May 31, 2002 — V2 Records will release the first two White Stripes CDs, The White Stripes (1999) and De Stijl (2000), June 3rd. The band's third and most recent release, White Blood Cells (2001), catapulted the duo from the underground garage rock scene to the world stage.

Since White Blood Cells launched them into the public eye, their new fan base is eager to hear the previous material, so V2 Records is making it available as of June 3rd. White Stripes are noted for their live, raw, rebellious sound -- not canned from the studio.

Here's a review of their performance at New York City's Bowery Ballroom, February 2001, by NY Rock's Jeanne Fury:

Enter headliners, the White Stripes -- a duo from Detroit that wears only red and white clothing. Singer-guitarist Jack White scorches each song, including an eerie cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene." Jack's guitar and high, creaky, jabbering vocals turned my nerve endings into firecrackers. Meg White, on the other hand, looks and sounds like she learned to play the drums yesterday. She hits only the most basic sequences, in contrast to Jack's aggravated, intricate style. This balance of banal and excess is exactly what the band tries to get at. Their sophomore album was titled De Stijl, after the modern-art movement. The master of the movement, Piet Mondrian, was obsessed by the vertical-horizontal opposition and devoted his art to purity and logic. While I don't think the White Stripes are all for clean edges and straight lines, they are making innovative rock music that represents something beyond the material, beyond the nookie.