Record Recipes #34
The Third Man
A selection of analog recommendations for your listening pleasure. Pulled from my personal collection. Today’s issue: primary colors.
The White Stripes - Icky Thump. I came to the world of Jack White sideways. Before being plugged into the millennial blues revival, I fell head over heels for The Dead Weather, the Third Man Records project featuring vocalist Alison Mosshart that cast Jack White as the drummer. From there, my teenage Rolling Stone subscription led me to The Raconteurs, another supergroup side project that scratched a certain Southern Gothic itch. By the time I finally became a devotee of the original recipe, the final White Stripes recording was already in Jack White’s rear view mirror. Nearly 20 years later, the enduring bite of the title track makes me wonder what the hell took me so long to see the light. I’m Slowly Turning Into You
Jack White - Blunderbuss. I remember distinctly the tingling anticipating I felt at the early promotion of JW’s eponymous new project. Blue crayons leapt out of the box, the Roman numeral three in electric relief. When the tour sat down in Toronto I didn’t hesitate to commit to both nights, bolting from set to the venue in time to catch the opener and secure much coveted merch. Hearing Freedom at 21 live in the summer of my 22nd year was nothing short of cosmic. The screen print from that show hangs in my home, pointing toward my creative workspace (photo below). In retrospect, the collision of blues and rock with southern gothic aesthetic and cinematic sensibility provided me a blueprint I didn’t know I’d be referencing for years to come.
Jack White - Lazaretto. He’s been telling us for years that our turntables aren’t dead, and the unique properties of this vinyl make good on that promise with visionary innovation (a 3 speed record? Dual groove technology? A hologram?!). When I took Jackson to see JW at the Greek the summer before quarantine, he excitedly echoed the “last rock star” moniker that media outlets have been crowing for some time. Wherever you land on this, it’s arguable that the Third Man has done more for analog preservation and appreciation than any of his mainstream contemporaries (ahem, the Black Keys could never). Three Women
Keep listening.
Bonus: the angel with bat wings who presides over my own DIY studio, guiding the way to creative freedom:
