Third Man Records is proud to announce the arrival of The White Stripes The First Show: Live On Bastille Day, a recording of the band's first-ever performance, on digital and streaming services for the first time ever to celebrate the band's 20th Anniversary. The performance, which took place during The Gold Dollar Detroit's open mic night on Bastille Day 1997 — 20 years ago today — sees the Stripes powering through an abbreviated set of "St. James Infirmary," "Jimmy The Exploder," and "Love Potion #9." The First Show: Live On Bastille Day is now available to purchase and stream HERE.
Recorded in crystalline soundboard quality, this first glimpse into The White Stripes unique sound world — which was previously available only as a 7" in Third Man Vault Package #13 — brims with childish charm and a heartwarming awareness of how far Jack and Meg White would journey from such an unassuming start.
From the same era of The White Stripes first show, this photo (previously only published in grainy black-and-white) highlights a wall in Detroit emblazoned with the phrase "Silk, Satin, Suede" which was originally slated to be the title of the White Stripes' first album.
Third Man will be celebrating The White Stripes 20th anniversary all year. Fans are reminded to check out the details of their latest massive Vault package, #33, The White Stripes Icky Thump X, HERE. Registration to receive this package will be open until July 31st.
Nigh on ten years ago, the White Stripes unveiled the most ambitious record of their career. Taking its name from the mis-appropriation of the British exhortation “Ecky thump” the Stripes’ Icky Thump would prove to be the final full-length studio album from the beloved Detroit duo. To celebrate not only the ten years since Icky Thump’s release, but also twenty years since Jack and Meg started the White Stripes AND the 500th release in the Third Man Records’ catalog, we are delighted to announce the release of our 33rd Vault package, Icky Thump X.
The cornerstone of the package is the deluxe, “contained explosion” colored vinyl repressing of Icky Thump. Previously only ever available on boring black vinyl, this double LP, 180-gram vinyl dream is housed in a glorious tip-on sleeve with slightly modified artwork and sealed with a Victorian update on the original red/white sticker that was begrudgingly slit open by fidgety record collectors overly concerned with "condition." Remastered from the original 1” analog tapes in Nashville, TN, Icky Thump will be the first-ever Vault title manufactured at Third Man Pressing in Detroit. You will not believe your ears.
The logical companion piece to Icky Thump is the collection compiling all nine of the non-album b-sides recorded for (and during) the release and tour cycle. Icky Thump Extras joins live covers (Hank Williams’ “Tennessee Border”), alternate versions recorded in the middle of a horse-racing track in Canada (“You Don’t Know What Love Is…”) with Beck-produced exclusives (“It’s My Fault For Being Famous”) and couples them with newly reimagined artwork from Grammy Award-winning designer Rob Jones. Consider this the first and last time any of these songs will appear on 12-inch vinyl, pressed on luminescent lunar-colored vinyl. Extras will also be manufactured at Third Man Pressing in Detroit.
Prior to entering Blackbird Studios for the tracking of Icky Thump, the White Stripes did a full run-through of the tracks in demo form to workshop ideas and get thoughts on tape at their Nashville rehearsal spot. This would prove to be the ONLY time the band would ever demo an album before recording. Forgotten by all involved in the intervening ten years, The Red Demos is a startling insight into the germination of the songs that would soon be blasted out at arenas and festivals the world over. Of particular interest is the first ever release of the instrumental “Monkeys Have It Easy”, a title previously teased via the original Icky Thump press release in 2007. Cover art depicts a working mock-up of the unedited image used on the original album and exists as the ideal compliment to both that original issue and the mono mix of Icky Thump from Vault Package #1. The Red Demos will also be pressed at Third Man Pressing in Detroit.
To further push this package into “I Cannot Believe They Did That" territory is an exclusive book comprised of Polaroid photos, tracking notes and insight from Icky Thump session photographer and White Stripes’ confidante David Swanson. Comprised 100% of previously unseen and unshared material, the of-the-moment documentation of the album and its recording process by Swanson’s intuitive and discerning eye is revelatory.
To even further blow this thing out of the water is one of nine different 8x10 White Stripes images by Rob Jones. Randomly inserted so you have no idea which one you’ll get, these include classic updates on art and graphics from the original release era in addition to completely new ideas, all rendered in the highest quality silkscreen printing and suitable for immediate framing or burning.
Not enough? Ok, take TWO enamel pins that when combined depict the horse skeleton imagery originally featured on the 7-inch artwork for “Rag and Bone” and understand full well that the addition of said pins will elevate any drab old potato sack to a best-dressed list ensemble.
All of these components will be lovingly housed in a soft-touch coated telescoping box that reproduces the cross of St. Andrew used as an important graphic in Icky Thump’s issue ten years ago and rendered even more poignant now as the specific version of that cross (the Cross of Burgundy) forms the shape of an X.