You need chulahoma! Probably their best work :).

I've got Rubber Factory, Attack & Release Chulahoma and Magic Potion on vinyl.
Still want Thickfreakness and The Big Come Up.
I don't really like Brothers and El Camino. Their later work lacks the blues feel.

I saw this guy's online collection of ~120 CDs, vinyls, DVDs, etc... basically every single, EP, and album The Black Keys have released on every media format and each iteration of it (including The Big Come Up vinyl in ~15 different colors). I don't have the means to do this, but it made me feel a little inspired... went out and picked up a couple of nifty Keys' records to add to Chulahoma. Everyone should hear Chulahoma on vinyl. Also wish I could have gotten out for record store day/black friday to grab the "Lonely Boy/Run Right Back" 12"... looks sweet.

Even better on vinyl: Attack & Release.
It's a half speed mastered 180 gram audiophile gem.
It sounds absolutely perfect. The CD is with the record for free and it gets nowhere near. Not even remotely close.

Would somebody mind sending me a link of the leak?

edit: nevermind :D

I'm trying to resist downloading the leak, but it's hard. I did hear Little Black Submarines and Gold On The Ceiling (on top of Lonely Boy and Run Right Back previously) on TBKs official website, so I've listened to a good amount of the album now... I like.

I don't much care for the Black Keys, but, I am a huge Thrice fan:)

Wtf?

I had that with the previous album too :)

Yeah, Attack & Release was the furthest removed from their regular style.

It's good to see bands try out new styles though.

With 'previous' I meant brothers.
And indeed, A&R is completely different, but I really love it.
The albums before that are more bluesy, love that too.
The later work is just... sort of middle of the road bluesrock. Dislike.

A&R has a few great tracks, but songs like "Lies", "Same Old Thing" and "She Won't Break" are just boring as.

I think 'Magic Potion' is their worst release to be honest, but I have not heard the new one.

Oh, I like magic potion.
I don't reaaaally like the big come up that much.
I just ordered it for the sake of it.

Only "Your Touch" and one other track that I can't remember the name of was really great on magic Potion imo.

Yes. Although I have enjoyed watching the gentleman dancing in one video, I have yet to listen to it as a whole.

I think it's great. Like they took the best things about Brothers and packed it into a shorter and faster album...

Listened to El Camino all the way through for the first time yesterday. Very good!

Christmas came a day early as my pre-order was waiting for me on the steps this afternoon. Finally sitting down to give it a first listen through.

Random Black Keys thought that just popped into my head: what is Pat's best drumming performance?

Probably one of the tracks on 'Blakroc' because if the stylistic changes.

The first Black Keys song that came to mind for me was 'Set You Free'...

That's a good choice. I really like Pat's drumming on El Camino. It's too early to say if it's his best work - haven't done a side by side comparison - but he really stands out on "Little Black Submarines" and others.

So far, album is good. It's different in that it all seems positive and uptempo... it's taking some adjusting seeing as the blues/blues-rock sound is what drew me to them so long ago, but quite a few stand out tracks here. A few that I see as skip-able, but they haven't been totally immune to that in the past.

Ummm, what?!... What are you basing this rumor on?

I think Magic Potion is one of their best albums, possibly their best. Just about every song on it is great.

I'm about to listen to El Camino for the first time.

"Little Black Submarine" is the only song that stands out from my first listen. They all kind of have the same feel to them. I don't think it's as good as Brothers, and definitely not as good as their older albums.

My sincerest apologies - I misread the post that originally gave me the idea that they were splitting up. It was mostly speculation that because they're both working on solo projects, they may not be working together in the future.

No worries, you just made me panic a little there... I started searching the interwebz for news on the duo, heh.

I would be happy if they broke up. Getting pretty bored of them now. Liked their solo projects/collabs better than their latest albums anyway.

I've listened to El Camino a couple of times and still have no strong opinion of it yet.

Not including El Camino this is how I rank their albums

Rubber Factory>>>>>>thickfreakness>>>Chulahoma>Brothers>A ttack and Release>Magic Potion>The Big Come Up

I love the Black Keys, I think their simplistic style is just so great.
me being a drummer i love Patrick Carney's super easy but gritty style

Chulahoma --> Rubber Factory --> Thickfreakness --> Attack & Release --> Magic Potion --> The Big Come Up --> Brothers --> El Camino (from what I've heard of it so far)

Tier 1
Chulahoma
Rubber Factory
Thickfreakness

Tier 2
The Big Come Up
Brothers
El Camino

Tier 3
Magic Potion
Attack & Release

Each album in a tier is ranked in order, but close to equal.

Ok, how about top 10 (top 20?) songs?...

Corrected :)

I'll do my Top 10/20 tomorrow.

My ranks:

#1. Chulahoma
#2. Tie between Magic Potion and Attack & Release
#3. I think I have another tie between Thickfreakness and Rubber Factory
#4. Brothers
#5. The Big Come Up
#6. El Camino

I really don't understand the Chulahoma lovin'. It's a bunch of covers, people!

edit:

Rubber Factory > Thickfreakness > El Camino > Brothers > Attack and Release > The Big Come Up > Magic Potion

Although like pourmeanother said there are three tiers (top 2, middle 4, bottom 1) and the order within each tier matters little to me...

I like that everybody sort of has a unique take on things. Looks like most people are ranking El Camino pretty low- I think it has potential to move up over time, I just think it needs to stand the test of time to really earn a higher spot at this point.

My favorite tracks:
1. "Thickfreakness" -- perfect opener for the album, perfect opener for every live set, and perfect opener for this list
2. "I Got Mine" -- the song that got me into TBKs, plays great live
3. "Busted"
4. "Everlasting Light"
5. "Your Touch" -- love that slide
6. "Little Black Submarines" -- yeah, I'm calling this early
7. "Tighten Up"
8. "When The Lights Go Out"
9t. "Have Mercy On Me" -- this whole album is just equally epic
9t. "My Mind Is Ramblin'"
9t. "Meet Me In The City"
12. "Stack Shot Billy" -- live show gave me new appreciation here
13. "Everywhere I Go"
14. "Girl Is On My Mind"
15. "10 A.M. Automatic"
16. "Hurt Like Mine"
17. "The Breaks"
18. "Next Girl"
19. "Set You Free"
20. "Gold On The Ceiling"

Damn, that was tough.

My favorite tracks:

1) 'Thickfreakness' - what pourmeanother said
2) 'Til I Get My Way' - the first TBK song to *really* get my attention
3) 'Set You Free' - play it, Pat
4) 'Sinister Kid' - the first (and only?) time I've fallen in love with a TBK bass line
5) 'I Got Mine'
6) 'Gold on the Ceiling' - early El Camino favorite
7) 'The Breaks' - haha I love the sample at the beginning and one of their best guitar riffs
8) 'Your Touch' - I think this is their catchiest song and I have no idea why it doesn't get more radio play
9) 'Next Girl' - like it ever so slightly more than the next song on the list
10) 'Tighten Up' - high points are the whistle melody at the beginning and the bridge towards the end
11) 'Little Black Submarines'
12) 'Have Love Will Travel'
13) 'Strange Times'
14) '10 A.M. Automatic'
15) 'Lonely Boy'
16) 'Psychotic Girl' - their best slow track IMO
17) 'She's Long Gone' - the Brothers song that fits on any of their albums
18) 'Sister'
19) 'Just Got to Be' - another good live song
20) 'Everywhere I Go' - my "deep cut" hehe

The ordering on the El Camino tracks seems to be shifting daily. Man that was tough!

I have to go over their stuff for a tracks list, but I can do an album list pretty easily.

1. Chulahoma- I'm adore this album and its hypnotic, muddy blues ramblings. I only wish this was a full album since every time I play it, I crave more from it. At least you can listen to 'Everywhere I Go' on Thickfreakness can get more Keys doing Junior.

2. Magic Potion- This album reminds me of Robert Johnson a lot. There is more of a delta blues feeling to these songs compared to the more garage rock influenced earlier work. The hooks are great and I think there is not a weak song on this album/

3. Rubber Factory- Classic Keys. 'When the Lights Go Out' is easily one of my favorite songs. I wish their more recent albums had the kind of variety that was on here.

3a. Thickfreakness- Those first 3 tracks are amazing. It slows down a little bit for me by the end. But it's a great album.

4. Brothers- I think it says something when my favorite track on the album is the one least like the rest of their previous work. ('Too Afraid to Love You') It is easily the bluesiest of their last 3 albums, so that gives it the edge.

5. Attack and Release- There is a lot I don't care for on their album. But 'I Got Mine' and 'Strange Times' are amazing. They are the only 2 lifeboats on this Titanic.

6. The Big Come Up- I like the samples they use on this album. But it really feels like this album is stuck in first gear. It jerks and starts and stops too much for me. 'Heavy Soul' is pretty good, but the rest is severely lacking.

NA El Camino- I'm not sure how I feel about this one yet. The first time I heard it I was kinda distracted and it didn't ever give me a reason to go back and check out something. It did sound more energetic and my vague memory of 'Little Black Submarine' is pretty good. If you had a ten cent pistol pointed at my head and made me rank it right now, I'd say it's between Attack and Release and The Big Come Up.

And for sh*ts and giggles, Blakroc is #4.

I wish there were a few more shorter Black Keys albums. If you took the best eight or nine songs on every album and threw away the rest I think they would be f*cking unreal.

For Brothers, I would definitely agree agree. It's about 15-20 minutes too long for me. I wouldn't want an hour of Chulahoma , but 40-45 minutes would be perfect. The rest of their albums are the right length.

Chulahoma is a bunch of covers, but they are really good covers and it's still a Black Keys album so, it counts. But if we're talking strictly about original material, my number one goes to Magic Potion and Attack & Release.

Chulahoma is all Junior Kimbrough covers, it`s Dan and Patrick paying homage to a Old Bluesman that influence them, they even released it Junior`s label Fat Possum Records. Chulahoma is a town in Mississippi...that where Junior`s bar was located, sadly it burned down in 2000.

Black Keys / Chulahoma @ Fat Possum Records

Indeed. One of my favorites.



Junior Kimbrough - Lord, Have Mercy On Me - YouTube