Saturday, July 9, 2011

The White Stripes - Signed D.C. 7"


The White Stripes
Signed D.C. b/w I've Been Loving You Too Long 7"
Third Man Records (TMR 097) - 2011

"Your Turntable's Not Dead". If you've been paying attention to Third Man Records for last few years, you would
know their credo to be true. Third Man is one of the most exciting independent American record labels out today. They specialize not only in faithfully handling The White Stripes and all things Jack White, but are constantly bringing forth offerings from the fringe realms of independent music here in The States and abroad. From Dex Romweber Duo to Karen Elson, TMR is
breaking boundaries and keeping your record collection growing.

Perhaps their crowning achievement is the subscription-based "Vault" service. A service, which one pays to be a part of and is granted access to all manner of information including audio, video and news updates. The top-level of this service is, of course, a vinyl subscription. Limiting the production to that of the number of members signed up at press time, these releases are not available to the general public directly from TMR. You will have to claw your way on eBay for that.

Shipped in July, this single was included with Vault #8 for the 2nd Quarter of 2011. It features two songs that Third Man states are "some of the earliest recordings the White Stripes ever made". Both are cover versions.

Side A:
Signed D.C.
This song was described by Third Man as "haunting" and I have to agree. The original version, done by garage-psych originators Love is haunting to begin with, but Jack has a tendency to take things to another level. Even though this version is
stripped-down in true White Stripes fashion, White's performance evokes the emotion behind the lyrics while leaving the power of Arthur Lee's original performance intact and unchallenged. The performance almost has a Roky Erickson vibe to it, which I'm sure will beg some clemency.


Side B:
I've Been Loving You Too Long
Originally issued in 1965 as an A-Side by Otis Redding, this song is something of a soul standard having been recorded by the likes of The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Etta James and more recently, Seal.

You really can't top Otis Redding. Some would ask, why try. If you go into this side with that mindset, you will invariably be disappointed. The casual White Stripes fan might not like this track for it's simplicity and lack of guitar heroism. The Redding enthusiast might overlook this
altogether for it's lack of soulful wail and sheer emotion which is present in both recorded versions of Otis' original. The more dedicated White Stripes fan will love this. Jack deconstructs the song, keeping of course the lyrics and overall structure including that nice scale in the pre-chorus. Giving it his own spin thus showcases what the Stripes sound would ultimately be all about.

This is the stuff that got me into collecting and what keeps me collecting today. Two, mostly forgotten about songs from a powerhouse of a band that has reached it's zenith. If you are a fan of The White Stripes or any of Jack White's other projects, you cannot afford to miss out on Vault releases from Third Man Records. More information can be found at: Join The Vault Today!

1 comment:

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