Be wary of an album that leads off with its best track. “Seven Nation Army,” a furious slide guitar-propelled rocker and an anthem for the best music on The White Stripes’ new Elephant, opens the new disc just as it opens a new window into the mind of John Gillis. Yes, before there was a Jack White, before Gillis ever heard the blues he’s paid homage to on three previous studio albums, he clearly listened to the same music that raised the rest of our generation: heavy metal.
Fans of the first, self-titled White Stripes album and its Zeppelin-esque sound know this intuitively, whether they wish to admit it or not. Now the Phil Rudd-like drumming and heavy guitar sounds that permeate Elephant give us empirical proof, calling to mind the best work of bands both as good as Sabbath (“Black Math”) and as bad as Cinderella (“I Want To Be The Boy”).
Even as White makes an entertaining show of reinventing the sort of hard rock that sounds good coming from the back seat of a Camaro, the album stumbles soon into the 14-song progression. When Meg takes over vocal duties on “In The Cold Cold Night,” you will skip to the next track. By the end of the disc, a few more un-listenable duds break the promise made by the first four songs. Even so, this is a good album, better and more adventurous than De Stijl, just not up to the excellence of White Blood Cells.
Besides the lead cut, “There’s No Home For You Here” is the standout, a song to make you remember that Queen rocked as hard as anyone during the disco era. With its quiet-loud contrast and the bubbling rage of both Jack’s voice and his distorted guitar, this is a great ranting breakup song, sure to callous the bitterest male heart. The clever hint as to the derivation of “Black Math” is accurate; more so, it sounds like an outtake from the Jack White-produced Von Bondies’ album, Lack of Communication. “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself,” a Burt Bachrach song and one of two ballads on the album, is more Robert Plant than “I Want to Be The Boy”‘s Tom Keifer.
The best songs all share guitar tones more Slash than “Sonic” Smith, showing the White Stripes will not be content just to ride their “Detroit sound” quickly into the sunset. To be sure, there are still two typical garage rockers here, “Hypnotize” and “Girl You Have No Faith In Medicine.” Both would be more at home on a Gold Dollar-era set list than this collection, but the Stripes’ studio forte is not (nor has it ever been) the rudimentary rock and roll of bands like MTV-darlings The Hives or Detroit’s Buzzards.
The wizardry of Jack and Meg, apart from their charming red and white shtick and brother-sister bullshit, is how they freshly and naïvely toy with musical genres. Before it was blues. On Elephant, their idiot-savant heavy metal approaches genius.
A shame that four worthless numbers weren’t just dropped and the remaining songs reordered—the band would have still had a respectable 36-minute album. Instead, the bloated 50-minute Elephant clocks in as their longest release. The bad songs range from boring and awful (the aforementioned Meg song) to campy and awful (“Well It’s True…” featuring Holly Golightly). The abominable “Little Acorns” wastes a full minute with the narration of a pathetic self-help story about a squirrel. I may be a bit harsh in wanting to excise “The Hardest Button to Button” instead of the clearly out-of-place acoustic “You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket,” but at least the latter sounds like a Dave Davies number. “Button” is just annoying and repetitive. That these songs made it to the album is shocking, given the few throwaways on previous albums.
The Stripes make just a single concession to the blues on Elephant, “Ball and Biscuit,” a track that’s neither as inspired as their covers of “Lord Send Me An Angel” or “Death Letter.” This one, penned by Jack, is more of a Johnny Winter number, which is still better than the organ-driven “The Air Near My Fingers,” a song that proves once and for all that Meg drums as well as she sings.
Elephant lives up to its name—a big, sprawling album full of big guitar rock sounds, if a bit clumsy.
Glorious Noise has been covering the White Stripes for a while. Johnny Loftus caught them in Chicago back in July 2001, and Nate Walker wrote about a show in Michigan in April 2002.
I think you were too hard on the album.
http://www.artandlies.com/analog_roam/archives/000277.html#000277
Ouch! I’ve been listening to the disc over and over and I just don’t share your revulsion. I found that Meg’s vocals only bolstered my sick fantacies about her and me and a giant pool full of Jello…….
Huh? Wha?
Oh yeah, where was I? I like the album. It was better than Cats. I’m going to listen to it again and again.
Peace Out
Stay tuned to Glorious Noise for more perspectives on Elephant and the White Stripes.
By the way, I think Meg’s drumming is perfect for this album, and I really liked her vocals when she performed Loretta Lynne’s “Rated X” live in Chicago, but she just doesn’t pull off “In the Cold Cold Night.” You can tell they’re going for a Peggy Lee/Bobbie Gentry vibe but Meg’s voice just isn’t strong enough for it. And on that last song, her vocals are so weak it’s unbearable; she should have at least sung directly into the mic!
I’ve been listening to Elephant for awhile (thanx, internet! But I also did buy the cd) and I agree with Scotty and Kenan – Sab, you were too hard on the Whites. I think Elephant can comfortably co-exist with White Stripes previous outings. It does rock pretty hard, after all. And I can’t stop playing ‘Girl You Have No Faith In Medicine’.
But since I would be a wuss for not weighing in on the crucial ‘Can Meg sing or not’ question, I’ll have to agree with you – she’ll never put out an album called ‘Meg Sings’.
Let me get this straight. The disc is 49:56 in length. You’re suggesting, Jeff, that it would have been better if about 25% of it was left in the studio. Now, maybe I’m a little mystified about this, but wouldn’t it be reasonable to expect a bit of, uh, breadth to accompany the depth?
And, c’mon, Jeff: “Little Acorns” presents the audio stylings of Detroit’s own Mort Crim (former anchorman, now doing radio talks sponsored by Detroit’s own Kmart–or maybe they can’t afford them anymore)–that, my friend, is genius.
I am definitely not being too hard on Elephant–I remember writing it “approaches genius” at times. The problem is that it’s far more inconsistent than previous albums–higher highs and lower lows–and I just plain want more of the shrieking metal wail the album begins with.
And yes, if the album was shorter it would be better, absolutely. De Stijl was only 37:30. Even if they would have left “Button” on the album and gotten rid of the three other awful songs, we’d be so much further ahead here. I do not buy music in bulk.
And just because fucking Mort Crim is the one reading the stupid story about the pathetic woman and the squirrel, that doesn’t make it any less miserable to listen to every time you play the song. Nor does it excuse the worst lyric in Detroit rock history, “Be like the squirrel girl, be like the squirrel. Aw-oh-oh-oh-ough.”
A bit about my preferences: The White Stripes best album is White Blood Cells, easy. I think Elephant and the first album are about equal (ask me when I’ve lived with Elephant for a few years if it holds up as well as The White Stripes). De Stijl is good, but a bit boring in comparison. My favorite songs are “The Big Three Killed My Baby,” “Hotel Yorba” and now “Seven Nation Army.” To each their own.
Okay, I think I’ve got the perfect order for my 40-minute edited version of Elephant…
Side A (21 minutes)
1. There’s No Home For You Here
2. The Air Near My Fingers
3. Seven Nation Army
4. I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself
5. I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart
6. You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket
Side B (19 minutes)
7. The Hardest Button To Button
8. Hypnotize
9. Black Math
10. Girl You Have No Faith In Medicine
11. Ball And Biscuit
“In The Cold, Cold Night” is reminiscent of Mo Tucker in that Tucker really couldn’t sing either, yet the charm and innocence are the most captivating elements. I could listen to Meg White sing anytime, anywhere, and “In The Cold, Cold Night” is a highlight of the album for me. Peggy Lee she ain’t, but I love her just the same.
I actually agree with sab. I think the review is dead on. And I’ve had the album for a while also (tee hee). I did buy it, however, in hopes of ridding myself of any skepticism for once and all. But truthfully, it’s even weaker than De Stijl. This is because of its lack of consistency. The songs are either the best or worst they have released, not meaning they are bad, just substandard. There are many repeated ideas from previous albums. It would be comforting in a way, if they were retreating, so to speak, so as to take a step forward on the next outing, but Jack admitted to this being their swan song; WBC will probably remain their masterpiece. As for Meg, personally, the songs in which she features are my favorites. Her voice might be weak, but it sure as hell is sexy.
“…but Jack admitted to this being their swan song…”
I read somewhere (MOJO?) that he said he meant one more album AFTER this one.
I almost completely agree with Sab, and hope that more people will try listening harder to their music instead of tuning their minds to the hype frequency.
Quinn, you’re suggesting that the people who have listened to it repeatedly and love it only like it because of the hype surrounding the Stripes. Isn’t it possible that they just like the album more than you and Sab do?
I have not heard the album, but the suggestion that hype is what drives folks’ taste on this board is a bit irritating.
And according to the piece in last month’s Mojo where Jack runs down the tracks, he did suggest that the next Stripes album could well be their last. Seems like a good way to generate sales and to add to the mythology of the band.
give it some time. you fucks who listen to an album with the mindset of writing as review of it eating away any sense you may have of a new experience are undoubtedly missing it.
i, for the record, hated white blood cells the first time i heard it. in fact, i hated it so much that i immediately went out and sold it, at a total loss of $15.00 CND, onbly to realise my gross mistake months later when i downloaded the songs.
it took me that long to adjust. just give it some time, and get the white striped stick out of yer bum, “jake”.
I agree with sab, the album is indeed bloated, which opens up a whole new argument, were the limitations of vinal a blessing in disguise, keeping the crap out … etc. I think this album suffers from excess, there are definately songs here that don’t belong. Whoever was in chage of the overall production of this album was a complete moron. Reconfigured, this record is the shit. At 10 or 12 songs, it’s a fucking monster, the guitar tones are killer. I don’t know where the split developed, but it’s rare lately to be able to listen to an album as a whole, to feel the full dynamic of the group. Everything is so top-loaded with something that might be radio freidly, that the latter half of most CD current, are just there to justify a huge sticker price. It’s all one trick pony shit, and any vision is lost.
Elephant has so many great tracks, that it’s a shame that, in my opion, it will not create a bigger fanbase for such an incredibe band, but it’s there own fault. I’ll keep buying White Stripes albums, but as for the general mass public, it’s a bit of a failure. There is no true single, and the flow of the album is very “Elephant Like”. It just seems that nobody with any power in the record industury has any faith in the intelligence of the people who accually buy these albums, and our attention spans were created buy shitty Gap commercials.
Buy this album, definatey, but see that in the hands of commerse, great music will suffer
Forgive grammical errors, I am drunk.
Mick
“you fucks who listen to an album with the mindset of writing as review of it eating away any sense you may have of a new experience are undoubtedly missing it.”
Reread. Revise. Rewrite.
“i, for the record, hated white blood cells the first time i heard it. in fact, i hated it so much that i immediately went out and sold it…”
Hey, P.A.R., buddy! Who’s the dumb fuck now, dimwit! I guess it’s a crime to have an opinion!
Haha! That was some great drunken rambling, Mick!
“you fucks who listen to an album with the mindset of writing a review of it eating away any sense you may have of a new experience are undoubtedly missing it.”
Hey P.A.R., if you knew anything about those of us who write for this site, you’d realize you couldn’t be further off the mark with that statement. We all care very deeply about music.
Isn’t it funny that Jeff’s review has provoked this kind of defensiveness? He only criticized four songs! Seriously, I’d like to hear someone articulate why they think “It’s True That We Love One Another” deserves to be included on this album.
How’s this, Jake:
(1) Because they needed something as puerile as “Little Acorns” to provide balance.
(2) Because they’ve been getting major attention in the U.K. and wanted to use Ms. Golightly in some capacity to provide godknowswhat.
Ha. I actually just read in MOJO a quote from Jack about Holly’s contribution: “We were friends and we wanted to do a song. […] It also was paying respects to England. Giving a nod to those peopple that had come before us like Holly and Billy Childish. We’re not ungrateful! We didn’t wanna just come in, use the country and leave (laughs).” MOJO 113, p. 88. They recorded the album in England, you know.
I’m presently working up my defense of “Hardest Button to Button,” which I think is a great song. I also do not hate the Squirrel song and I think “Be like the squirrel, girl, be like the squirrel” is a funny, weird lyric (a la Syd Barrett), but I’m not going to take the time to write up a defense of that one.
You are a music critic, thus it is your job to be… critical. I do however, take issue with the implication that Meg could never have a solo career. This statement grossly underestimates the power of the average consumer. If Don Johnson and David Hasselhoff can be Rock Gods, why not Meg?
Be like the squirrel, Meg. Be like the squirrel.
Of course you know she’s a robot…
According to http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/ Elephant sold 119,220 in its first week and will debut at #6 on the albums chart, behind Linkin Park, 50 Cent, Now 12, Celine Dion, and Norah Jones. No matter how you look at it, that’s a lot of people listening to a good album.
Did someone mention Holly? Yummy Yum Yum!
It’s funny, but I “get” Sab, so I temper my replys. But if I didn’t know him, I’d probably fly off the handle and post a long diatribe focused on how much his review sucked.
It’s also funny that when taken word for word, there’s so much more positive than negative in Sab’s article. I think it’s just the overall tone of the piece.
Am I crazy? Does Sab have a history of inciting people? (Sorry, Sab. I had to be a smart ass).
Peace Out
Scotty
Yea so basically this review existed so u could prove how knowledgibleu are and how many names u could connect to the various songs. But it’s so much more than that, the wasted self helf help thing at the beginning of Little Acorns is a local Detroit anchor, instantly recognisible to any one actually from there, thus an inside joke that a lot of ppl wouldnt get, but perfect bait for drawing out elitist “critics” that think they have the answer to the source of everything. I bet it was heavy handed new age stuff huh? i Dont know maybe thats what they teach u in criticism school, “thats a very Larry King comment followed by a Tom Brokaw riff” whatever its like can we try and dig a nd associate every drum roll and lyrical flourish with another source. God i hope it gets better than that, or maybe you will be relagted to this little site for eternity.
I think they included it because they wanted to, and it is their album, so they can do whatever the fuck they want, and u who live off the scraps at the end of the table are free to do as u choose as well. Long Live Mort Crim. I’m sorry I’m with the ppl who have defended this, I think everything fits. And When I hear the beginning of that song it takes me back to my chilhood, layin in my living room eatin popcorn waitin with my mom for johnny carson to come on.
Hey, maybe that long-awaited BVA solo album will feature Suzanne Geha?
What the hell are you going on about Jeff – saying that the intro to Little Acorns is boring, far from it, it perfectly sets the song up for story telling Michael Jackson-esque-vocal touched marvel. The album is, and will be in 25 years time, Monumental. Not one track deserves to be left off the album – the fact that you actually say that ‘It’s true that we love one another’ is shit, pretty much sums up Jack’s idea – he wanted a light-hearted, ironic ending to a blues-fused masterpiece – check out the guitar on ‘Ball and Biscuit’ – one track you didn’t even mention – that will go down in history as one of the best Rock ‘n’ Roll tracks ever written – measuring up to The Stones ‘Midnight Rambler’ without a doubt.
I don’t think you have been too harsh – I just think you have been niave and stupid. One word of advice – smoke a joint and sit back and then give your opinion – not that anyone really cares, and, I know, they don’t care about what I have to say either. Twats.
And another thing – Meg White ‘singing shit’ – of course she fucking can’t sing, that’s the whole point of that song – Jack White wrote it from a man’s perspective, his – so lending it to Meg, which I’m sure he fully orchestrated, gave it a fresh and obscure angle – her voice is delicate, maybe a tad outta tune, but soft and light – an easy listen. The tune is a bit ‘poppy’ but the idea is overwhelmingly fantastic.
See the album as two halves, as vinyl intended, the first 7 songs a light start to what’s around the corner, Ball and Biscuit starting the second side to end you, as most records do, and should, wanting more. Jack White is a genius blues man of our age – respect him, or just don’t say anything.
TG, the vinyl version is actually 4 sides because it’s too long to fit on a single record. If you’re going to go by “as vinyl intended” then the album should be less than 45 minutes, ha ha. Most albums should.
By the way, here’s a good interview with Jack from the Onion AV Club: http://www.theonionavclub.com/features.php?feature_id=22
“Respect him, or just don’t say anything.”
Yep, you’re either with us or you’re a terrorist.
Meg being a robot will only improve her odds of achieving solo stardom. Right now she’s primarily programmed to drum; there was not enough memory left for top-notch vocal samples. Should Jack ever disband the White Stripes, perhaps he could sell her to Celine Dion and she could be reconfigured to take over the pop world.
the album went to number 1 this side of the atlantic http://www.nme.com/news/104697.htm and is expected to stay there
Sabatini’s metallic elephant visual hits it: “a big, sprawling album full of big guitar rock sounds, if a bit clumsy” – I’m sure this pretty much closes in on the highest criteria of praise a rock band could hope for – give Sabbath or Zeppelin’s early albums a spin – into it or not, there’s quite a shitload of genius in the sprawl!
Are we listening to the same album? Your opaque references to heavy metal are irrelevant. To make any comparisons between Elephant and heavy metal is ignorant, short-sighted and limiting.
To say that Ball And Biscuit is their only concession to blues on Elephant confirms that you just haven’t listened. Blues and garage rock sounds resonate throughout Elephant. Further, why draw any comparison at all between Ball And Biscuit and covers of Lord Send Me An Angel or Death Letter? They are three very different and distinct songs.
The acoustic You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket fits the album perfectly because the White Stripes are a multi-dimensional band whose music crosses various styles. They don’t fit any one genre, so if they want to play a low key acoustic song then that’s entirely appropriate. One of the main points you seem to be missing about the White Stripes is that their songs convey poignancy and emotion as well as providing aural entertainment – it’s a congruous juxtaposition.
It’s True That We Love One Another reflects their love of folk music. It’s a quaint song that playfully and childishly tells a cute little story. Lighten up – they’re just having fun.
As for the last snide little bitch you relay about Meg’s drumming, this ultimately proves that you just don’t get it. Meg’s drumming suits the sound that the White Stripes want to make. What appealed to Jack about her drumming is that she sounds like a child. It reflects their simple, uncomplicated approach to music.
Your “review” is elementary in its simple analogies and the overwhelming tone of the whole article is whiny and vapid – and ultimately, irrelevant.
Couldn’t agree more with you Lucy – I’m glad some people dig The Whites…what a video to Seven Nation Army as well!!! Check it out…
i think sab’s review is completely relevant and valid. in fact, i agree with much of it, though i do like “it’s true that we love…” the record is (for the white stripes) good, not amazing, and some ofthe songs fall flat for me. (i like the “squirrel” intro, but not the song really, and keyboard use in general is always iffy for me.) i still think it’s better than 95% of the crap out there and i still absolutely love this band. thanks for posting an honest review, sab and other commentators.
Little Acorns, while by no means the best song on the album, is IMHO pretty good. The intro monologue is funny – sounds like people have taken it a bit too seriously, as they have with the Holly Golightly track at the end of the album which is clearly meant as a light hearted flourish after the big and heavy ‘…Faith In Medicine’. As for Meg’s singing, it makes a nice change with a female vocal. She’s not the best singer but not bad.
-there you go, “riding the hype”…
Hey Lucy, just because some people don’t like the album as much as you do, doesn’t mean they don’t dig the Stripes. Trust that we could all brag about how great the record is, which it is, but it’s not their best, and that’s a fact you’ll have to deal with. We aren’t deaf, we are all fans of the band.
It’s probably just me, but whenever I hear “Cold Cold Night,” I get to thinking about the pink panther. Does anybody get this, too?
Lucy, I find it odd that you laud the band for their “simple uncomplicated approach to music” but find great disdain and dismiss as irrelevant a review because its “elementary in its simple analogies”.
Maybe, just maybe, your analysis, which carries the same amount of relevancy as anyone else’s here I might add, could benefit from ‘uncomplicating’ itself from your condescending and authoritative assertions.
According to http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/ Elephant sold 61,212 in its second week, the 14th highest selling album of the week.
i’d be very interested to hear which song or songs off “lack of communication” draw the comparison to “black math”. i don’t hear it at all.
sounds a hell of a lot more like earlier white stripes if you ask me.
seriously. i want to know.
If you can’t hear it in the title track, my apologies, but you need to get your ears checked.
no need to be insulting, sob. i think some of the nasty posts on this page have made you a little oversensitive!
honestly, i was just curious which particular song(s) drew the comparison. listening again i see that what you really mean is that there’s a vocal similarity in terms of singing style, although you’d never mistake one singer for the other. in terms of the actual song itself, it IS much more similar to some earlier stripes offerings (see Let’s Build a Home) than anything on communication.
According to http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/ Elephant sold 66,163 in its third week, the 20th highest selling album of the week.
i like elephant.
…but what DOES bother me a LOT is the way that “There’s No Room For You Here” sounds almost exactly like “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground”
Not sure if anyone still cares, but according to http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/ Elephant sold 51,189 in its fourth week, the 16th highest selling album of the week.
I admit that I am a superficial fan of the White Stripes having discovered them on The Conan O’Brien Show just last week but I disagree with this review. I ran right out on the weekend and bought Elephant and at first glance I was a little disappointed that the only song I knew was Seven Nation Army (Having missed Thursdays Conan against my will) but when I got it home I found out that this album kicks ass. At first listen I found some of the songs to have weak lyrics but I wasn’t discouraged by this since it takes me few listens to really like a song, I was surprised therefore to find that I liked most of them, including “In The Cold, Cold Night”. It had the innocence and childlike quality that they were trying to achieve with “their charming red and white shtick” and Megs inexperienced drumming. I think The White Stripes is the best band to come along in quite a long time and I think all the hype about them is great, it’s better than hype about Christina Aguilera and her latest near-naked nonsense. I admire and respect The White Stripes especially after they turned down that 1 million dollar gap commercial, they must have noticed how supremely, unaccountably annoying they are. I hope The White Stripes does to music today what Nirvana did to the crap they passed off as music in the 80’s.
P.s. Don’t think I’m shortsighted not having bought previous albums, I’ve downloaded them and I am planning on buying them.
According to http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/ Elephant sold 51,371 in its fifth week, the 16th highest selling album of the week. That’s 349,155 so far (at least according to this data).
This debate reminds me of the following:
“The way [Brian] Deck [Red Red Meat, Ugly Casanova] sees it, there are defined roles in the music industry and he’s perfectly content with his. ‘Having a vocabulary to talk about music is the job of people who make it, regurgitating one sheets and filling copy space that couldn’t be sold to advertisers is the job of the music press.'”
(Passage taken from the review of Ugly Casanova’s “Sharpen Your Teeth” on this site.)
According to http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/ Elephant sold 48,539 in its sixth week, the 18th highest selling album of the week. That’s 397,694 so far (at least according to this data).
I wonder what their deal with V2 is like…
According to http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/ Elephant sold 41,428 in its 7th week, the 19th highest selling album of the week. That’s 439,122 so far (at least according to this data).
wow-so much debate about this great album.what’s wrong with you people, i’m curious of your ages.while i love to analyze music, sometimes you just bask in what you love. elephant as well as wbc are wondrous works that don’t require criticism. you don’t like meg’s vocals- then don’t claim that you love the album ‘except for……’ that’s where the hype comes into play. the stripes arent unlike any other band, generally speaking. i just happen to feel they put out incredible records that i am almost obsessed with. dont ruin it for me- either bash it or love it- dont give me all this “great,but…” shit. and come on- holly’s song only adds to the mystique of who’s fucking who in the white stripes- it’s all tongue and cheek, no pun intended, or maybe it is-just enjoy it.
i guess im not done- i told you i like to analyze,as well. the phenomenon of the ws is similar to nirvana in the 90’s(not the 80’s dude). only in the sense that somewhat of an underground band found mainstream success.this dilemma is why we are all writing so much. to see the juxtaposition of the ws and christina on the charts just gets people like us in a frenzy. elephant is one of the most self produced albums ever, as opposed to c’s
or lickme park’s. there is a sense on the stripes records that they are doing exactly what every artist wishes they could- but dont have the power , or the balls, or the desperate will. this is why the stripes stand out in this day of uninspired shit. so you didnt like song 8 or 12- you wouldnt be talkind about it if you didnt feel the power of these songs that make you want to write anything at all. i mean, its easy to discount bands that are mediocre- the three star bands- but give ’em a break- no one else is putting out simple yet great songs as this ex-couple(by the way). every song is great. are there any stones songs you dont like? sure- but does that make them not the greatest band ever? i promise you there is someone out there that loves those songs you hate.has anyone ever made a perfect album?? you might think so, but i tell ya- someone will tell you whats wrong with it.
it’s only rock-n-roll anyway- the only true path to god.
According to http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/ Elephant sold 36,565 in its 8th week, the 23rd highest selling album of the week. That’s 475,687 so far (at least according to this data).
Hey Mr. Sabatini, if you think little acorns & cold, cold night are just a waist of time, I got to say that you’re the worst music critic ever… Lucky to still have a job….
I think you’re being way too hard on both the album and Meg. Personally I like the fact that they change it up throughout the course of the CD. And both Jack and Meg’s off key vocal work are part of the album’s charm.
I will admit, it was kind of a mistake to open with the absolutely amazing Seven Nation Army as it is the best song on the CD, but it also opens the door for hearing the interesting work that comes after.
Just relax dude. I used to produce house and trance music and unless you actually have every tired to CREATE something, you have no idea how hard it is.
Sab and wilhelmina sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-ing, first comes love and then comes marriage and then comes a very bitter and sarcastic child who will probably have a lot of chronic upper chest pain from crying out and having no one listening to it all the time for its parents are too busy plauding their own laurels instead of creating anything more interesting then website banter. You two aren’t related to hedda hopper or anything like that are you?
p.s — the white stripes are much more entertaining despite any minor flaw (either on vinyl or live) then either of you at any moment … so i bid you adieu
(strains of white stripe’s elephant played joyfully and with vigor in the background)
Elephant is one of the best albums of the year. Clearly you are an idiot not to see this. Meg White can sing and SHE CAN SURELY DRUM! Elephant is what music needs. Something fresh not overproduced, that brings music back to classic rock songs, with cool guitar solos, whether or not they sound like Led Zeppelin.
Meg White is currently among the best drummers out there. I know you disagree beecause you are an stupid idiot.
it’s a great album! certainly one of the best released this year by one of the biggest bands out there. stop slating it and rejoice in the gloriousness of ball and biscuit and hypnotize. and wots wrong with you’ve got her in your pocket? its a wicked song! roll on leeds festival i say! i can’t wait to see them singing their ‘weak’, ‘inconsistent’ songs, because as a live act, they are awesome.
everyone is entitled to their opinion, even when they are wrong, and i won’t bother trying to explain why anyone should or shouldn’t like elephant, as it is completely that person’s call. what i will do is point out the irony of one claiming 49 minutes is too much album and then spending 2 weeks defending that position.
I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT MR. GILLIS IS GOD-LIKE!!!! AND IF ANY OF YOU PEOPLE CAN RECORD SONGS THAT YOU WROTE AND PLAY AND SING TO IN YOUR OWN LIVING ROOM AND TURN ANY OF THE NUMBERS INTO A NATION WIDE HIT- THEN YOU WOULDN’T BE SO JEALOUS OF HIM!
EITHER WAY, IF YOU TALK GOOD OR BAD ABOUT THEM, YOU KNOW THAT THEY’RE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT, RIGHT? WHY ELSE WOULD SO MANY PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THEIR LIVES?
I’VE NEVER HEARD SUCH AWESOME MUSIC COME FROM TWO PEOPLE IN MY WHOLE LIFE! I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THEM AGAIN WHEN THEY COME BACK TO L.A., BERKLEY & LA JOLLA ( MY HOMETOWN!!) WHOO-HOO!
I absoulutely love every song on this album, and all previous albums to it. And yes, even the one where meg sings. She might not be Billie Holiday but it’s nice and provides my friend with orgasms when he hears her sing. haha.
“jolene..jolene..”
I think that Elephant is a GREAT album. And you know what, Meg CAN sing. At least thats what I think. I love all the songs and I think Jack’s pretty cute 2!!
Rock On Peeps!!! ;)
As an artist myself, I am in awe of Jack and Meg.
They draw from so many sources and create something very unique. The critisism of their expansion into diversity is unfounded. No artist worth his salt would be content to stick to a boring formula, (unless you are Brittany, Celine, or the hordes of corporate sluts that dominate the airwaves.)
Say YES to experimentation, and NO to conformity, that is how evolution works.
I’ve been around for a half century now, and I like to think that I’ve learned a few things along the way.
I’m amazed, that in this age of corporate music, the White Stripes have somehow managed to make their presence known.
Peace Love,
Trout
Hum. I won’t comment on the validity of this dude’s opinions. They’re just wrong.
Actually, not really. I just disagree. Right now I’ve had White Blood Cells for about, um, 4 days, and it’s starting to grow on me. Elephant grabbed me right away, or well, most of it did. That track with Holly Golightly in the end is horrible! Meg’s song is ok, not my favourite, but I won’t skip it. Partially because I’m lazy, but that’s not the point. And I like the other 2 that you proposed to cut. I personally like a longer CD. Tracks that may have been left off could be possible favourites, and if the added songs are that bad, you said it exactly! SKIP ‘EM!
But what in particular is better off White Blood Cells? “I think I smell a rat”? Pahaahaa! I’m sticking with Elephant, at least for now.
whoa. that was really, really harsh. i mean, ouch. i would have to say that i disagree wholeheartedly. besides all the comments on the music, there were a bunch of catty remarks. but onto the music- it’s fantastic. you’re obviously just not a stripes fan. sure, there are a few tracks that often i’m not in the mood for, but not very often. and about meg’s singing voice- if you don’t like it, than you can skip it, but i like it. i think’s refreshing, after all this sickening digitally enhanced stuff that most artists are putting out these days. it’s nice to here somebody who obviously hasn’t been messing with the natural beauty of her voice. and besides, i’m so sick of perfection and everybody trying to be perfect. i like the fact that i can hear the flaws in her voice and like it anyway.
but maybe that’s just me.
to sum it up- in my opinion elephant, just like the white stripes in general, is amazing.
you fucks who run this site get way too bent out of shape if someone doesnt agree with your take on something and then gang up on the poor fucker.
Ok, I’m back, and yes, I was too harsh. Everyone was too harsh. So just pop in your “Elephant” and chill awhile. Or “White Blood Cells” (which is great also, I’ve grown to love it like a sibling) or “De Stijl” or whatever. The White Stripes are just the bomb whichever way you look at it.
Oh yeah, the Hardest Button to Button video is right cool, go watch it. Except Jack’s got a mustache. Meh.
Good day.
And go read the article about Wilhelmina Wonka’s Megbot conspiracy theory, it’s absolutely hysterical. Just search up the white Stripes in the boxy thinger at the top for searchifying.
Jeff, you fool, Megs voice is like vanilla coke, jacks being regular coca-cola. speaking of coke i bet you like pepsi. Elephant is probably the best album within 10-15 years. It sounds as if it could have been made in the 60’s or 70’s (best music period of all time). You can go out and buy all the linkin park music you want. you don’t deserve the sweetness of Cold Cold Night. i bet you don’t like Dylan ethier.kill yourself
-tom
I like Pepsi. There is vanilla Pepsi though.