Under Great White Northern Lights

Rating

Album: Under Great White Northern Lights
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Let's Shake Hands	More Info...
2)	Black Math	More Info...
3)	Little Ghost	More Info...
4)	Blue Orchid	More Info...
5)	The Union Forever	More Info...
6)	Ball and Biscuit	More Info...
7)	Icky Thump	More Info...
8)	I'm Slowly Turning Into You	More Info...
	Disc 2
1)	Jolene	More Info...
2)	300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues	More Info...
3)	We Are Going to Be Friends	More Info...
4)	I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself	More Info...
5)	Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn	More Info...
6)	Fell in Love with a Girl	More Info...
7)	When I Hear My Name	More Info...
8)	Seven Nation Army	More Info...

Album: Under Great White Northern Lights
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Let's Shake Hands	More Info...
2)	Black Math	More Info...
3)	Little Ghost	More Info...
4)	Blue Orchid	More Info...
5)	The Union Forever	More Info...
6)	Ball and Biscuit	More Info...
7)	Icky Thump	More Info...
8)	I'm Slowly Turning Into You	More Info...
	Disc 2
1)	Jolene	More Info...
2)	300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues	More Info...
3)	We Are Going to Be Friends	More Info...
4)	I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself	More Info...
5)	Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn	More Info...
6)	Fell in Love with a Girl	More Info...
7)	When I Hear My Name	More Info...
8)	Seven Nation Army	More Info...

Performer Notes

Given the White Stripes' reputation for powerful concerts, it's a little surprising that they waited until more than a decade into their career to release a live album. However, Under Great White Northern Lights was worth the wait: While nothing can really replace seeing the band live, this set captures most of their riveting on-stage presence. The album was recorded during the Stripes' 2007 Canadian tour, which was such a special experience for them that they chronicled it with a DVD as well. The band was touring in support of that year's Icky Thump, and the Scottish and Celtic motifs that are woven throughout that album pop up here, too, from the bagpipes intro to a brisk version of "Little Ghost" that sounds almost like a reel. Like most White Stripes concerts, Under Great White Northern Lights features an evenhanded mix of early songs and newer ones -- Jack and Meg White go way back for incendiary takes on "Let's Shake Hands" and "When I Hear My Name," which sound right at home next to the lunging "Icky Thump" and "I'm Slowly Turning into You." The album opens with four furious rockers that show just how primal the duo is live -- on "Black Math" and a breathless "Blue Orchid" they sound like they can barely keep up with the energy flowing through them -- but many of Under Great White Northern Lights' brightest moments happen when they slow down. Jack and Meg settle into a groove on "300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues" that makes the song fresher than it was on Icky Thump, while a particularly stunning version of "The Union Forever," with extra-desperate vocals from Jack surrounded by a swelling, horror-movie organ, just might be the album's standout. The Stripes also include plenty of favorites, including "Jolene," a bluesy "Fell in Love with a Girl," a singalong "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself," and a bruising "Seven Nation Army" as the finale, all of which capture the kind of show the band puts on for its fans. Since a big part of the Stripes' live show also rests on their visuals, the Under Great White Northern Lights DVD gives the complete experience, but this album is satisfying enough to make it a must for most fans. ~ Heather Phares

Professional Reviews

Entertainment Weekly (p.92) - "[W]ith go-for-broke performances....If UGWNL is their last hurrah, it's one hell of a goodbye." -- Grade: A

Pitchfork (Website) - "The exquisitely packaged UNDER GREAT WHITE NORTHERN LIGHTS box set aims to summarize the duo in their most potent form -- onstage, with two spotlights beaming through them....It's a wild success..."

Uncut (magazine) (p.111) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[The] live album begins with a dramatic flourish, a bagpipe skirl prefacing the hammer-blow riffage of 'Let's Shake Hands'."