The Raconteurs: "Help Us Stranger" (Out 6/21/19)*

Anyone receive a Vault shipping notice yet? I guess we are not going to be getting this by the 21st.

 

Nope. Third Man seems to be shipping out the Vault packages later and later these days. I didn't get my Sleep box set until the beginning of April.

 

I just re-read a Vault 40 email and it stated shipping date will be around the shipping date. So I take that as it could be before, on or after the Friday release date. Regardless doesn’t seem many, if any, folks will have the vault release before the release date.

 

What version do you have, CD or vinyl and could you elaborate on the sound please...thanks in advance.

 

I just did like this album. Been into his music since the beginning but just could not get my arms around this. With that said I only listened to it once all the way though and then tried again and could not get through it. I am always willing to give music more chances as I have disliked stuff before and then wound up digging the heck out of it. If I may ask, what do I need to listen for on this release, what am I missing and not keeping an open mind out for here?

Thanks in advance as of course I respect your opinion. I will go look for your review...So my bad, did not know you wrote under "Malachi Lui", I was looking for SoundDoctor, you write well and enjoyed your take on the Albert King, and Dexter Gordon. Nice job! I used to write many reviews for trade mags and such back in the day, and have to say you have a nice style to your writing. The labels should send you more promos!

Anyhow, just two more days before "Help Us Stranger"...done reading reviews, it will be mine now and of course the feedback from all of you on this thread that I will pay attention to now.

 

Labels definitely should send me more promos, but few ever do! I usually buy the records I review.

What appealed to me with Boarding House Reach is how it's experimental - I find the cut and paste nature of it very interesting and quite daring for Jack to do at this point in his career.

 

Ultimate Classic Rock published a fairly short review of the album here: The Raconteurs, 'Help Us Stranger': Album Review

It's another positive though non-effusive review. Excerpt: "His last album, 2018's solo Boarding House Reach, was all over the place -- not exactly a rock 'n' roll record, but not exactly not one either. Help Us Stranger is undoubtedly a rock 'n' roll record. That doesn't mean White has lost his sense of adventure here. There are plenty of detours along the way, as the band swings to close-enough offshoots from time to time, injecting some folk, pop and freak-out psychedelia into the mix."

It does sing the praises of Brendon Benson, which I appreciate as he is really co-leader of this band, calling him Jack White's "sturdiest" creative partner since Meg.

The review is followed by a ranking of (ostensibly) every Jack White-related album thus far. There are two weird errors: (1) Dodge and Burn is inexplicably omitted, despite the article itself plainly mentioning that there are 3 Dead Weather albums, (2) the album cover they posted for the White Stripes' debut is actually a parody cover. Seems someone on their editorial staff should have noticed this stuff!

Anyway, in celebration and just for fun I decided to do my own ranking. I'll slot Help Us Stranger in after I have some time to live with it. As of right now:

14. Boarding House Reach (solo, 2018)
13. The White Stripes (The White Stripes, 1999)
12. Sea of Cowards (The Dead Weather, 2010)
11. Horehound (The Dead Weather, 2009)
10. De Stijl (The White Stripes, 2000)
09. Broken Boy Soldiers (The Raconteurs, 2006)
08. Dodge and Burn (The Dead Weather, 2015)
07. Get Behind Me Satan (The White Stripes, 2005)
06. White Blood Cells (The White Stripes, 2001)
05. Lazaretto (solo, 2014)
04. Icky Thump (The White Stripes, 2007)
03. Blunderbuss (solo, 2012)
02. Consolers of the Lonely (The Raconteurs, 2008)
01. Elephant (The White Stripes, 2003)

* My opinion on Boarding House Reach: I really disliked it on first listen but it has grown on me quite a bit. It's an interesting record, but I am primarily a fan of songwriting and it just isn't a "songwriting" album.
* I would use the word "love" to describe how I feel about every record from #9 on up and the ranking is very tight and close for pretty much the whole list. I'm a major fan.
* The Dead Weather are really more about the heaviness and the vibe than anything else, but I do dig them quite a bit. What can I say? I love guitar distortion and ferocious drumming.
* I would probably rank it: White Stripes > solo > Raconteurs > Dead Weather... but I'm all in for all of it.
* He's never been involved in a bad record.
* You can omit 'Seven Nation Army' from Elephant and it would still be my favorite. That record is phenomenal and so much more than just that song. A major landmark release in my life.

 

Well I spoke too soon. Received an email from TMR with shipping notification. Tracking states I'll have it tomorrow even though it hasn't left Nashville....?

 

Same. Doesn't seem likely to show up by tomorrow, but who knows. Hopefully will be here no later than Friday and that'll be good enough for me.

 

I know I'm uncool, but Whites Stripes rarely did anything for me. After hearing Consolers of the Lonely, I tried Jack's solo stuff, and it was a bit meh for me .... but again here, this stuff sounds really good. These guys seem to have a chemistry that works for me.

 

It’s on the way!

 

That's one awesome top 6! Another cool post. Getting excited!

 

Looking forward to this album so much.

 

The flow of “Elephant” is so good. It’s one of my favorite records by any band. It was definitely a point in my life when I was getting into a lot of different music, too (I was 20 when it came out).

 

It's a perfect record, IMO. It was spring of my freshman year of high school when it came out. I had spent most of the previous year digging deep for the first time into classic rock. It was such an important thing for me to hear a brand new rock record of my own generation that was just as great and inventive and well-written as the great records from the '60s and '70s I was listening to.

 

Only one more day...have not been this excited for a new Rock album in a long time. Still have not heard anything from it, and it has not been easy. My wife is planning a Raconteurs party on Friday night. She was going to invite the neighbors, but I told her, no need to as they will be able to hear it soaring out of our basement anyway...

This afternoon I will be jamming my "Consolers of The Lonely" vinyl, mastered by Kevin (Set The Controls For The Heart of The Sun) Gray, right after I crank "Elephant", as some recent cool posts have got me in the mood...

 

A few more reviews:

Dual review of Help Us Stranger and the Black Keys' Let's Rock in the Wall Street Journal: ‘Help Us Stranger’ by the Raconteurs and ‘Let’s Rock’ by the Black Keys Reviews: Two Takes on Rock Classicism

(I used to really like Mark Richardson's writing, but I don't know if he changed or I did but now I think he comically overwrites. Basically, it's mild praise for both albums.)

Jeremy Winograd of Slant gushes: Review: The Raconteurs’s Help Us Stranger Is a Robust Return to Form

(He gives it 4.5/5 stars and piles the praise on Brendon Benson).

In contrast, California Rocker doesn't seem to notice that there is anyone in the band other than Jack White: REVIEW: Jack White and The Raconteurs Let Guitar Rock Fly With ‘Help Us Stranger’ – California Rocker

 

Very nice of you to keep us updated as you are indeed one heck of a fan! But I am really looking a lot more forward to the reviews posted by the awesome fans of this thread! Of course always nice to read your posts, keep em coming!

 

Just got home with the only copy of the Indie white vinyl my store got, oh yeah, the wait is over! By the way, Jack had the Third Man team send out large window posters of the album calling out the street date (very cool). I looked at the standard black version they got as well, and the cover is also different...Gonna Rock those "Raconteurs" tonight, oh yeah! No, I am not that excited...ha!

 

How are the covers different?

 

On the Indie white, the hand goes across instead of down and is screened on, the standard black is not, plus the over all color is a bit lighter on the standard version. There is a separate sheet with the lyrics and credits, plus the inner sleeve is lined, I am sure that's the same on all versions, but do not know for a fact. The Indie version was $24 and they had the standard one at $17...

 

Can't wait to hear your review @scotti ! I've got to wait for my CD copy to come in the mail from Third Man, so I'll be listening for the first time via Spotify when I wake up tomorrow morning.

 

Got my black LP today. Vault pack on the way. Unfortunately the indie exclusive is cloaked in hipster secrecy. My local store is under strict orders to not tell anyone if they got it. Jeeze...its not even RSD which I quit for this exact reason. Lol.... Meanwhile they are all over Ebay the day before release date. The record is, as we all know stellar....and that's all that matters.

 

That's bizarre. Orders from who I would wonder?

Not sure why they wouldn't want stores to be able to promote something that, you know, would get people to come into their stores.

 

Yea...this isn't the first time for my local store and this nonsense. Its internal....not Third Man.