The White Stripes: Why Can't You Be Nicer To Me

       The White Stripes are one of the most interesting bands to come along in ages.  Made up of the husband and wife team of Jack and Meg White, they made music that is pretty unusual for a duo.  Traditionally the "normal" duo would play closely harmonized acoustic driven songs or perhaps be a vocal group with a back-up band.  The Indigo Girls, Outkast, and Sam & Dave, who all played in different genre's, were variations of archetypal duo's.  White Stripe's music, being based around garage, blues, & punk, mostly defied categorization but that didn't prevent them from becoming incredibly successful.  During their career they won tons of awards, including multiple Grammy's.  They even had a ballet made out of their music in 2007.
      Almost every detail about White Stripes is a little bit off center.  The duo had been married and divorced well before they ever reached fame. Usually when the couple at the center of a band splits it eventually splits the band as well.  This happened quite famously with Ike & Tina Turner, and Fleetwood Mac.  When the Stripes were getting their start neither Jack or Meg played their instruments particularly well.  There are lots of film clips of Jack playing an out of tune guitar and Meg missing the beat entirely.  In fact the last time I heard of a drummer learning to play on the fly, like Meg White successfully did, was Dennis Wilson in 1963 with the Beach Boys.  Even the couple's marriage was off kilter, with both insisting they were really brother and sister.  When they took their vow's in 1996 Jack, in a non-traditional move, took Meg's sir name by changing his from Gillis to White
   
       Despite their musical shortcomings and oddball beginnings, the couple learned to play their instruments and their technical abilities improved noticeably with each new single and album.  What seemed to get them through the early phase of their career was their song writing ability and lots of determination.  While together they released six albums, four of which became either Gold or Platinum sellers.  They put out more than two dozen singles and two of them Seven Nation Army and Icky Thump reached #1 on the US Alt Charts.
       While the albums released between 2001 and 2007 are easily their most famous, much of their often overlooked early work was absolutely incredible.  My favorite, because of it's remarkable range of styles, is their second album which was released in 2000 entitled De Stilj (which means "The Style" in Dutch).  The album includes elements of pop, blues, rockers, and ballads built around the piano, and yet it all works together to create an eclectic and highly listenable record.
      The song Why Can't You Be Nicer To Me was purposely recorded on vintage tape equipment which gives it a raw, slightly muffled early 60's vibe.  Starting with a count off, it begins and ends with guitar hiss as if they had to turn the tape recorder on and off while the guitar was still live.  Despite being only guitar and drums they manage to sound more like a full band through the clever use of guitar effect pedals.  One deepens the bass end of the standard style electric six string guitar, and another is used during the bridge that sounds kind of like a distorted viola mixed with a bass harmonica.  It's pretty cool.  All of the purposeful throw back techniques used in this recording makes it feel like the unruly grandchild of The Kinks You Really Got Me

The White Stripes

             Why Can't You Be Nicer To Me