El Camino (The Black Keys album)

El Camino
Studio album by The Black Keys
Released December 6, 2011
Recorded March – May 2011
Studio Easy Eye Sound Studio
(Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre
Length 38:18
Label Nonesuch
Producer
The Black Keys chronology
Brothers
(2010)
El Camino
(2011)
Turn Blue
(2014)
Singles from El Camino
  1. "Lonely Boy"
    Released: October 26, 2011
  2. "Gold on the Ceiling"
    Released: February 27, 2012
  3. "Dead and Gone"
    Released: May 21, 2012[1]
  4. "Run Right Back"
    Released: July 23, 2012[2]
  5. "Little Black Submarines"
    Released: October 8, 2012[3]

El Camino is the seventh studio album by American rock duo the Black Keys. It was co-produced by Danger Mouse and the group, and was released on Nonesuch Records on December 6, 2011. The record was the band's follow-up to their commercial breakthrough, Brothers (2010), and was their third collaboration with Danger Mouse. El Camino draws from popular genres of the 1950s to 1970s, such as rock and roll, glam rock, rockabilly, surf rock and soul. Danger Mouse contributed as a co-writer on each of the 11 songs alongside guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney.

The album was recorded from March to May 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, at Easy Eye Sound Studio, which Auerbach opened the year prior. The band approached writing and recording differently than on previous albums, as they entered the studio without having written any material and deliberated longer on how to structure songs. After struggling to translate the slower songs from Brothers to a live setting, the band wrote more uptempo, hook-laden tracks for El Camino. The album's cover art depicts a minivan similar to one the group toured in early in their career, but in an inside joke, they named the record after the El Camino muscle car. A faux newspaper advertisement and parody car commercial playing on this joke were used to promote the record prior to release.

"Lonely Boy" was released as the lead single in October 2011 and became the group's highest-charting single in several countries, including the United States, Australia, and Canada. The album received positive reviews from critics and was ranked by many publications as one of the year's best albums. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 and reached the top five of the album charts in Australia, Canada, Belgium (Flanders), and New Zealand. The album was certified platinum in France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the US, as well as multi-platinum in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The Black Keys supported the album with the El Camino Tour, their first headlining arena tour. Four additional singles were released, including "Gold on the Ceiling" and "Little Black Submarines", which were rock radio successes. Among other accolades, El Camino won the award for Best Rock Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, while "Lonely Boy" received honors for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song. The album has sold 1.4 million copies in the US.

Background

From 2001 to 2009, the Black Keys experienced underground success, but after the release of their critically acclaimed sixth studio album, Brothers, the group achieved a commercial breakthrough.[4][5] The single "Tighten Up" was a sleeper hit on radio, eventually spending 10 weeks at number one on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart in the United States and becoming their first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100.[4] The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart[5] and sold 1.5 million copies worldwide,[6] including 870,000 copies in the US.[5] The band also gained additional exposure by continuing to license their songs in popular media, making them Warner Bros. Records' most-licensed band of the year.[4] At the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in February 2011, the band won awards for Best Alternative Music Album (for Brothers) and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (for "Tighten Up").[7]

The band's sudden success proved overwhelming, as they found themselves booking additional promotional commitments and facing demand for additional touring dates.[6] In January 2011, the group canceled concerts in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe, citing exhaustion, thus clearing out most of their touring schedule into April.[8] Drummer Patrick Carney said, "We've been touring long enough to know when we're about to hit our breaking point." The desire to record another album soon after Brothers also led to the decision. Carney said, "We could have waited another year or so, and milked the Brothers album and kept touring, but we like bands, and our favourite bands growing up and even today, are bands that put out a lot of music and every album is different from the last."[6]

Recording

El Camino was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, at Easy Eye Sound Studio, which was opened by guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach in mid-2010 after he relocated from the group's long-time hometown of Akron, Ohio.[5][9] Carney spoke of how the success of Brothers impacted the follow-up record: "For me, there were physical jitters about everything that was going on. Seeing how big the shows were getting, feeling like people were paying attention, kind of made me anxious, and I think that's part of the reason [El Camino's] songs are so fast. I think we wanted to just muscle through it."[5] Despite the growing expectations of the band, Carney said that the El Camino recording sessions were much more relaxed than those for Brothers, during which he had been dealing with his divorce.[10]

Danger Mouse co-produced the record and contributed as an equal songwriter with the band.

The band hired Danger Mouse to co-produce the record with them, based on their experience with him producing their 2008 album Attack & Release and the single "Tighten Up". Danger Mouse served as co-writer for all of the songs on El Camino. Speaking of their willingness to involve him in the songwriting process, Carney said, "It took us a long time to be able to trust somebody like that, and not be arrogant little kids about it."[5] Auerbach said, "It was difficult at times. Some days it worked great. Some days it was just infuriating. You gotta lose any kind of insecurity. It was a totally different way of thinking for me."[11]

Recording for El Camino began on March 3, 2011.[12] In contrast to their previous records, the Black Keys entered the studio for their new album without having developed any new material,[9] with the exception of the lyrics to "Little Black Submarines", which Auerbach and Danger Mouse had pre-written.[13] Each day, the band began from scratch and in Auerbach's words, "brainstormed until we had songs and we did a song every two days or so".[9][14] The material was then refined over several days, and after arrangements were agreed upon, the group quickly finished recording the songs, often in just one or two takes.[15] Each song was recorded in a live take of guitar and drums before overdubs were added. This was done to give the music what Auerbach called "that human element, that live feel". Similarly, the group eschewed playing to a click track, despite a tendency to speed up during choruses, to keep a natural feel in the performance.[16] "Dead and Gone" was the first song to be completed.[15]

The band recorded using a Quad-8 mixing console that was first installed in Nashville's Creative Workshop studio in 1969 and later bought by Auerbach from a man in North Carolina. During the sessions, the band listened to playback of their progress on a speaker they purchased from Muscle Shoals Sound Studio after the last day of recording Brothers.[17] Guitar and drums tracks were recorded in the studio's "live room", while vocals were recorded in the control room.[16] The studio's bathrooms served as an echo chamber for recording vocals and handclaps.[17]

For the first time, the band deliberated over the musical details of each song. Auerbach said, "we were getting into the nuances of each song by asking ourselves, 'How long should this intro be? How long should the pre-chorus be? Should there even be a pre-chorus?' We were playing with tempos and BPMs, seeing how a vocal hook does or doesn't work at a faster speed. And usually, we went with the faster option."[9] Differing from the band's lyrics-first approach on Brothers, the lyrics for El Camino were written after the music, often being improvised at the microphone.[18] Explaining their focus on melody,[14] Auerbach said, "the words had to fit in this pre-existing space. It was really confining and totally different from anything I'd done before."[18]

The sessions for El Camino lasted through May 26, 2011,[12] and overall, the band spent 41 days recording, the longest time spent on any of their albums.[9] Mixing and mastering were completed in mid-June.[19]

Composition

The Clash were one of the groups cited by the Black Keys as a musical influence on El Camino.

El Camino follows the Black Keys' garage rock style but places less emphasis on blues than the group's previous records.[5] The album instead draws more influence from other popular genres from the 1950s to the 1970s,[20] including rock and roll,[15][20] glam rock,[5] rockabilly,[5] surf rock[5] and soul.[21] Carney explained the album's direction, "After the first three or four songs were recorded, it kind of became apparent that they're all rooted in this early rock and roll feel. It was around that time that we decided to make a whole album that was built around that."[20] The band cited several older musical acts as musical influences on the album, including the Clash, the Cramps, T. Rex, Johnny Burnette, Ramones, the Beatles, Sweet, and the Cars.[5][6][9] Following the sonic expansion on their previous two albums, Attack & Release and Brothers, for El Camino they sought to strip-down their sound by writing an album of "efficient rock-and-roll songs and minimal instrumentation".[22]

In contrast to some of the slower, quieter tracks from Brothers, the songs on El Camino are more uptempo and employ more hooks and guitar riffs.[23][24][25] During the tour for Brothers, the Black Keys realized that many of that album's songs were too slow to effectively translate to a live setting, leading them to write more fast-paced material for El Camino. Carney said, "This record stemmed from that, the fact that it's easier for our songs to come across well live if they are fast. So we were just trying to make a guitar rock album that was more upbeat than anything we've ever recorded."[6] Realizing halfway through the recording sessions that all the songs they had written to that point were uptempo, the group decided to maintain the faster pace as a common thread throughout the album.[26]

Packaging and title

The vehicle on the cover is not the album's namesake, a Chevrolet El Camino (top), but rather a Plymouth Grand Voyager (bottom) similar to the one the duo used to tour in.

The album was named after the Chevrolet El Camino, a coupé utility car.[14][27] The inspiration came from the band sighting an El Camino while on tour in Canada in 2010; Carney admitted that the title was selected "as a joke".[12] "El camino" is Spanish for "the road" or "the path". The band found out the phrase's meaning after selecting it as an album title, and they joked about the record taking on deeper meaning afterwards.[27] Andy Gill of The Independent said of the title, "it's a nod to the pilgrimage of dues-paying, the months of one-night-stands in tiny Midwest towns which hone raw talent into rock'n'roll gold."[28] Michael Carney, the duo's art director and Patrick's brother, was initially hesitant about the title.[29] Patrick recounted the conversation with his brother about selecting the title and artwork:

I told my brother the idea and my brother was like, "You know, if you name the record El Camino, everybody's going to think of the car the El Camino." And I was like, "Yeah exactly. That's the fucking point!" And he was like, "OK, but why don't we just put a car on the cover that's not an El Camino?" And I said, "OK, what kind of car?" He says, "Just put the first car you guys ever toured in on the cover."[12]

The vehicle in the cover image is a Plymouth Grand Voyager similar to the navy blue one that the group toured in for the first year and a half of their career.[28][30][31] Commenting on the puzzled reaction the group received to putting an image of a used van on the cover of an album named for a muscle car, Michael said, "That's the reaction we were going for. It didn't work in Europe because they don't know what an El Camino is over there, so it made perfect sense to them."[32] Patrick compared the appearance of Akron to the cover image, calling his hometown "A busted up parking lot with a busted up car."[29] The interior sleeve booklet for the album features images of various vans from Akron, Ohio,[27] including those produced under the brands Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler, and Dodge.[30] Each copy of the album bears a sticker on the exterior that says "Play loud".[33]

Release

Promotion

Prior to the release of El Camino, promotional copies were limited to a small pressing of just 50, given mostly to music labels and the Black Keys' manager. Preview listens for journalists were strictly controlled to only one-time listens and they were held within the duo's manager's office, an uncommon practice within the music industry.[34] The group opted to not put the record on music streaming services, citing financial reasons. Patrick Carney said that streaming services are not yet "at a point where you're able to replace royalties from record sales with the royalties from streams. For a band that makes a living selling music, it's not at a point where it's feasible for us."[35] As is common practice for the band, several songs from the album were licensed for use in popular media, including ESPN's Band of the Month for December, Lifetime's TV drama Army Wives, and the video game MLB 12: The Show.[4] The group noted though that they were planning to reduce the amount of licensing in comparison to previous records to avoid overexposure. Carney said, "When no one's buying your records, it's easy to justify selling a song. But once you start selling records, you can't really justify having two songs in Cadillac commercials. It looks greedy."[36]

According to Michael Carney, the promotional strategy for the album embraces "the spirit of doing it the wrong way".[4] Warner Bros. Records COO Livia Tortella elaborated that "They've latched onto that idea at a time when the real spirit of alternative has, in many ways, gone away from our music. The spirit of rock should be that: outside of the norm, not just mainstream and predictable."[4] The music video originally shot for their lead single "Lonely Boy" employed a big budget and several people, but the band decided instead to release a one-shot video consisting solely of footage of an extra–actor and part-time security guard Derrick Tuggle–dancing. The video went viral, garnering more than 400,000 views on YouTube in 24 hours.[4][37] On October 9, 2011, the band placed an ad in the Akron Beacon Journal advertising their used tour van as a "1994 El Camino" for sale.[38] The ad read, "1994 El Camino: 273,000 mi. 200 cubic-in. 3.3L 95hp V-6 engine, 3-speed turbo autom shift, sapphire stylus, some ticks/pops, light surface noise. Working AM/FM radio, tan metalflake/woodie panels, some rust. Black vinyl seats. Priced to sell – Grab the Keys and go! Contact Pat or Dan at (330) 510–1206." The phone number in the ad led to a recorded message of Patrick Carney describing the car and asking for the caller to leave a message.[30] The band launched the promotional website WannaBuyAVan.com with a video parodying a low-budget used car commercial for the same van. Actor/comedian Bob Odenkirk plays the salesman in the video trying to pass off the van as an El Camino.[4]

The album's release date of December 6, 2011, contrasts with the conventional record release strategy within the music industry. Carney said, "There's a rule you release albums in February–March, then you tour the summer. Then there's the September–October schedule. Our new album is out on December 6. I asked the label for a list of major rock bands that had released albums in December. In the last 10 years there's maybe four. But our manager said it's a shame more bands don't, 'cos it would force the industry not to shut down."[29] The group had intended to release El Camino in September but decided to push it until December to allow for a three-month break. Ultimately, they booked this free time up with additional concerts and a promotional tour.[19]

A week prior to the release date, the duo decided to stream five tracks from El Camino on their website after the album leaked online.[4] The Black Keys appeared as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on December 3, 2011, for the second time that year, and they performed "Lonely Boy" and "Gold on the Ceiling".[39] Two days later, the group held an album release concert at Webster Hall in New York City that was streamed live on MTVHive.com.[40] The group made several appearances on late-night talk shows, including Late Show with David Letterman and The Colbert Report,[41] as well as at the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards.[42] The group was the subject of a cover story in Rolling Stone for their issue dated January 19, 2012; in a widely publicized quote, Carney criticized Canadian rock band Nickelback, saying that "rock and roll is dying because people became OK with Nickelback being the biggest band in the world".[36][43]

Singles

"Lonely Boy" was released as the album's lead single on October 26, 2011, and became one of the group's most successful singles. It topped several rock radio charts, including the Alternative Songs and Rock Songs charts in the US,[44][45] and the Alternative Rock and Active Rock charts in Canada. On the singles charts, "Lonely Boy" was the group's highest-charting song in several countries, peaking at number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100,[46] number 2 on the Australian Singles Chart,[47] and number 33 on the Canadian Hot 100.[48] "Lonely Boy" was certified nine-times platinum in Canada, triple-platinum in Australia, platinum in New Zealand, and gold in Denmark.[49] "Gold on the Ceiling" was released as the album's second single, and like its predecessor, it topped the US Alternative Songs chart[44] and the Canadian Alternative Rock and Active Rock charts.[50][51] On the singles charts, the song reached number 94 on the Hot 100,[46] number 34 on the Australian Singles Chart,[47] and number 51 on the Canadian Hot 100.[48] The song was certified platinum in Australia and Canada.[49] "Dead and Gone" was released as a third single in Europe,[52] while "Run Right Back" was released as a fourth single in the United Kingdom.[2] "Little Black Submarines" was released as the record's fifth single on October 8, 2012,[3] and was a rock radio success; it peaked at number two on the US Alternative Songs chart[44] and the Canadian Alternative Rock and Active Rock charts,[50][51] as well as number 54 on the Canadian Hot 100.[48]

Reception

Critical reaction

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[53]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[21]
The Daily Telegraph[54]
Entertainment WeeklyA–[55]
The Guardian[56]
Los Angeles Times[57]
NME7/10[58]
The Observer[59]
Pitchfork7.4/10[60]
Rolling Stone[61]
Spin8/10[62]

El Camino received high praise from music critics. According to review aggregator website Metacritic, the album received an average review score of 84/100 based on 37 reviews, indicating "Universal acclaim".[53] Critics mainly praised the instrumentation of the songs on the album, as well as the album production. Spin gave the record an 8/10 rating, calling it "irresistibly gaudy" and "catchier, glitzier, ballsier". The reviewer said the songs contain "classic cock-rock sonic tchotchkes: handclaps, talk-box guitar breaks, rainbow keyboards. The overall effect is something akin to ZZ Top with glitter in their beards."[62] Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly gave the record an "A–", writing that the group "make a small-room racket that sounds massive enough for a bigger-is-better world". Maerz said that "El Camino trades the soulful stylings of Brothers for harder-driving, faster-riffing rock & roll".[55] James Lachno of The Daily Telegraph rated the album four-stars-out-of-five, praising Danger Mouse for "sharpen[ing] up the sweet, melodic choruses that offset the duo's unholy racket" and give each song a "timeless quality, as suited to a Seventies mid-west saloon as a students' indie disco". Despite what Lachno judged to be "tawdry" lyrics, he said that "the Black Keys are here to rock, not talk. On this evidence, few bands right now do it better."[54] Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times assigned the album a maximum four-star rating, calling it "butt-shaking music" and "an album with lyrics that are both unpretentious and un-dumb". Roberts praised the nostalgic elements of the group's music and said that the album "scratches an itch you didn't even know you had".[57]

Michael Hann of The Guardian gave the record a maximum rating of five stars, writing that it is "dripping with an easy, attractive confidence". Commenting on the various musical influences on the album, Hann said, "they stride fearlessly into areas that might once have been off-limits". His review concluded, "They sound like a band who think they've made the year's best rock'n'roll album, probably because that's exactly what they've done."[56] Rob Harvilla of Pitchfork Media scored El Camino a 7.4/10 and called it "their best and (not coincidentally) goofiest album". Describing the music, he said, "The riffs are glam-nasty, the lyrics sublimely knuckleheaded, the basslines nimble and bombastic, the mood frivolous and fun and unabashedly corny."[60] Will Hermes of Rolling Stone rated the album four stars and called it their "grandest pop gesture yet, augmenting dark-hearted fuzz blasts with sleekly sexy choruses and Seventies-glam flair".[61] AllMusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated the album four stars and said, "More than any other Black Keys album, El Camino is an outright party, playing like a collection of 11 lost 45 singles, each one having a bigger beat or dirtier hook than the previous side."[21] Kitty Empire of The Observer was more critical of the album; in a three-star review, Empire commented that it sounded like Danger Mouse "tightened up the Black Keys' act rather than loosened it" and that "El Camino may be fast and fun, but it is also somewhat undemanding." The reviewer noted that the album had "increased vigour", but that it came at the expense of "the subtleties that made Brothers such an intriguing ride."[59]

Commercial performance

In the US, El Camino debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and sold 206,000 copies in its first week on sale. This marks the highest single-week album sales and, to that point, charting position that the group had achieved in the country.[63] In Canada, the album debuted at number three on the Canadian Albums Chart and sold 27,000 copies in its first week.[64] In its first two weeks on sale, El Camino sold nearly 293,000 copies in the US.[65] The album has been certified: triple-platinum in Canada;[66] double-platinum in Australia[67] and New Zealand;[68] platinum in the U.S.,[69] United Kingdom,[70] and Ireland; and gold in Belgium, the Netherlands, and France.[49] As of April 2014, the album has sold 1.4 million copies in the United States.[71]

Accolades

El Camino appeared on several end-of-year rankings by music publications and critics. The album was ranked by Mojo as the sixth-best album of 2012, even though it was released in 2011.[72] American Songwriter ranked it as the ninth-best album of 2011,[73] while Rolling Stone ranked it as the 12th-best.[74] The album placed 21st on the "Best Albums" list from The Village Voice's 2011 Pazz & Jop critics' poll.[75] Paste ranked the record as the 22nd-best of the year before it had been released.[76] Spin placed it at number 36 on its list of the 50 best albums of the year, writing, "Glam-blooze guitar, poppy melodies, and hockey-rink keyboards fit the Keys like vintage denim."[77] Claire Suddath of Time magazine and Andrew Leahey of The Washington Times both named El Camino one of the Top 10 Albums of 2011,[78][79] while the staff of AllMusic selected the album as one of their favorites of the year.[80] In end-of-year polls, writers for Rolling Stone selected "Little Black Submarines" as the 18th-best song of 2011,[81] while the publication's readers voted "Lonely Boy" the year's third-best song.[82]

At the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, The Black Keys won the award for Best Rock Album for El Camino, and Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for "Lonely Boy". Auerbach was honored as Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for co-producing El Camino and producing records by Hacienda and Dr. John. The Black Keys also received nominations for Album of the Year for El Camino and Record of the Year for "Lonely Boy".[83]

Tour

Main article: El Camino Tour
The Black Keys performing at Madison Square Garden in March 2012

In December 2011, The Black Keys announced a 2012 concert tour, their first playing arenas as a headlining act.[84] The tour opened in Europe on January 23, 2012 with three weeks of shows,[85] before visiting North America from March to May.[86][87] The tour made multiple return visits to Europe and North America throughout the year, while also visiting Australasia from October through November.[88][89] In total, the group played 112 shows in 2012.[90] Among the support acts that accompanied the band were Band of Skulls,[91] Arctic Monkeys,[87] and Tegan and Sara.[92] After tickets went on sale, The Black Keys' concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City sold out in 15 minutes,[93] resulting in the addition of a second date at the venue to satisfy demand.[4] The tour grossed $12.7 million in 2012,[94] and after 129 shows, it ended on July 13, 2013.[95]

Just as it did on its previous tour, the group added bassist Gus Seyffert and keyboardist/guitarist John Wood as touring musicians in order to perform songs as close to their studio arrangements as possible.[36][96] Auerbach explained the decision for the expanded live band: "It wasn't about the size of the venue. It was just that we could afford to do it and our songs deserved it. We wanted to finally present the songs like we'd written them."[97] During the middle portion of each concert, Auerbach and Carney played older material as a duo without the backing musicians. Many critics singled these performances out as the shows' highlights.[98][99][100]

The concert stage used a setup with a lighting system and video projections designed by Karl Lemieux.[101] The lighting comprised four banks of on-stage vintage spotlights,[100] along with two disco balls and a lighted sign bearing the band's name that were lowered for the encores.[102] Lemieux's video, which was projected onto a white sheet at the stage's rear, incorporated black-and-white footage of junkyards, deserts, and open highways.[100][103] Carney explained that the band was aiming for a retro aesthetic, saying, "We kind of wanted to make the whole stage look like an old-school rock 'n' roll show, as much as possible. We're referencing bands in the '70s, what they were doing when they were playing arenas."[96] Moreover, the footage was meant to pay homage to the group's origins. Auerbach said, "We wanted it to represent our music and the Midwest where we're from, the Rust Belt and open spaces. We find that stuff beautiful and uplifting."[104]

Track listing

All tracks written by Dan Auerbach, Patrick Carney, and Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton. 

No. Title Length
1. "Lonely Boy"   3:13
2. "Dead and Gone"   3:41
3. "Gold on the Ceiling"   3:44
4. "Little Black Submarines"   4:11
5. "Money Maker"   2:57
6. "Run Right Back"   3:17
7. "Sister"   3:25
8. "Hell of a Season"   3:45
9. "Stop Stop"   3:30
10. "Nova Baby"   3:27
11. "Mind Eraser"   3:15
Total length:
38:18

Personnel

The Black Keys[105]
Additional performers[106]
  • Brian Burton – keyboards
  • Leisa Hans – vocals
  • Heather Rigdon – vocals
  • Ashley Wilcoxson – vocals

Production[106]
  • Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) – production
  • The Black Keys – production
  • Kennie Takahashi – engineering
  • Collin Dupuis – engineering assistance
  • Tchad Blake – mixing
  • Tom Elmhirst – mixing for "Lonely Boy"
  • Ben Baptie – mixing assistance for "Lonely Boy"
  • Brian Lucey – mastering

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2011–12) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[107] 3
Belgian Flanders Ultratop 50 Albums[107] 3
Canadian Albums Chart[108] 3
Dutch Album Top 100[107] 10
Finnish Albums Chart[107] 18
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[109] 27
Italian Albums Chart[110] 29
Norwegian Albums Chart[107] 11
New Zealand Top 40 Albums[107] 2
Spanish Albums Chart[111] 7
Swiss Albums Top 100[107] 18
UK Albums Chart[112] 6
US Billboard 200[63] 2

Year-end charts

Chart (2011) Position
Australian Albums Chart[113] 66
Chart (2012) Position
Australian Albums Chart[114] 11
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[115] 82
Canadian Albums Chart[116] 11
Dutch Albums Chart[117] 36
Italian Albums Chart[118] 87
New Zealand Albums Chart[119] 4
Swiss Albums Chart[120] 99
US Billboard 200[121] 10
US Alternative Albums Chart[122] 2
US Digital Albums Chart[123] 9
US Rock Albums Chart[124] 2
Chart (2013) Position
Australian Albums Chart[125] 79
US Billboard 200[126] 79

Single charts

Year Single Peak chart positions
US
[46]
US Alt.
[44]
US Rock
[45]
AUS
[47]
BEL (Fla)
[127]
CAN
[48]
CAN Alt. Rock
[50]
CAN Rock
[51]
NZ
[128]
2011 "Lonely Boy" 64 1 1 2 13 33 1 1 7
2012
"Gold on the Ceiling" 94 1 2 34 2 51 1 1
"Dead and Gone"
"Little Black Submarines" 106 2 6 12 54 2 2

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[129] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Belgium (BEA)[130] Gold 15,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[66] 3× Platinum 240,000^
France (SNEP)[131] Platinum 100,000*
Ireland (IRMA)[132] Platinum 15,000^
Italy (FIMI)[133] Gold 30,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[134] 2× Platinum 30,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[135] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[136] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[137] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. Howard, Tom (May 18, 2012). "The Black Keys – 'Dead And Gone'". NME.com. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Lane, Dan (July 23, 2012). "This week's new releases 23-07-2012". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on July 9, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Stovin, Jack (August 27, 2012). "The Black Keys to hit the right note at Birmingham's NIA this December". AltSounds. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mapes, Jillian (January 6, 2012). "Tightened Up: Inside the Black Keys' Rise to Arena-Sized Fame". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Light, Alan (December 4, 2011). "First, Hit It Big. Then Change.". The New York Times. p. AR1. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Kara, Scott (December 1, 2011). "The Black Keys get back into the groove". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  7. Kennedy, Gerrick D. (February 13, 2011). "Grammy Awards: Black Keys, on being one of the evening's wild card winners". LATimes.com. Tribune Company. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  8. "Black Keys cancel tour dates because they are 'drained'". NME. January 18, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Leahey, Andrew (November 1, 2011). "The Black Keys: Brothers In Arms". American Songwriter. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  10. Fitzmaurice, Larry (December 6, 2011). "The Black Keys' Patrick Carney Talks El Camino, BlakRoc, Black Eyed Peas". Pitchfork Media. Condé Nast. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  11. Kot, Greg (March 11, 2012). "Black Keys and their 'rocketship to the moon'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Rodgers, D. Patrick (December 6, 2011). "The Black Keys' Patrick Carney: The Cream Interview". Nashville Scene. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  13. Drozdowski, Ted (March 13, 2012). "Interview: Guitarist Dan Auerbach Discusses Gear, Influences and the Latest Black Keys Album, 'El Camino'". Guitar World. NewBay Media. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 Boulton, Martin (December 9, 2011). "Throw away the script". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  15. 1 2 3 Johnson, Kevin C. (April 26, 2012). "The Black Keys don't change much in move to arena shows". STLtoday.com. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  16. 1 2 Micallef, Ken (January 2012). "The Black Keys". Electronic Musician. NewBay Media. 28 (1): 18–26. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  17. 1 2 Leahey, Andrew (November 11, 2011). "In The Studio With The Black Keys". American Songwriter. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  18. 1 2 Downing, Andy (December 15, 2011). "Keyed up: A conversation with Black Keys singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach". Madison.com. Lee Enterprises. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  19. 1 2 Mapes, Jillian (October 1, 2012). "The Black Keys' New Album 'Definitely Gonna Happen' In 2013". kroq.cbslocal.com. CBS Local Media. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
  20. 1 2 3 Kocsis, Julie (December 13, 2011). "The Black Keys' Potential to Be America's New Favorite Rock Band". The Huffington Post. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  21. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "El Camino – The Black Keys". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  22. Christopher, Michael (February 28, 2012). "The Black Keys rise to the arenas". The Phoenix. Phoenix Media/Communications Group. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  23. Kot, Greg (December 6, 2011). "Album review: Black Keys, 'El Camino'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  24. Gill, Andy (November 25, 2011). "Album: The Black Keys, El Camino (Nonesuch)". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  25. Fitzmaurice, Larry (May 13, 2014). "The Black Keys: Turn Blue". Pitchfork Media. Condé Nast. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  26. Graff, Gary (February 28, 2012). "Success of Black Keys surprises even the musicians". Daily Tribune. Journal Register Company. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  27. 1 2 3 Interviewer: Stephen Colbert (December 6, 2011). "The Black Keys". The Colbert Report. Episode 968. Comedy Central. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  28. 1 2 Gill, Andy (February 3, 2012). "The Black Keys – The two keys to the big time". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  29. 1 2 3 "Do it yourself – The Black Keys". Esquire.co.uk. Hearst Corporation. December 5, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
  30. 1 2 3 Patton, Phil (January 24, 2012). "For a Chart-Topping Rock Group, a Fixation With the Humblest of Band Vans". NYTimes.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
  31. Joy, Kevin (March 6, 2012). "Retro-rock duo from Akron now playing to arena crowds". The Columbus Dispatch. The Dispatch Printing Company. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
  32. Abram, Malcolm X (December 5, 2011). "'El Camino' should keep Black Keys on road to success". Ohio.com. Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  33. Barracato, Joseph (January 15, 2012). "Keys to the city". nypost.com. NYP Holdings, Inc. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
  34. Rodgers, D. Patrick (December 8, 2011). "With their brand-new El Camino, Nashville residents The Black Keys move in a different direction, but keep their record-nerd fans". Nashville Scene. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  35. Perpetua, Matthew (December 13, 2011). "Black Keys: Why We Won't Stream 'El Camino'". RollingStone.com. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  36. 1 2 3 Hiatt, Brian (January 19, 2012). "Black Keys Rising". Rolling Stone (1148): 38–41, 66. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  37. Montgomery, James (October 27, 2011). "Black Keys 'Lonely Boy' Video: Meet The Dancing Machine". MTV.com. MTV Networks. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  38. Abram, Malcolm X (October 13, 2011). "Oct. 13, 2011: Black Keys promote album with off-the-wall campaign". Ohio.com. Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  39. Hogan, Marc (December 5, 2011). "Watch the Black Keys' Triumphant Return to 'SNL'". Spin.com. Spin Media LLC. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
  40. Brown, Harley (December 5, 2011). "Webcast: The Black Keys' album release show". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  41. Lewis, Dave (December 2, 2011). "The Black Keys plan U.S. tour behind 'El Camino'". HitFix. Archived from the original on December 4, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  42. "Watch: The Black Keys Perform "Lonely Boy" at Video Game Awards". Nonesuch Records. December 11, 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  43. Trapunski, Richard (March 8–15, 2012). "The Black Keys: They may be headlining arenas, but the Black Keys still feel like underdogs". Now. NOW Communications, Inc. 31 (28). Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  44. 1 2 3 4 "The Black Keys – Chart history: Alternative Songs". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  45. 1 2 "The Black Keys – Chart history: Rock Songs". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  46. 1 2 3 "The Black Keys – Chart history: Hot 100". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  47. 1 2 3 "Discography The Black Keys". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  48. 1 2 3 4 "The Black Keys – Chart history: Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  49. 1 2 3 "Record Certifications Around the World". TheBlackKeys.com. Warner Bros. Records. October 26, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  50. 1 2 3 Peak chart positions for The Black Keys on the Canadian Alternative rock chart:
  51. 1 2 3 Peak chart positions for The Black Keys on the Canadian rock chart:
  52. Doyle, Patrick (June 22, 2012). "Q&A: Patrick Carney on the Black Keys' Summer Tour, Van Halen and Dance Music". RollingStone.com. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  53. 1 2 "Critic Reviews for El Camino". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  54. 1 2 Lachno, James (December 1, 2011). "The Black Keys: El Camino, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  55. 1 2 Maerz, Melissa (December 9, 2011). "El Camino review – The Black Keys". Entertainment Weekly (1184): 72. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  56. 1 2 Hann, Michael (December 1, 2011). "The Black Keys: El Camino – review". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
  57. 1 2 Roberts, Randall (December 5, 2011). "Album review: The Black Keys' 'El Camino'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  58. Richards, Sam (December 2, 2011). "Album Review: The Black Keys – 'El Camino'". NME. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  59. 1 2 Empire, Kitty (November 26, 2011). "The Black Keys: El Camino – review". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
  60. 1 2 Harvilla, Rob (December 2, 2011). "The Black Keys: El Camino". Pitchfork Media. Condé Nast. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  61. 1 2 Hermes, Will (December 22, 2011). "The Keys Turn Their Blues-Rock Beater into a Sleek, Shiny Muscle Car". Rolling Stone (1146/1147): 85–86. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  62. 1 2 Marchese, David. "The Black Keys: 'El Camino'". Spin. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
  63. 1 2 Caulfield, Keith (December 14, 2011). "Michael Buble's 'Christmas' Stays Atop Billboard 200, Black Keys Hit No. 2". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  64. Williams, John (December 14, 2011). "Buble sets 2011 sales mark". Canoe.ca. Quebecor Media. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  65. Willman, Chris (December 28, 2011). "Thanks to Gaga, Adele, music business finally improves in 2011". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  66. 1 2 "Canadian album certifications – The Black Keys – El Camino". Music Canada.
  67. "Accreditations – 2012 Albums". ARIA. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  68. "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart: 24 September 2012". The Official New Zealand Music Chart. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. September 24, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  69. "Gold & Platinum: Searchable Database". RIAA. Retrieved February 6, 2012. Note: The Black Keys must be searched manually.
  70. "British album certifications – El Camino". British Phonographic Industry. Enter El Camino in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Search
  71. Farber, Jim (May 19, 2014). "Michael Jackson's 'Xscape' and The Black Keys' 'Turn Blue' vie for Billboard's No. 1 album". Daily News. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  72. "Year's Best Album Lists from Uncut, Mojo, Paste Include The Black Keys, Ry Cooder, Dr. John, Jonny Greenwood, Punch Brothers". Nonesuch Records. November 27, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  73. "American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums of 2011". American Songwriter. November 29, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  74. Anderson, Stacey, Jon Dolan, David Fricke, Will Hermes, Monica Herrera, Jody Rosen, Rob Sheffield, and Simon Vozick-Levinson. "50 Best Albums of 2011: The Black Keys, 'El Camino'". RollingStone.com. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  75. "Pazz + Jop 2011: Album Winners". VillageVoice.com. Village Voice LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  76. Jackson, Josh (November 29, 2011). "The 50 Best Albums of 2011". Paste. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  77. Spin Staff (December 12, 2011). "SPIN's 50 Best Albums of 2011". Spin. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  78. Suddath, Claire (December 7, 2011). "The Top 10 Everything of 2011 – Black Keys, El Camino". Time. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  79. Leahey, Andrew (December 26, 2011). "LISTENING STATION: Top 10 albums of 2011". The Washington Times. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  80. AMG Staff (January 2, 2012). "AllMusic's Favorite Albums of 2011". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  81. Anderson, Stacey; Jon Dolan; David Fricke; Will Hermes; Monica Herrera; Jody Rosen; Rob Sheffield; Simon Vozick-Levinson (December 22, 2011). "50 Best Singles of 2011: 18. Black Keys, 'Little Black Submarines'". Rolling Stone (1146/1147): 76–80. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  82. "Readers' Poll: The Best Songs of 2011: 3. The Black Keys, 'Lonely Boy'". RollingStone.com. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  83. Abram, Malcolm X (February 11, 2013). "Black Keys artists score four Grammys". Ohio.com. Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  84. Kaye, Deirdre (March 5, 2012). "Review: The Black Keys/Arctic Monkeys at US Bank Arena". Cincinnati CityBeat. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  85. "The Black Keys Launch Tour in Europe". Nonesuch Records. January 23, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  86. "The Black Keys North American Tour Tickets On Sale Now". Nonesuch Records. December 9, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  87. 1 2 "The Black Keys Announce Second Leg of North American Tour". Nonesuch Records. January 9, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  88. "The Black Keys Announce European Summer Tour; Watch Them Perform on "Le Grand Journal"". Nonesuch Records. February 14, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  89. "The Black Keys Announce UK Tour Dates in December 2012". Nonesuch Records. August 26, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  90. "Tour: Archive". TheBlackKeys.com. Warner Bros. Records. Archived from the original on November 22, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  91. Balfe, John (March 30, 2012). "Band of Skulls confirmed as support for The Black Keys in The O2". entertainment.ie. The Irish Times. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  92. skq (May 14, 2012). "Fall Tour Dates with The Black Keys!". teganandsara.com. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  93. Kane, Tyler (December 9, 2011). "The Black Keys Sell Out Madison Square Garden in 15 Minutes". Paste. Paste Media Group. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  94. Billboard Staff (February 22, 2013). "Music's Top 40 Money Makers 2013". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  95. Gold, Adam (July 15, 2013). "Black Keys End Tour with Potent Forecastle Set". RollingStone.com. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  96. 1 2 Soeder, John (March 18, 2012). "The Black Keys are bigger than ever as they return to Northeast Ohio to play The Q". Cleveland.com. Cleveland Live LLC. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  97. Rodman, Sarah (March 2, 2012). "Room for two at the top". The Boston Globe. p. G23. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  98. Bell, Crystal (March 23, 2012). "The Black Keys Bring Blues-Rock to Madison Square Garden". The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  99. Valania, Jonathan (March 12, 2012). "Black Keys pack the house with bang and strum". Philly.com. Philadelphia Media Network. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  100. 1 2 3 Joy, Kevin (March 5, 2012). "The Black Keys: Duo keeps it raw and rockin'". The Columbus Dispatch. The Dispatch Printing Company. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  101. Gonzalez, John (March 1, 2012). "The Black Keys tour: Making 'garage band' music on a big stage". MLive. Michigan Live LLC. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
  102. Graff, Gary (March 4, 2012). "Black Keys, Arena Rock Band: Live Review". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  103. Soeder, John (March 21, 2012). "The Black Keys make a triumphant transition to the big time at The Q". Cleveland.com. Cleveland Live LLC. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  104. White, Ryan (May 4, 2012). "The Black Keys work their way to the Rose Garden". OregonLive.com. Advance Internet. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  105. Auerbach's and Carney's instruments are uncredited in the liner notes and instead are based on their de facto roles in the band.
  106. 1 2 El Camino (CD booklet). The Black Keys. Nonesuch Records. 2011.
  107. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The Black Keys –El Camino". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  108. "The Black Keys Album & Song Chart History: Canadian Albums". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  109. "Offizielle Deutsche Charts: The Black Keys – El Camino". Offizielle Deutsche Charts. GfK Entertainment. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  110. "Album – Classifica settimanale dal 06/02/2012 al 12/02/2012" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  111. "THE BLACK KEYS – EL CAMINO". elportaldemusica.es (in Spanish). PROMUSICAE. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  112. "Official Albums Chart Top 100: 02 September 2012 – 08 September 2012". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  113. "Adele's "21" crowned ARIA's highest selling album of 2011 LMFAO takes single honours with "Party Rock Anthem"" (PDF). ARIA. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  114. "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2012". ARIA. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  115. "RAPPORTS ANNUELS 2012". ultratop.be (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  116. "Charts – Year End: Canadian Albums". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  117. "JAAROVERZICHTEN – ALBUM 2012". GFK Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  118. "Top 100 Album Combined – Classifica annuale (dal 2 Gennaio 2012 al 30 Dicembre 2012)" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry / TV Sorrisi e Canzoni. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2013.
  119. "Top Selling Albums of 2012". The Official New Zealand Music Chart. RIANZ. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  120. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2012". hitparade.ch (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  121. "Billboard 200 Albums: 2012 Year-End Charts". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  122. "The Black Keys – Chart history: Alternative Albums (Year end)". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  123. "Digital Albums: 2012 Year-End Charts". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  124. "Rock Albums: 2012 Year-End Charts". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  125. "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2013". ARIA. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  126. "Billboard 200 Albums: 2013 Year-End Charts". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  127. "DISCOGRAFIE THE BLACK KEYS". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  128. "DISCOGRAPHY THE BLACK KEYS". charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  129. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  130. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2015". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  131. "ANNEE 2013 – CERTIFICATIONS AU 05/11/2013" (PDF). Snepmusique.com. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  132. "Irish album certifications – The Black Keys – El Camino". Irish Recorded Music Association.
  133. "Certificazione Album fisici e digitali dalla settimana 1 del 2009 alla settimana 52 del 2013" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 19, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  134. "New Zealand album certifications – The Black Keys – El Camino". Recorded Music NZ.
  135. "THE BLACK KEYS – EL CAMINO" (in Spanish). PROMUSICAE. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  136. "British album certifications – The Black Keys – El Camino". British Phonographic Industry. Enter El Camino in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  137. "American album certifications – The Black Keys – El Camino". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/12/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.