Icky Thump (Double Gatefold LP)

Following the arty explorations of its predecessor, GET BEHIND ME SATAN, ICKY THUMP finds everybody's favorite platinum-selling, post-modern garage-rock duo returning to their bang-and-stomp rock-&-roll roots. The marimbas and pianos of the former are kicked to the curb in favor of the kind of Led Zeppelin-in-a-trash-can riffs on which Jack and Meg White built their cooler-than-ice reputation.

There's an overwhelming sense of urgency and catharsis on most tracks, as on the title cut, where Jack's Robert Plant-ish wail falls into a near-rap full of breathless cadences. That dirty, primal groove evoked by said title is the organizing principle of the album, sweaty blues-rock writ large and gritty. Even though there are a couple of brief stylistic diversions when the Whites veer into folkier territory, there's no mistaking ICKY THUMP's status as a thick slab of heavy rock capable of handily crushing lesser sonic statements.

Gatefold jacket with a custom sticker covering the open ends. Records housed in poly sleeves. Comes with a 4 page insert.
Tracks are sequentially listed from 1 to 13.

180 gram vinyl mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray from 1" tape reels, "the first time in recording history that a vinyl master was cut in analog straight from a one inch master mix."
Two tracks have different mixes: in track A1 the guitar has an AM radio effect during one of the breakdowns, and another section was edited to be shorter. Track C9 doesn't feature the original spoken sections by Jack and Meg, instead only Jack is heard saying some random lines. Even with these differences, the credits in the artwork are the same as the CD releases, and A1's duration is listed as being 4:14.