Pitchfork

Quick, think of the greatest artist-producer collaborations of all time: Bowie and Eno. The Beatles and George Martin. Jay-Z and Kanye. The White Stripes and...Jim Diamond? Yeah, we didn't think of that one either.

The producer, who also runs the Ghetto Recorders studio, is suing Jack and Meg in Detroit's U.S. District Court, according to the Associated Press, claiming he helped shape the band's "signature sound" on the Stripes' self-titled debut and second album, De Stijl. (Seriously, dude, have you never heard the Stooges, the Kinks, or the past sixty-plus years of blues-based music?) He seeks a share of the royalties for those two records.

Diamond is credited as "co-producer" on the debut and as "sound mixer" on De Stijl, and the White Stripes deny that Diamond was as important to the formation of their style as he claims. The AP quotes their lawyer, Bert Deixler, as saying, "It is a meritless case which will be defended with vigor."

Apparently, the Stripes paid Diamond $35 an hour for studio time at Ghetto Recorders, and they think that's all he deserves, since writing the songs themselves entitles them to keep the money they make off their records. But this is a matter of "style," and a June 12 trial date has been set. And when Diamond's done, Santa Claus is going to sue for theft of fashion sense.

In other Stripes news, the duo is still scheduled to appear in the "Jazzy and the Pussycats" episode of "The Simpsons" this fall. Jack White's Coke jingle is also finished, and the commercial it's featured in is available for your viewing pleasure here:

So if he really does end up having to pay royalties to Jim Diamond, Jack can always do more commercials. We hear Hummer likes indie bands.

Jack White's other band, the Raconteurs, have also just announced their first West Coast show, which will take place June 7 at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood, California. That and an appearance at Lollapalooza in August are their only scheduled concerts at the moment. Although judging from what we've heard about their previous live shows, that's not necessarily a bad thing.