Magic Potion (album)

Last updated
Magic Potion
The Black Keys - Magic Potion.jpg
Studio album by
The Black Keys
ReleasedSeptember 12, 2006 (2006-09-12)
RecordedThe Audio Eagle Nest (Akron, OH)
Genre
Length40:55
Label Nonesuch
Producer The Black Keys
The Black Keys chronology
Live in Austin, TX
(2006)		Magic Potion
(2006)		 Attack & Release
(2008)
Singles from Magic Potion
  1. "Your Touch"
    Released: October 2, 2006
  2. "You're the One"
    Released: February 26, 2007
  3. "Just Got to Be"
    Released: August 6, 2007
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 69/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The A.V. Club B [3]
Entertainment Weekly A− [4]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
NME 6/10 [6]
Pitchfork 6.0/10 [7]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [10]
Spin Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]

Magic Potion is the fourth studio album by American rock duo the Black Keys. It was released in 2006 and was their first record released on Nonesuch Records, the band's current label. This album marks the first time they wrote and composed entirely original material, unlike on previous albums and EPs.

Contents

Recording

Like the group's first two albums, Magic Potion was recorded in the basement of drummer Patrick Carney; [12] in his estimation, the record was made using "$5,000 worth of crappy equipment". [13] The group's guitarist Dan Auerbach explained the decision behind the recording location: [12]

We like the sound of odd rooms. It's got concrete floors and walls. The upstairs floor is the ceiling. The mixing desk and computer are on top of the tool desk built by the old guy who used to live there. You can hear all of that. Lots of new records have no individuality to the sound. I wanted it to sound like a band in the basement of a house in the Midwest.

Carney expressed disappointment in the quality of the finished record: [13]

We paid $350 to get it mastered, took it home and there was, like, no bass on it. And we just dropped it in a FedEx envelope, mailed it to Warner Brothers and were done with it. Of all things that we've ever done, that's my biggest regret—is that we just kind of were like, "Oh, OK."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney.

No.TitleLength
1."Just Got to Be"3:01
2."Your Touch"2:45
3."You're the One"3:29
4."Just a Little Heat"3:42
5."Give Your Heart Away"3:27
6."Strange Desire"4:22
7."Modern Times"4:22
8."The Flame"4:36
9."Goodbye Babylon"5:56
10."Black Door"3:31
11."Elevator"3:44

Cover art

The cover art depicts a Fabergé egg. Inside the album is a picture of a fried egg. The back cover depicts a falcon.

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2006)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [14] 27
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [15] 99
French Albums (SNEP) [16] 109
Scottish Albums (OCC) [17] 77
UK Albums (OCC) [18] 79
US Billboard 200 [19] 95

Certifications

Certifications for Magic Potion
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [20] Silver60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. ↑ "Reviews for Magic Potion by The Black Keys". Metacritic . Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  2. ↑ Jurek, Thom. "Magic Potion – The Black Keys". AllMusic . Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  3. ↑ Phipps, Keith (September 19, 2006). "The Black Keys: Magic Potion". The A.V. Club . Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  4. ↑ Collis, Clark (September 15, 2006). "Magic Potion". Entertainment Weekly . No. 897. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  5. ↑ "The Black Keys: Magic Potion". Mojo (155): 96. October 2006.
  6. ↑ "The Black Keys: Magic Potion". NME : 21. September 2, 2006.
  7. ↑ Crock, Jason (September 11, 2006). "The Black Keys: Magic Potion". Pitchfork . Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  8. ↑ "The Black Keys: Magic Potion". Q (243): 118. October 2006.
  9. ↑ Greene, Andy (September 7, 2006). "Black Keys: Magic Potion". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on January 25, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  10. ↑ Jones, Preston (September 11, 2006). "The Black Keys: Magic Potion". Slant Magazine . Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  11. ↑ Eddy, Chuck (October 2006). "The Black Keys: Magic Potion". Spin . 22 (10): 94. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  12. 1 2 Anderman, Joan (October 31, 2006). "Black Keys retexture the blues". The Boston Globe . p. E3.
  13. 1 2 NPR Staff (May 13, 2014). "'Bound To Sound Different': The Black Keys On Going Big". NPR Music . NPR . Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – The Black Keys – Magic Potion". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Black Keys – Magic Potion" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Lescharts.com – The Black Keys – Magic Potion". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  19. ↑ "The Black Keys Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  20. ↑ "British album certifications – Black Keys – Magic Potion". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved July 23, 2023.
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