The Big Come Up
Studio album by The Black Keys
Released	May 14, 2002
Recorded	January–March 2002
Studio	Synth Etiquette Analog Sound (Akron, Ohio)
Genre	Blues rock[1] punk blues[1] garage rock
Length	54:15 (CD) 35:49 (LP)
Label	Alive
Producer	Patrick Carney
The Black Keys chronology
The Big Come Up (2002) Thickfreakness (2003)
Singles from The Big Come Up
"Leavin' Trunk" Released: 2003 "She Said, She Said" Released: 2003

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]
Regina Leader-Post	[3]
Robert Christgau	[4]
Rolling Stone	[5]
Spin	8/10[6]

The Big Come Up is the debut studio album by the Americanrock duothe Black Keys, released on May 14, 2002, onAlive Records.

The album was created inAkron, Ohio, also known as the Rubber City.^[7] As band membersDan Auerbach andPatrick Carney began to grow up, they realized that rubber companies, such asGoodyear, were a dying industry.^[8] They knew they were not guaranteed an automatic job by achieving a college degree, so the two dropped out of college to pursue their musical career. They began producingThe Big Come Up in their basement.^[9] Carney and Auerbach recorded the album in Carney's basement, using two microphones bought off eBay. They recorded their album on a 16-track digital recorder.^[10][11]The record contains thirteen songs. Eight of them are original tracks, with fivecover songs. "240 Years Before Your Time", the closing track, becomes silent at about 1:39 into the track on the CD version. This silence lasts until 21:41.

The Big Come Up was released through Alive Records on May 14, 2002. Alive re-presses this album regularly, often several times a year on different colored vinyl or with altered sleeve artwork. These are usually marketed as limited editions.^[12] They have released the album on vinyl on at least 14 separate occasions,^[13] opening themselves up to criticism, particularly in regard to the marketing term "limited edition".^[14]

The band also released an EP that included covers of the blues song "Leaving' Trunk" and theBeatles' song "She Said, She Said". The song "I'll Be Your Man" was used as the theme song for theHBO seriesHung. "I'll Be Your Man" also appeared on theFX seriesRescue Me.

According toNielsen Soundscan, the album sold around 139,000 copies.^[15] The two did not make much money from the album, so they had trouble paying for a tour. Therefore, they raised money by mowing lawns for their landlord. Although the album sold poorly, it gained a cult following and attracted critics. In 2005 music criticChuck Klosterman singled outThe Big Come Up as one of 21 "high-quality albums" from the previous three years.^[16] As the two blues-rock musicians began to gain attention, they caught the eye of American Independent record label, Fat Possum Records. Fat Possum Records quietly released blues music that drew inspiration from the gritty country blues guitar rhythms and from artists likeJunior Kimbrough, one of Carney and Auerbach's leading inspirations.

The Black Keys

• Dan Auerbach – electric guitar, vocals,bass,12 string guitar,slide guitar
• Patrick Carney – drums,tambourine,maracas,beats,sampler, production
• Gabe Fulvimar –Moog bass on "She Said, She Said", "Heavy Soul", "The Breaks", and "Countdown"

Production

• Patrick Boissel – album cover design
• Michael Carney – album cover design, photography
• Dave Schultz –mastering

• The Black Keys albums
• 2002 debut albums
• Alive Naturalsound Records albums
• Albums produced by Patrick Carney
• Albums recorded in a home studio

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• Articles with short description
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