Released: 2020

Genres: Garage Rock Revival, Blues Rock, Hard Rock

The Musiquarium’s ALBUM Review Score: 10 out of 10

The White Stripes were a highly-influential rock duo from Detroit, who released six incredible albums between 1999 and 2007, producing hit song after hit song and being amongst the leaders of the rock revival of the 2000s.

In the digital age, compilations may not serve the same purpose they once served, but I’m always fascinated to see an artist’s own curation of what they consider to be their most essential recordings. The White Stripes are also a band that had no bad albums and a rather short career, so you’re getting nothing but gold here; every song is a zinger.

All of the big singles are here: The Big Three Killed My Baby, Hello Operator, Hotel Yorba, Fell in Love With a Girl, Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground, Seven Nation Army, The Hardest Button to Button, I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself, Blue Orchid, My Doorbell, The Denial Twist, Conquest and Icky Thump… All classics. There are also some of the band’s best deep cuts, like Apple Blossom, Astro, Death Letter, I Think I Smell a Rat, Screwdriver, I Fought Piranhas and Ball & Biscuit, as well as a couple non-album songs, Let’s Shake Hands and the duo’s excellent cover of Dolly Parton’s Jolene.

It would have been nice to see some more rarities, but at 82 minutes, there would be no memory left on a single CD. Considering that none of the runtime is wasted, this is pretty much the greatest single disc White Stripes greatest hits package you could ask for. The White Stripes’ Greatest Hits is a great retrospective of one of the greatest rock bands of the 2000s.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view The White Stripes on Discogs.

Back to the 2020 Album Guide or the The White Stripes Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard