The White Stripes – White Blood Cells

Its hilding up to the test of time! I love how the art of recording isnt about perfection! Its attitude and it has plenty of it!

Sounds really good, 2001 is a dubious time for vinyl so sometimes it can be underwhelming but this sounds as good as this album will sound. Bright, good sound stage.

I can echo the dismay with pressing quality. Mine has sharp edges, an edge warp, and is noisier than I would like. Third Man really needs to step up their game; they have become notorious for sub-par pressings.

The sound is decent. I think most of my gripe with the sound is related to the mix/recording rather than the mastering. Meg’s drums, other than the cymbals, sound buried to me. There’s a lack of low end information on this recording (there’s no bass), which I think could have been partially remedied by EQing the low frequencies (during mastering) to hear more of the kick drum.

I have not compared any other pressings to this so admittedly this could be the best one out there.

Isn’t this the all analog cut that’s being sold on Third Man’s website that states “Cut directly from the original 1/4" master tapes, pressed on HEAVY 180-gram vinyl?” If so, shouldn’t that info be added to this listing? Or is that only the United Pressing?

I bought this record for retail on release (UK, and so it was £350, I think). As per my comments on one of the threads below, I was really disappointed with the SQ and the value proposition. So I sold the thing for a slight loss.

Anyhow, as a result of a convoluted set of circumstances, I’ve now come into possession of a second mint copy. It was a swap, and so - less the record that went in the other direction - it didn’t actually cost me anything. Even though I wasn’t impressed that first time, I’m a collector of all things White Stripes… So what can you do?

Anyway, all of this has given me an opportunity to relisten without the burden of expectation and that lofty price.

My opinion largely remains unchanged. This is not the best version of White Blood Cells (my vote would go to the 2021 repress - by a fair distance). But the ERC version does have a few things to commend.

Firstly, the jacket is fantastic. Unlike Mike (from the InGroove), my copy is flawless. No scratching, no scuffs, no sharpie. The spine as has cracked a little. But it isn’t obnoxious. The quality of the card and printing (with embossing) puts the jacket head and shoulders above all other versions in my collection. It’s really, really good. And, yes, on my copy, the embossing lines up with the print - so Mike’s copy was definitely defective.

The record itself is flat, flawless, quiet, and immaculately pressed. No issues at all in that regard.

The SQ, however, remains unwhelming to disappointing, in the main.

The main issue is with the drums: far too soft, spongy, and recessed. This is particularly evident on some of the harder hitting songs - Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground, Fell In Love with a Girl, etc. However, the guitar and vocals do benefit, in the main - my assumption being that the cutting chain excenuates the mids at the expense of the lower and top end. The cymbals here produce a very shallow splash - there isn’t the same bite present on other pressings.

And so, for example, Little Room sounds great - from a vocal/guitar perspective. But the kick drum is basically so recessed as to be gone. Ditto Union Forever - kickin’ guitar, splashy, indistinct drums.

We’re Going to Be Friends unambiguously sounds better than my other pressings, I’d say. But otherwise, it continues to be a very mixed and confused affair.

And so, in conclusion, if you are a collector and can’t do without, you won’t be disappointed by the quality of the package. Just know what you are getting: a well pressed slab of standard vinyl, and a superior replica of the original jacket and insert, along with an ERC obi and plastic outer sleeve. That’s it.

If you’re an audiophile looking for the best sounding version of this album - this ain’t it. By a distance.

If you are looking for a value proposition, in my opinion, this is priced £275 too high. Imo.

If, however, you are a completeist, can stomach the cost (or, like me, get lucky), then the ERC does offer pleasures. Particularly on those tracks where Meg’s playing is a secondary consideration.

But to be clear, I originally described this as shite. That isn’t really fair. It’s just unwhelming and over-priced. But with a gorgeous, gorgeous jacket.

For the most part it sounds great but it has a ton of sibilance, so beware.

Nice flat pressing. Just a little bit of crackle between the tracks. I do not like the thick cardboard cover. It is not easy to get MoFi-Style inner sleeves in there. Would buy again! :)

Third Man Records UK still have some copies of this for sale on their site. https://thirdmanstore.co.uk/products/erc-x-white-blood-cells

Great pressing. No pops or clicks. Good heavy flat vinyl. Audio is a bit plain but thats probably intended.

Just a heads-up that some records with a 2021 copyright on them are actually using the 2014 plates that are stamped at United Pressing Plant. Your 2021 release will match these runouts - https://www.discogs.com/release/5900892-The-White-Stripes-White-Blood-Cells

Bought mine directly from TMR in Nashville in 2015. Plays perfectly, no skips/pops/cracks. Favorite album of mine.