Under Great White Northern Lights [Blu-ray]

The White Stripes

Overview

Ever since the Detroit-bred duo the White Stripes rose to fame on the strength of their 2001 album White Blood Cells, they've tirelessly toured the world, and in 2007, when the group hit the road in support of the album Icky Thump, leader Jack White decided their previous tours had shortchanged the nation of Canada and they should do something about it. The White Stripes set up an ambitious Canadian tour that found them visiting every province and territory in the nation, and White and drummer Meg White also set up a number of surprise appearances along the way, ranging from an impromptu acoustic show on a city bus to a few tunes at a community center for Innuit elders. Filmmaker Emmett Malloy followed the White Stripes as they made their way across Canada, and The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights offers a look at the band on and off stage, with Jack dominating the conversation and Meg letting her drums do most of her talking. The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/16/2010
UPC:	0075993998429
Original Release:	2010
Source:	WARNER/ELEKTRA/ATLANTIC CORP
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[stereo, DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	1:32:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

The White Stripes	Primary Artist,Composer
Emmett Malloy	Director

Technical Credits

Emmett Malloy

Emmett Malloy	Director,Screenwriter
Shelly Anderson	Assistant Engineer
Jack White	Producer,Mixing,Composer
Mike Sarkissian	Producer,Producer
Dolly Parton	Composer
Ian Montone	Producer,Producer
Vance Powell	Mixing,Sound/Sound Designer
Lowell Reynolds	Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Burt Bacharach	Composer,Lyricist
Andrew Mendelson	Mastering
Hal David	Composer
Jonathan Miller	Sound/Sound Designer
Andrew Mendelson	Sound/Sound Designer
Pepe Guizar	Composer
Natthaphol Abhigantaphand	Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Shelley Anderson	Assistant
Tim Wheeler	Editing,Producer
Daniel Bacigalupi	Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Autumn de Wilde	Photography
John Baldwin	Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Rob Jones	Design
Philip J. Harvey	Engineer,Recording

Editorial Reviews

Given the White Stripes' reputation for powerful concerts, it's a little surprising that they waited until more than a decade into their career to release a live album. However, Under Great White Northern Lights was worth the wait: while nothing can really replace seeing the band live, this set captures most of its riveting on-stage presence. The album was recorded during the Stripes' 2007 Canadian tour, which was such a special experience for them that they chronicled it with a DVD as well. The band was touring in support of that year's Icky Thump, and the Scottish and Celtic motifs that are woven throughout that album pop up here, too, from the bagpipes intro to a brisk version of "Little Ghost" that sounds almost like a reel. Like most White Stripes concerts, Under Great White Northern Lights features an evenhanded mix of early songs and newer ones -- Jack and Meg White go way back for incendiary takes on "Let's Shake Hands" and "When I Hear My Name," which sound right at home next to the lunging "Icky Thump" and "I'm Slowly Turning into You." The album opens with four furious rockers that show just how primal the duo is live -- on "Black Math" and a breathless "Blue Orchid" they sound like they can barely keep up with the energy flowing through them -- but many of Under Great White Northern Lights' brightest moments happen when they slow down. Jack and Meg settle into a groove on "300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues" that makes the song fresher than it was on Icky Thump, while a particularly stunning version of "The Union Forever," with extra-desperate vocals from Jack surrounded by a swelling, horror-movie organ, just might be the album's standout. The Stripes also include plenty of favorites, including "Jolene," a bluesy "Fell in Love with a Girl," a singalong "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself," and a bruising "Seven Nation Army" as the finale, all of which capture the kind of show the band puts on for its fans. Since a big part of the Stripes' live show also rests on their visuals, the Under Great White Northern Lights DVD gives the complete experience, but this album is satisfying enough to make it a must for most fans. [The live performance also saw a Blu-ray release in 2010.] ~ Heather Phares