The Keys were a British power-pop group with sharp Beatles-inspired melodies that released their only album in 1981 on A&M Records. However, despite a fistful of capable singles, production by
Joe Jackson, and excellent reviews, album sales were dismal and the group broke up soon after in 1983. If you dig power-pop in the vein of Gentleman Jesse & His Men, The Exploding Hearts, and The Vapors, you'll find a treasure trove of treats in The Keys' debut. Although you'll have to find a bootleg ripped from vinyl, as the record has never been reissued digitally or onto CD. "I Don't Wanna Cry," the band's most well known single, features an incredible vocal melody and performance that's both instantaneously addictive and re-playable.
The Keys - "I Don't Wanna Cry"
Funny...I just went to add info about The Keys to a couple of Wikipedia articles this afternoon, and ended up downloading the whole album. I only knew the single. Really good stuff--looking forward to the rest of the album.
ReplyDeleteThe drummer is Geoff Britton, who was in Wings circa 1974-75.
It's crazy no one has reissued the album or a 7" onto vinyl. Or at least just put a song or two on iTunes. It's surprising how something this classic remains so obscure.
ReplyDeleteFuck, I thought it was the Keys who released 'Love your sons and daughters' and 'All the drugs in the world'
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, it's an extremely common band name. There's at least a handful of groups named the Keys that I've found, though 90% of the time I Google "the keys" I get Alicia Keys.
ReplyDeleteSteve Tatler from The Keys - thanks for the support. Appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI recently heard the Keys' "I Don't Wanna Cry" again for the first time in a while (thanks to this website, actually), and I haven't been able to stop listening to it since! It's a beautiful song that makes me really happy, but it's also a great listen when I'm in a more wistful mindset. Thanks for sharing this song and info about the band! I can't wait to find and listen to the album! (I'm a bit sad to hear that they only made one, but there's lots of great bands I haven't heard or even heard of yet, so there's still more gold to be found!)
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