White Stripes - You don’t know what love is (you just do as you’re told)

The elusive import 3 pack. All 3 parts, the (2) 7"'s and the CD release is available overseas today.
I think it's valid to judge the mediocre from an amazing band as good by anyone else's output. Where does Icky fit into the discography? Let's take a look.
For me there is a very definable split there in the middle, between White Blood Cells and Elephant, there is a 2 year hiatus. This is when they blew up, toured and fretted about how to follow it up. That's where I lived with the first three albums for a long time. Right around white blood cells I started listening and then working backwards. Now when you first are falling in love with a new band and you're sure this will be forever, it's an important time...when first impressions are everything, they aren't whoring themselves around, not every jerk is screaming their name, you could even see them play a free show on a pier in manhattan and it's not that crowded. Basically these times/albums can't be ruined by future work, they are cemented in a special place. Let's call this the
So after breaking these up into 2 distinct era's, then it makes it a little easier to organize:

1999 The White Stripes
2000 De Stijl
2001 White Blood Cells
-------------------------------
2003 Elephant
2005 Get Behind Me Satan
2007 Icky Thump

becomes:

1. White Blood cells
2. De Stijl
3. The White stripes
---------
1. Icky Thump
2. Elephant
3. Get Behind Me Satan

So for their new 2nd era body of work, Icky Thump is at the top of the heap, for me it feel like it's taking chances, they've let their hair down and it's hanging out. When there are moments where the song couldn't possibly work, or the instrument choices are bizarre. I can respect taking risks, and pushing themselves and their audience. That's why this ranks #1. Completely different criteria from the first era recording which is soley based on emotional, blind love for something that's new and just yours.

Here's some new 7"'s, for which they have been packaging like maniacs. They easily go down in 7" history as the band who released the most innovative mass marketed 7", in terms of packaging, and creating their own tiny vinyl format, the triple inchophone. And the most sought after, their debut single on Italy records, Let's shake hands.

A downright country-rock meld featuring a Hammond church organ and blended with some hard country guitar picking, ‘You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told)’ is another vintage White Stripes moment.

The single comes complete with new versions of songs – the b-side of the first 7-inch has an acoustic version of album track ‘A Martyr For My Love To You’, the a-side of the second 7-inch features an acoustic version of ‘You Don’t Know What Love Is’ and the CD features a frat-rock version of the title track.

Tracklisting
CD
1. You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)
2. You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told) (Frat Rock Version)

7-inch #1
Side A
1. You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told)
Side B
1. A Martyr For My Love For You (Acoustic Version)

7-inch #2
Side A
1. You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told) (Acoustic)
Side B
1. 300 MPH Torrential Outpour Blues

This is an import, but should be carried by plenty of good local stores that give a damn about music.