Track Listing

1. You're Pretty Good Looking
2. Hello Operator
3. Little Bird
4. Apple Blossom
5. I'm Bound To Pack It Up
6. Death Letter
7. Sister, Do You Know My Name?
8. Truth Doesn't Make A Noise
9. Boy's Best Friend, A
10. Let's Build A Home
11. Jumble, Jumble
12. Why Can't You Be Nicer To Me?
13. Your Southern Can Is Mine

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3229 in Music
• Released on: 2002-02-04
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Don't be mistaken by the modernist cover and obscure title, The White Stripes' De Stijl certainly doesn't deal in the abstract. Primarily interested in the raw, passionate sounds of the blues (cited influences include legendary guitarists Robert Johnson and Charley Patton) as well as blues influenced 70s rock, Meg and Jack White create their own punked-up rhythm and blues that is direct and incredibly soulful. Singing of childhood memories, injustices and lost loves with tracks such as "Sister, Do You Know My Name?" and "Jumble, Jumble", they seem to inhabit an innocent world which fits oddly well with the type of fervent, shambolic music they make and, you suspect, could sound positively "twee" without it. From the disjointed thrashy, stop-start rant of "Hello Operator", the 60s beat pop of "Pretty Good Looking" and the Blind Willie McTell cover "Your Southern Can is Mine" De Stijl shows a band beginning to carve out a sound for themselves. Less heavy than the guitar crunching follow-up--White Blood Cells, De Stijl is a more diverse collection of songs, hinting that there is much more to the Detroit duo than first meets the eye. -Caroline Butler

Customer Reviews

They're Pretty Good Looking (For A Band)
Extraordinarily rarely, I enjoyed this album on the first listen. It's hard not to when you're strummed into an opener like You're Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl) and smashed into the second track Hello Operator. Apple Blossom is one of the most tender, meaningful songs I've ever heard; I'm Bound To Pack It Up tells of a yearning frustration of dead-end feelings; and Truth Doesn't Make A Noise has recently sunk into my head as being achingly brilliant. Death Letter is ace as is the Blind Willie McTell cover Your Southern Can Is Mine, where drummer Meg sings with Jack during the chorus. Why Can't You Be Nicer To Me?, Jumble Jumble and all the rest are top, but those are just the ones I've decided to name.

If you like the more stripped-down, bluesy side of The White Stripes, De Stijl is the one to go for first. If you like the raw punk, go for the self-titled LP. White Blood Cells is a rockier mixture of the two, and the one I'd recommend most people to start out on. In fact, I'd buy them as I did, in reverse order of release dates. I think that aids a full appreciation of just how ace this band are.

Where Was The Hype For This?
Most probably your looking at De Stijl because you have listened to White Blood Cells to death and you can't wait for the new album to come about, and because of all the hype around them you thought you might check out their back catalogue. Fair play, but don't just take De Stilj as an album to fill the time gap. This is an awesome album that shouldn't just be treated as a quick history lesson to the band. It should be treated as a lesson in dirty filthy garage rock at its finest.

The album is more raw and edgy than W.B.C and when listening you feel a certain air of intimacy with it. Each track is so personal and performed with so much soul that you almost feel rude for listening, as if you were spying on the man's diary.

I don't feel I have to go through the album track by track to explain why you should buy this album. All I can say is if you’re a music fan then you should give this album a listen, and if you're a White Stripes fan then in the words on Donnie Brasco 'Forget about it'

The Blues in a White Stripes Stijl
If you're considering this album having bought White Blood Cells, thinking 'Could it possibly be as good?', then read on. The news is positive.
The cover suggests a band looking to extend their artistic depth into new fields and the music does not dissapoint.
It kicks off with the quite magnificent 'You're pretty Good Looking For A Girl' and doesn't let go from then on. The songs are so good you almost will them to invest in a different in a new production team, as the mix sometimes muddies the quality of the songs.
In some ways it is difficult to qualify exactly how good The White Stripes are without seeing their live show, but this record will take you somewhere close. It is literally impossible to pick out a standout track, because it flows effortlessly from one to another. However, if you've seen them live before, then 'Hello Operator', 'Apple Blossom' and 'Jumble, Jumble' will be familiar.
The White Stripes are one of the greatest bands of our time. All their albums are special, but this, arguably is the best of a brilliant bunch.