The White Stripes Album: “Under Blackpool Lights”

I was in awe the entire time. The White Stripes are just back to basic music, and Jack White plays the guitar as if he is possessed. Meg White is a solid drummer - a perfect complement to the guitar wailings of Jack. That's it folks, two musicians who make more music than larger bands.

The energy is astounding. The audio recording is beautiful. The visuals are intentionally grainy, but I find it enhances the experience. Overall, the package is very well done. There are no frills. You put the DVD in and the concert begins.

Lover's of music will not be disappointed. I believe Jimi Hendrix would have been impressed.

Before I stopped into the store and picked this album up, I had pretty bunch stopped buying music for six months and was content to listen to the Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and The White Stripes playlist I seemed to have running at the time among many other things, when I bought this Video I had the latter 3 White Stripes albums. This video changed the direction I was heading musically, I have since purchased the first two White Stripes albums and many others as this has relit the musical fire that had been smuldering over and not ignited launched into any particular direction. This DVD has actually changed my life, I have purchased, Robert Johnson, Son House, Charley Patton, as well as all the White Stripes albums as said earlier and am on a musical tear to find out as much as possible as to what developed Jack White into the man he is today.

The Concert is one of the most enthralling things I have ever seen in my life. After a couple minutes into it, it becomes truly apparent that you are witness to something very special. I own quite a few concert DVDs (not bragging,) and this is one I will watch over and over again. Jack Whites rendition of Dolly Partons "Jolene" is on par with a performance of Stairway to heaven. His Dylan covers and every single song he runs through on his 90 minute tear are all five star performances. I would suggest this DVD to any music fan above almost everything else. It is an absolute must see, and a must own, that will surely be replayed many times.

Like your previous reviewers, I was also at one of the 2 gigs filmed for this release. It was the first time I had seen The Stripes and afterwards I rated it as one of the most exciting perfomances I had witnessed in over 30 years of attending rock concerts.

There is, of course, the danger that a film of a concert you attended failing to match up to the memory you have of it. This is not the case with this DVD. The 8mm grainy film quality certainly adds to the atmosphere. You can almost feel the sweat from the audience as they bounce up and down on the sprung ballroom floor, despite the fact that it was below freezing outside on that cold January evening. There are no extras, just the concert, which is how it should be. The packaging is nice though. Buy it now. Highly recommended to get you jumping around the room.

With just a slip to the left or the right, this could've been cheese or, worse, the band's miniature aesthetic could've been dwarfed by the surroundings.

But "Under Blackpool Lights" has been put together with the same stark simplicity that makes the band so unique. Jack and Meg sling out one song after another -- Jack does his Robert-Plant-caught-in-a-wringer howl and moan; his guitars wail; Meg, sans shoes, pounds drums; fuzzy, red-lit crowds of fans roil all around and hand-held cameras capture the whole thing. It's gritty, it's grainy, it's groovin' and it's great.

Here's what they play (in just about an hour and a half):

1) "When I Hear My Name"

2)"Black Math"

3) "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"

4) "I Think I Smell a Rat"

5) "Take a Whiff on Me"

6) "Astro"

7) "Outlaw Blues"

8) "Jack the Ripper"

9) "Jolene"

10) "Hotel Yorba"

11) "Death Letter"

12) "Do"

13) "The Hardest Button to Button"

14) "Truth Doesn't Make a Noise"

15) "The Big Three Killed My Baby"

16) "Wasting My Time"

17) "You're Pretty Good Looking"

18) "Hello Operator"

19) "Apple Blossom"

20) "Ball and Biscuit"

21) "Let's Shake Hands"

22) "I Fought Pirhanas"

23) "Let's Build a Home"

24) "Goin' Back to Memphis"

25) "Seven Nation Army"

26) "De Ballit of De Boll Weevil"

I have never had the privilege to see the White Stripes live, but this was an excellent substitute. Even sitting in the comfort of my own home, I wanted to jump up and pogo with the audience. Ever hear people say they have a hole in their sound? Ha! Watch this my friend. Prepare to get a hurricane of sound thrown your way, with the energy and electricty of a lightning storm. Jack is like a mad scientist on stage, constantly tweeking, switching, improvising, concocting fantastic potions of sound. Raw, undiluted, pure- the way any performance should be. Watching this makes you wonder why other bands bother with 2 or 3 more members. I read a review of one of their performances once where the guy said how you can't believe you got your ass kicked my just two people. Exactly. If you're not already a believer, this performance should make you one.

In their version of Jolene, Jack wails with the pain and intensity of someone who knows the sentiment of the song.

As you watch, you begin to understand that, unlike most bands who get up on stage and showboat and puke out what's on their CD, the White Stripes get on stage to please themselves, and along the way ultimately satisfy anyone listening. As you watch, mesmerized, admiring Jack's mad genius, you can't help but scream inside yourself, "IT'S ALIVE!!!"