Rubber Factory

an incredible cd from an incredible band.1. "When the Lights Go Out"2. "10 A.M. Automatic"3. "Just Couldn't Tie Me Down"4. "All Hands Against His Own"5. "The Desperate Man"6. "Girl Is on My Mind"7. "The Lengths"8. "Grown So Ugly" (Robert Pete Williams)9. "Stack Shot Billy"10. "Act Nice and Gentle" (Ray Davies)11. "Aeroplane Blues"12. "Keep Me"13. "Till I Get My Way"

Long overdue, this review should have been written in 2005 when i first purchased this album, and it reinvigorated my feeling that the heart of rock and roll was still beatin' indeed. From start to finish this lp was a study in minimalism as a macrocosm of sound. From the opening beat and guitar intro of "When the lights go Out" these guys evoke an intimate basement blues aesthetic but with just guitar and drums the sound is so big! Leading into the groovy "10 am automatic" there's something instantly classic going on here with the funky hip hop inflected beat and the loud riffy guitar lines he's even invoking Hendrix a lil' and other clasic bluesy rock (Creedence) as on "All hands Aganist his own" and "Stack Shot Billy". "The Desperate Man" has this sexy funky thing going on with the quiet /loud dynamic and some soulful blues guitar. It was so sexy that Victoria''s secret used it in one of their commercials in 2006 "Girl Is On my mind just plain rips, with Dan doing a crunchy solo towards the end and the energy level reaches catharceces twice and then grows soft for the ending. "Grown So ugly" does a lot of justice to the original and is a rolling blues rocker in a more obvious way than the Beefheart original but its a worthy cover. "Act Nice and Gentle" is an awesome swinging ballad with a catchy melody and funky slide guitar. Another Favorite "Aeroplane Blues" wails and squalls with feedback soaked riffs and a tough hip hop styled beat. "Till I get My way" closes the album with a bang and a ripping feedback soaked guitar groove. Man this was the keys at their stripped down best and my introduction to one of my favorite bands of the last 20 years. For me this was an awesome diving board that invigorated my rock and roll spirit.

This review is for the vinyl pressing, not the music (which is amazing, one of my favorite BK albums). This is *not* a 180g pressing, as advertised here. And it’s a lousy pressing: terrible mix, lousy separation. I understand that this is garage rock. It should still sound better than this. I bought this album on cd when it first came out, the sound is superior to this vinyl pressing.

This is the Black Keys’ best album in my opinion, and the record plays beautifully as well. You never know what quality of record you’ll get when ordering online but this one is great!

After an explosive debut album and a mellower sophomore effort, Akron duo The Black Keys roar back with "Rubber Factory", a passionate, catchy, masterpiece that proves these guys are for real.In their third album in as many years, the Keys press ahead with their revival of the long-sputtering genre of blues rock. Having rejected a major record label and signed instead with blues authority Fat Possum, the Keys stay true to their fuzzed-out demo-tape sound, recording the album in an abandoned tire factory, with drummer Patrick Carney producing the songs on his trusty 4-track (or did they graduate to 8-track by now?). Topping both their previous efforts, "Rubber Factory" does not have a single bad song. It is actually difficult to pick the best ones because they are ALL so good.Unlike "The Big Come Up" and "Thickfreakness", though, "Rubber Factory" starts off in low gear with the mellow "When the Lights Go Out". Things get pumped up right after that with what is undoubtedly the catchiest song they've done yet -- "10 a.m. Automatic". This song is so fun and addictive it takes a conscious exertion of will not to just play it over and over.The nice mellow ride of "Just Couldn't Tie Me Down" recalls a bit of the juke joint feel so prevalent on "Thickfreakness". The next three tracks -- "All Hands Against His Own", "The Desperate Man" and "Girl Is On My Mind" -- form a trio of catchy, classic-rock style tunes. Things mellow out a bit for a sugary ballad, "The Lengths", but get kicked right back up with "Grown So Ugly", a jammin' and hard-hitting rock number. "Stack Shot Billy" is a wonderful electric-slide resurrection of the outlaw song, and shows that these guys know their source material. "Aeroplane Blues" and "Keep Me" are other straight-out sonic assaults that will put a crooked smile on the face of anyone with an ounce of blues running in their veins.The album closes with a real bang -- the energetic "Till I Get My Way". The crunch of Auerbach's guitar and Carney's head-bobbing tattoo meld into some of the best jamming they've yet displayed."Rubber Factory" is a nearly flawless piece of work that should have no problem standing the test of time. I hope these guys are having as much fun making this music as I am listening to it. I already can't wait until the next one...

Beware, I thought I was buying a vinyl for my brother in law but it was a CD!! Didn’t even know they sell those anymore. Anyway since I sent it to him I couldn’t take it back and now he has given it back to me and I bought the vinyl for him to replace it, but I’m stuck with this CD now. Ugh. Seller: would you let me return this somehow?? I did buy the vinyl.

I love TBK's sound on their early albums. Though I love "I Got Mine," Attack and Release was the beginning of the end of that sound IMHO.

If you want to discover how the Black Keys developed the sound that emerged on "Brothers" and "El Camino," listen to this. I recommend "When the Lights Go Out," "Just Couldn't Tie Me Down," "Grown So Ugly," (bit of a laugh there) and "Stack Shot Billy." I also like the gentle groove on "Act Nice and Gentle."

So like most people got into the, the black keys after the latest album el camino, which is a good album, but when to start buying the back catoulogue you realise just how good they were, this is there 3rd actual album, and has taken what was a good album in thickfreakness and created a sound that makes you re-appreciate music again, the songs are individually unique to each other but flow and just need to be heard, some great tracks that I just want to listen to again and again.still not there best which is chulohoma. But a great great album.

Firstly the format, I was expecting the regular weight vinyl, what was delivered was the limited edition 180gram weight with a code to download the mp3's, that was a great surprise.The album, in my opinion, is their best so far. The first 3 tracks are just storming.The stand out track for me is Stack Shot Billy.The Black Keys have just got a little bit of something that's difficult to describe, check out their videos ("Baddest Man Alive", "Tighten Up" to name 2...), they don't take themselves too seriously.Brilliant..

All good.

The vinyl came warped so skips on about half the tracks which is annoying as I love this album

All good