 | By: The White Stripes Label: Third Man/V2 Released: 12 Dec 2005 RRP: Average Rating:  |
It opens with a cover of indiepop sisters Tegan & Sara's "Walking With A Ghost," now White-Striped. This version is much hard-rockier & more angular, with jabs of rough guitar & wails from Jack White. Where Tegan & 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 & handclaps from the audience, the mournful "As Ugly As I Seem."
After the sorrowful pair of songs, we finallly get some rockin'. Jack & Meg smash through the tune of "The Denial Twist," with snarly singing & 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 & equallly raw instrumentation.
Well, the White Stripes know how to make their odds & 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 reallly rocks.
At first, things don't seem to be too energetic. Jack sounds very depressed, & only acoustic guitar & a few drums break through. But after a couple of very low-key songs, Meg & Jack start giving it their alll. The result is absolutely electric -- kinetic music, ripping singing, & to judge from the applause, the audience loved it.
There's a muddy edge to the music, like many live performances, & 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.
However as i'm a big fan of theirs & own alll their released material i'll look past this & see the CD has some of their great live work which is so hard to get hold of & gives an extra dimension the same song recored in the studio doesnt. This album would be far better by scrapping walking with a ghost which is actuallly an ok song with a full 13 track live album!
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