The Black Keys albums ranked
I've decided I'm not going to include Delta Kream or Blakroc in this ranking. The former simply because it's a cover album and the latter because it was a collaborative effort. I'll only be ranking what I deem The Black Keys' core studio albums.
10. The Big Come Up
The debut album by The Black Keys is the only one that has songs I can take or leave. The whole album was recorded in Patrick Carney's basement with two microphones and a 16-track digital recorder, so its production is about as much as you could expect from a record recorded under those conditions. But The Big Come Up is not bad. The Black Keys have no bad albums or bad songs, though they came pretty close with that annoying riff on "The Breaks" and the closing filler track. But it has some excellent tunes like the two best tracks "Heavy Soul" and "Busted". The Big Come Up may be the weakest effort by the band, but since it's The Black Keys we're talking about, that's not saying a whole lot of bad about it.
Highlights: "Heavy Soul", "Busted", "Leavin' Trunk", "I'll Be Your Man", "Them Eyes"
9. Magic Potion
This was the duo's first album with a major record label, which meant they had a lot of resources at their disposal. Yet, rather than recording the album in a fancy studio, they returned to Patrick Carney's basement where their first two albums were recorded for some reason. Not sure what exactly reason was for that, but I think that was a mistake because Magic Potion is a step backwards from Rubber Factory, when it should have been a big leap forward. No matter because, again, this is The Black Keys and even with their lesser records, it's still pretty solid. It does have one of the best songs by the band, the hard-hitting rocker "Your Touch". Not to mention it was their first album to be composed entirely of original material and as always, every song rocks! Even though I think it could have been a lot better... oh well.
Highlights: "Your Touch", "You're The One", "Just a Little Heat", "Just Got To Be", "Modern Times"
8. Dropout Boogie
The latest album from The Black Keys. Dropout Boogie seems like a mix of the band's old and new styles. We get gritty blues numbers akin to their earlier stuff and then they also bring back the keyboards for their more modern sound on other songs. While The Black Keys managed to deliver yet another record that's enjoyable from start to finish, some of the songs sound recycled, which makes it seem a bit uninspired. That and while the album is good, it's also a more run-of-the-mill Black Keys album. There's not much that makes it stand out. Turn Blue was them experimenting with something new. 'Let's Rock' was them going back to basics. Delta Kream was a tribute to their idols. Dropout Boogie... it's just The Black Keys. I personally would've appreciated something that makes it a bit more distinctive. So long as they can keep dishing out quality material, I'll be happy, but I do hope this isn't a sign that they're running out of ideas.
Highlights: "Wild Child", "Your Team Is Looking Good", "How Long", "Good Love", "It Ain't Over", "Didn't I Love You"
7. Thickfreakness
Their debut was what got them noticed, but their album Thickfreakness was what gave The Black Keys their first breakthrough with more people recognizing them for the blues-rock prodigies they are. What we hear on the album is actually the duo's second attempt at recording the album after they felt the first time sounded too polished, so they started over using a 1980 8-track recorder to purposefully give it that raw old school sound. All done within a 14-hour session too! The end result is a successful follow-up The Big Come Up that's stronger in every way. The songs are even greater with covers "Have Love, Will Travel" and "Everywhere I Go" and more excellent original songs like "Hard Row", "Set You Free", etc. Thickfreakness was the real beginning of The Black Keys' climb to fame, as they'd only get better from there.
Highlights: "Have Love, Will Travel", "Hard Row", "Midnight in Her Eyes", "Everywhere I Go", "Set You Free", "Thickfreakness"
6. 'Let's Rock'
Released five years after Turn Blue, making it the longest gap in between albums for the band. The Black Keys follow-up the departure from their usual formula on Turn Blue by going back to basics on 'Let's Rock'. The keyboards so prevalent in their music since Attack & Release are dropped entirely in favor of a more stripped down approach solely focused on guitar, drums and vocals. While it never gets quite as raw as their earlier music, it should still be able to satisfy fans partial to their older, more simplistic material. It certainly lives up to it title by being a proper rock-out record from beginning to end, with a greater emphasis on their garage rock sensibilities. It doesn't really offer anything new in terms of style, but that was the point. It's not meant to be another Turn Blue or El Camino, it's meant to be The Black Keys showing they can still provide rip-roaring rock album like they did in their earlier years. That within itself makes 'Let's Rock' a noteworthy addition to the duo's discography.
Highlights: "Breaking Down", "Lo/Hi", "Shine A Little Light", "Tell Me Lies", "Go", "Eagle Birds"
5. Rubber Factory
Being their last record with indie label Fat Possum before they'd sign to the WMG-owned Nonesuch, Rubber Factory marks the end of the band's indie years. Rubber Factory is named so for the now-demolished decrepit tire factory in which it was recorded in. Despite the location and the makeshift studio it was recorded in, the sound quality is a lot more crisp than on the two album before it and the one after. Not that that detracts from The Black Keys' signature heavy blues sound in the least, since it has some of the hardest-hitting songs the band had done at that point! "10 A.M. Automatic", "Till I Get My Way", "Girl Is on My Mind", this album is loaded with some of the band's grimiest blues numbers! All of The Black Keys albums are good, but Rubber Factory is the first truly great record they did. It is best from their early years and one of their best overall.
Highlights: "10 A.M. Automatic", "All Hands Against His Own", "Just Couldn't Tie Me Down", "Stack Shot Billy", "When The Lights Go Down", "Till I Get My Way", "Girl Is on My Mind"
4. Attack & Release
On the eve of their big commercial breakthrough that came after, Attack & Release is what many fans consider the beginning of The Black Keys modern era. It sees a transition from their rough and gritty early sound and take on a more polished commercial sound, while also being the first to prominently feature keyboards. When most bands make their music more accessible, the quality usually suffers as a result of the band becoming more focused on being successful than making a great album. But The Black Keys are a rare example of a group who have only gotten better since becoming mainstream and this was the first to set this example. The production may be a lot more polished than before and people can say what they want about, but they can't say the same about the music as it has some of the heaviest songs The Black Keys have ever done! They may have immediately surpassed this many times over with the two record they did after it, but Attack & Release will go down as the start of The Black Keys' golden years.
Highlights: "Remember When (Side B)", "Strange Times", "Psychotic Girl", "Things Ain't Like They Used to Be", "I Got Mine", "Lies", "Same Old Thing"
3. Turn Blue
After Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney blew the world away with Brothers and El Camino, two back-to-back albums that are now considered their two best, no doubt the two masterminds were left with a question that faces every great artist who releases their best: "Where do The Black Keys go from here?" I think they did the smartest thing they could have done with Turn Blue, by experimenting with a new sound and flexing their creativity, but not in a way that's a dramatic departure from their main body of work. Turn Blue saw the duo flirt with funk, soul and psychedelia. The end product is undoubtedly the most unique album in their discography so far and unique for all the right reasons! It a soulful trip into the band's creativity that showcases their songwriting capabilities, but they also show that they're able to meet in the middle as there are also straightforward blues-rock tracks, keeping the band's trademark sound well-intact throughout the experiment. This album was so amazing, I would love to see them do another just like it!
Highlights: "Bullet In the Brain", "10 Lovers", "In Time", "Fever", "Gotta Get Away", "Turn Blue", "Weight of Love"
2. El Camino
Just when you think they've reached the pinnacle of their career with Brothers, that they've hit the top and can only come back down from there, The Black Keys release El Camino the very next year and let the world know that they're not done soaring just yet. This record starts off pretty damn strong with its lead single "Lonely Boy" and it never really lets up from there! Every song manages to be solid and teeming with same powerful energy as the one before it! It's rather ironic how there is very little to virtually no blues to be heard on El Camino when that's The Black Keys are famous for, then they go and make their least bluesiest record one of the their greatest. I'm not going to cite any highlights below, because that's just how incredible this album is. But if it's so great, why isn't it number one? Because there is one other album of there's that, while I consider them equal in terms of quality, it has greater significance to me...
Highlights: the whole album
1. Brothers
As I said, The Black Keys have proven to be a rare example of a band whose music has only gotten even better since going mainstream. This must be stated again, because, while there are other who have remained great since having their big commercial breakthrough, I'm having a hard time thinking of another who can say they released their greatest album as theirs. Brothers is a masterpiece that features a superfluity of great songs within its 15 tracks! This was the very first album I heard from The Black Keys, way back in 2010. I can't even begin to describe how utterly floored I was by Brothers. Every song I was listening to was just amazing. I had the whole album on repeat for months! This album made me an instant fan of these guys and they remain my favorite modern band and one of my all-time favorites to this day. I really do believe this and El Camino are both equally great albums, but if I have to pick a number one, it has to go to Brothers simply for the impact it left on me by being the first I heard from them.
Highlights: the whole album, especially the first half
The debut album by The Black Keys is the only one that has songs I can take or leave. The whole album was recorded in Patrick Carney's basement with two microphones and a 16-track digital recorder, so its production is about as much as you could expect from a record recorded under those conditions. But The Big Come Up is not bad. The Black Keys have no bad albums or bad songs, though they came pretty close with that annoying riff on "The Breaks" and the closing filler track. But it has some excellent tunes like the two best tracks "Heavy Soul" and "Busted". The Big Come Up may be the weakest effort by the band, but since it's The Black Keys we're talking about, that's not saying a whole lot of bad about it.
Highlights: "Heavy Soul", "Busted", "Leavin' Trunk", "I'll Be Your Man", "Them Eyes"
This was the duo's first album with a major record label, which meant they had a lot of resources at their disposal. Yet, rather than recording the album in a fancy studio, they returned to Patrick Carney's basement where their first two albums were recorded for some reason. Not sure what exactly reason was for that, but I think that was a mistake because Magic Potion is a step backwards from Rubber Factory, when it should have been a big leap forward. No matter because, again, this is The Black Keys and even with their lesser records, it's still pretty solid. It does have one of the best songs by the band, the hard-hitting rocker "Your Touch". Not to mention it was their first album to be composed entirely of original material and as always, every song rocks! Even though I think it could have been a lot better... oh well.
Highlights: "Your Touch", "You're The One", "Just a Little Heat", "Just Got To Be", "Modern Times"
The latest album from The Black Keys. Dropout Boogie seems like a mix of the band's old and new styles. We get gritty blues numbers akin to their earlier stuff and then they also bring back the keyboards for their more modern sound on other songs. While The Black Keys managed to deliver yet another record that's enjoyable from start to finish, some of the songs sound recycled, which makes it seem a bit uninspired. That and while the album is good, it's also a more run-of-the-mill Black Keys album. There's not much that makes it stand out. Turn Blue was them experimenting with something new. 'Let's Rock' was them going back to basics. Delta Kream was a tribute to their idols. Dropout Boogie... it's just The Black Keys. I personally would've appreciated something that makes it a bit more distinctive. So long as they can keep dishing out quality material, I'll be happy, but I do hope this isn't a sign that they're running out of ideas.
Highlights: "Wild Child", "Your Team Is Looking Good", "How Long", "Good Love", "It Ain't Over", "Didn't I Love You"
Their debut was what got them noticed, but their album Thickfreakness was what gave The Black Keys their first breakthrough with more people recognizing them for the blues-rock prodigies they are. What we hear on the album is actually the duo's second attempt at recording the album after they felt the first time sounded too polished, so they started over using a 1980 8-track recorder to purposefully give it that raw old school sound. All done within a 14-hour session too! The end result is a successful follow-up The Big Come Up that's stronger in every way. The songs are even greater with covers "Have Love, Will Travel" and "Everywhere I Go" and more excellent original songs like "Hard Row", "Set You Free", etc. Thickfreakness was the real beginning of The Black Keys' climb to fame, as they'd only get better from there.
Highlights: "Have Love, Will Travel", "Hard Row", "Midnight in Her Eyes", "Everywhere I Go", "Set You Free", "Thickfreakness"
Released five years after Turn Blue, making it the longest gap in between albums for the band. The Black Keys follow-up the departure from their usual formula on Turn Blue by going back to basics on 'Let's Rock'. The keyboards so prevalent in their music since Attack & Release are dropped entirely in favor of a more stripped down approach solely focused on guitar, drums and vocals. While it never gets quite as raw as their earlier music, it should still be able to satisfy fans partial to their older, more simplistic material. It certainly lives up to it title by being a proper rock-out record from beginning to end, with a greater emphasis on their garage rock sensibilities. It doesn't really offer anything new in terms of style, but that was the point. It's not meant to be another Turn Blue or El Camino, it's meant to be The Black Keys showing they can still provide rip-roaring rock album like they did in their earlier years. That within itself makes 'Let's Rock' a noteworthy addition to the duo's discography.
Highlights: "Breaking Down", "Lo/Hi", "Shine A Little Light", "Tell Me Lies", "Go", "Eagle Birds"
Being their last record with indie label Fat Possum before they'd sign to the WMG-owned Nonesuch, Rubber Factory marks the end of the band's indie years. Rubber Factory is named so for the now-demolished decrepit tire factory in which it was recorded in. Despite the location and the makeshift studio it was recorded in, the sound quality is a lot more crisp than on the two album before it and the one after. Not that that detracts from The Black Keys' signature heavy blues sound in the least, since it has some of the hardest-hitting songs the band had done at that point! "10 A.M. Automatic", "Till I Get My Way", "Girl Is on My Mind", this album is loaded with some of the band's grimiest blues numbers! All of The Black Keys albums are good, but Rubber Factory is the first truly great record they did. It is best from their early years and one of their best overall.
Highlights: "10 A.M. Automatic", "All Hands Against His Own", "Just Couldn't Tie Me Down", "Stack Shot Billy", "When The Lights Go Down", "Till I Get My Way", "Girl Is on My Mind"
On the eve of their big commercial breakthrough that came after, Attack & Release is what many fans consider the beginning of The Black Keys modern era. It sees a transition from their rough and gritty early sound and take on a more polished commercial sound, while also being the first to prominently feature keyboards. When most bands make their music more accessible, the quality usually suffers as a result of the band becoming more focused on being successful than making a great album. But The Black Keys are a rare example of a group who have only gotten better since becoming mainstream and this was the first to set this example. The production may be a lot more polished than before and people can say what they want about, but they can't say the same about the music as it has some of the heaviest songs The Black Keys have ever done! They may have immediately surpassed this many times over with the two record they did after it, but Attack & Release will go down as the start of The Black Keys' golden years.
Highlights: "Remember When (Side B)", "Strange Times", "Psychotic Girl", "Things Ain't Like They Used to Be", "I Got Mine", "Lies", "Same Old Thing"
After Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney blew the world away with Brothers and El Camino, two back-to-back albums that are now considered their two best, no doubt the two masterminds were left with a question that faces every great artist who releases their best: "Where do The Black Keys go from here?" I think they did the smartest thing they could have done with Turn Blue, by experimenting with a new sound and flexing their creativity, but not in a way that's a dramatic departure from their main body of work. Turn Blue saw the duo flirt with funk, soul and psychedelia. The end product is undoubtedly the most unique album in their discography so far and unique for all the right reasons! It a soulful trip into the band's creativity that showcases their songwriting capabilities, but they also show that they're able to meet in the middle as there are also straightforward blues-rock tracks, keeping the band's trademark sound well-intact throughout the experiment. This album was so amazing, I would love to see them do another just like it!
Highlights: "Bullet In the Brain", "10 Lovers", "In Time", "Fever", "Gotta Get Away", "Turn Blue", "Weight of Love"
Just when you think they've reached the pinnacle of their career with Brothers, that they've hit the top and can only come back down from there, The Black Keys release El Camino the very next year and let the world know that they're not done soaring just yet. This record starts off pretty damn strong with its lead single "Lonely Boy" and it never really lets up from there! Every song manages to be solid and teeming with same powerful energy as the one before it! It's rather ironic how there is very little to virtually no blues to be heard on El Camino when that's The Black Keys are famous for, then they go and make their least bluesiest record one of the their greatest. I'm not going to cite any highlights below, because that's just how incredible this album is. But if it's so great, why isn't it number one? Because there is one other album of there's that, while I consider them equal in terms of quality, it has greater significance to me...
Highlights: the whole album
As I said, The Black Keys have proven to be a rare example of a band whose music has only gotten even better since going mainstream. This must be stated again, because, while there are other who have remained great since having their big commercial breakthrough, I'm having a hard time thinking of another who can say they released their greatest album as theirs. Brothers is a masterpiece that features a superfluity of great songs within its 15 tracks! This was the very first album I heard from The Black Keys, way back in 2010. I can't even begin to describe how utterly floored I was by Brothers. Every song I was listening to was just amazing. I had the whole album on repeat for months! This album made me an instant fan of these guys and they remain my favorite modern band and one of my all-time favorites to this day. I really do believe this and El Camino are both equally great albums, but if I have to pick a number one, it has to go to Brothers simply for the impact it left on me by being the first I heard from them.
Highlights: the whole album, especially the first half
