Just a reminder: Tomorrow is the release for The White Stripes - Get Behind Me, Satan.
Here’s the Rolling Stone Review.
It sounds fantastic. Anyone else excited about this?
Count me in, too - I love Elephant and the first single off this one - Blue Orchid - and really hope this rocks.
I’m looking forward to the album, but there is one thing that makes me wary. It was recorded in Detroit and was supposed to be mixed in Memphis at Easley Studios, which was where they recorded their first album. Unfortunately for many people*, Easley burned down a couple of weeks before the mixing session, so the band went to Ardent Studios to do their mix. Ardent is the place where bands go to die. The Repalcements, for example, recorded Pleased to Meet Me there, and then they sucked after that. I fear the curse of Ardent will be upon their heads after this album!
*Lots of great latter-day Memphis music was lost in the fire.
I heard an advance of the album, and am really digging it. (And I plan to buy a legit copy today.) I don’t think it’s quite as rockin’ as Elephant, but there’s no doubt that Jack White remains a first rate singer, guitarist, and songwriter.
Vibe’s - let’s not forget the band that Ardent was more or less formed in order to produce - a personal fave and the reason that The 'Mats recorded there and did the song “Alex Chilton” - Big Star. On one hand, you are completely right about the “not being a good omen” part, but it is clear that there is a great sound that can come out of that place…
I think Led Zeppelin III was mixed at Ardent. It might be the only good album Ardent has ever done though. 
I’m buying GBMS today at lunch…Hopefully it lives up to expectations.
The Ardent that produced #1 Record and Sister Lover was on the corner of National and Summer. That place is long gone. The new Ardent is on Madison Avenue. I lived across the street from it many years ago and recorded there once (the experience and the music sucked, and we got generally screwed) and got them to do a mix for a single for another band (they totally fucked it up and charged us way too much money. We recorded at Easley next and it was a great experience and we got two great–and well-mixed–tracks out of it.) That Ardent is the cursed one, IMHO.
Please note that I don’t wish either the White Stripes or Ardent ill, and I haven’t heard the new record. Memphis needs more good recording studios. It’s the Holy City of rock and roll, and I fervently hope it can return to its former stature and become the place to go to record your album. But a couple of months back when Jack White was in town, i heard the following conversation about ten times:
Person 1: Hey, is that Jack White over by the bar?
Person 2: Yeah, he’s in town mixing their new album.
Person 1: Where are they mixing it?
Person 2: Ardent
Person 1: Aww, they’re going to fuck it up!
Here’s another short-lived prior thread on the subject. I stand by my statements there; I loved the album, and will probably be buying it this afternoon. (I heard a streaming version of it somewhere on-line.)
Hey Vibes - thanks for that background! Really cool.
I picked this album up today, and it has been growing on me ever since. It’s hard to imagine music this pretty coming from such a scary looking man.
I was a little disappointed not to see “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” on this recording.
Oh, wait…
That’s “Get Behind Me, Santa”
Well, I’m on my second day of listening, and it grows better with each repeat. This is definitely an album that takes some getting used to. I’ll bet some of the early reviews will be worse than they should be, because on first listen it’s easy to go, “whaaa…?” But listen again, and again, and you start hearing a lot of things that you didn’t hear the first time around because it was all so unexpected (“Xylophones?”)
I’m still reserving judgement until I have more familiarity with it all, but for now I’d say this is a very strong record. Just don’t expect a wild party album or balls-to-the-wall guitar rock like some of the other White Stripes work. This one’s definitely more challenging.
I’ve gotta say that I think the White Stripes are operating on a whole different plane than other bands. As Rolling Stone says, “If you’re in a rock band, and you aren’t one of the White Stripes, it so sucks to be you right now.”
This album hasn’t changed my opinion that Jack White is the biggest musical talent to come along in at least 20 years. He’s going to be a huge star, and he’s still clearly growing as a musician with every album he makes. It’s going to be fun watching his career.
Since this thread won’t go away, I must post my reaction to the phrase “Get behind me satan.”
For some reason I keep hearing:
“Cause I like it from the rear.”
I can’t explain it, but it is at least now out of my system.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure that was the rest of the phrase before they edited the New Testament. We should check the Dead Sea Scrolls.
I think this album works off of elements that were left unexplored from De Stijl. Sam Stone is right about this album taking awhile. I was shocked when I heard the single and was shocked again when I heard the album. It takes several listens but it’s really strong. My Doorbell is the immediate catchy song, but lots of things are sticking.
I could swear that the riff in the second half of Red Rain is working off some piece of classical music, like Liszt or Brahms. It sounds so familiar.