The White Stripes Announce ‘Greatest Hits’ Compilation & Share 2003 ‘Ball & Biscuit’ Live Video
By Scott Bernstein Oct 6, 2020 • 9:18 am PDT

Photo by Pieter M. van Hattem
The White Stripes‘ Greatest Hits compilation is coming on December 4 via Third Man Records & Columbia Records. Previously unseen video featuring The White Stripes’ performance of “Ball & Biscuit,” the lone track featured on Greatest Hits revealed at this time, from an October 22, 2003 concert in Tokyo, Japan has been unveiled.
Greatest Hits will consist of a total of 26 tracks from throughout The White Stripes’ career. The only colored vinyl variant of the set is available as part of Third Man Records’ Vault Package #46.
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Read a portion of a statement announcing Greatest Hits:
Twentysome years ago, a brother and sister climbed into the third floor attic of their Southwest Detroit family homestead and bashed out a primitive cover of David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream,” sparking something in both of them and leading them to take their simple guitar-drums-voice approach to a local open mic night on Bastille Day. In what feels like a whirlwind, they record and release two 7-inch singles for a local indie label. A not-so-local indie offers to put out a full-length album. They start touring. Another album. More touring. Another album. Folks REALLY start to pay attention. Crazy touring, more albums, accolades, wildest dream after wildest dream coming true. “World-renowned” becomes an appropriate descriptor, as does “long-building overnight sensation.” The same hard work and dedication that The White Stripes exhibited from the onset of their existence is what has been poured into The White Stripes Greatest Hits. In an era of streaming where the idea of a “Greatest Hits” album may seem irrelevant – that an act’s most streamed songs are considered their de facto “hits” – we wholeheartedly believe that great bands deserve “Greatest Hits” and that a large part of Third Man Records’ and The White Stripes’ successes have been built on zigging when the rest of the music business is zagging. Thus, for a great band with great fans, a greatest hits compilation for The White Stripes is not only appropriate, but absolutely necessary.
Watch The White Stripes perform “Ball & Biscuit” in Tokyo on October 22, 2003 below: