I'm a big fan of The White Stripes--the way they have rocked minimalism really helped to bring back some dirt to rock and roll, especially when compared to the heavily produced multi-layered sounds of other bands like The Flaming Lips. However, listening to the new live album Under Great White Northern Lights left me disappointed. I saw The White Stripes live a couple years ago and the show was amazing; there was almost no talking between songs, everything was just an unspoken connection between Jack and Meg White. Jack White thrashed around the stage and played the guitar like he was possessed by demons, causing myself and every other girl in the room to have amazingly filthy rock fantasies for the full 90 minutes. It was quite an experience.
Then I listen to this live album and the magic just isn't there. Obviously it is impossible to really capture a live experience, after all, that's the whole appeal of paying the money to see your favorite bands in concert. However, certain live albums work because they really introduce a new element to the artist's music. Listen to Nirvana's Unplugged in New York which showcases the softer, brooding, bluesy side of grunge. Or listen to Led Zeppelin's How the West Was Won where the songs triple in length and evolve into improvised prog masterpieces and have some of the most epic solos of all time. The thing is, The White Stripes album is by no means bad--the performances (especially vocals) are great and it is nice to hear the cover of "Jolene" again which was so successful in person... but overall I think I'd rather just listen to one of the studio albums. Songs like "Blue Orchid" which are inherently energetic seem somehow muted and muddled by the live recording and lose their edge.
Overall, I'd much rather watch Emmett Malloy's new documentary of the band's tour (also named Under Great White Northern Lights) or ideally go to another White Stripes show rather than listening to this album.
