Saturday, February 19, 2022

The 1981 Listening Post - The Keys - The Keys Album

 The Keys - The Keys Album



1981 Housekeeping LISTENING POST DISCOVERY

The Keys

The Keys Album

Genre: Power Pop

4.75 out of 5




Highlights:

Hello Hello

It Ain’t So

One Good Reason

Listening In

I Don’t Wanna Cry

Spit It Out

World Ain’t Turning







Before he got bored and made Jazz, Classical and unfocused Rock albums, Joe Jackson put out two of the best 1-2 punches of Power Pop in Look Sharp and I’m the Man. Beat Crazy was more experimental and he sort of announced that he was done with that phase. 

But before he did that he produced this album. And, like The Jags No Tie. Like a Present and Great Building’s album, it’s chock full of excellent Power Pop tracks that deliver each time.
The era might be coming to an end but that’s a damned shame because there are excellent purveyors of this style. Drums. Guitar(s). Bass. Vox. Bashing out the V/C/V/C/B/C/Out in style. 

There is not a bad song on this record. “If It’s Not Too Much” is a bit toooooooo Beatles for my taste, leaning heavily into that Deface the Music territory but Imma let it pass. 

We don’t really get a chance to breath until deep into side two’s “Greasy Money”, but that brief bit of air is also a delectable slow roller-dance at the rink and it is followed up by the Beatles meets the Stones “Back to Black” rockabilly tinged PP and I’m here for it. 

And boy does it end with a bang. I’m adding “World ain’t Turning” to my “If I had a Power Pop cover band we would totally fucking cover this song” list. 




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9eaPTKl1vA

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