Under Great White Northern Lights [LP]

by The White Stripes

Overview

Given the White Stripes' reputation for powerful concerts, it's a little surprising that they waited until more than a decade into their career to release a live album. However, Under Great White Northern Lights was worth the wait: While nothing can really replace seeing the band live, this set captures most of their riveting on-stage presence. The album was recorded during the Stripes' 2007 Canadian tour, which was such a special experience for them that they chronicled it with a DVD as well. The band was touring in support of that year's Icky Thump, and the Scottish and Celtic motifs that are woven throughout that album pop up here, too, from the bagpipes intro to a brisk version of "Little Ghost" that sounds almost like a reel. Like most White Stripes concerts, Under Great White Northern Lights features an evenhanded mix of early songs and newer ones -- Jack and Meg White go way back for incendiary takes on "Let's Shake Hands" and "When I Hear My Name," which sound right at home next to the lunging "Icky Thump" and "I'm Slowly Turning into You." The album opens with four furious rockers that show just how primal the duo is live -- on "Black Math" and a breathless "Blue Orchid" they sound like they can barely keep up with the energy flowing through them -- but many of Under Great White Northern Lights' brightest moments happen when they slow down. Jack and Meg settle into a groove on "300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues" that makes the song fresher than it was on Icky Thump, while a particularly stunning version of "The Union Forever," with extra-desperate vocals from Jack surrounded by a swelling, horror-movie organ, just might be the album's standout. The Stripes also include plenty of favorites, including "Jolene," a bluesy "Fell in Love with a Girl," a singalong "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself," and a bruising "Seven Nation Army" as the finale, all of which capture the kind of show the band puts on for its fans. Since a big part of the Stripes' live show also rests on their visuals, the Under Great White Northern Lights DVD gives the complete experience, but this album is satisfying enough to make it a must for most fans. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	03/16/2010
Label:	Warner Bros.
UPC:	0093624968245
Rank:	29484

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Let's Shake Hands
2. Black Math
3. Little Ghost
4. Blue Orchid
5. The Union Forever
6. Ball and Biscuit
7. Icky Thump
8. I'm Slowly Turning into You

Disc 2

9. Jolene
10. 300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues
11. We Are Going to Be Friends
12. I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself
13. Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn
14. Fell in Love with a Girl
15. When I Hear My Name
16. Seven Nation Army

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The White Stripes   Primary Artist
Emmett Malloy   Director

Technical Credits

Jack White   Mixing,Composer,Producer
Dolly Parton   Composer
Vance Powell   Mixing
Lowell Reynolds   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Burt Bacharach   Composer,Lyricist
Andrew Mendelson   Mastering
Hal David   Composer
Pepe Guizar   Composer
Natthaphol Abhigantaphand   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Shelley Anderson   Assistant
Tim Wheeler   Editing,Producer
Daniel Bacigalupi   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Autumn de Wilde   Photography
Ian Montone   Producer
John Baldwin   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Rob Jones   Design
Philip J. Harvey   Engineer,Recording
Mike Sarkissian   Producer
Shelly Anderson   Assistant Engineer