The White Stripes
Orange House
Munich, Germany
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Check it out on nugs.net HERE
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recorded live direct to 1/4” tape
transferred and mastered by Bill Skibbe, Third Man Mastering, Detroit, MI
24 bit files are 96khz
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This show is a remarkable performance in stellar quality. Boy do the Germans know how to record! Of particular interest was the fact that a radio broadcast in 2001 was recorded to 1/4” tape. Just seems like…such an anachronistic move. The fact that the tapes ended up in the Third Man Vault made it all the better to transfer at an appropriately-high bitrate and then share them here. But the tapes themselves were in an incredibly odd iteration which I had never even seen before. They weren’t on reels (or flanges) and instead the tape was all held together by sheer tension around a metal center piece that looks reminiscent of a 45rpm adaptor. I am told they are called AEG hubs. Additionally, the tape was wound with the reels magnetic side OUT. Leave it to our main man Bill Skibbe to track down a German Telefunken tape machine IN DETROIT and work magic on his end. The heads on Telefunken machines face IN, so he had to surgically unspool, respool, edit out dead space AND track down a step up converter as the machine only runs on 220v electricity. I wish everyone had their very own Bill Skibbe to solve technological quandaries like this. I mean, I he IS for hire at Third Man Mastering, but I digress.
There are some songs missing here that are included in audio circulating amongst fans, in this instance clearly missed by engineers swapping out reels in real time. Rather than try to include from inferior sourced audio, we’ve chosen to just present the show exactly as it exists on these original tapes. Save for one EARLY gig (1997?) I am unaware of any other White Stripes performances that were captured on reel-to-reel tape, so this feels extra-special. Starting the set with “Death Letter” is peculiar and I love it…I can’t recall any other Stripes performance beginning with that song, but I’m sure some die-hard will take the opportunity to tell me otherwise! Coupled with rousing takes on “Love Sick” and “The Union Forever” and the entire performance captivates. A prime example of the on-fire abandon Jack and Meg were brimming with in 2001.
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Death Letter
Let’s Shake Hands
When I Hear My Name
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
Hotel Yorba
Love Sick
Expecting
I Think I Smell a Rat
Little Room
The Union Forever
I Fought Piranhas
Let’s Build a Home
Goin’ Back to Memphis
We’re Going to Be Friends
Astro (partial)
Screwdriver (cuts in)
I’m Bored
St. James Infirmary
You’re Pretty Good Looking
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Check it out on nugs.net HERE
