The White Stripes St james infirmary blues

[motherintoronto]

I've heard other versions. I don't like them. But I love this version!

[boozewaful]

Haha. I love how he sings Cab Calloway's near-gibberish as actual gibberish, "RED hot bleblebluhblohman sweet grace Hallelujah! ... as we go along." I once heard the original lyric is "Red hot jazz band at the top of my head so we can praise Hallelujah..." - just spoken really fast. funny Jack

[SpookMouse]

Nice try, but it just doesn't have that soul..

[bearishwearish]

this is so bad bad bad, have they ever heard louis do this song? music is getting ruined more and more by capitalism. just like the loss of nutrients in the soil in commercial farming. boo white stripes and if anyone thinks this is a good version please listen to the masters play it first and realize the lose of nutrients in this poor cover.

[shaikhymx]

There is nothing new under the sun.......I guess it is a kind of homage the new "artists" are paying to the Masters!! 

[MrTudd13]

Awesome song

[spinninggypsy]

egh...jack tried...didn't do as well as the older versions though.

[keyblok]

I like WS, but I have to say, that cover is shitty.

[melanyebaggins]

when I saw Hugh Laurie do this I was like 'omg he did a cover of a White Stripes song?' haha this was the first version of this I ever heard and I loved it <33

[ricky94533]

@melanyebaggins fucking retard, this song is ages old, cab Calloway ring a bell? get cultured fool.

[Dev5241]

@ricky94533 louis armstrong made it popular first and there were probably lots more less famous people that sang it before him and cab calloway, so don't lord over people

[logipi79]

@ricky94533 are you sure you don't need culturing...calloway recorded it in 1931, while armstrong beat him to it in 1928 starting its popularity in jazz in which of course everybody then copyied.

[DisgrntldCurmudgeon]

Jack White does a lot of songs really well, adding his unique take on them to breathe new life into classic tunes. This isn't one of those. It sucks. It's got no soul or feeling, substituting a pounding, mechanical rhythm for the eloquent, traditional phrasing of Armstrong, Calloway or just about anyone else who does the song. Skip this one.

[electric23sand]

@DisgrntldCurmudgeon he sings it's right though. i think that's the point. he wants to experiment with the sudden interval jump scream. he probably wants to incorporate this jazz vocal technique into rock. & if it helps warm up his voice at a concert, then cool. it's not his best song, but jack white is really prolific. a lot of his songs i just listen to once or twice.

[lordkoos]

@electric23sand It isn't even his song, it's a really old folk tune.

[CrescentViolet13]

Looove it!!!

[ryukXsayu27]

Was he referencing Koko the Clown at the beginning?

[Cricemusic137]

@ryukXsayu27 yes theres a popular koko the clown cartoon on youtube where st james infirmary is sung by cab calloway himself

[39120c]

Can't even compare to Louis Armstrong's version.

[RichieW]

Compare this to Louis Armstrongs version... sorry White stripes, I love you but this song aint yours.

[steven8807]

@RichieW No one owns this song...music should be shared...not limited as to whom it belongs to. If you relate to it or if it "speaks" to you, then convert your own rendition.

[brupey]

@SneakerFiendd You obviously haven't heard Joe Cocker's version.

[Bru1seVi0let]

Tom Jones and Jools Holland's version will NEVER be topped!!

[fuckamericanidiot]

only this and slicker drips are not worth my time imho, class album

[rose7art]

i hate comparing covers by different musicians, but shit, this is by far the greatest cover that anyone has ever done from cab colloway

[hardcoreyouser]

This is the first song they have put out that I've heard that I really don't like. I'm sorry, it's just bad, IMHO.

[makeaton]

I hate every other song they have ever made, but this is done with such great style.

Personally (Fuck you, try to convince me other wise) i have little love for these 2 artists. But they did a great job on this one.

[furryfurball1221]

God dammit this is an awesome song.

[drbacconburger]

@LBNANY you're a douche. don't shit-talk the white stripes. if i wanted to complain about music that i thought was bad, i'd have an army of 12 year old girls throwing bricks at my head whenever i stepped out of my house. respect what the white stripes have to bring to the table when it comes to style and passion.

[streetsidenomad]

the white stripes do covers because they appreciate the song. they dont wanna have it sound like previous versions or else what would be so special about theirs?

[LBNANY]

THIS IS SHIT

TOTALLY ABSENT OF THE RHYTHM AND TIMING MODEL THAT MADE THAT SONG GREAT.

Cab Calloway St. James Infirmary by Fleischer.wmv

[LittleQueenie55]

@LBNANY Lacking what?! You just have to listen to this, to any version of it, to hear the pain, the passion, the tear-your-heart-out voices. So what about technical skill? It's the emotion in a song that makes it brilliant, and if anyone's got it, Jack and Meg have. Listen with your heart, not your ears.

[dokkholiday]

@LBNANY does it matter bob your fucking head and shut the fuck up maggot

[jhsarah1990]

"Oh, Koko!" As in, Koko the Clown. As in, Betty Boop's buddy and the guy that sings this song in one of her cartoons. Nice.

[jazzypaul75]

somebody said that this is a sell out? How do you sell out by playing a 100+ year old tune that nobody knows? It's not my favorite version, but it's cool. So, good on 'em.

[CyanideFilledCandy]

@jazzypaul75 I agree. (......what idiot said that? :/) Yeah. This isn't my favorite version either, but I like it SO much better than their "Death Letter" cover. I kinda hate that one.

[johnybladex]

Search for St James infirmary preformed by ''The Belgrade Dixieland Orchestra''! ;)

[BarbershopTopHat]

Does he say,"Oh Koko" at the beggining, referencing the Betty Boop cartoon where Koko the clown sings this?

[hhmarton95]

@SneakerFiendd no, best version since Sir Tom Jones

[yousuckhardtime]

@hhmarton95

lol Louis Armstrong's is the best.

[sil2k8]

@yousuckhardtime Agreed

[AccurateMistake]

Is this a cover? If so, who made the original?

[yousuckhardtime]

@AccurateMistake

Well nobody really knows. It origins are unknown.

But this song is a direct cover from a version of Artie Shaw.

[infirmaryblues]

I like this song

[feamlealex]

they know what they want to do and they do it. Damn, I respect that.

[NiKoZeRo2]

love hugh laurie's version, white stripe' style is good too :D

[mojo1964100]

omg!!!

[Yoroichi19]

love the white stripes,and the raconteurs,mb not dead weather but w/e,this cover sounds just too "rednecky"

[YourBestDroog]

@Yoroichi19 that makes no sense. how is this rednecky? it isn't bluegrass.

[eclectic111]

If you want eerie and scary, try listening to Kid Ory 's version with Teddy Buckner. My favourite version, by far.

[2toedslothful]

Something about this version just doesn't work for me. In the traditional version of this song, the instrumentals are played much more intricately and with more layers (sometimes piano, sometimes horns)... the instrumentals in this version sound too blunt and devoid of emotion.

[theplourde]

This is a great rendition because so many people have covered it. Duh it's a standard. But really no offense to Jack and Meg but they sold out. Look at the production here, it's true, bare bones production. I can't listen to anything after Elephant (i.e. Icky Thump and Get Behind Me Satan) because the songs and production on those sounds fake.

[musiclover01ization]

@ They did not sell out. The white stripes are probably very underrated. I've listened to songs off of get behind and icky thump. They still sound great. Get new ears.

[HerrBrewer]

I'm reading quite the book on jazz and when I saw a portion talking about Armstrong playing this I was like, "Hey...don't the white stripes play it also?" Ha. Awesomesauce!

[Okoi05]

I was looking for other t James Infimary cover, but found this and started to LOVE :)

[deeeeeznuttttts]

This isn't bad, I think the White Stripes have done a lot better. They are one of my favourite bands but I definitely prefer Cab Calloway's version. The way he sings it is just creepy. I love it.

[cleanguy08]

check out snooks eaglin's version

[JazzyFunkyMan]

I really love the White Stripes , but what a bad cover. I prefer the original x10000

[HUY0005]

What a butchering. Can't go past Louis Armstrong's.

[bob1987ify]

@HUY0005 Are you kidding me? There's absolutely no flaw to be found in this cover.

[PepePianissimo]

This song's origins go back before records began, nobody owns it. I quite like Tom and Jools version of it.

[jackogreen23]

brilliant version indeed... love the 'oh... koko...' right at the start...

[steven8807]

This is The White Stripes, not Calloway, Armstrong, or Morrison. Appreciate the fact they did the same as those artists: appreciating music!

[stikification]

i like how the white stripes are stripped down like they are. one eyed doll is another good two-piece. big influences on how i play with my band. i don't things have to be all that technical nor complicated myself.

[milesofsmiles2]

doors did this live, pretty cool. great vocals from jim

[absynthe1972]

Brilliant cover...but nothing can beat Cab Calloway other than Louis Armstrong.

[deltatangofoxtot]

No one can touch the wmf version of Cab Calloway from Betty Boop. Soooo much soul!!

[ChrisA12356]

the wildcards- st james infirmary blues. brilliant version of this song.

[ChrisA12356]

the wildcards- st james infirmary blues. brilliant version of this song.

[ChrisA12356]

@SneakerFiendd facebook 'the wildcards' they do a brilliant cover of this song.

[ianpaper]

the Abner Jay's version is the most incredible and haunting one

[angelo1593]

I hate that everyone always says that the white stripes arent talent because they have simple playing. what the fuck does that have to do with anything? ive heard guitar solos that sound pretty fucking annoying. the delta blues guys like son house played pretty simple. and they are well respected. they picked up a guitar and sang. and that was it. creative.

[TheERExperience]

"Oh CoCo"

Conan O'Brian?

[tuv45]

@TheERExperience Koko the clown. did you see the cab calloway version in the betty boop cartoon?

[greebothecat]

@TheERExperience duh.

[shipwreckdelgado100]

Love this version like no other. Jack White, you have my heart forever.

[missnothingx0]

this song is so eerie, i love it.

[quenquen411]

Oh and this VERISON IS A BILLION TIMES BETTER THAN THE ONE BY, 'The Animals' ...which had absolutely no spirit and sounded more like a cheap mockery than a groovy twist... this one is nice, especially if your into dance, Jazz ...crap like that...

[quenquen411]

I like this tempo/version as well as Louis Armstrong's, and Bobby Bland... I need to go listen to Mr.Calloway's now ...so far all the versions are a different tempo

[kingcong89]

covers tend to sound worse if they go at a different pace since ppl are used to the original tempo. if you heard this first, you might have said the same thing about cab calloway's.

[EIRIYUKILOVER4EVA]

Probably my fav. song by them, and they didn't even write it :D

[jirdimaster]

Whether or not they have technical skill, they definitely have style.

[sawyerscott52]

@jirdimaster Half of them has skill.

[milesofsmiles2]

@sawyerscott52 you try and play drums for a super successful rock band like the white stripes, youd get kicked out in a day, not last ten years. idiot.

[sqadron2386]

@jirdimaster technical skill? jack white is one of the best guitarist of our time

[planelovingbastard]

@sqadron2386

jack is a great guitarist. Don't get me wrong, but his skill is really throwing a huge amount of emotion and energy into a few chords. But for sheer technical skill, as in playing really complex scales really fast. Try looking up some videos of Zakk Wylde, that dude is just insane

[MrMegavana]

@planelovingbastard want technical skill? Just check out Tommy Emmaunel, and also Jake E. Lee was a better Ozzy guitarist then Wylde.

[planelovingbastard]

@MrMegavana

honestly, I much prefer Zakk's later work. listen to the experimental piece "speedball" Huge amount of skill

[bearishwearish]

@sqadron2386 the best guitarist of our time?! Look into Jim Hall first please. as far as rock goes zappa was the best guitarist.

[tobysfig]

@jirdimaster Dude, Meg might be only an average drummer at best, but Jack White is ine of the most talented guitarists of his generation, and he ain't a half bad vocalist either- Jolene at GWNL for example

[JCE0043]

@jirdimaster He has a metric shit ton of technical skill.

[123argaet]

Totally agree with aceboggie504, The Animals are the ones.They do it the justice it deserves

[NeutrinoShaman]

aceboggie504 didn't catch the "blues" in the title. He must not understand that bad ass songs do not have to be restricted to a specific genre and that just because it sounds different doesn't make it horrid. In my opinion the instrumentation is very befitting given the subject nature of the song. But you are right, the Animals do n awesome version.

[aceboggie504]

@123argaet thanks for the kudos. the animals did do a great job.

[aceboggie504]

this is a really bad remake. this must be based of some horrid version from england. but it sounds like he used some of the louis armstrong lyrics. this is really really bad. Just going to destroy a jazz classic

[beastydisheen]

@aceboggie504 People actually like especially since it was featured on one of the biggest shows across the boarder of the world SO You Think You Can Dance!!! Mr. Sean Cheesemen chored the dance!!!!!! Dancing in the Morgue and that's where u belong for not likeing this versions so God bless and have a great life!!!!

[aceboggie504]

@beastydisheen the remake sucks, i'm entitled to my opinion. you're an ass for the insult, blessing someone when you are obviously not holy enough to to bless is a shame. and it just makes you look bad. i must say. that's really adult of you.

[musicmaniacmadman]

@aceboggie504 its suposed to sound erie and out of tune. o ya and this version is Bluesssss!!!!!!

[2nahavemercy]

@SneakerFiendd you need to hear snook eaglin's version.

[sweeppickable]

i usally like the white stripes but i didnt like this

[MMocherman2]

check out the joe cocker version it is divine!

[mohrdg]

agreed