Product Description

Fourth album from Detroit duo The White Stripes and the follow up to their critically acclaimed and commercially successful LP 'White Blood Cells', which was released in 2001. A fusion of garage-rock, folk-blues, country and 60's Britpop. Drummer Meg White lends her vocal skills on the track 'In The Cold Cold Night' and Holly Golightly makes a guest appearance on the album.

Track Listing

1. Seven Nation Army
2. Black Math
3. There's No Home For You Here
4. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
5. In The Cold Cold Night
6. I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart
7. You've Got Her In Your Pocket
8. Ball And Biscuit
9. Hardest Button To Button
10. Little Acorns
11. Hypnotise
12. Air Near My Fingers
13. Girl You Have No Faith In Medicine
14. Well It's True That We Love One Another

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1940 in Music
• Released on: 2003-03-31
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Jokingly referred to as the White Stripes' "British" album, Elephant is scattered with little cultural references that give away the fact it was recorded far from the duo's US home--just listen to the lyrics on "Seven Nation Army" ("..from the Queen of England to the hounds of Hell") or the album outro where someone chips in "jolly good, cup of tea?". But although there are some new twists here, from Meg discovering her voice to a tongue-in-cheek threesome with Holly Golightly, Elephant is no great departure; more a culmination of their preceding albums. Meg and Jack push their creativity (and the boundaries of their eight track) to new heights for the startling, Queen-inspired "There's No Home for You Here" while the (pedal-induced) deep bassline on "Seven Nation Army" is a classic indie dancefloor filler. But although some songs fly off into new realms there's plenty of that straight-up bluesy rock that makes the duo such an amazing prospect live--just listen to the sweat dripping off the overtly sexual "Ball and Biscuit". And amid all this there's that plaintive, resolutely unegotistical and yet theatrical voice that makes them so unique; when Jack cries out on "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" there's a dark desperation Bacharach and David certainly didn't put there. --Caroline Butler

Customer Reviews

A brilliant and exciting album
How far can you develop your sound with just electric guitar and drums. Quite a way though surely the point comes when your increasing creativity and musicality demands the introduction of further instruments. On Elephant, the White Stripes' Jack White also plays piano, organ, acoustic guitar and bass though thankfully in a very sparing way to enhance the songs. The raw White Stripes sound is still there on this brilliant and exciting album.

Like one of his clear influences Kurt Cobain, Jack knows about dynamics and how to arrange a song featuring just a few parts to maximise it impact. He also share Cobain's gift for a good melody with virtually every song containing something particularly memorable to make the listener want to play it again and again. For example, piano ballad I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart contains a glorious warms slide guitar solo whilst Hypnotize has an excellent bowed guitar effect followed by an exciting drum-beat.

Ah the drums! Although Jack is clearly the main musical talent in the White Stripes, Meg White's drumming should not be overlooked. Meg's primal playing may be described by some as rudimentary yet it is highly effective in bringing real tension to the White Stripes sound. Her style is similar to the Velvet Underground's Maureen Tucker with the art-rock of the VU another influence on the Stripes in general - particularly in the spoken intro. to the bizarre Little Acorns.

Further highlights of Elephant include the tracks most casual listeners are likely to know - the fantastic singles Seven Nation Army and The Hardest Button To Button as well as the band's thrilling take of Bacharach and David's I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself. Further highpoints include the incredible loud guitar solos on the lengthy Ball & Biscuit and catchy organ work on The Air Near My Fingers.

At the time of Elephant's release, I believe that there was still a lot of intrigue about the nature of Jack and Meg's relationship, a ruse cleverly exploited by the duo and their people for their own publicity. They play with these rumours further on the closing cod-country track, Well It's True That We Love One Another, which also features guest vocalist Holly Golightly. As it happens, the truth was stranger than fiction when it was finally revealed that Jack and Meg were not a current couple nor brother and sister but an ex-married couple! Quite bizarre...

A bizarre and very individual band perhaps but certainly an excellent one. Elephant is the best new music I've heard for a good while with the White Stripes broadening their musical palette without sacrificing their sound. A thrilling and fantastic punky blues ride.

Decent rock
Although this style of music isn't really my scene, i got this just due to seven nation army, but also really like the squirrel song (Can't remember the titile) and i love this. They are skilled musicians and can make very good songs. White stripes will go very far in this type of music!

The White Stripes at their peak
This is by far the White Stripes's finest album of a noteable career. Jack's superb guitar playing anchored by some charmingly uncomplicated drumming by sister Meg. "Ball And Biscuit", "The Hardest Button To Button", "I Want To Be The Boy..." they are all perfectly formed; textbook lessons in how to build great songs. But more than anything else; it's the tunes which set "Elephant" apart from the competition: Evocative and powerful melodies combined with intelligent, thought-provoking lyrics. Words and reviews can only go so far; they are no substitute for listening. Buy a copy and make-up your own mind.