Elephant (Album)

Group Talk Page

 

I.  Action Plan 

 

3/26 Add one new source- Allison

3/ 26 Add one new source Brian

4/2 Add one new source -- My Nguyen, completed

4/2 Add one new source -- My Nguyen, completed

4/9 Add one new source -Allison

4/9 Add one new source Brian - completed; added sources to Wikipedia 4/13

4/9 Add 350 words of text -Allison

4/9 Make an additional edit : add citation for uncited material that already existed - Brian, completed. 

          4/14 Add words of text

                    Lead section - Allison, completed

                    Background section - Sub-section Album and Themes - My Nguyen completed.

 

II.  Criteria Addressed

 

     A. The lead: The style guidelines in the Featured article criteria states a lead section "summarizes the topic and prepares the reader for the detail in the subsequent section" The current lead discusses much about the reception of the album and the critics reviews rather than preparing the reader to finding this information further on in the article. The current lead is not concise and needs to be more general and captivating. The Featured article criteria states that entries need to be well written with prose "engaging, even brilliant, and of a professional standard", and the lead in this article has room for improvement in this category as well.

 

     B. Length: There are some sections that are incomplete, such as the "Themes" sub-section under the "Background and Production" heading. These sections need to be lengthened to incorporate all the information necessary for the article to present a complete understanding. The "Wikipedia: Featured article criteria" article suggests that the article "stays focused on the main topic without going into unnecessary detail", so this needs to be kept in mind when adding information to the page. The length of prose layed out in blocks of text should be evaluated as well.

 

     C. Well- researched: In order for this article to meet the criteria of a "well-researched" page there needs to be a complete list of collaborators. The current status of the page is at the "start-class" and to move the article to the next level it says that a "'personnel' section listing performers, including guest musicians" is needed as well as "a track listing containing track lengths and authors for all songs" (Wikipedia: WikiProject Albums/Assessment). 

 

III.  Evaluation (and Work Cited entries) for Six New Sources

 

A-  "The White Stripes - Elephant" Discogs. Zink Media, Inc. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.

     http://www.discogs.com/White-Stripes-Elephant/release/367211

Purdue OWL:

     Publication process: This information is posted on a site with "Member" contributions that are monitored by Zink Media, Inc.  with enforced restrictions based on the strict Terms of Service. 

     Authorship and affiliations: No author is noted, but sources are cited for where the information is originally sourced

     Bias and special interest: I don't think there is any bias here because it's all lists of who collaborated and what companies were apart of the production, there isn't any room for opinion or bias with the information presented on the Discogs website.

     Sources and quotations: There are no quotations, the labels and producers listed are all linked to their actual sites for verification

     Author qualification: There doesn't seem to be any qualifications for the "members" who contribute other than they need to sign up and at any time Discogs reserves the right to terminate anyones "membership". The things posted are confirmed and checked by the board, but the "membership" is open to the public.

     Publication Information: There is no date for when the last edit was made for the public viewing, but I am not sure if that information would be available if I was a "member".

 

Overall Evaluation: I think this is a reasonable source, although it is a member contributed site the information presented is not bias and there are lots of different links to the information presented. It is a user-friendly site and is known for containing this information on a large number of artists. Because of its extensive information on the production of albums it will be useful for meeting the criteria set by the Wikimedians for a complete listing of personnel. This information is expected to be included in a chart that is already on the Wikipedia page. 

 

 

B- Scaggs, Austin. "Jack White, Rock Innocent: Rolling Stone's 2003 Interview". 2011. Rolling Stones. Wenner Media. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jack-white-rock-innocent-rolling-stones-2003-interview-20110202

 

Purdue OWL:

     Publication process: this article is written by a staff member of Rolling Stones, a rock magazine that provides information about musicians and commentary on performances and album releases.

     Authorship and affiliations: The author is Austin Scaggs who is listed as a contributor for Rolling Stones magazine and has over 100 other articles posted on the web

     Sources and quotations: There are quotes directly from Jack White which were collected from an interview with Jack himself

     Bias and special interest: There is an opinion apparent in the article but Rolling Stones is a media that includes different perspectives on musicians

     Author qualifications: There is a link attached to the author's name with his other works that have been published but there isn't any qualifications listed. I think that writing for Rolling Stones is a qualification in itself because of the fame attached with RS.

     Publication Information: Rolling Stones is a widely known source and has been publishing opinions and information about bands since 1967. They are published through Wenner Publishing which also publishes other well known magazines such as Men's Health and Us Weekly.

 

Overall Evaluation: I think Rolling Stones is a great resource for interviews and evaluations of musical albums. This particular author seems to have been published many times in the past and is successful as a writer for Rolling Stones. For our article specifically this interview shows the style of Jack White and what his expectations were for the album which will be useful in writing the background section and lead. The direct quotes from Jack White that are included in the Rolling Stone's interview can be quoted directly in the text further credibility.  

 

 

 

C-     Katchen, Andrew. "White Stripes Stay Pure On 'Elephant'." Billboard 115.13 (2003): 9. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9350295&site=ehost-live

Evaluation this source based on six criteria from Purdue OWL:

     +Publication process: this article is from the Billboard magazine which is a traditional print magazine and one of oldest professional magazine in the world. Therefore this article was published after going through editing and reviewing process by staffs to ensure its quality.

 

     +Authorship and affiliations: the author of this article -Andrew Katchen- is clearly indicated

 

     +Sources and quotations: direct quotations are clearly marked and identified such as Jack White and V2 president Andy Gershon's statements.

 

     +Bias and special interests: I believe there is no bias in this article since the author presented to audience some facts around the album Elephant as well as the White Stripes band. Since Billboard magazine has itself Billboard Music Award so that it would be fairly when they publish neutral point view article about significant new bands and new album, etc.

 

     +Author qualifications:  although I couldn't find more information about the author Andrew Katchen of this article, but I believe this article meets the author qualification criterion since it was published in a print magazine which is one of the famous and oldest trade magazine.

 

     +Publication information: this article has very clear publication information with published date of 3/29/2003 on Billboard vol.115 issue 13, page 9

 

Overall evaluation: This article is evaluated highly useful, accurate that I can use as a new reference to write more about the album Elephant and the band White Stripes. The fact that this album "Elephant"  was produced in a short time but achieved important awards in its first year is significant. This info should be added to the Background section to get the readers acknowledgment.

  

 

          D-     Pareles, Jon. "White Stripes: Same Old Colors." New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast) ed.: 0. Apr 06 2003. ProQuest. Web. 2 Apr. 2014 .

          http://search.proquest.com/docview/432376381?accountid=28000

Evaluation this source based on six criteria from Purdue OWL:

     +Publication process: this article is published on The New York Times which is a highly qualified, and famous daily newspaper in the U.S.A and in the world, therefore the edit and reviewing process is strictly adopted for every article.

 

     +Authorship and affiliations: the author is clearly indicate.

 

     +Sources and quotations:  the external sources about the photograph is clearly identified.

 

     +Bias and special interests: this article presents those info about the duo and their work with a neutral point of view.

 

     +Author qualifications: the author of this article is qualified since this article is published in a print source. . Jon Pareles is actually a qualified author, since he is the chief popular-music critic in the arts section of The New York Times. Before that, Parales was an associate editor at Rolling Stone and The Village Voice. He has a lot of articles have been published on The New York Times, such as the newest "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Welcomes Its Newest Members."

     +Publication information: the public information is clearly noted: published date 04/06/2003

 

Overall evaluation: this is a reliable reference that I will choose add on in the Background section. In fact, in this article "White Stripes: Same Old Colors" Pareles, presented the style of the White Stripes in the album "Elephant", it was about a combination of punk rock, blues-rock, and rock 'n' roll and basic style. So that information should be added in the Background section to help readers more experienced with this album.

 

 

          E: Lindgren, Hugo. "The Way We Live Now: Questions for the White Stripes." New York Times. The New York Times Company, 09 Mar. 2003. Web. 01 Apr. 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/09/magazine/the-way-we-live-now-3-9-03-questions-for-the-white-stripes-rock-n-rules.html.

 

     Purdue OWL Criteria:

     Publication process: print source published on the internet

     

     Authorship: Hugo Lindgren, former editor of the New York Times

     

     Sources and quotations: The article is a transcript of an interview conducted with Jack White

     

     Bias and special interest: There is no bias presented here, as there are no opinions made by the author.

     

     Author qualifications: As mentioned Hugo Lindgren was formerly an editor for the New York Times. However, when this article was published it is most likely that he was a staff writer.

     

     Publication information: This article was published in the March 9, 2003 edition of the New York Times.

     

     Overall Evaluation: This is definitely a good source to use for the currently uncited claim that appears in the first sentence under the "Themes” heading in the Elephant Wikipedia page. This will help the page by adding citations to currently uncited claims, and it will help address our third criteria, which is to help make the page more well-researched and comprehensive. We could reword part of the sentence in question, explaining more about what the "death of the sweetheart" means. 

 

 

     

     F. UK "2003 Top 40 Official Albums Chart UK Archive 12th April 2003." Official Charts Company. The Official UK Charts Company, n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2014 http://www.officialcharts.com/archive-chart/_/3/2003-04-12/.

     

     Purdue OWL Criteria:

     Publication Process: I'm not sure how official music charts are published. I assume that this would have been originally published in an official magazine of some sort, or however music charts are generally published.

 

     Authorship: There is no author listed, but this website is the official music chart website for the UK, much as Billboard is here in the US.

 

     Sources and quotations: Being that this is not a typical article, there are no sources or quotations listed. Again, this is the official music chart company for the UK.

 

     Bias and special interest: Because this is the official chart for the UK, it is impossible for there to be any bias or special interest. This list is compiled from sales numbers and radio play.

     

     Publication information: This chart was released on April 12, 2003. The publication date of this specific webpage is unknown.

 

     Overall evaluation: This source is absolutely credible as, once again, it is the official music chart company in the UK. Adding this source will help to make the page more well-researched and comprehensive. 

 

   

 

       G. "The White Stripes - Elephant" dutchcharts.nl Hung Medien / hitparade.ch, n. d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014 http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=The+White+Stripes&titel=Elephant&cat=a

 

 

     Publication Process: There is no information as to how Dutch Album charts are originally published, I imagine the information would be in magazines; however music charts are generally published.

 

     Authorship: There is no author listed, but this website is the official music chart website for the Netherlands, much as Billboard is here in the US.

 

     Sources and quotations: This article shows information about the album and how it sold and charted in the Netherlands, therefore there are no sources or quotations used.

 

     Bias and special interest: Again, since this is the official website for music charts in the Netherlands, no bias or special interest seems possible.

     

     Publication information: The publication date of this specific webpage is unknown.

 

     Overall evaluation: This source is absolutely credible as, once again, it is the official music chart company in the Netherlands. Adding this source will help to make the page more well-researched and comprehensive. 

 

 

IV. Text Added to the Article

 

 

Lead

 

Elephant is the fourth album by the Detroit alternative rock duo The White Stripes. Lead-guitarist and vocalist Jack White and his ex-wife, drummer Meg White together produce the sounds of an army^[5]. Released on April 1, 2003 on V2 Records, the album marks the band's major label debut. Elephant is simple, honest and direct — from the record's stark packaging to its stripped-down sound ^[Scaggs], the album showcases blues-inspired garage rock that's "even more pissed-off, paranoid, and stunning than its predecessor"^[1]. It's release garnered extensive critical acclaim and commercial success^[2], it was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Alternative Music Album at the 46th Grammy Awards in 2004, peaking at 6 in the US Billboard charts and topping the UK album charts. In later years the album has often been cited as the White Stripes' best work and one of the best albums of 2000s; Rolling Stone magazine ranked it 390th on its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" and later, the fifth-best of the decade. Third Man Records released a limited edition red, black and white vinyl reissue of "Elephant" on April 20, 2013, in celebration of the album's 10-year anniversary, as a Record Store Day exclusive.^[3]

     New text highlighted in blue

 

Background and production

Album

 

Elephant is the White Stripes' fourth full album and the second to be released by V2 Records.^[4] Jack White matches the energy from his earlier albums and is even thought to "[exceed] the plantation holler of 2000's De Stijl and 2001's White Blood Cells with blues that both pop and bleed". ^[5] It was recorded over two weeks in April 2002 in London's Toe Rag Studios except for the song "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself", which was recorded at BBC Maida Vale studio. The song "Well It's True That We Love One Another" was recorded in November 2001 at Toe Rag studio. Jack White produced the album with antiquated equipment, including an eight-track tape machine and pre-1960s recording gear.^[6] As stated in the liner notes, White deliberately refrained from using computers during Elephant's writing, recording, or production.

The special edition 2013 Record Store Day reissue was pressed at United Record Pressing in Nashville, TN.^[7]

  

The White Stripes set their rules while they recorded this album: ten days in a not expensive studio. However, this album win big awards just in the first year: three MTV Video Music Awards, two summer dates with the Rolling Stones, and a sold-out gig at the venerable Radio City Music Award.^[8] The Elephant album was said that it was a combination of punk rock, blues-rock, and rock 'n' roll. In this album, the White Stripes presented their effort to achieve the idea "Back to Basic" as well as encourage other rockers to try the same way.^[9]

 

Themes

 

The album is a loose concept album, dealing with the "death of the sweetheart" in American culture.^[10]On this album, the White Stripes expand their style than ever before, such as using a bass line-their rarity, piling with lead and rhythm guitar. Moreover, during the album Jack play guitar or keyboard to fill out the sound but the audience still fell raw.^[11] Like other White Stripes records, the cover art and liner notes are exclusively in red, white, and black, and there is a song with "little" in the title.

New text highlighted in green

 

V.   Additional Edit

We added citation since we found  a couple material that weren't cited. For example, the direct quote "death of the sweetheart" in the Themes section wasn't cited.

Added two citations - E and F on 4/13. Also found some conflicting information dealing with the peak position on the Dutch Albums chart; corrected and cited official Dutch albums chart - this is entry G in the works cited evaluation. Also found and fixed an incorrect cite under "Chart history and certification." The cite for "Chart (2006)" at the top of the chart history table incorrectly led to a Justin Timberlake album. Correct link is now cited.

 

VI.  Discussion/Talk

 

A.  Group Talk Page

B. Wikipedia username:

     Allison- allisonglory

     My Nguyen - Minneapolis nguyen

     Brian Rose - brianrose1