Editor’s Note: From Albumism’s inception back in 2016, we’ve remained unabashedly and unequivocally passionate about our mission of celebrating the world's love affairs with albums past, present and future.
But while our devotion to the album as an art form has remained steadfast, as evidenced by our deepening repository of individual album tributes and reviews, we’ve admittedly seldom taken the opportunity to explicitly articulate our reverence for the virtues of artists’ complete album repertoires as a whole.
Hence why we’ve decided to showcase what we believe to be the most dynamic discographies of all time in this recurring series. In doing so, we hope to better understand the broader creative context within which our most beloved individual albums exist, while acknowledging the full breadth of their creators’ artistry, career arcs, and overall contributions to the ever-evolving musical landscape.
We hope you enjoy this series and be sure to check here periodically for the latest installments.
THE WHITE STRIPES
Studio Albums: The White Stripes (1999) | De Stijl (2000) | White Blood Cells (2001) | Elephant (2003) | Get Behind Me Satan (2005) | Icky Thump (2007) | Readers’ Poll Results
The White Stripes were an art project and their discography cements them in the rock & roll canon as such. Jack Gillis and Meg White were married in 1996; he took her last name. They divorced in 2000, but kept making records together and told the press and fans they were brother and sister. Jack was the frontman, shredding guitar into the crowds and occasionally stepping back as lead singer for Meg to change their sound with her ethereal voice. But notoriously, she kept quiet. Meg White was an anomaly—a silent drummer.
But it was her drumming that allowed The White Stripes to do what they did. Their records are wild and sprawling, showcasing sounds that twist and grind. Marimba and mandolin on Get Behind Me Satan, organ on White Blood Cells, piano and double bass on De Stijl, synthesizer on Icky Thump; and the two most musically constrained albums, The White Stripes and Elephant. Limits made The White Stripes. They were a concept band, focusing on control in sound and color. Elephant and The White Stripes both only feature three instruments: guitar, drum, and piano.
This control allowed them to really get to know their instruments and their songs. You can hear it across their 12 live LPs that span their time as a club band in Detroit to stadium headliners. My favorite is the concert documentary and its accompanying soundtrack Under Great White Northern Lights released in 2010. Ultimately The White Stripes are a blues band. Jack White took his favorite sounds of the Delta Blues into the garage and turned up the volume as loud as it could go, and then some.
With only three colors in design and dress—black, white and red—The White Stripes sealed themselves in a box and instead of the walls coming down, it grew in size with each record, with each performance. My favorites are Elephant, Get Behind Me Satan, and Icky Thump. Listen to “Blue Orchid” and “As Ugly As I Seem” back to back and you will hear their variety.
Sarah’s 3 Favorite White Stripes Albums of All Time:
1. Elephant (2003)
2. Get Behind Me Satan (2005)
3. Icky Thump (2007)
VISIT The White Stripes’ Official Store
LISTEN & WATCH: