White Blood Cells

There's been a lot of White Stripes talk recently, with the Favorite Albums thread, and several premature Best Albums Of The Decade lists appearing, and I am really wondering, what the heck do people see in White Blood Cells? I know it was their breakout album, and has two of their biggest hits, with Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground and Fell In Love With A Girl, but I truly, honestly, do not see how this album can be compared to his other (mostly later) works and still be called 'best'.

I can see it being called better than their self-titled debut, which is basically just a punkish garage rock balls-to-the-wall kind of deal (which I love, but that's my personal preference, I know it's not anything musically impressive), and De Stijl is at its core a rockier White Blood Cells, but when Elephant came out, I was absolutely blown away by the evolution of Jack White's talents. All of a sudden, he was playing blistering guitar solos, pumping up the blues, and making you hang off every word he forced out of his throat into your mind.

Then Get Behind Me Satan comes out, basically an experimental album where several different instruments and sounds appear, and falls flat on its face, both musically and critically. However, it paved the way for my favorite album, Icky Thump, to combine the interesting instruments (trumpets and bagpipes present along with a few others), with the blistering guitar screaming at your face.

My question is, how can you take White Blood Cells, which does not play into Jack White's signature bluesy guitar style at all, and totally lacks the speed and in-your-face-ness (for lack of a term that makes sense) and call it better than such masterpieces of musical work?

I only got into the White Stripes recently, so all I have is White Blood Cells and I recently got Elephants. I'll go find Icky Thump though, with your recommendation.

White Blood Cells is my favourite White Stripes album, for a couple reasons. Not all of them are probably good reasons, but they are all I have.

First, nostalgia factor. It was the first White Stripes record I got, and I got it after seeing them perform on an episode of Saturday Night Live where they performed "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" and "We're Going to Be Friends." For "Dead Leaves" especially, it was something of a musical revelation to my fifteen year old self. From the opening feedback squeal into the opening riff, I hadn't heard a guitar make that kind of raw sound before. Then Jack White opened his mouth and I had never heard such a yowling wavering voice. Add to that the fact that their two-person band seemed like a completely strange and foreign concept, and it was something of a unique experience.

"Dead Leaves" continued to be a really big song for me. When I got my electric guitar, it was the first song I taught myself to play. I'd set up this effects box my dad got me where you can preprogram in different sound settings so I could play the crunchy intro and chorus and bridge, but the cleaner verses. I played the **** out of that song for months on end in my basement.

After picking up the album, it was one of those records that I listened to for months on end. When Elephant came out I got it from a friend, and while I liked it, there was nothing on it that grabbed me the same say a lot of the songs on White Blood Cells did (you know, other than "Seven Nation Army"). In fact, it wasn't until relatively recently that I actually began to appreciate a lot of Elephant.

After I got Elephant, despite the fact that they kept releasing albums, I never got any of them (I still haven't heard Get Behind Me Satan). I'd go into record stores and I'd sometimes see one of their newer records on sale, but rather than pick them up I'd just got home and listen to White Blood Cells again. I just never got tired of it. I'm still not tired of it.

I don't think any of the other releases I've heard from them are bad by any means. I think they are all excellent. I can't really say why I like White Blood Cells over any of them. I suppose I could go track-by-track and discuss what I like or don't like about each one? Maybe I'll do that.

White blood cells are important. They fight diseases.

White Blood Cells was also my first White Stripes album, then I bought the two that came before it, and every one after it as they came out. I liked each album better than the last (aside from Get Behind Me Satan, that album is kind of... unlovable), and Seven Nation Army is one of my least favorite songs on Elephant. I think we just like the White Stripes for completely different reasons, Nolan.

I guess so. I don't put much thought into the reasons why I like any given artist all that often.

That's not true. But I guess because I've never really had to defend my love for The White Stripes I've never had to think about what it is that I like about them before. So I don't really have any thought out reasons for liking them. Also, I'm somewhat drunk and can't think very well anyway right now.

I really, really want to see "It might get loud." Three supposed rock gods documenting their recordings. I dunno about The Edge or Mr. White, but Page is most certainly a god and I'd like to see some of the licks he lays down, and it just sounds interesting.

Can't find it anywhere.

Mr. White is most certainly a rock god.

Originally Posted by Andy

I really, really want to see "It might get loud." Three supposed rock gods documenting their recordings. I dunno about The Edge or Mr. White, but Page is most certainly a god and I'd like to see some of the licks he lays down, and it just sounds interesting.

Can't find it anywhere.

I'm way more pumped for Under Great White Northern Lights to get widespread release. It's supposed to be incredible.

I'm pretty excited for both.