The Stripes were a German pop music ensemble founded in Hagen, Germany, by Rainer Kitzman, who played guitar. The lead singer was Gabriele Susanne Kerner, before she became known as Nena Kerner, who would later form the band Nena. Another future member of the band Nena, Rolf Brendel (Nena's boyfriend at the time), played the drums. Frank Röhler played bass. The band was known for singing exclusively in English. They released four singles and one studio album, after which they split up in May 1982. Their song "Ecstasy" was a minor hit.
The Stripes was the band's only album and the first studio album of its singer, Gabriele "Nena" Kerner. Initially an LP record, it was re-released on CD in 1997 and again in 2004 with bonus tracks which were previously exclusive to some singles.
Side A contains tracks 1–6 and side B contains tracks 7–13.