The White Stripes - Icky Thump

Icky Thump is the sixth and final studio album by US alternative rock duo The White Stripes, originally released in June 2007 via Warner Bros. Records.

The White Stripes were founded in 1997 and consisted of husband and wife duo Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, bass and keyboards) and Meg White (drums and occasional vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums within the Detroit music scene, The White Stripes rose to prominence in 2002, as part of the garage rock revival scene. Their successful and critically acclaimed albums White Blood Cells and Elephant drew attention from a large variety of media outlets in the United States and the United Kingdom, with the single "Seven Nation Army" and its now-iconic guitar line becoming a huge hit.

The duo were noted for their low-fidelity approach to writing and recording. Their music featured a melding of garage rock, blues influences and a raw simplicity of composition, arrangement, and performance. The pair were also noted for their fashion and design aesthetic - a simple colour scheme of red and white, which was used on every album and single cover the band released.

Icky Thump was recorded entirely in analogue during February 2007 at  Blackbird Studios, Nashville. It was produced by Jack White and was mixed by Joe Chiccarelli (noted for his work with My Morning Jacket, The Shins, Augie March, Boy & Bear, The Strokes).

After Get Behind Me Satan, Icky Thump marked a return to the punk, garage rock and blues influences for which the band was best known. Additionally, the album introduced Scottish folk music, avant-garde, trumpet, and bagpipes into the formula. The recording also differed from previous albums in that The White Stripes had the comparative luxury of recording to 16-track analogue rather than their usual 8-track.

Icky Thump was met with critical acclaim, with NME's Barry Nicolson writing that "Icky Thump is brilliant, there's no way around that", and praising the "fuller sound and relaxed flights of fancy". Icky Thump won the 2007 Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Album and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Icky Thump peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 and the New Zealand Album Charts, and at No. 3 on the Australia ARIA Albums Chart. It was also certified Gold in the US.

This double album 2LP record set is a 2022 reissue on 180 gram black vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve with printed inner sleeves, pressed in Europe via Third Man Records and Sony.