The White Stripes are out to make a Conquest (playing now). Hit the  button to hear “B” sides Honey, We Can’t Afford to Look This Cheap and again to hear It’s My Fault for Being Famous. |
The vinyl single was great. For $1 or so, you could buy the song you really wanted and receive a little bonus — the “B” side. For many artists, the “B” side did not appear on the album version.
On Conquest, the newest single from The White Stripes, vinyl buyers can get three “B” sides, none of which appears on their latest album, Icky Thump. How is this possible? The White Stripes produced three different single discs, each with a unique “B” side.
Jack White (not to be confused with Jack Black) said in a recent National Public Radio interview, “The problem with B-sides is, it's almost like, OK, we'll go and write some mediocre songs.”
Back in our day, artists never wanted the “B” side to be too good because the “A” was the focus. With Conquest, White breaks that mold. The “B” side, he says, “gives you a new chance to breathe some new life into a whole project that you were already working on.”
And what life it is. Conquest is an old Patti Page (How Much for That Doggie in the Window) song that White stripped down to the White Stripes formula of guitar and drum. With the help of buddy/producer Beck, mariachis are added to give the song a sort of timeless feel. It’s very good, and it ain’t your momma’s Patti Page.
Vinyl buyers can get Conquest on one of three colored discs. The black disc (above) includes “B” side It’s My Fault for Being Famous, while the white (left) and red (below) discs have Honey, We Can’t Afford to Look This Cheap and Cash Grab Complications on the Matter, respectively. The latter red disc’s “A” side offers an acoustic mariachi version of Conquest.
All these songs are available in digital form on an EP or iTunes download. But where’s the fun of that? If, like your beloved DJ Urban Kobbb, you own a turntable, dust it off and buy the vinyl. It’s a great throwback to your musical experiences of years gone by…with a bonus. The vinyl version also includes really cool bullfighter trading cards.
