The Raconteurs “Steady, As She Goes” b/w “Store Bought Bones” 2006 (2014 reissue), Third Man Records. “Steady, As She Goes” was the first song written by the collaborative forces of Jack White and Brendan Benson, that success resulted in the formation of The Raconteurs, adding Patrick Keeler and Jack Lawrence (from the Cincinnati-based The Greenhornes, to round out my Cincy-heavy week, i.e. Suck the Honey and Lemon Sky) to complete the indie rock supergroup. This debut single hit #54 on the Hot 100 chart in the US (#1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart) and #4 in the UK and was nominated for a Grammy award in 2007. Both “Steady, As She Goes” and “Store Bought Bones” appear on The Raconteurs’ first LP Broken Boy Soldiers. Both tracks have a distinct groove; I love the sparse funky bass line on “Steady” and the 60′s flavored organ punctuating weird rhythms on “Store Bought Bones.”

There are two different videos for “Steady, As She Goes.” The first one has kind of grainy footage with 60′s 8mm lighting of the band with farm animals and a creepy abandoned farmhouse. The second video features Paul Reubens as an over-the-top villain rigging a soap box race, with the band members as the racers, drummer Patrick Keeler keeping time on the drums the whole race, even after he careens over a cliff.