VICCARS' ALBUM REVIEW #2 - Elephant (2003) by The White Stripes

Secklow's Paul Viccars invites you to listen to his favourite albums.                                                                                                                                                                         This week he's been listening to:

Elephant (2003)

Artist: The White Stripes

Label: XL

Producer: Jack White

Tracks:

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 Mothers Heart ★★☆☆☆

7. You’ve Got Her in Your Pocket ★★☆☆☆

8. Ball and Biscuit ★★★☆☆

9. The Hardest Button to Button ★★★☆☆

10. Little Acorns ★★★☆☆

11. Hypnotize ★★★★☆

12. The Air Near My Fingers ★★★☆☆

13. Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine ★★★☆☆

14. Well It's True That We Love One Another ★★★☆☆

Elephant is the fourth album by The White Stripes and deservedly received wide critic acclaim, notably winning a Grammy Award for “Best Alternative Music Album”. For me this is the album that saw The White Stripes really come into their own, I mean their first three albums were good but nothing like this one; Elephant is special. I mean when you kick-start an album with such an original yet simple song like “Seven Nation Army”, literally anyone with working hands can pick up a guitar and play that riff and yet it’s so atmospheric you hear it echoing around many of Europe’s football stadiums being chanted by thousands of fans. That’s something special, not many artists can say they’ve done that.

Now I read that the vinyl sleeve for us Brits was a special version was actually made out of elephant dung… cheers guys won’t be able to touch that again without washing my hands! With Jack White being the technophobe producer he is this album was produced without the use of modern tech and instead Jack opted for a more analogue style and to be honest you can tell a Jack White album from anything else out there today, his guitar sound is such a signature of himself it feels like he is infused into the music.

I’m not going to lie I honestly struggled to rate this album as I felt that this would be a five star album but as it happened with the way I score my music its fallen just short but let’s be honest this is near on perfection.

VERDICT:  One of the greatest albums of all time.

★★★★☆

by Paul Viccars

Catch the MAYO & VICCARS SHOW at 8pm on Mondays on Secklow Sounds, and hear previous shows on SPREAKER