Icky Thump

Infobox Album
Name = Icky Thump
Type = studio
Artist = The White Stripes


Released = June 15, 2007
Recorded = February 2007 at Blackbird Studio, Nashville
Genre = Alternative rock, Punk blues
Length = 47:44 (Original)
52:03 (Bonus Edition)
Label = Third Man/Warner Bros. (US) (162940-2)
XL (Europe)
Producer = Jack White
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gbfoxzr5ld6e link]
*"The A.V. Club" (A-) [http://www.avclub.com/content/music/the_white_stripes link]
*"Blender" Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=4572 link]
*"Entertainment Weekly" (A) [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20042876,00.html link]
*"NME" (9/10) [http://www.nme.com/reviews/8676 link]
*Pitchfork Media (8.0/10) [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/43672-icky-thump link]
*Robert Christgau (A-) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=13772 link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|3.5|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/15055805/review/15040307/icky_thump link]
*"Stylus" (B) [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/the-white-stripes/icky-thump.htm link]
*"Uncut" Rating|4|5 [http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/the_white_stripes/reviews/9891 link]
Last album = "Walking with a Ghost"
(2005)
This album = "Icky Thump"
(2007)
Next album =

"Icky Thump" is the sixth studio album by American alternative rock band The White Stripes. It was released June 15, 2007 in Germany, [cite web
url=http://www.amazon.de/Icky-Thump-White-Stripes/dp/B000PE0L5U/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/303-4487997-8271447?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1178206567&sr=8-1
title=Amazon Germany
accessdate=2007-05-03] June 18, 2007 in the rest of Europe, and June 19, 2007 in the rest of the world.cite web |url=http://www.whitestripes.com/lo-fi/news.html |title=News page |work=White Stripes web site |accessdate=2007-04-12] It is the band's first album on Warner Bros. Records.

"Icky Thump" entered the UK Albums Chart at number one [http://acharts.us/album/26528 "The White Stripes - Icky Thump global chart positions and trajectories"] . aCharts.us. Retrieved June 30, 2007.] and debuted at number two on the "Billboard 200" with 223,000 copies sold. [Katie Hasty, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003604227 "Bon Jovi Scores First No. 1 Album Since 1988"] , Billboard.com, June 27, 2007.] By late July, "Icky Thump" was certified gold in the United States. By the end of 2007, 1,235,000 copies had been sold world-wide making it the 39th best-selling album of 2007. [ [http://www.mediatraffic.de/year-end-albums.htm Global Track Chart] ] As of March 8, 2008, the album has sold 725,125 copies in the US. On February 10, 2008, the album won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.

Recording and production

Following the mixed reception of "Get Behind Me Satan", [cite web|url=http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B00097A5H2/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 |title=Customer Reviews: Get Behind Me Satan |publisher=Amazon.com|date= |accessdate=2008-08-30] "Icky Thump" marks a return to the punk, garage rock and blues influences for which the band is known. Additionally, the album introduces Scottish folk music, avante-garde, trumpet, and bagpipes into the formula, while simultaneously reintroducing older characterisitcs such as the first studio recording of the early White Stripes song "Little Cream Soda", and the return of Jack White's in-studio slide guitar playing.

"Icky Thump" was recorded and mixed entirely on analogue at Nashville's Blackbird Studio by Joe Chiccarelli [ [http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct07/articles/insidetrack_1007.htm Joey Chiccarelli records and mixes the White Stripes, by Paul Tingen] ] . The album took almost three weeks to record—the longest of any White Stripes album to date. Jack White said that the album would appeal to fans of the band's self-titled debut, suggesting a stripped-down garage rock sound. A statement on the band's [http://www.whitestripes.com official website] (spuriously attributed to "Kitayna Ireyna Tatanya Kerenska Alisof" of the "Moscow Bugle", a reference to the 1966 "Batman" film) humorously claims that:

A video of The Stripes in the studio working on the album can also be found at [http://www.whitestripes.com/news/popups/slowly_hi.html their site] , although the aforementioned statement has this to say about the song: "The actual music has been replaced with mid eighties sampling keyboard technology to prevent what industry analysts are now calling 'song poaching.'"

"Entertainment Weekly"'s online site had an interview with Michel Gondry in which he said he would be directing a video for "I'm Slowly Turning Into You". [ [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20038840_20038841_20038972,00.html "Let's Get Visual"] ] He mentions the idea for the video. Gondry also says that the video idea came first, and after mentioning the idea to Jack White, White wrote the song to fit that idea.

The White Stripes have been known for their ability to keep their albums under wrap very near to release, unlike several bands who leak tracks several weeks before release dates.Fact|date=June 2007 However, several tracks from the album were leaked, and on May 30, 2007, Chicago radio station Q101 aired the entire album without the band's permission. Jack called into the station and reacted angrily about them playing it. [ [http://www.nme.com/news/the-white-stripes/28683 "The White Stripes react angrily to album leak"] ] There is speculation that the label supplied the album to the station in order to promote its release. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/the_beat.shtml "BBC World Service | The Beat] ] In the liner notes of "Icky Thump", "Electra" is thanked on the second line, just after God. According to Ben Blackwell, Jack White's nephew, this is not directed towards the radio DJ, Electra, but to a pet Jack and Meg White used to have.

The White Stripes announced the completion of "Icky Thump" on February 28, 2007. The title is derived from "ecky-thump", a Lancashire colloquial response of surprise, popularized by an episode of the 1970s UK comedy series "The Goodies". On "Later with Jools Holland" (broadcast June 1, 2007) Jack attributed the album's name to its use as an exclamation by his wife, who is from Lancashire. He added that the deliberate misspelling was to make it easier for an American audience to identify with. ["Ecky" is described as being a Lancashire slang equivalent of "heck" (itself a euphemism for "hell") according to Partridge's "Dictionary of Historical Slang", Penguin 1972, entry for "Heck".] The liner notes for "Icky Thump" also suggest the spelling variation was due to concerns over copyright infringement.

Ironically, the pearly costume "theme" that the band used for this album is a traditional Cockney outfit, somewhat contrary to the Northern dialect of the title.

Promotion and release

. [ [http://www.icecreamman.com/music/article_1883.shtml "Ice Cream Man - The White Stripes at Icky Thump Records" icecreamman.com] ]

In addition to being released on CD and 180 gram vinyl, the band released the album on a limited edition 512 MB USB drive.cite web | url = http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/43589-the-white-stripes-iicky-thumpi-due-on-usb-drive | title = The White Stripes' "Icky Thump" Due on USB Drive | publisher = Pitchforkmedia.com | date = 2007-06-12 | accessdate = 2007-06-13] There are two versions, one of which depicts Jack, the other depicting Meg. The pressing was limited to 3,333 of each, and were shipped the week of the U.S. release. Each drive contained the album in Apple lossless format.

The 180g vinyl edition contains alternate versions of both "Icky Thump" and "Rag and Bone". "Icky Thump" is a slightly different mix to the digital version and is also edited to be 14 seconds shorter. "Rag and Bone" is also a different mix but in addition contains totally different vocals for each verse (possibly the original guide vocals and there are no vocals from Meg) and is missing the harmonies from the last chorus, resulting in the track seeming unfinished.

The sound quality of the digital versions of Icky Thump has been a hot topic surrounding this album - it has been criticized by some saying the songs have been mastered too loudly and without using peak limiting. Critics claim this results in clipping or "digital distortion" which can be heard during any of the tracks (particularly during bass drum hits) as nasty crackling. The vinyl version was mastered by Steve Hoffman, a highly respected audiophile mastering engineer. [Phillips, Marc. " [http://www.furious.com/perfect/vinyl62.html Part LXII: 2007: Year of Grumpiness] ". "Vinyl Anachronist", December 2007. ]

Reception

The album received mostly positive reviews, with an overall average rating of 80 at MetaCritic.com. [No byline (2007). [http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/whitestripes/ickythump "Icky Thump"] Metacritic.com (accessed June 19, 2007)] Barry Nicolson with English magazine "NME" wrote, "Icky Thump" is brilliant, there's no way around that." [Nicolson, Barry (2007). [http://www.nme.com/reviews/8676 "The White Stripes: Icky Thump"] NME.com (accessed June 19, 2007)] Commenting on the album's "fuller sound and relaxed flights of fancy," Heather Phares, with AMG, said "Icky Thump" is a mature, but far from stodgy" album, and that "it's just great fun to hear the band play." [Phares, Heather (2007). [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gbfoxzr5ld6e Review] AllMusic.com (accessed June 19, 2007)] Jon Dolon, a critic for "Blender" magazine, remarked "It's the sound of a band not stretching out so much as digging in: burrowing deeper into loamy soil they know well."(Dolon 2007, p. 109)] In one of the more negative reviews, Josh Tyrangiel with TIME magazine remarked, "The White Stripes are too weird and talented to be boring, but it sounds like they might be a little bored." [Tyrangial, Josh (2007). [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1633091,00.html "The White Stripes' Odd Appeal"] TIME.com (accessed June 19, 2007)] Ultimately giving the album 3.5 out of 5 stars and giving an (A-) on his website, Robert Christgau, with "Rolling Stone", summed up the return album this way "Although the new constructions don't entice as consistently as they should, their noise stays with you. And what that noise stands for is itself." He added, "Like his sometime heroes Led Zeppelin, Jack White builds monuments. They're suitable for awestruck visits. But they're no place to settle down." [Christgau, Robert (2007). [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/15055805/review/15040307/icky_thump "Icky Thump"] RollingStone.com (accessed June 19, 2007)]

On "December 6", 2007, "Icky Thump" was nominated for four 2007 Grammy Awards: Best Alternative Album,Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the single "Icky Thump", winning Best Alternative Album and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal. Q Magazine named Icky Thump as the 2nd best album of 2007. The album was #17 on "Rolling Stone"'s list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007 as well. [ROBERT CHRISTGAU, DAVID FRICKE, CHRISTIAN HOARD, ROB SHEFFIELD (December 17, 2007). [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17601851/the_top_50_albums_of_2007/17 "The Top 50 Albums of 2007"] "Rolling Stone". Retrieved 2007-12-20]

Track listing

All songs were written by Jack White, except where noted.

# "Icky Thump" – 4:14
# "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)" – 3:54
# "300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues" – 5:28
# "Conquest" (Corky Robbins) – 2:48
# "Bone Broke" – 3:14
# "Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn" – 3:05
# "St. Andrew (This Battle Is in the Air)" – 1:49
# "Little Cream Soda" – 3:45
# "Rag and Bone" – 3:48
# "I'm Slowly Turning into You" – 4:34
# "A Martyr for My Love for You" – 4:19
# "Catch Hell Blues" – 4:18
# "Effect and Cause" – 3:00

Bonus Tracks

#

"Baby Brother" (bonus track on the Japanese and iTunes edition) – 2:10
# "Tennessee Border" (Hank Williams) (live, bonus track on iTunes pre-order edition) – 2:09

LP

ide one

# "Icky Thump" – 4:14
# "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)" – 3:54
# "300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues" – 5:28

ide two

# "Conquest" (Corky Robbins) – 2:48
# "Bone Broke" – 3:14
# "Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn" – 3:05
# "St. Andrew (This Battle Is in the Air)" – 1:49

ide three

# "Little Cream Soda" – 3:45
# "Rag and Bone" – 3:48
# "I'm Slowly Turning into You" – 4:34

ide four

# "A Martyr for My Love for You" – 4:19
# "Catch Hell Blues" – 4:18
# "Effect and Cause" – 3:00

* 180-gram Gatefold

Personnel

*Jack White – vocals, guitars, keyboards, synthesizer
*Meg White – drums, percussion, vocals
*Regulo Aldama – trumpet on "Conquest"
*Jim Drury – bagpipes on "Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn" and "St. Andrew"

Charts

Notes

References

*Dolon, John (July 2007), [http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=2705 "The White Stripes: New Jack City"] "Blender" Volume unknown: pp. 109-112

External links

* [http://www.mtv.com/music/the_leak/the_white_stripes/icky_thump/ "Icky Thump" - The Leak] , stream of the whole album from MTV.com
* [http://chat.ukevents.net/viewtopic.php?t=8925 Icky Thump Album Review from ] UKEvents.net