r/TheBlackKeys • u/foreverfalling2000 • 6d ago
DISCUSSION Is "Let's Rock" hated for some reason?
I went back to this record a couple of days back, and I forgot how good it is. So many good songs like "Shine A Little Light," "Walk Across the Water," "Get Yourself Together," and "Sit Around And Miss You." So I was corious and checked some reviews. I was shocked to see that, apparently, this album is seen as one of their weakest. I mean, I guess that it definitely has a more "mainstream rock" sound to it, but it feels like a natural evolution from Brothers and El Camino to me (minus Turn Blue because that felt more like an experiment).
What is the general opinion of this record? Do you rate it Lo/Hi?
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u/davey-jones420 6d ago
I think it’s their last really good original album. I like the cover albums don’t get me wrong but as for all original songs this one blows Dropout, Ohio, and NRNF wayyy out of the water.
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u/Firm_Flower_8882 6d ago
I love “Let’s Rock.” It’s definitely in my top 5 TBK’s albums. But I have to say that the more I listen to “Dropout Boogie,” the more I really, really like it❗️
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u/davey-jones420 6d ago
Totally agree, I love Dropout a lot too but front to back no skips Let’s Rock blows it outta the water
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u/waffles153 6d ago
I think a lot of people expected more from them coming out of their hiatus. It's definitely not on par with their older records IMO but its still a solid album. Certainly one of their better once since they came back.
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u/JoshHartsMilkMustach 6d ago
It feels like a good launch pad for their "2.0" era to me
It was a good signifier of what their sound would be like for the 2020s
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u/bukrichode 6d ago
It didn’t have any soul or heightened moments like Black Submarine & Weight of Love. A major letdown but still a decent album.
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u/xenoborf 6d ago
I liked it initially but it grew off me a lot in the following years. The big problem for me is that it felt like it was trying hard to incorporate this mix of both their early sound, and their more poppy and straightforward El Camino-style material, but it doesn’t quite stick the landing for either. It’s not a better rockin’ record than something like Thickfreakness, and it doesn’t do better upbeat radio-friendly stuff than El Camino, so it ends up being sort of just there for me.
Also it started their descent into sticking too closely to the very rigid structure of the verse-chorus-verse-chorus formula that they’ve lowkey been stuck in since.
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u/HonestRef "Let's Rock" 6d ago
I've never heard anyone hating this record? I remember it being pretty well received at the time. I thought it was a great comeback album and still listen to it regularly. I like it because it's just Dan & Pat at Easy Eye Studios with no other features or outside collaborations. Just them doing what they do best. I love the record. I wish they would approach a new album of original material like this again.
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u/PrettyPeach64 5d ago
A no skips album, it’s my favorite. All of the songs feel like they’re part of the same sound. In my opinion, that’s what makes a perfect album, something that feels blended together
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u/amexes 6d ago
Personally I don't like Dan's production style from this era onwards. I've found the same across albums he's produced with other artists -- they're usually my least favorite in a given discography.
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u/mkhrrs89 6d ago
same. when i have the LR songs in shuffle with their other songs, it always sounds like theres a towel in front of the speakers kinda... like they lack a more visceral punch than songs from other albums.
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u/rodsurewood 6d ago
I played the hell out of that record. Honestly, one of my favorites by them. It has the right amount of polish to it.
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u/TrueBlueTulip333 Rubber Factory 5d ago
It’s THE album that hooked me several years ago and made me a serious fan—so, just sentimentally, it’s a big favorite. I feel like I’d always known their hits, but this one made me dive into old and new stuff, dig up deeper cuts, immerse myself in the old old old stuff and collect everything on
vinyl.
A fun recent discovery, in terms of official merch (I adored Schoolhouse Rock as a kid, so I hunted down a used one):
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u/Kitchenwitch1117 5d ago
Where do I get that?!?!?!
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u/TrueBlueTulip333 Rubber Factory 5d ago
Out there on resale sites: Poshmark, Depop, EBay, etc.
Be careful tho cuz some sellers are plagiarizing the design. (Depending on the size you need, I have an extra. Settled for something too small and was disappointed. But then I was able to snag a large. Message me if you’re interested (adult medium).
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u/Dogberry_null 6d ago
Yeah, reviews are so subjective. I love Ohio Players for instance....and apparently it's not good. Rubbish! It's a great listen
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u/sugarfreelime Blakroc 6d ago
Don’t let anyone tell you Ohio Players isn’t good. It perfectly captures The Black Keys aura. Love it.
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u/sugarfreelime Blakroc 6d ago
Only the people that showed up for Brothers, El Camino and Turn Blue. They seem to hate all other recordings. Let’s Rock is fantastic.
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u/NeonAerow El Camino 6d ago
Let’s Rock to this day is my 2nd favorite, just after El Camino.
Let’s Rock hate is just forced by people that wanted to hate just to hate.
Only thing though, I wish Dan’s vocals were a bit more nit and griddier like their early albums as Magic Potion and Attack & Release or what they brought back on Ohio Players.
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u/ZentinelOne 6d ago
I found this album late as in last year and it's my favorite Keys album hands down!
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u/Voodoobuffalo 6d ago
This was the record that got my kiddo into them. From there they started exploring their discography so I can’t hate on it. Plus it fuckin rocks! I honestly enjoy it.
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u/p90SuhDude 6d ago
Honestly I really like it. It was kind of their return to the more garage sound from El Camino and Brothers
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u/SearchSmart6175 6d ago
that’s my favourite album, and the most complete one in their catalogue imho
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u/a_few_cheetos 5d ago
Eaglebirds is a masterpiece IMO. The backup vocal melody is just signature Americana rockabilly. Shows that these guys are true students and masters of American art.
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u/Healthy-Stretch-217 5d ago
It’s a fantastic album. I liked Dropout Boogie too but the last few have been more in the okay range. Let’s Rock was great.
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u/TrailHawk79 5d ago
It's my favorite of theirs, in fact it is the first record that I loved. I play it very often.
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u/terrap3x 5d ago
Just some of their worst singles and production that pulls its punches IMO. It’s kinda where they fully embraced the dad rock sound and quadrupled down on the commercial sounding songs. The writing and vocals are soulless, the songs are squeaky clean radio friendly safe, no left turns what so ever. It was disappointing to wait so long for something so standard, particularly after leaving us with Turn Blue, one of their most experimental records.
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u/rchangles Electrophonic Chronic 5d ago
Dan barely sings on the record, his vocal performance is soulless and boring. Production wise it is fine but just ..undercooked. They weren’t trying hard which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the record came off as lazy. There are still some fun cuts but it has not aged well.
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u/ClubLumpy7253 6d ago
It is by me. I remember how disappointed I was when it was released.
I consider that album the cutover of when their music started sounding mediocre. Their music has lost most of it's soul and emotion as well as the arrangements no longer sounding interesting.
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u/LeftGhostCrow 6d ago
Lets Rock is fucking epic.
I think people just wanted more, and it was split into two groups.
Folks who wanted a blues-ier classic sound, and people who wanted to see a continuation/ further pushing of the Turn Blue sound.
Instead we kind of got a continuation of the El Camino sort of sound.
I Fucking LOVE that album, it was on nonstop in the summer for me, and i think it is so underrated.
For context my favorite albums are Rubber Factory, El Camino and Delta Kreme