Tag Archives: The White Stripes

Singing the Blues

Last week, Meg and Jack White split up for the second time. In 2000, the couple terminated their four-year marriage but the duo kept going as The White Stripes. The band formed in Michigan in 1997 with Jack on vocals, guitar and keyboards, and Meg on drums and sometimes on vocals. Their back-to-basics musical style was heavily influenced by blues and punk and they developed an equally simple visual style of red, white and black that featured prominently in the marketing of the group. They released six studio albums between 1999 and 2007, with White Blood Cells (2001) and Elephant (2003) being my own particular favourites. It’s not a complete surprise that they’ve split up as Jack, who writes most of the songs, has been busy recently as both a producer of numerous acts and as a member of The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. Many of the band’s originals have been covered over the last decade and the Whites also put out their own versions of blues and country numbers

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Zig Zag Wanderer

The musician and artist Don Van Vliet has just died in California. He is best known as the leader of Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band and was an occasional musical accomplice of Frank Zappa’s. He released a number of critically-acclaimed albums throughout his musical career, but abandoned music for painting in the 1980s. He always had a cult following as a musician and an artist, but made more money from the art world. His music is quite uncompromising and his most infamous album is Trout Mask Replica (1969), an album I’m not alone in admitting that I’ve yet to get into. I’m a big fan of his first release, Safe As Milk (1967), which contains some of his most accessible songs and features Ry Cooder on guitar. The blues in general and Howling Wolf in particular were big influences on his music and voice and it’s easy to see him as the missing link between Wolf and Tom Waits. Below, I’ve chosen my favourite Beefheart number, the wonderfully-named My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains from the album Clear Spot (1972). I’m Glad from the first album is another favourite and I’ve chosen a recent version by The Black Keys that isn’t a million miles away from the original. Finally, Ashtray Heart appears on Doc At The Radar Station (1980) and was one of three Beefheart covers that The White Stripes released as part of a limited edition single in 2000. Van Vliet had been confined to a wheelchair since 1993 and suffered from multiple sclerosis. He died four weeks short of his 70th birthday

My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains – Captn Beefheart & the Magic Band

I’m Glad (Captn Beefheart cover) – The Black Keys

Ashtray Heart (Captn Beefheart cover) – The White Stripes

There’s a Ghost in the House

Today is the eve of All Saints’ Day or Halloween as it’s better known. It has its origins in the Celtic festival of Samhain, a time when the Celts believed that the boundaries between this world and the spirit world broke down. People dressed up in costumes and wore masks in order to fend off harmful spirits. These masked individuals received gifts from homeowners who wished to appease the gods so that the next harvest would be a good one. This pagan festival was one of many that would eventually be co-opted by the Christian hierarchy and later by commercial enterprises. It’s also the season when the horror genre is at its most popular at the cinema, the DVD rental store and on TV. I haven’t noticed a corresponding increase in the number of horror-themed entries in the music charts at this time of year, although one of two songs have been released about things that go bump in the night. Your Ghost was released a single from Kristin Hersh‘s debut solo album from 1994, Hips and Makers. The former Throwing Muse was joined by Michael Stipe on the track, which was covered last year by Greg Laswell. Walking With a Ghost was originally released on So Jealous (2004), the fourth album by identical twins, Tegan & Sara. The White Stripes covered the song and made it the title track of the EP that they released the following year. Karen Elson (pictured) is also a twin and is married to Jack White. The Ghost Who Walks is the lead single and title track from her 2010 album, which was produced by her husband. The title comes from a nickname she had at school “for being tall, pale and a little bit haunted“. At least she won’t have to dress up this Halloween!

Your Ghost (Kristin Hersh cover) – Greg Laswell

Walking With A Ghost (Tegan & Sara cover) – The White Stripes

The Ghost Who Walks – Karen Elson