So why is Jack White’s Blunderbuss on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
You can hear strong influences from Jack White’s other projects on Blunderbuss, the ever prolific musician’s debut solo album.
Which makes perfect sense: White has such a powerful impact, whether he’s playing with ex-wife Meg in The White Stripes (though certainly Meg White deserves credit for her role in that project, it’s important to note), or fronting the bands The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather.
And the best songs on Blunderbuss take those various strands and meld them into something wholly new. Perhaps that’s all to say that the Jack White sound is both ever changing and ever pleasing.
It’s the variety of styles – old, blended, and new – that also make Blunderbuss such a pleasure.
As I get older, it’s the acoustic, singer songwriter side of White that beguiles me the most.* So it is that “Love Interruption” is my favorite song on Blunderbuss. Think of it as a typically great White Stripes song with the volume turned down about 50%, and then add in fabulous singing accompaniment by Ruby Amanfu and, via Wikipedia, a bass clarinet and Wurlitzer electric piano, and acoustic guitar.
* And if you’re anything like me in this regard, stay tuned to the old best 1k albums ever proj for a simply astonishing Jack White album… or two?
I’m a massive fan of The Raconteurs’ Consolers of the Lonely, and “Sixteen Saltines” feels like it would fit in very nicely on that LP. It’s got a killer guitar hook – ornate and unique – and pays off in a rush of punk blues that I can listen to over and over again.
And if my innate Jack White bias isn’t showing off, “Missing Pieces” is the kind of mode I wish The Dead Weather tapped into more often — catchy pop melodies layered over a darkly mysterious Wurlitzer groove.
Some stats & info about Jack White – Blunderbuss
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Indie Rock, Punk Blues, Punk Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4 out of 5 stars
- When was Blunderbuss released? 2012
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #437 out of 1,000
Jack White’s Blunderbuss on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Jack White’s Blunderbuss that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
I’m hungry and the hunger will linger, I eat sixteen saltine crackers then I lick my fingers.
What’s something interesting thing about Jack White’s Blunderbuss that most people don’t know?
Blunderbuss refers to an old-fashioned firearm that was popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was known for its wide muzzle and short barrel, which allowed for a scatter-shot effect when fired. It can also be used metaphorically to describe something that’s a hodgepodge or a mix of different elements.
Perhaps this ties to the eclectic mix of influences that I mention above?
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.