Icky Thump

This article is about the album. For its title track, see Icky Thump (song).
Icky Thump
Studio album by The White Stripes
Released June 15, 2007 (2007-06-15)
Recorded February 2007 at Blackbird Studio, Nashville
Genre Alternative rock, garage rock, punk blues, blues rock
Length 47:44
Label Third Man/Warner Bros.
Producer Jack White
The White Stripes chronology
Get Behind Me Satan
(2005)		 Icky Thump
(2007)		 Under Great White Northern Lights
(2010)
Singles from Icky Thump
  1. "Icky Thump"
    Released: April 26, 2007
  2. "Rag and Bone"
    Released: June 7, 2007
  3. "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)"
    Released: September 10, 2007
  4. "Conquest"
    Released: December 18, 2007

Icky Thump is the sixth and final studio album by US alternative rock band The White Stripes. It was released June 15, 2007 in Germany,[1] June 18, 2007 in the rest of Europe, and June 19, 2007 in the rest of the world.[2] It was the band's only album on Warner Bros. Records.

Icky Thump entered the UK Albums Chart at number one[3] and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 223,000 copies sold, behind "Lost Highway" by Bon Jovi.[3][4] By late July, Icky Thump was certified gold in the United States. As of March 8, 2008, the album has sold 725,125 copies in the US. On February 10, 2008, the album won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.

Recording and production

After Get Behind Me Satan,[5] Icky Thump marks a return to the punk, garage rock and blues influences for which the band is known.[6] Additionally, the album introduces Scottish folk music, avant-garde, trumpet, and bagpipes into the formula, whilst simultaneously reintroducing older characteristics such as the first studio recording of the early White Stripes song "Little Cream Soda".

Icky Thump was recorded and mixed entirely in analog at Nashville's Blackbird Studio by Joe Chiccarelli.[7] According to Chiccarelli in an interview with HitQuarters, the band had already rehearsed and demoed around half the album, with the rest being conceived in the studio.[8] The album took almost three weeks to record—the longest of any White Stripes album.[2] The recording differed from previous albums in that White had the comparative luxury of recording to 16-track analog rather than his usual 8-track.[8] Also, Chiccarelli said: "We spent a little more time than he is used to experimenting and trying different things on that album, whether it was different ways to record the drums or the vocals, or different arrangements, or cutting takes together.".[8] Trumpet player Regulo Aldama, who appears on "Conquest", was discovered by Jack White at a local Mexican restaurant.

Jack White said that the album would appeal to fans of the band's self-titled debut, suggesting a stripped-down garage rock sound. A statement on the band's official website (spuriously attributed to "Kitayna Ireyna Tatanya Kerenska Alisof" of the "Moscow Bugle", a reference to the 1966 Batman film) humorously claims that:

“ The White Stripes have completed the recording and mixing of their sixth album. It is entitled Icky Thump, and is their first album to include a title track, which curiously (and not ironically) has the same words in it's [sic] name. Though some residents of northern England might almost recognize the title, the Stripes stress they are spelling it wrong intentionally just for "kicks" and "metaphors," and to avoid a possible lawsuit from the estate of Billy Eckstine. ”

A video of The White Stripes in the studio working on the album can also be found at their site, although the aforementioned statement has this to say about the song: "The actual music has been replaced with mid eighties sampling keyboard technology to prevent what industry analysts are now calling 'song poaching.'"

Entertainment Weekly's online site had an interview with Michel Gondry in which he said he would be directing a video for "I'm Slowly Turning Into You".[9] He mentions the idea for the video. Gondry also says that the video idea came first, and after mentioning the idea to Jack White, White wrote the song to fit that idea.

On May 30, 2007, Chicago radio station Q101 aired the entire album without the band's permission.[10] Jack called into the station and reacted angrily about them playing it.[11] There is speculation that the label supplied the album to the station in order to promote its release.[12] In the liner notes of Icky Thump, "Electra" is thanked on the second line, just after God. According to Ben Blackwell, Jack White's nephew, this is not directed towards the radio DJ, Electra, but to a pet Jack and Meg White used to have.

The White Stripes announced the completion of Icky Thump on February 28, 2007. The title is derived from "ecky thump", a Lancashire colloquial response of surprise, popularized by an episode of the 1970s UK comedy series The Goodies. On Later with Jools Holland (broadcast June 1, 2007) Jack attributed the album's name to its use as an exclamation by his wife, who is from Lancashire. He added that the deliberate misspelling was to make it easier for an American audience to identify with.[13] The liner notes for Icky Thump also suggest the spelling variation was due to concerns over copyright infringement.

The Pearly Kings and Queens costume theme that the band used for this album is a traditional Cockney outfit, somewhat contrary to the Northern dialect of the title.

Theme

Like all White Stripes albums, there is a central yet loose theme to the songs and album. Jack White told Blender in July 2007 that "[Icky Thump] is about feeling positive about being alive, taking deep breaths and just being really happy."

Promotion and release

The USB drive album artwork for Icky Thump, stylized illustrations of Jack (left), and Meg (right). The hats are the covers to the drives.[14]

The album artwork features Jack and Meg dressed as Pearlies.

To promote Icky Thump before its release, the band distributed custom-designed boxes and previewed tracks from the record through Ice Cream Man. The ice cream promotion focused on the Coachella,[15] Sasquatch, and Bonnaroo festivals and culminated in the band's release show on June 20, 2007 at the site of the former West Hollywood Tower Records on Sunset Blvd., temporarily rechristened Icky Thump. Records[16][17]

In addition to being released on CD and 180 gram vinyl, the band released the album on a limited edition 512 MB USB drive [18] which was designed by British artist Stanley Chow [19] There are two versions, one of which depicts Jack, the other depicting Meg. The pressing was limited to 3,333 of each,[18] and were shipped the week of the U.S. release. Each drive contained the album in Apple lossless format.

The 180g vinyl edition contains alternate versions of both "Icky Thump" and "Rag and Bone". "Icky Thump" is a slightly different mix to the digital version and is also edited to be 14 seconds shorter. "Rag and Bone" is also a different mix but in addition contains totally different vocals for each verse (possibly the original guide vocals and there are no vocals from Meg) and is missing the harmonies from the last chorus.

The sound quality of the digital versions has been criticized for being mastered too loudly and with excessive peak limiting. Critics claim this results in clipping or "digital distortion" which can be heard as crackling, particularly during bass drum hits. The vinyl version was mastered by Steve Hoffman.[7] A special mono mix of Icky Thump was available on 180 gram vinyl for a short time to Third Man Vault Premium Account subscribers.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[20]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[21]
The A.V. ClubA−[22]
Entertainment WeeklyA[23]
The Guardian[24]
MSN MusicA−[25]
NME9/10[26]
Pitchfork Media8.0/10[27]
Rolling Stone[28]
Spin[29]
Uncut[30]

Icky Thump received critical acclaim, with an overall average rating of 80 out of 100 at Metacritic.[20] Barry Nicolson with British magazine NME wrote, "Icky Thump is brilliant, there's no way around that."[26] Commenting on the album's "fuller sound and relaxed flights of fancy," Heather Phares of AllMusic said "Icky Thump is a mature, but far from stodgy" album, and that "it's just great fun to hear the band play."[21] Jody Rosen, writing for Blender, called the album "the sound of a band not stretching out so much as digging in: burrowing deeper into loamy soil they know well."[31] In one of the more negative reviews, Josh Tyrangiel of Time remarked, "The White Stripes are too weird and talented to be boring, but it sounds like they might be a little bored."[32] Ultimately giving the album 3.5 out of 5 stars and giving an (A-) on his website,[33] Robert Christgau, with Rolling Stone, summed up the return album this way "Although the new constructions don't entice as consistently as they should, their noise stays with you. And what that noise stands for is itself." He added, "Like his sometime heroes Led Zeppelin, Jack White builds monuments. They're suitable for awestruck visits. But they're no place to settle down."[28]

On December 6, 2007, Icky Thump was nominated for four 2007 Grammy Awards: Best Alternative Album, Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the single "Icky Thump", winning Best Alternative Album and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal. Q Magazine named Icky Thump as the 2nd best album of 2007. Furthermore, the album placed #17 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.[34]

Track listing

All tracks written by Jack White, except where noted. 

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Icky Thump"    4:17
2. "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)"    3:54
3. "300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues"    5:28
4. "Conquest"  Corky Robbins 2:48
5. "Bone Broke"    3:14
6. "Prickly Thorn, but Sweetly Worn"    3:05
7. "St. Andrew (This Battle Is in the Air)"    1:49
8. "Little Cream Soda"    3:45
9. "Rag and Bone"    3:48
10. "I'm Slowly Turning into You"    4:34
11. "A Martyr for My Love for You"    4:19
12. "Catch Hell Blues"    4:18
13. "Effect and Cause"    3:00
iTunes Edition
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
14. "Baby Brother" (also on the Japanese edition)Vern Orr 2:10
15. "Tennessee Border (Live)"  Hank Williams 2:09

Personnel

The White Stripes
Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (2007) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[35] 3
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[36] 5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[37] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[38] 18
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[39] 2
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[40] 8
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[41] 8
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[42] 5
French Albums (SNEP)[43] 9
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[44] 4
Irish Albums (IRMA)[45] 5
Italian Albums (FIMI)[46] 9
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[47] 77
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[48] 2
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[49] 4
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[50] 19
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[51] 9
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[52] 5
UK Albums (OCC)[53] 1
US Billboard 200[54] 2

Notes

  1. ↑ "Icky Thump: The White Stripes" (in German). amazon.de. Produktinformation. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
  2. 1 2 "White Stripes News". whitestripes.com. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
  3. 1 2 "The White Stripes - Icky Thump global chart positions and trajectories". aCharts.us. Retrieved June 30, 2007.
  4. ↑ Hasty, Katie (June 27, 2007). "Bon Jovi Scores First No. 1 Album Since 1988". Billboard.com.
  5. ↑ "Customer Reviews: Get Behind Me Satan". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  6. ↑ Garrity, Brian (June 23, 2007), "Icky Thump." Billboard. 119 (25):71
  7. 1 2 Tingen, Paul (October 2007). "Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Joe Chiccarelli". Sound on Sound. Cambridge, UK: SOS Publications Group. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
  8. 1 2 3 Bouwman, Kimbel (June 14, 2010). "Interview with Joe Chiccarelli". HitQuarters. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  9. ↑ Pastorek, Whitney (May 18, 2007). "Let's Get Visual". Entertainment Weekly. Time (#935). ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
  10. ↑ Billboard staff (June 16, 2007), INSIDE TRACK". Billboard. 119 (24):57
  11. ↑ "The White Stripes react angrily to album leak". NME. IPC Media. June 1, 2007. ISSN 0028-6362. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
  12. ↑ "BBC World Service | The Beat Archived June 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ↑ Ecky is described as being a Lancashire slang equivalent of heck (itself a euphemism for hell) according to Partridge's Dictionary of Historical Slang, Penguin 1972, entry for Heck.
  14. ↑ "Icky Thump USB Flash Drive - Jack & Meg Set (Save $10)". WhiteStripes.com. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-06-22. Retrieved June 19, 2007.
  15. ↑ "Ice Cream Man - Coachella Review 2007" icecreamman.com Archived July 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  16. ↑ Elias, Matt (June 21, 2007). "White Stripes Give In-Store Performance — At Record Shop That Doesn't Really Exist". MTV.com. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
  17. ↑ "Ice Cream Man - The White Stripes at Icky Thump Records" icecreamman.com Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  18. 1 2 Maher, Dave (2007-06-12). "The White Stripes' Icky Thump Due on USB Drive". Pitchforkmedia.com. Archived from the original on 2007-06-14. Retrieved 2007-06-13.
  19. ↑ Benson, Kevin (June 14, 2012). "Mancunian Matters: Interview - Manchester graphic illustrator Stanley Chow to return to old stomping ground". Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  20. 1 2 "Reviews for Icky Thump by The White Stripes". Metacritic. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  21. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "Icky Thump – The White Stripes". AllMusic. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  22. ↑ Murray, Noel (June 19, 2007). "The White Stripes: Icky Thump". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  23. ↑ Drumming, Neil (June 15, 2007). "Icky Thump". Entertainment Weekly (940). ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  24. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (June 15, 2007). "The White Stripes, Icky Thump". The Guardian. London. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  25. ↑ Christgau, Robert (November 2007). "Consumer Guide". MSN Music. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  26. 1 2 Nicolson, Barry (June 18, 2007). "The White Stripes: Icky Thump". NME. ISSN 0028-6362. Retrieved June 19, 2007.
  27. ↑ Mitchum, Rob (June 18, 2007). "The White Stripes: Icky Thump". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  28. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (June 11, 2007). "Icky Thump". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved June 19, 2007.
  29. ↑ Raftery, Brian (July 2007). "Bad Mood Rising". Spin. 23 (7): 91. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  30. ↑ Gill, Andy (July 2007). "The White Stripes – Icky Thump". Uncut (122): 92. ISSN 1368-0722. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  31. ↑ Rosen, Jody (July 2007). "The White Stripes: Icky Thump". Blender (71): 109. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  32. ↑ Tyrangiel, Josh (June 14, 2007). "The White Stripes' Odd Appeal". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved June 19, 2007.
  33. ↑ "CG: the white stripes". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  34. ↑ Christgau, Robert; Fricke, David; Hoard, Christian; Sheffield, Rob (December 17, 2007). "The Top 50 Albums of 2007". Rolling Stone. 17 - The White Stripes: Icky Thump. Archived from the original on 2007-12-20.
  35. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – The White Stripes – Icky Thump". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – The White Stripes – Icky Thump" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The White Stripes – Icky Thump" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The White Stripes – Icky Thump" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  39. ↑ "The White Stripes – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for The White Stripes. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  40. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – The White Stripes – Icky Thump". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  41. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The White Stripes – Icky Thump" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  42. ↑ "The White Stripes: Icky Thump" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  43. ↑ "Lescharts.com – The White Stripes – Icky Thump". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The White Stripes – Icky Thump" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  45. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 25, 2007". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  46. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – The White Stripes – Icky Thump". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  47. ↑ "Mexicancharts.com – The White Stripes – Icky Thump". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – The White Stripes – Icky Thump". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  49. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – The White Stripes – Icky Thump". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  50. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – The White Stripes – Icky Thump". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  51. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The White Stripes – Icky Thump". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  52. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – The White Stripes – Icky Thump". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  53. ↑ "White Stripes | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  54. ↑ "The White Stripes – Chart history" Billboard 200 for The White Stripes. Retrieved June 16, 2016.

References

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Preceded by
The Traveling Wilburys Collection by Traveling Wilburys		 UK Albums Chart number one album
June 24–30, 2007 		Succeeded by
An End Has a Start by Editors
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