The White Stripes: The Peel Sessions (Again, and for a limited time...)

By far the post that has garnered the most attention for PHW was the White Stripes Peel Sessions that I ran a few months back. It was so popular in fact that my bandwidth for an entire month was lost after so many of you downloaded so quickly. Well, here I am with a few days left before the next bandwidth reset and some room left to work with - so for the NEXT FEW DAYS ONLY here are the songs (and original post) again:
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The Complete Peel Sessions collects a wide array of White Stripes tunes played for legendary British DJ and champion of great music for years John Peel. The songs range from album cuts from their first 3 records, The White Stripes, De Stijl, and White Blood Cells, to a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, to several takes of traditional folk and blues (“John the Revelator”, “St. James Infirmary”). The performances are evidence that Jack White possessed a strong sense of showmanship before there was much of an audience to show off for. He is consistently engaging while interacting with the crowd and his host.

The music is strong straight through the 22 tracks presented here, with Jack and Meg White (still being introduced as a “brother/sister” combo) rampaging through most songs at a breakneck pace. The riffs come heavy, sweaty, and loud. Jack’s vocals are more frantic than on record, he sings as if he’s being chased by something terrifying. Meg does what she does, keeping steady time at the drums. This is an interesting set, especially for fans of the band who weren’t there yet in 2001/2002 when the band broke. It provides a good snapshot of the early period, pre-Rolling Stone/MTV/corporate rock radio, of one of the decade’s best rock bands.

MP3 :: Hotel Yorba
MP3 :: Let’s Shake Hands
MP3 :: When I Hear My Name
MP3 :: Jolene
MP3 :: Death Letter
MP3 :: John The Revelator
MP3 :: Astro/Jack the Ripper
MP3 :: I’m Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman
MP3 :: Screwdriver
MP3 :: We’re Going To Be Friends
MP3 :: You’re Pretty Good Looking
MP3 :: Bo Weevil
MP3 :: Hello Operator
MP3 :: Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground
MP3 :: Memphis
MP3 :: Little Room
MP3 :: Same Boy You’ve Always Known
MP3 :: Look Me Over Closely
MP3 :: St. James
MP3 :: Apple Blossom
MP3 :: Jumble
MP3 :: Fell In Love With A Girl
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1 comment:

Laura said...

Oh, wow. I stumbled here and was pleasantly surprised. I have a few songs from this session and am really happy to have the rest.

I've seen them four times now and they never disappoint. The first time was in 2001 and I went very quickly from being a casual fan to practically devouring whatever they did.

Thanks!