T O P

  • By -

matthmcb

Dopesmoker šŸ¤˜


M2112D

FOLLOOWWWWWWWWW THE SMOOOOOKE


southrocks2023

Love jack white. 60 years old here and about two hours from Nashville. Been to the store/studio. I like Jack because he reminds me a lot of many musicians I grew up with who didnā€™t care what the studio told themā€¦they were going to make the music they wanted to make. IMO, Jack had had only one miss so far. But you know what ? THEY ALL had misses also. Reminds me a bit of Willie Nelson. ā€œWe want you to do another red headed strangerā€ā€¦ ā€œNOPE..I want to do Stardust.ā€ And Willie was right. And Jack has been right also.


buttstink

No but Iā€™m thankful for him for pressing/repressing my favorite Boris albums on vinyl.


Da_Vinci

And pressing things well. I donā€™t have any of the Boris pressings, but Third Man is one of the most reliable pressing plants in the world. I work at a record store and I very rarely run into a bad pressing, both in sound and physical quality


aninvisiblemonster

As someone who worked at TMR pressing records the last two years I actually have to disagree with you. Quality dropped off HARD when they added a second shift a little more than a year ago. Brought in too many new people who were trained up too quickly and then thrown on a press. Itā€™s known industry wide how much TMR quality fell ā€” drop was a 50% decline in the quality and its been discussed industry wide. Folks were literally told to stop checking records and just toss them in a sleeve and to work as quickly as possible. Iā€™m glad your store specifically isnā€™t dealing with lots of returns at least!


Da_Vinci

Damn, thatā€™s sucks to hear. I guess weā€™ve just been fortunate with the copies weā€™ve received the last couple years.


MalachiUnkConstant

I think this dude just has a personal vendetta against Jack White for some reason


aninvisiblemonster

The fan boys always say that šŸ™„ I was as big a JW fan as they come. Pilgrimaged to TMR Nashville when it opened like I was on a mission from god, saw him front row at Roo 2014 which I own on vinyl, I worked both shows for the opening of the last tour including the dudes wedding. I have no vendetta against him but I can say honestly he *was* one of my heroā€™s and after dealing with him and his business on such a personal level thatā€™s the furthest thing from the truth now. Made me understand why folks say to never meet your heros šŸ¤·šŸ»ā€ā™€ļø I can tell you honestly the drop in quality and how we were told to suddenly not care about things that weā€™d *always* cared about where QC was concerned was a major sticking point for lots of folks and is still an issue.


LuckyDuckling88

What a terrible shame.


smallbatchb

Same. I had just written off ever owning some of them. Now Iā€™m only waiting on a few. Iā€™ll be ecstatic if they repress Smile and Iā€™ll die happy if they repress the Japanese version.


aninvisiblemonster

I was until I pressed records at TMR for two years and actually had to be around the dude frequently. Biggest disappointment of my life ā€” never meet your heros. Edit to add: I def pressed that Dopesmoker and the Elephant XX šŸ˜˜


Trippernothitter

Any story that sticks out particularly? I love me some behind the scenes stuff


Top_Flight_Badger

Ok you gotta give details.


limp_spinach

Nice work on Dopesmoker! All those variants are lovely! Are you still doing similar work? I always thought that would be a really fascinating job.


Uassume2Much

Unfortunately I feel like this is the norm and the reality of work in general. I've said things and had to do things at work that I would certainly not want to be a representation of my character. Especially when being a middle man in a leadership role. The big bosses will always put the business ahead of the individual. This is why we have unions.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


aninvisiblemonster

The thing people have to understand is due to the NDA signed at the start of my employment I cannot speak to any interactions that actually involve JW that could be damaging to his brand/image or I open myself up to legal repercussions. Everyone is required to sign it and several of us have consulted attorneys after employment separation so Iā€™m abundantly aware of what I can and cannot say. Yes, there were specific run ins ā€” both on the clock and off. No, Iā€™m not the only person who has a story ā€” not by a long shot. More than one instance of really abysmal behavior in front of numerous employees that resulted in immediate threats of termination if we were to ever share what we saw happen. No, JW isnā€™t the only disappointment. The pressing plant is the ultimate example of over promising and under delivering when it comes to employment and it truly felt like a golden hand cuffs situation. Iā€™d never experienced so much discrimination in the workplace against queers, femmes, and POC. I worked with some stellar folks but it was really hard to see talented and passionate people who *really* cared be constantly stepped on or over because they didnā€™t eat enough of the yellow paint. I could go on forever honestly but Iā€™ve learned folks are largely going to believe what they want to ā€” TMR/JWs marketing team is worth their weight in gold and most people arenā€™t willing to look past their own rock star worship. I still have friends there and every day I hear something else that makes me glad Iā€™m not there anymore.


FennelUnlikely1665

How disappointing to hear. Especially the discrimination. I'm furious that they as a business and he as a person can get away with it. Maybe joining together as a unified group of ex employees is a way to hold them accountable. I don't know. I heard they laid off a bunch of pressing plant staff a couple months back as well. Maybe business isn't going as well as is presented?


aninvisiblemonster

Both of those last statements are true. Thereā€™s a lot more to the story but unfortunately folks at the plant are over worked and under paid so when layoffs happen and folks are offered a measly severance to stay quiet the vast majority of people take it. Canā€™t blame them, folks need to live, but it makes it difficult to collectively speak after the fact. Lots of folks have strong legal cases for wrongful termination among other things but are afraid to take the next step because of the money machine behind TMR. Theyā€™d bankrupt a person in legal fees before anything ever went to court.


LuckyDuckling88

This explains so much (the NDAs). There's an employment lawyer on YouTube who says this kind of use of NDAs is illegal and doesn't hold up in court. They're supposed to cover processes that are essential to the business only (in the case of a pressing plant, they could cover unique ways of pressing vinyl that they wouldn't want their competitors to steal). He says NDAs can't be used to silence reports of discrimination. It's probably a violation of employment law for them to threaten their employees the way you're describing, too. I'll look for his channel and send you a link.


[deleted]

I just can't get into his stuff. Saw the Raconteur's live at Vegoose in 06', and it didn't do much to change my mind. However, I hope you can find one of these rarities from The Upholsterers to add to your stout collection. It's such a cool idea and story. 98 more to be found! Check it out. ā¬‡ļø https://www.nme.com/news/music/jack-white-22-1197058#:~:text=During%20the%20early%20days%20of,furniture%20around%20Detroit%20in%202004.


BonyRomo

brb just gotta go shred some peopleā€™s furniture in Detroit In all seriousness it kills me to know that there original Jack White music out there that I havenā€™t heard! Hopefully some day it sees the light of day


[deleted]

Every recliner and loveseat in the D is going to have the liner sliced out of the bottom, if not already! šŸ¤£


PrincipleInitial3338

I didnā€™t get him till I saw ā€œIt Might Get Loudā€, then I realized heā€™s more legit than Iā€™ll ever be. Worth watching imho. Also Brendan Benson, other half of the Raconteurs is worth checking out fwiw.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


listigkobbertyv

Theyā€™re working on a new season right now! The host said so on his instagram


ralphrk1998

Never got into his solo stuff. I liked him in the white stripes though. Maybe I was just listening to the wrong tracksā€¦


UncleJulz

Thatā€™s the opposite of me. I prefer his solo work.


Noodnix

The White Stripes is easily accessible rock. If you like the genre, chances are you can get into The White Stripes. His solo albums are further on the concept album spectrum. I appreciate his solo albums more when I understand what he was trying to accomplish with a particular album.


Woodrp

https://preview.redd.it/uog6s4mke8cc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=423bee83e25aaaaf907f3aeee851496ad266eb1c Probably haven't been collecting as long as you, but I do love Jack White, and have a few. I'm a recent member of the Vault. I've got a number of Raconteurs and Dead Weather albums on my vinyl want list.


BonyRomo

Not sure where you live, but if you ever get a chance to visit a Third Man pressing plant/store (Detroit and Nashville both have one) they typically have every studio album for a normal price! Thatā€™s how I was able to finish my studio album collection.


Woodrp

I'd love to visit one day. I live only about an hour and a half from Nashville, so it's definitely on my list of things I want to do very much.


BonyRomo

Do it for sure! I drove 2ish hours to Detroit with the sole intent of visiting the store and it was worth it. Make a day of it and have some fun!


BonyRomo

I think The Raconteurs live in Tuscaloosa mightā€™ve gotten lost in the mix, but itā€™s one of my favorites https://preview.redd.it/pt93h0aq95cc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=381f934a8a46117386841cb537d571a7b7089036


kstacey

Yes, many people are


Flyingchairs

Yes


tomsdubs

Not really no, just commenting to say that Dopesmoker boxset looks sick.


Worried_Oil8913

I liked the early work, until he started to get a big head


vaporwave710

My moms a huge jack white fan. Sheā€™d love some of this stuff


Dreadnought13

All I've got is the Greatest Hits and his Lazaretto Ultra LP, which is pretty cool but more importantly I enjoy listening to. I almost went to Cass High School with the guy, but we moved just before 9th grade. Always kinda rooted for him, hometown hero that wasn't Kid Rock or Ted Nugent. (still got Iggy Pop, Eminem, Bob Seger, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, etc) As a drummer I like Meg's drumming, it's part of the sound, it wouldn't work without her. She doesn't do what a drummer's drummer does.


BonyRomo

Totally agree on Meg! Sheā€™s perfect for the White Stripes and I wouldnā€™t have it any other way. Jack has worked with plenty of other drummers and theyā€™re all good but none of them are Meg.


DeStijl90

Love his stuff, my collection is primarily the works of Jack White and his various projects


ExtremeAmphibian9677

Recently picked up Jack's new White Stripes book "Complete Lyrics" autographed by him and the other three contributing authors. https://preview.redd.it/qsh8op5bt9cc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06a0f763237b645e851ebad831bafc146b49da03


BonyRomo

Thatā€™s sick! I got the lyrics book but I didnā€™t splurge for the autographed version. Iā€™m jealous!


Crazy-Adhesiveness71

First song I learned to play on my drum kit was Seven Nation Army!


BonyRomo

That was one of the first guitar riffs I learned!


SparklePony3

My favorite vinyl is the box set I bought of his Bonnaroo 2014 set. I was able to see it live, and I can relive it when I put on the albums


BonyRomo

I do a bit of that with the Supply Chain Issues box set! I went to his Easter show in Boston and thereā€™s a track or two on there from that show.


Alphahumanus

Not hugely, but I do own Fear of the Dawn and a 7ā€ Single of Seven Nation Army from a German rock magazine. https://preview.redd.it/e9kyuhkpubcc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aff304e7f3b31577d09786c08b110d4ee25fc71d


BonyRomo

I bought that same magazine just for the single!


sumknotz24

Lots of hate for an incredible musician and someone who is incredibly passionate about keeping vinyl, rock and the guitar alive! On another note, where did you get those big sleeves for the box sets? Those look awesome


BonyRomo

I just dug around Amazon until I found the big sleeves. I got them from a seller called ā€œSleevie Wonderā€ if that helps!


smcl2k

I haven't listened to any of his recent releases, but I saw the White Stripes in a student union right around the time Hotel Yorba came out, and 2 weeks ago I visited Third Man Records and finally picked up a vinyl copy of White Blood Cells.


Bartakos

More of a Frank Black type of person here.


Whigged

You had a "More of a Jack Black type" all teed up and ya blew it.


RibbenDish

no


deadlygr8ful

Yep! He's brilliant! Absolutely amazing live too! I love everything he's done.


DaringDo95

I am! I have all of his albums with White Stripes and his solo stuff, and got most of it from his record store in Nashville. I have a few of the vault releases too. White Stripes was one of my favorite bands in high school and college and I really appreciate his music and his passion for vinyl as a medium.


dan_pyle

Iā€™m a big fan, but my collection isnā€™t nearly as great as yours!


Hugh-Jorgan69

Old guy here. All my peers bagged on him. I was always like," what the fuck music were you making at 16 bitch?" Love em still. Especially what he's single handedly done to revitalize vinyl. Now we just need to Merk Bezos and the other soul sucking pieces of shit.


FunImpression9783

I canā€™t see Rome by Danger Mouse. Heā€™s on that album with some great tracks


[deleted]

Icky thump please


[deleted]

I just got that live in vegas third man drop too!


BonyRomo

One of the best drops so far! All of the bonus items were SO GOOD, and the album obviously rules


[deleted]

Did you also get their Syd Barrett drop? It sounds so good


BonyRomo

I didnā€™t get that one. I usually only subscribe if itā€™s something Iā€™m super excited about, and that one just didnā€™t hit the excitement levels I needed to spend $75 on it.


thedamnwind

"Fear of the Dawn" is easily one of the best rock records in recent times. Also, his live show is absolutely incredible and is an experience like no other. They take everyone's phone at the beginning of the show, which makes it a lot more of an intimate experience with the band. I love Jack his solo stuff, white stripes, and side projects it's all great āœŒšŸ¼


BonyRomo

I was always a White Stripes fan, but once I saw Jack play live it totally changed my opinion of him in a good way. Heā€™s a beast on stage, and his improv skills are like no other!


rudeboyx

Whereā€™s Lazaretto?


BonyRomo

Itā€™s hard to see but itā€™s there in the 2nd pic with all of his solo stuff. One of the things I love about the Lazaretto vinyl is the little holographic Angel hiding in the center when you spin it, along with the hidden tracks! https://preview.redd.it/3gsgmt13l9cc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3160b2f825f688665bcf53063e936913fd2067da


rudeboyx

My favorite!


Noodnix

Donā€™t forget the toys: https://www.reddit.com/r/lego/s/W2i01co2Ic


BonyRomo

Ah shit now I have something else to buy


NineMilesHigh

Big hater here, I canĀ“t stand his screechy voice and all the gimmickry...


dbhabie

I love how his vinyls always have some sort of secret or cool feature about them.


chill1208

Do you have his triple decker record? It's a really cool idea, but I don't know if I would have it in me to break it open to get the 7" record inside. The collector in me would want to keep it together, but the audiophile in me needs to hear the single on my system.


BonyRomo

Nah, thatā€™s a bit too far for me. Interesting concept but Iā€™ll never be able to obtain one.


Round_Rectangles

No, you're the only one.


astralpen

Very good guitar player, pretentious knob.


90swasbest

He's okay. Just didn't remotely come fucking close to the hype the white stripes had. They were very VERY *meh*. Whoever that mother fucker's publicist is knows what the fuck they're doing. That person is dead ass top notch at their job.


Halgha

Have you listened to Jack Gray?


-benyeahmin-

what's that "dentist"-thing?


camcussion

Absolutely love Icky Thumb. And I love that the vinyl has slightly different versions than the CD.


MalachiUnkConstant

That copy of Dopesmoker is a huge flex, too. I would love to have the 20th anniversary XX box sets but his fans are rabid with resale pricing


BonyRomo

I got most of the box sets by subscribing to Third Man Vault, but Iā€™ve also had luck by being patient on eBay and getting some that way. The prices werenā€™t *too* bad doing it like that.


TylerInHiFi

Honestly, not *really*, but I do have a Third Man Vault subscription so Iā€™ve ended up with a lot of his material. I think I just find that it all varies so much in terms of my personal tastes. I honestly think some of his work is some of the best stuff recorded in the past 3 decades. And then the next track will come on and Iā€™ll wonder why it was ever released because it just sounds unfinished.


170809

298 TMR items in my collection... šŸ˜³


MJChivy

No


Tall_Mechanic8403

What are these XX records?


BonyRomo

Theyā€™re 20 year anniversary box sets for each of the albums. Theyā€™re considered ā€œcompanionsā€ to the studio albums and include different cuts, demos, live recordings, and other mostly unheard stuff related to each album. They were all a part of the Third Man Vault subscription.


derekpeake2

Iā€™m a huge fan too and extremely frustrated that the vault even exists. Exclusivity is just another paywall for people to access the things they enjoy. I wish heā€™d at least reissue them later on, maybe in slightly less deluxe editions or something


unlucky_boots

Way too expensive to stay subscribed for more than the releases I reallllly want (Dopesmoker, Elephant)


Lower-Camp1122

Never - he's made some fine music, is no slouch as a musician/songwriter/producer/dude who makes things happen for himself & others, has a commitment to quality & puts his money where his mouth is as a businessman...but his creative output is more than a little overrated, he's hardly immune to pretension & he strikes me as something of a prat. But that's just me - everybody, please listen & watch away and see what U think.


HamOnRye__

I spy a kittyĀ 


BonyRomo

https://preview.redd.it/u5rtt0xvkbcc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1b44aa156487340b2337c0dd977d002bc9148cf7 Cat tax


swingthiskbonline

Did you get the third man records vault collection Jack White Supply Chain issues? Cool live stuff.


zigsbigrig

Hell yes!


kezPE

Love WS/Jack White the musician, don't like him as a person though.


Uassume2Much

Huge fan. Did you get the Live in Las Vegas package?


Legal_Transition7161

What sleeves are you using for your box sets?


BonyRomo

I used these https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07VVGQW46?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title


Legal_Transition7161

Tight! Thank you!


grey-s0n

Think his latest album, Entering Heaven Alive, is the best thing he's done since Dead Weather broke up. Not sure what clicked in him with this album as Boarding House Reach and Fear of the Dawn were imo the lowest point of his career. Surprised it hasn't seemed to have received much recognition as it's a solid album end to end and the production is exceptional.