The White Stripes - Under Amazonian Lights (2015) [24bit FLAC]

Anchoring the box is the double LP Under Amazonian Lights recorded live in Manaus, Brazil on June 1st, 2005. Described by the local press as “deliciously irresponsible” and the first rock concert ever at the grand Teatro Amazonas Opera House, the performance that night was nothing short of amazing. Featuring a sublime cover of Bob Dylan’s “Lovesick Blues”, two versions (one electric, one acoustic) of “The Same Boy You’ve Always Known,” two versions of “Passive Manipulation” (both sublime), a snippet of Howlin Wolf’s “I Asked For Water,” and ample marimba on “The Nurse,” and what you have is one of the most iconic and memorable shows the White Stripes ever played. Both LPs will be pressed on blood red vinyl with stark black wisps.

So it should come as no surprise that we’d pair this LP with DVD footage from that performance. Words do not ably describe the beauty of the Teatro Amazonas nor the furor riled up by the White Stripes appearance. Not only was there fear that the amplification of the band would cause the plaster in the building to crack and possible fall and injure attendees, but out of custom/fear/lord-knows-what the crowd remained seated until being explicitly asked to stand from the stage by Jack White himself. If that wasn’t enough, during the show Jack and Meg ventured outside the venue to play an entirely unamplified version of “We Are Going to Be Friends” for the assembled multitude of fans unable to purchase tickets and watching the performance via closed-circuit feed. The resultant melee was arguably a riot and was lovingly captured by the film crew documenting that evening’s importance. All together what it makes is one of the best true rock and roll moments of the past decade. Heck, Jack White even got married that day.

The accompanying 7” single is a perfect example of the material the Vault was explicitly created to release. “Let You Down” is a solo recording done by Jack White roundabout the year 2000. Featuring both electric guitar and electric bass, the true meat here is the multi-tracked four-part harmony voiced by White throughout the song. The entirety of lyrics here “No I’m never, no I’m never, no I’m never gonna let you down now” would be repurposed into the White Stripes 2005 recording “The Nurse” and the overall germination illustrated here is devilishly insightful. The b-side “Ain’t No Sweeter Than Rita Blues” is a quintessential White Stripes guitar/drums outtake instrumental that was recorded during the tracking of Get Behind Me Satan and subsequently unused and forgotten for the past ten years. Dare we say it’s everything you hope it would be, pressed on wonderful white vinyl and ready for your love.