For Record Store Day 2014 this past Saturday, Jack White made his bid for claiming the ‘World’s Fastest Released Record’ with a live recording of the title track for his new solo album, Lazaretto.
The world record attempt took place at White’s own Third Man Records headquarters in Nashville, where the prolific musician performed ‘Lazaretto’ to a small audience of lucky fans before a recording of the unique gig was whisked to United Record Pressings for production before being rushed back to Third Man for sale.
White first took to the Blue Room just after 10am for the historic performance, as Rolling Stone recounted, also treating the crowd to a cover of Elvis Presley tune ‘Power Of My Love’ for the ‘Lazaretto’ 7” single B-side. As soon as he’d completed the two tracks, the direct-to-acetate masters were taken off for production, complete with artwork taken from the live show.
The whole process – from performance to pressing – was completed within a breakneck 3 hours, 55 minutes and 21 seconds, as Pitchfork confirms, while a short doco on the Record Store Day world record feat captures all the day’s exciting moments in detail.
Namely, White’s riveting performance of his rubbernecking new funk’n’soul cut, the motorcade that escorts the live masters to the pressing plant, and White’s mile-wide grin when he’s holding the ‘World’s Fastest Record’ in his hands. Watch the 11-minute making-of below.
The special 7” live ‘Lazaretto’ Record Store Day release was only made available to those who were present at Third Man Records to purchase the instant collector’s item (which has since turned up on eBay for ridiculous prices by profiteering sellers). But following his history-making achievement, White has since issued the studio version of ‘Lazaretto’, along with the tracklisting for his new album of the same name – out 10th June. (Listen and view both below)
Interestingly, despite being the public ambassador of the National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF) and previously named Record Store Day’s 2013 ambassador, White tells Rolling Stone that he’s not actually the voracious vinyl collector some might think he is.
“I’ll purchase a set of old blues 78s, but only because I want it to not get broken,” he says. “I have a very small record collection. But it’s the greatest records ever.”
Lazaretto Tracklisting:
1. Three Women
2. Lazaretto
3. Temporary Ground
4. Would You Fight for My Love?
5. High Ball Stepper
6. Just One Drink
7. Alone in My Home
8. Entitlement
9. That Black Bat Licorice
10. I Think I Found the Culprit
11. Want and Able
