The White Stripes have announced a 20th anniversary vinyl reissue of their album ‘Get Behind Me Satan’.
The duo’s fifth studio album was originally released in 2005 and will now be available in a 2LP special edition, featuring one red smoke vinyl and one clear with red and black smoke vinyl. The record is out on June 27 via Third Man and you can pre-order your copy here.
The album was recorded in the stairway of Jack White’s house in Detroit in the early months of 2005, and it saw the band pushing the limits of their trademark minimal sound, incorporating piano, marimba, timpani, mandolin and bells and reducing their reliance on electric guitar riffs.
It included the singles ‘Blue Orchid’, ‘My Doorbell’ and ‘The Denial Twist’ and it went on to win the Grammy for Best Alternative Album, selling over 900,000 copies in the US.
In NME’s original 8 out of 10 review of ‘Get Behind Me Satan’, they noted: “It all adds up to an initially disorientating listen, since the only traditional-sounding White Stripes tracks are the bluesy ‘Forever For Her (Is Over For Me)’ and the aforementioned ‘Instinct Blues’. The Led Zep and Queen influences paraded on ‘Elephant’ have been traded in for Fifties exotica (thanks to heavy use of the marimba) and stuff that defies genre altogether.”
“This is a very brave record, but ultimately one which, after many listens, becomes as beguiling and seductive as old Nick himself. In a world of fakers, careerists and time-servers, The White Stripes are the real, strange, artistic deal. It’ll be a long time before Jack and Meg sell their souls.”
The vinyl reissue comes just months after ‘Get Behind Me Satan XX’, an expanded edition of the album that featured songwriting demos, alternate studio takes and live versions. Find the full tracklist for that release here.
The White Stripes in 2005. CREDIT: Ewen Spencer
Elsewhere, The White Stripes have been announced as one of this year’s new inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, alongside Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, Soundgarden, Bad Company, Thom Bell, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Nicky Hopkins, Carol Kaye, Salt-N-Pepa, Lenny Waronker and Warren Zevon.
Jack White, meanwhile, gave a talk at Oxford University in March in which he discussed the “simplicity” of The White Stripes’ music and how it helped the band gain momentum and connect with an audience.
He also released his solo album ‘No Name’ last year, scoring a four-star review from NME: “This is an ode to the mystique of rock’n’roll and to the joy of music at its most physical and playful. Teasing doesn’t always lead to satisfaction. Just cut to the chase – and this one’s a bone-rattling ride. White’s revelling in the real world and has made it a much more thrilling place.”
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