it wasn't surprising they outlasted most of them before falling apart. I still feel their music on a visceral level, no matter how familiar the songs are now. Plus, the lyrics are great. But there's something magical about the chemistry between Jack and Meg, which explains why none of his other efforts have captured me as well as The Stripes could (No Name is the closest he's come). Back to this album, there's just not a bad song on it. They all flow seamlessly together, complementing one another nicely. My favorite pairing though is "Little Room" and "The Union Forever", going from that driving rhythm into the opening chords, love it. I still keep their music in my rotation too. As far as I'm concerned you could kick a few albums off the list and replace them with the first 5 White Stripes albums, they're all worth hearing (sorry, Icky Thump, you've got moments but overall a step down from everything that preceded you).
With only two band members and a few instruments between them, The White Stripes make minimalism look easy and sound amazing. On this third album, their major breakthrough as the story is told, you get such a range of style, sound, and energy. "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" engages right away, and I love the lyric "Every breath that is in your lungs is a tiny little gift to me." After some other romping songs you get to the delicate "We're Going to be Friends." This song once made me weep. If this were a 10 song album it would be an easy 5 stars. But the last 6 songs sound more like bonus tracks, not quite as engaging. But once I did the math I still put the album at 4.65 stars so I'm pleased that I can round up and give this great band another 5/5.
The White Stripes are amazing. I would have loved to have attended a live performance back in the day, and I am still amazed at the amount of sound and power they generate with the two of them. The range of this album is also impressive from hard, driving rock to folk ballad, they impress and command your attention. Go ahead and dial in, you will hear new things every time you listen.
10/10… rock / bluesrock
Anything with Jack White is pure gold.
Great album. Really enjoyed it. Will download it
Great
Not their best album but still amazing. It feels like two people jamming in a garage, very personal and raw.
An all time high school favorite. I think I bought this CD with my dad in Ann Arbor.
boy, i haven't listened to this since it came out, and i forgot how great it is. it's amazing how much noise these two make and how much range they have. it's charming, fun, funny, angry, rebellious, esoteric, and raw. quite a feat. it feels more like a 4 to me but i can't find anything to ding it, so we're going with the full 5.
16 songs in 40 minutes. Often feels like a Led Zeppelin demo tape … a bare bones riff driven delight.
Such a great album! All energy. Basic but not simple. How do they get this energy out of such stripped down instruments? Felt fresh when it came out. Still does today.
Raw, rough around the edges, bawdy and bold - and a grreat fit for my Tidal library.
Core garage rock and rock revival. Not all the songs here are interesting, but I've had half of them already saved. I wish there was more of a theme to them, but there are a lot of lovely hitst here. Not pure 5/5, but good enough
The first 30 seconds of "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" permanently altered my brain chemistry
Very tough decision between a 4 and a 5, but calling this a 4.5 rounded up because I listened to it probably 5 times today and kept adding more songs to my faves playlist.
If forgotten how much I listened to this (and the first 2) album. I learned nearly every song in the guitar. Hard not to give this a 5 for nostalgia’s sake.
more samples from the white stripes. like their previous album i listened to, this one is SUPER similar in sound; fans of the last one will certainly like this one. aggressive and frantic indie rock; music perfect for a moshpit. despite the compressed and arguably lo-fi sound, these two have a LOT to bring to the table. a pivotal and popular rock album of the 2000s, really!
One of the best rock albums of the 21st century. Jack White would write more iconic songs but I don't think he was ever better than this, where each song is a short, sharp blast of innovative guitar playing and yelped lyrics. Makes you want to form a band.
The White Stripes are so fucking cool. I remember hearing Dead Leaves & The Dirty Ground on the radio for the first time, being blown away and being like "who is this band and how can I listen to more of them immediately."
As a card-carrying snob, I’d have gone with de Stijl but it’s whatever. Jack has made no albums that aren’t a five
One of my favourite albums
Incredible
I use to love them for the first couple records and then fell out of love with them. Listening again I remember exactly why I loved them. They're exactly what we needed in the early 2000's.
I knew 'Fell In Love With a Girl' before and had seen this around but never listened before. I liked 'Now Mary' right away. I think this is currently 4/5 for me but definitely has 5 star potential so I'm giving it 5.
amazing album, would give 6 stars out of 5
Love this album, it has been one of my loyal companions since high school and all the way through college. No way this isn't a 10/10 I relistened to this while playing the Boo levels in Super Mario 64
It many songs that I've heard before that I could not did not know the title of. Amazing album
With the 2000s and the decline of grunge, rock was in need of a revival. There appeared a few main paths towards rock exploration: either you take the Butt Rock with all of its aggressive drunk, divorced dad tendencies as they pushed you to push your fist through the drywall; or you can allow a new exploration of blues and indie influences with some absolutely torturous guitar riffs. This is the later, music that is poetic and beefy. Jack White taking cheaply built guitars and absolutely ripping them apart along with Meg's simplistic, yet mathematical drum beats adds up to some gut punching beauty. I personally love both avenues of 2000s rock, save for the Hinder, Five Finger Death Punch, Avenged Sevenfold nonsense. However, I would not lie to myself and say the path that Jack White forged isn't infinitely more impactful to the advancement of modern rock, because it absolutely is. Chicago took Blues and added electricity, The White Stripes took Chicago Blues and created mayhem.
Amazing album so many different styles of songs. Loved it!
There are some real bangers on this album. It gets a little less great towards the end, and I'd have loved more of the precious acoustic stuff but great album.
Big fan of Jack White and his early work, so I gotta go 5 with this one.
You’re gonna need a bigger room…
This is one of my all time favorite records. A true, raw, garage rock LP full of bangers. All that we loved about The White Stripes in a single, awesome package. It has some weaker songs, but still delivers in a nice all-rounded package.
yeeee
lots of good ones, a classic
Old favourite
I really liked this album by the White Stripes. A great sound. 5/5
Really cool that Jack White has been Jack White since the beginning. He's such a unique dude, but his magic seems to be a lack of excess or change. Like he knows who he is, knows what he likes, but still finds manages to create stuff that's fresh. He's tapped into something pure. Also seems like he hasn't let production get in the way. The spirit is the through line. 4.5
Very Hood album classic Indie rock 15/10
Nostalgic classic.
Fuck Rush and all the other overblown prog bands. *This* is perfect rock and roll. Long live Jack and Meg. 5+/5
I love this….takes me back to being 12 and I loved it then too
I love The White Stripes. They introduced me to indie rock. It hasn't gotten boring since. Love the guitar. Love the drums.
Super interesante
Talk to me Jack
Top to bottom, this is classic White Stripes. A blend of blues, folk, punk, country and rock with a minimalist structure. Loud and raucous
A nearly flawless album (I don’t love “I Can Learn”). Boundless energy.
This is the album that got me into the White Stripes originally. Still love listening to it from start to finish. It's a great album - very different from their blues-rock prior albums, and starts their transition to being a rock band with this garage rock style album. So good! From start to finish, I can't get enough of this album.
no complaints
Rating based on how much I loved when it was new
That's Icky
Solid from start to finish.
I really liked this album. I had heard of the band but hadn’t listened to their music. It’s a little raw, a little unpolished and authentic. Just the antidote for all the over- processed drivel that passes for music these days.
Is this my favorite White Stripes album? No. Are The White Stripes my favorite band? Yes. Do they instantly get 5 stars on all albums that pop up here (which is 3 btw, WBC and Elephant are assumed but GBMS? Really?) also yes. 10/10
White Stripes and any Jack White project get 5/5 from me. 5/5
Kick ass
This is one of the best albums of all time in my opinion. My love of TWS and Jack came from this, hearing Fell in Love... On music channels, dead leaves, hotel Yorba. The imagery, the musicianship, the riffs and Drums as I'd never heard them used before! I know the whole thing back to front side to side and word for word.
Own it. Still an awesome album
Maybe my favorite overall White Stripes album.
The White Stripes are easily one of the best and most consistent rock bands of their time. They thrive off simplicity and have made their unpolished sound so iconic. With that they have managed to create some of the most explosive and energetic rock music ever, all packaged perfectly in this album.
I discovered them through De Stijl, but this was the album that made me love the White Stripes. In fact, I don't think any of their other albums can live up to this one. Great mix of garage rock, blues, punk, R&B and just a primal thump of garbage. So good.
Love it.
could i write poetry to this? raw and complexly simple ones. good. Y
All White Stripes albums are great. The first three in particular are raw and amplify the capabilities of an act that constrained themselves to just vocals, guitar, drums, and piano. Speaking of the drums... There has long been a debate over whether Meg White is a good or bad drummer. I fall into the pro-Meg camp. Her style of playing is exactly what the music calls for and any added complexity would have diminished the songs greatly. I would give this one four stars, as I like their self-titled debut the best. However, I'll give this an extra because the White Stripes knew when to end the band and keep their integrity mostly intact. Their closest contemporary (and perceived rival band), The Black Keys chose another path. They kept adding more and more instruments and became a bloated, overproduced version of themselves. Online beefing with fans and celebrities alike did not serve them well. The Black Keys were last seen canceling an ill-advised arena tour and instead playing a big-ticket party for a bunch of Trump-loving crypto-bros.
One of ,y all time favs