I saw The Lemon Twigs play live on Saturday night.
BUT WAIT...that's not why I am here. Sit back down.
They covered a song I was unfamiliar with called "I Don't Wanna Cry" by a band called The Keys.
Apparently, this record called "The Keys Album" was released in 1981 and was produced by Joe Jackson, and man does this record sound like the lost Joe Jackson album that just might have come out either before or after "Beat Crazy" if he didn't get his jive jumpin'!
Now maybe this is all old news to you, but somehow, The Keys and their album never crossed my path until yesterday. And, the drummer of The Keys is one time Wings member, Geoff Britton. So there's that too.
That said, The Twigs cover was fantastic and "The Keys Album" is a new favorite.
The full album is below, if you've never heard it, as is The Lemon Twigs cover from the show I attended at White Eagle Hall on 5/4.
13 comments:
That Keys album was a new one on me, too.
Very nice! And how WAS the show?
Honestly surprised this one never landed on your radar as it was in the top 100 of Borack's first Power Pop 200 book (which is how I discovered it). It's a great album!
Elroy,
The show was wonderful. The set list, the performance, the crowd could not have been better.
Shriner,
You know, I don't have that Borack book!
I have 11 song version that Dows not have a song I don't Wanna Cry. Weird Orr is there another release?
Neal,
I just checked all five versions that are listed on Discogs and "I Don't Wanna Cry" is Track 5 on all of them. Was your version a hard copy or a download? The uploader may have messed up.
The Joe Jackson comparison is spot on.
Excited to see Lemon Twigs soon. Glad it was a great show. Hopefully I'll get a good crowd, too. Makes all the difference these days, esp in a small club, Never heard of the Keys. Thx!
What a great song! The Lemon Twigs take is also really good. Just picked a a couple of tickets to see them in November. Thanks.
I loved that kind of music in 1981 and I still love it today, but if I ever heard I Don't Wanna Cry before, it was so long ago that I completely forgot about it. All of which is to say, thank you for posting it, because man, I love that song! Both versions.
Marc
Glad you discovered the Keys! It's not surprising that it escaped your notice...it didn't sell well at the time. I don't think it ever made it past promotional copies in the US. It's really an excellent album, and it's a mystery as to why it's never been reissued (it could use some remastering too, as it's kind of tinny).
A few years ago, a group in the UK released a very limited edition album called Unlocked that features a dozen unreleased songs that essentially make up 'the great lost second Keys album.' It's just as good. Unfortunately, it might be even rarer than the first album! It is available on peer-to-peer services like Soulseek.
I have 'I Gotta Gun' and 'Tongue Tied' by them (or a different early 80s UK band with the same name), neither of which is on the album featured on YouTube. Then there was the NY band whose circa-1988 album 'Grand Opening' had a powerpop classic in 'Something Special' (are you reading this, Simels?).
C in California
I knew about The Keys album a long time. I'm surprised you never heard it or about it.
Oh well, you can't hear everything.
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