Third Man Records has announce Get Behind Me Satan XX, the twentieth anniversary companion release to The White Stripes’ fifth album and the 63rd entry of its long-running vinyl subscription service The Vault. Included in this package are songwriting demos, alternate studio takes and live versions of the songs found on the album across two LPs and a 7”, a Blu-ray containing footage from the band’s 2005 Central and South American tour, and more.

Get Behind Me Satan is without question the most misunderstood entry in the White Stripes discography. Often mistaken as a break-up album, a treatise on fame, or a “piano” album, the record is most accurately described in Jack White’s own words as focused on the truth. The fact that it was in no way Elephant, Part 2 only further confused, infuriated, and/or beguiled many.

Third Man Records is proud to announce Get Behind Me Satan XX, the twentieth anniversary companion release to the White Stripes fifth album and the 63rd entry of its long-running vinyl subscription service The Vault.

Once the studio was ready, the tape was really rolling, that’s when the alternate takes began to take shape. “White Moon” with whisper quiet guide vocals, “The Denial Twist” a skosh fast and excited, a skittish instrumental take on “Over And Over And Over” and a more rudimentary “City Lights” than would eventually see the light of day on Jack White’s Acoustic Recordings album in 2016. All of these are buttressed by a revelatory, vibe-shifted version of “I’m Lonely (But I Ain’t That Lonely Yet).” As the final song on the album it’s a gospel-adjacent progression of simple vocal and piano veering toward the dour. But the example here is fleshed out with drums and mandolin and sounds more like a celebration, the optimism shining through more clearly, more pronounced, forcing the listener to completely rethink the tenor and impact and intent of the song.

Before Get Behind Me Satan could be released, the White Stripes were already full-throttle into touring that would span five continents, more than 100 performances and would eek into 2006. With a majority of these shows recorded for posterity, disc 2 here is a compilation of all the standout live versions of tracks originally released on Satan. So the recording of “The Nurse” comes from Guatemala (where the marimba is the official national instrument) and “Little Ghost” riffs on “Blue Moon Of Kentucky” in Louisville, from Boston to Buenos Aires, Glasgow to Gdynia, the renditions here captivate and enlighten and delight.

Disc one is pressed on opaque red vinyl, disc two is pressed on white vinyl. Because all of the intrigue could not fit on two LPs, we’ve included a 7-inch single with two outlier rehearsal recordings here. Side A is a charming exploration of “Forever For Her (Is Over For Me) starting with Jack guiding Meg along on electric guitar, before transitioning to electric piano, finally settling on an organ accompaniment. All of this belies the song’s eventual released take of acoustic guitar, marimba and piano all buoyed by Meg’s tempered drums.

On the flipside is “Spitting Tacks.” Originating at a time when Jack was still a full-time upholsterer and revisited many times over the course of the band’s existence, this hypnotic, repetitive riff structure never really found a place. We’ve yet to uncover any other even halfway decent attempts at the song, so this may be the only insight fans ever get into the one Jack and Meg could never truly tame.

Armed with a mini-DV camera and free reign to capture whatever caught his eye, David James Swanson tagged along on the White Stripes Central and South American tour in 2005. A soundcheck here, rabid fans singing along there, it’s all crystalline visual quality on a handheld scale. Rounding it all together is the impressive, expansive archival booklet, complete with photos, concert posters, a comprehensive list of tour dates and all the exhaustive details fans have come to expect from these anniversary editions.

The White Stripes
Get Behind Me Satan XX
(2 x LP, 1 x 7-inch, 1 x Blu-Ray)

SIDE A: Songwriting Demos

Instinct Blues – previously unreleased demo
Red Rain – previously unreleased demo
City Lights – previously unreleased demo
I’m Slowly Turning Into You – previously unreleased demo
Seminole Blues – previously unreleased demo
The Denial Twist – previously unreleased demo
My Doorbell – previously unreleased demo
The Nurse – previously unreleased demo
Over And Over And Over – previously unreleased demo
White Moon – previously unreleased demo

SIDE B : Alternate Studio Takes

The Denial Twist – previously unreleased alternate take
White Moon – previously unreleased alternate take
City Lights – previously unreleased alternate take
Over And Over And Over – previously unreleased alternate take
As Ugly As I Seem – previously unreleased alternate take
I’m Lonely (But I Ain’t That Lonely Yet) – previously unreleased alternate take

SIDE C : Get Behind Me Satan Live

Blue Orchid – Buenos Aires 5-28-05 – previously unreleased live version
The Nurse – Guatemala City 5-18-05 – previously unreleased live version
My Doorbell – Glasgow 11-15-05 – previously unreleased live version
Forever For Her (Is Over For Me) – Boston 9-20-05 – previously unreleased live version
Little Ghost – Louisville 9-13-05 – previously unreleased live version
The Denial Twist – Tallinn 6-29-05 – previously unreleased live version
White Moon – Chicago 8-29-05 – previously unreleased live version

SIDE D : Get Behind Me Satan Live

Instinct Blues – Vancouver 8-8-05 – previously unreleased live version
Passive Manipulation – Rio de Janeiro 6-3-05 – previously unreleased live version
Take Take Take – St. Louis 8-24-05 – previously unreleased live version
As Ugly As I Seem – Amsterdam 10-31-05 – previously unreleased live version
Red Rain – Barcelona 10-19-05 – previously unreleased live version
I’m Lonely (But I Ain’t That Lonely Yet) – Gdynia 7-9-05 – previously unreleased live version

SIDE E: Forever For Her (Is Over For Me) – previously unreleased tracking rehearsal

SIDE F: Spitting Tacks – previously unreleased tracking rehearsal

Order Get Behind Me Satan XX HERE