the white stripes

[secretsquiz]

i was watching some of glastonbury on friday night and i was unfortunate enough to catch some of the white stripes set.

it raised the question 'why are they popular?' - i really don't understand what the big deal is. jack white is hardly the world's greatest singer or musician and meg was clearly struggling to keep time on the really basic drumming she was trying to do. people like the fact that they are so raw, but there's a big difference between 'raw' and 'untalented'.

jack seems to do little else apart from bash out a couple of chunky chords, whine into the mic for a bit and repeat until megs arms get tired!

can anyone explain what i'm missing?

[Sammy Snake]

I love the White Stripes as well.  I haven't seen them live so can't comment on their live performances but own all their CD's and play them loads.

[luckyboy]

I like the stripes as well..

But it has to be said.. glastonbury was not their finest hour.

[amarillis]

I like The White Stripes, their music is excellent to listen to. I saw them when they were in Australia a few years ago though, and it has to be said that they are not the best performers to see live.

[jdmusic]

I have heard stuff by them before and was never convinced but the Glastonbury performance totally changed my view. I thought they were amazing but as the other poster said it is all about perception. I thought Meg's drumming although basic has a kind of repetetive beat to it that sticks in your mind while Jack White has amazing charisma and total stage presence. Their image is also quite interesting and the stage set was amazing. On the music side I think he plays a mean guitar and is obviously multi-instrumental and I can hear influences ranging from Led Zeppelin to Black Sabbath. Their songs are also very short so there is plenty of variety. The Glasto gig really changed my point of view and I will be getting some of their CD's very soon.

Now if we are talking about talentless bands what about Babyshambles......

[carley_pie]

i totally agree with ya there jdmusic! i thnik the only appeal with babyshambles is pete and the riots that always happen at their gigs.. if you download unreleased songs by them theyre mostly repetitive and sound the same as the last one! whereas the white stripes are fantastic, the way you just think what the funk? when you see their set, and wht they wear and what they say in interviews! and their music is great too!

[Morrisonker]

It's a well known fact that Meg isn't a great drummer.  Or singer.  But anyone who disputes that Jack is an amazing guitarist has probably been listening to bland rubbish like Oasis and Stereophonics for too long.  The energy he puts in is extraordinary, after the Glasto set his arms were shaking with the effort of playing non stop for over an hour.  On CD their sound is actually amazing.  Live, they do sound a little rough but in my opinion *that* is the appeal.  You will never see two live performances which are the same, which is more than I can say for most bands. 

I'm a huge fan as you can probably tell, and I'm fed up with people bashing the stripes.  They're an easy target because they're different.  I can tell you that if you make an effort to listen to a record (i recommend White Blood Cells for a start) you'll hear that raw doesn't equal untalented.  The recording is raw and imperfect, not the actual songs and chords.  That's how they chose to do things.

[Morrisonker]

also...about them not being good live...is that because they didn't sound exactly like the CD?  Because there's no point going to a gig in my opinion if that's what you expect.  Just sit at home with headphones on instead and save yourself a few quid.  Live music is about teh experience and the performance, not just the sound.

[secretsquiz]

ok - must be just me then!

before watching them at glasto i was of the opinion that they were nothing special, but there was nothing wrong with them. after watching the performance on friday i now fail to see why they are so popular.

i don't think a band should be called great simply because they are 'different', i don't go to gigs expecting to hear a band sound exactly the same as on CD and i certainly haven't been listening to oasis and the stereophonics!

and just because his arms were shaking at the end doesn't mean it was great! it just means he was knackered!

*remains completely unconvinced*

[WillyWonka]

Its all a matter of taste, if you don't get it now you never will.

Can I ask what music you enjoy?