Nigh on ten years ago, the White Stripes unveiled the most ambitious record of their career. Taking its name from the mis-appropriation of the British exhortation “Ecky thump” the Stripes’ Icky Thump would prove to be the final full-length studio album from the beloved Detroit duo.
To celebrate not only the ten years since Icky Thump’s release, but also twenty years since Jack and Meg started the White Stripes AND the 500th release in the Third Man Records’ catalog, we are delighted to announce the release of our 33rd Vault package, Icky Thump X.
Deluxe Icky Thump 180-gram, colored vinyl - The cornerstone of the package is the deluxe, “contained explosion” colored vinyl repressing of Icky Thump. Previously only ever available on boring black vinyl, this double LP, 180-gram vinyl dream is housed in a glorious tip-on sleeve with slightly modified artwork and sealed with a Victorian update on the original red/white sticker that was begrudgingly slit open by fidgety record collectors overly concerned with "condition." .
12" Icky Thump Extras Vinyl - The logical companion piece to Icky Thump is the collection compiling all nine of the non-album b-sides recorded for (and during) the release and tour cycle. Icky Thump Extras joins live covers (Hank Williams’ “Tennessee Border”), alternate versions recorded in the middle of a horse-racing track in Canada (“You Don’t Know What Love Is…”) with Beck-produced exclusives (“It’s My Fault For Being Famous”) and couples them with newly reimagined artwork from Grammy Award-winning designer Rob Jones
The Red Demos - Prior to entering Blackbird Studios for the tracking of Icky Thump, the White Stripes did a full run-through of the tracks in demo form to workshop ideas and get thoughts on tape at their Nashville rehearsal spot. This would prove to be the ONLY time the band would ever demo an album before recording.