Whilst the Whites thump their way across Europe, Jack took some time off from long-distance calls to discuss his distress over leaky Icky by showing off a couple of new tunes for the Jools Holland faithful (and redecorating the stage floor a swirly shade of peppermint). Here’s “Effect And Cause,” featuring an old-school, Berry-esque rock ‘n’ roll progression and a smiley, shaker-to-the-stick wielding Meg.
Jack ditched the guit for a bass and invited Jools to relive his Squeeze days on keys during “My Doorbell,” and of course they weren’t leaving without doing up the title track. Find both clips after the jump.
“Icky Thump”
“My Doorbell” (Feat. Jools Holland)
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FUCKING AWESOME!! doorbell was ace, icky should get better as they tour more, effect and cause was really nice too
hmm perhaps jackie boy needs to be schooled in something we like to call the Hegelian dialectic. hhehe
am I the only person who thinks the stripes sound bad live?
yes you are, go listen to linkin park now
meg’s button is sooo sexy… amazing!
Nice. Looking forward to this album.
I just think their live sound is hollow and messy. They usually use more than two instruments per song (even if it’s just two guitar tracks) on their studio recordings and lose something when they boil them down to duo format. LIke in Icky Thump – Jack does okay with the keys considering he’s playing two instruments at once, but it still sounds sloppy when compared with the recording. Or listen to a live version of Ball and a Biscuit. It falls apart when he tries to solo and keep the riff going at the same time. I love the Stripes, don’t get me wrong; but while their studio recordings blow me away, their live performances are underwhelming.
Wow. So many positive comments here… Am I really reading Stereogum?
Anyway, the Stripes do sound a lot dirtier and more raw, in concert. It’s not for everybody, but I like it. Those were fun videos. I love me some Meg, so much.
Greg-I’d agree that a few stripes songs do sound better in the studio than live, but not many. I get the feeling you’re basing your opinion on a few live videos you’ve seen online and haven’t actually been to a stripes show or heard a really decent quality recording. I think you should try watching any of these videos (especially death letter), and tell me you still think they “sound bad live.”
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=white+stripes+livid
oops, there’s the link.
Damn, it won’t post the link for some reason. Well just go to youtube and type in “white stripes livid”
I love the White Stripes but I have to admit that when I heard them live at the Auditorium in Chi-town I left feeling a little like my ears had been scratched out. I do appreciate Jack’s attempt to multi-task his instruments though. Any guy who can do two things at once with his hands gets the ladies excited, I’m just saying.
sounds like filler
effect and cause has me worried. i got wicked excited for “get behind me satan” after hearing how awesome blue orchid was. and then the cd was lame. effect and cause is not the white stripes i like. instead its the white stripes that are content to drift about aimlessly. it does sound a whole lot like filler to me too.
I don’t know if critics of their live performances have actually seen them live, or just videos of them. It’s a pretty different (and overwhelmingly totally awesome) experience to actually see them. I personally love it, even though it’s technically less polished than the studio sound.
Also, Effect and Cause totally sounds like their cover of Rated X, the Loretta Lynn song on the Hotel Yorba single!
Why is Jack wearing more makeup than MEg? And the Stripes don’t sound good here, Usually they sound ace. Is it the poor audio encoding or the performance? I hope it’s the former. icky sounds awesome on tape though
wow greg, you are missing the point of what th ewhite stripes do live. i noticed a while back how different they sound live and i think that is where the real magic is. jack and meg’s interaction with eachother is something really special and it allows jack to go off and improv at just about any point…they often break their songs down and then bring it all back. so if you’re bummed out that two people don’t make it sound like their studio productions…ive also heard that linkin park do a great job playing their songs the same every time.
I want rest my weary head on Meg’s pale and ample bosom.
osnap! Jools is hot shit on the keys
Jack sure loves those gretsch falcon guitars and he’s actually playing a gibson instrument! shocker.
Hmm, getting me more exciting when they come to connecticut.
this is fantastic. their performances truly make this song good. cuz on paper, this song in the wrong hands could easily get into CMT territory…Toby Keith rollin around in a golf cart with his buddy. i dunno, maybe that could be said for anything.
who’s that guy on the side of the stage with the fedora? He seems pretty cool
I always wondered what doorbell would sound like if the Dirtbombs covered it.
I’m not saying they should sound exactly like their albums live. I’ve seen plenty of bands that sound BETTER and fuller live than they do on their albums (such as Beirut, The National, Land of Talk, Arcade Fire) and with the Stripes it’s too often the opposite. And I’m not basing this on watching a few youtube videos (though that Son House cover was totally sweet). Anyway, watever, I’m not trying to start a bitching fest, but I think it’s a relevant topic of discussion for this band.
Greg, take your tampon out before starting a bitchfest. Those bands you mention indicate that garage rock might not be your cup of tea.
These are not the best live videos but if you watch Under Blackpool lights or the Conan O’Brien appearances it shows their true shit. Or if you see them live. fucking brilliant.
check out “let’s build a home” on conan.
Beirut and the National better live than the Stripes? Not even close, in my experience. The energy and dynamic onstage is pretty unmatched for me. I’d say the Arcade Fire maybe come close to reaching that height of the overwhelming live experience that the Stripes provide, but it’s a different dynamic for sure, with all the band members running around onstage instead of this intense connection between two people. Definitely watch that Conan video for some solid evidence (and better sound quality than these videos).
Man, when I saw the White Stripes at the Auditorium, it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. This live show wasn’t that good (or at least “Icky Thump” wasn’t) but let me tell you, I can’t wait until they come to the Aragon.
this is a good site
http://myplaylist.biz
“Effect and Cause” sounds a whole lot like the melody/chords to “A Certain Girl”, doesn’t it?
just turn the volume up until it sounds good
people this is a garage band
thats the sound of it
I’m a huge White Stripes fan, but I can totally relate to people preferring their studio output to their live stuff. Some of their live songs are great, but songs like Black Math and Seven Nation Army sound pretty thin when Jack’s soloing with no rhythm guitar track behind it, only drums. That said, bring on Icky Thump! Can’t wait to hear the whole thing.
I seriously can’t believe how so many people can be so deluded into thinking this is a great band. Listen for fuck sake! It sounds like thirteen year-olds trying a song for the very first time in some garage. I suppose that’s the charm is it? A really good band is one that sounds like they don’t reaaaaallly know what they’re doing? Apparently there’s a very thin line between “good music” and “shit”.
Seriously, guys, don’t comment unless you have actually seen them play live. Meg is a so-so drummer, true — but love him or hate him, Jack’s a real virtuoso. Big, big sound. They put on a GREAT live show and I hate to admit it, because I do believe Jackie’s a bit of an ass. I still can’t forgive him for making a mess out of Jason VonBondie’s cute little face.
I wish that Jools Holland show was still on BBC America. Their bookers (Jools himself?) are incredible! Great acts each and every week. And real, live performances.
why would you even compare them to a band like Beirut or the National? they sound nothing like either one of those bands.
just because they’re not overproduced like Radiohead (not a shot at Radiohead) doesn’t make them a less credible band. sometimes I like to listen to something made on Pro Tools, and sometimes I like to listen to something made in a garage.
I love the White Stripes. I recently saw them in CT. At first I was a little pissed cause I expected a much longer show. Once I realized that I didn’t get gyped and they play 70 to 100 minute shows I felt great about it. Seeing them live is truly incredible. Few if any special stage effects, just two people rocking it out. I absolutley LOVED Icky Thump done live. I don’t really like the studio one. You have to respect a band that plays how they want to. Not how the label tells them to. It’s not studio quality which makes it real. I like to know that the bands I’m seeing are not lip synch-ing. I agree with everyone on here, if you don’t like it go buy some Linkin Park or Brittany Spears bullshit. There’s plenty of music out there written by record label execs and performed by teenagers for those who don’t want to hear what real music sounds like