Where has all the real Rock gone?

Rock and roll used to be dangerous and unpredictable. "Lock up your daughters, Mick Jagger/Iggy Pop/Bon Scott/Jim Morrison is coming to town!" You won't hear anyone saying that about Nickleback. Rock radio is filled with utter trash that all sounds like Trapt or Seether. And I'm not talking about metal here. Metal has its place, but it's not what really gets me going. There is tons of good music being made; very little of it could be classified at real, raw, powerful rock and roll.

But fear not readers of TSAD! I've got some great stuff for you. Over the next few weeks I'll be dropping some serious rock on all of you in anticipation of three album releases in May from some of the best rockers we've got (The Black Keys, The Hold Steady, and The Dead Weather, all in May!). Click those links, there's new tunes to be had at each band's website. A little supergroup known as Them Crooked Vultures will also be on tour at the same time. Suddenly it doesn't look like such a bad time to be a rocker.

So let's begin with the anointed royalty of mainstream rock: The White Stripes. Sadly the Stripes haven't been heard from since 2007 when Meg suffered some sort of severe anxiety attack forcing the band to cancel their tour, and that was it. For now. Luckily for us, the band recently released a live album, DVD, and box set entitled Under Great White Northern Lights. The material is a compilation of their Canadian tour from 2007, which included visits to every province and territory in the country with some fascinating little afternoon sets along the way.

I considered posting a select few songs from the live album, but after much thought I just had to post the whole thing below. If you haven't listened to The White Stripes live before, prepare yourself. They don't use a set list, and this stuff is raw, heavy, and downright hard. Jack White's passion onstage is second to none, and the result is an absolutely stunning album. The set showcases both recent tracks (I'm Slowly Turning Into You, Icky Thump) as well as longtime concert staples (Jolene, The Union Forever, Ball and Biscuit). Here's a high quality video to get you started:



Here's the album. Under no circumstances should you miss I'm Slowly Turning Into You or Seven Nation Army. Fell In Love With A Girl is also re-imagined in a slower, excellent form.

Under Great White Northern Lig...

Buy this album, and if you really love the band, pick up the DVD. It's one of the best tour/documentary music DVDs I've seen. Here's to rocking our faces off for the next couple months!

Stew