The White Stripes Album: “Walking With a Ghost [EP]”

Being a massive White Stripes fan, this purchase was worth the one song that wasn't released anywhere but on this disc. The four live tracks can all be found elsewhere. So for the one new song and four fantastic songs played live, it is a great collection.

The live stuff on here is great, I can never hear enough versions of "Screwdriver".

The title track, a cover of a Tegan & Sara song, is great too. It actually served as a springboard for me to check out the original band, of whom I am now a big fan.

The White Stripes had another great year with the release of the album Get Behind Me Satan. It was so effortless that we might have had a déjà vu moment. The White Stripes are one of the great bands of the era. Here they already have an EP out. "Walking With A Ghost" is a song by Tegan & Sara. It is not too different from "Blue Orchid." You have some live tracks from their recent 2005 tour. It was an amazing show. I got to see them twice. "Same Boy You've Always Known" and "Screwdriver" are recorded in Brazil to some big audiences. "As Ugly As I Seem" and "The Denial Twist" (their latest video) were recorded in the studios at KCRW during their stint in Los Angeles in August 2005. This is another great collectable.

This EP is really very good. "Walking With A Ghost" is a fantastic cover, and all the live tracks are amazing.

"Same Boy You've Always Known" is, of course, a live classic.

This album is definitely worth the money.

Unsurprisingly, a new White Stripes album is going to overshadow a small live/cover EP like "Walking With A Ghost + 4 Live Tracks." But this little collection is worth checking out anyway,

It opens with a cover of indiepop sisters Tegan & Sara's "Walking With A Ghost," now White-Striped. This version is much hard-rockier and more angular, with jabs of rough guitar and wails from Jack White. Where Tegan and Sara sounded mildly perturbed by their "walking with a ghost," Jack sounds on the edge of breaking down completely. Steady there.

And, this having "+ 4 Live Tracks," we're then treated to some fairly good, low-key renditions of White Stripes tunes: a mellow version of "The Same Boy You've Always Known," where you can hear cheers and handclaps from the audience, the mournful "As Ugly As I Seem."

After the sorrowful pair of songs, we finally get some rockin'. Jack and Meg smash through the tune of "The Denial Twist," with snarly singing and lots of rough drums'n'bass. And after a hearty round of applause from the audience, they launch into the roaring bass of "Screwdriver."

Wedged in the midle of the last song is "Passive Manipulation," a solo where Meg sings, "Women, listen to your mothers/don't succumb to the wishes of your brothers..." Then Jack lets rip for one grand finale, a blast of raw vocals and equally raw instrumentation.

Well, the White Stripes know how to make their odds and ends worth the money -- smashing together a quirky cover with their live performance. While the cover is good -- not as enticing as the original, admittedly -- the live performance is what really rocks.

At first, things don't seem to be too energetic. Jack sounds very depressed, and only acoustic guitar and a few drums break through. But after a couple of very low-key songs, Meg and Jack start giving it their all. The result is absolutely electric -- kinetic music, ripping singing, and to judge from the applause, the audience loved it.

There's a muddy edge to the music, like many live performances, and it's a credit that their musical skills that the White Stripes can make this EP a good addition to any fan's collection. And yes, the cover is nice too.