The owner at the old Record Store was a very smart man. He learned from everybody and absorbed everything. He was a virtual encyclopedia of retail do’s and don’ts. I don’t think anybody would be likely to meet someone who knows more about retail and how to thrive in difficult times.
There were many memorable lessons that I learned there, but one of the rules he tried to drill into managers was the “Summer Sausage Rule”. This was a display tip that he learned from Mac Voisin, founder of M&M Meats. This company is now one of the largest frozen food retailers in Canada. They grew from one to 425 franchises. You can see why the Boss admired their model, especially when we went into our own (less successful) franchising phase. We couldn’t duplicate their success by selling used CDs, but the Summer Sausage Rule was pretty simple and easy to apply at a store level.
Here’s the rule:
Mac Voisin noticed that if he displayed only a small number of summer sausage (like one or two links) for sale, nobody would buy them. There’s something psychological about it. Customers are less likely to buy one, if there are only a couple out to buy. Maybe they think “this product can’t be very good,” if there are only one or two out. Or, perhaps it was, “There are only two left, which means all the best sausage is probably gone.” When Mac displayed dozens of pieces of summer sausage as opposed to just one or two, they would fly off the shelves. Same product, same store; just different quantities on display.
Therefore, the Summer Sausage Rule, as it applied to CDs and CD accessories was “display as many as you can.” If you’re selling CD wallets, don’t just price one or two and put them out. Fill the shelves with them. Same with CD towers. If you display two dozen, you’ll sell them faster than if you only put out one or two at a time. Posters, CD cases, CD cleaners – it doesn’t matter. If you have the stock, then display it en masse. You will turn them around much more quickly.
The best rules are often the simplest. This is one rule that actually worked! Retailers of the world, take note and learn from a once-tiny now-huge frozen food empire!
A Word on Summer Sausage
It may surprise longtime readers to know that I am not fond of summer sausage. Considering I often boast of being a proud annual Sausagefester every summer, you might assume I enjoy all forms of cured spiced meats. I do not. Its powerful taste and dense meat* do not appeal to me. Having said that, I find it fascinating just the same.
The most common summer sausage in this area is made by Schneiders, who make a pork based version. However this is farm country, and just a few clicks north in St. Jacobs, you can buy it fresh in more varieties. Keep in mind though, what you are looking at here is basically a fat and salt torpedo. These things will bomb your guts like no tomorrow, so remember: moderation!
Alas, it was inevitable. After six stunningly good albums, but none of them gold, in 1997 Atlantic dropped King’s X. In the mid-90’s it’s amazing that King’s X hung around as long as they did. Many labelmates has long since been dumped, or broke up. King’s X did not break up, but instead continued to work on their own, self-producing a new album. Atlantic meanwhile prepared the calculable “best of” package for release. Whenever a band gets dropped from a label, a “best of” is bound to follow. It’s a law of science.
It’s a pretty straightforward release. Chronologically, you get most of the major singles and hits from all six albums. Then you get the three requisite unreleased songs. Finally, a 10 minute live blowout from Woodstock ’94, previously unreleased. In an unusual touch of quality for a release like this, Ty Tabor himself remastered all the tracks for the album.
We already took a close look at most of these songs earlier in the series, and there are no real duds. The CD is weighted too heavily to the later albums, leaving Silent Planet and Gretchen under-represented with only four songs between them. Hearing “King” opening the album is perfect, and the inclusion of “Pleiades” earns respect. The other two tunes, “Summerland” and “Goldilox” are awesome but predictable inclusions. The self-titled album and Dogman are represented by two tracks each. We could have done with more Dogman. “Shoes”, for example, or “Pretend”. Three songs from this set come from the more commercial Ear Candy. Again, you can’t really criticize the choices too much, because all the songs are great. How do you squeeze more in?
Well, one way would be not including the unreleased songs, but these are record company bait to entice fans to shell out for it. The three studio cuts are self-produced demos from 1996. Appropriate to that era of the band, these are more commercial sounding than typical King’s X. The production is not lush, but they have a lively quality. “Sally” is nothing to write home about, but it’s a concise King’s X pop rocker with plenty of cool noodling by Ty. Both “Sally” and the next song, “April Showers” feature fuzzy wah-wah guitar, always a treat. Doug Pinnick sings the funky “April Showers”, which sounds a bit more King’s X. Possibly the best song is the sparse ballad “Lover”, also sung by Doug. It just depends on whether you prefer the mellow hippie sounds of “Lover” or the funk of “April Showers”!
The closing piece of the album was a surprising but important inclusion, and that is the live version of “Over My Head” from their opening set at Woodstock ’94. This 10-minute track features a passionate singing rant by Doug Pinnick. He has often spoken about his difficult upbringing, and how he never heard the words “I love you” as a child. “This is a song about my grandma…she raised me from a child…she was a very religious lady…she went to church every night…she read her Bible all the time…” begins the painful rant. It still gives me chills, but it has a positive note. If you have kids, make sure they know that you love them, more than anything in the whole wide world.
Yes it’s an odd way to take up 10 minutes of a “best of” CD, but it had to be on here. It was a historic moment for this band. Anybody in the crowd that day who wasn’t completely blasted on drugs would remember that moment forever.
Opening up Woodstock ’94 should have propelled King’s X into the stratosphere. They just couldn’t catch a damn break. They couldn’t even be given a decent album cover for their own damned Best Of!
This is actually the album that sparked this review series in the first place. I had to re-rip it to my PC. Enamoured, I forged on with an entire series of King’s X, because they deserve it!
By the time King’s X hit album #6, any hope of them being a mainstream success was in the distant past. 1994’s Dogman was an artistic triumph, and considerably heavier than past albums, but still nothing. King’s X even played the noteworthy, critically acclaimed opening set at Woodstock ’94 (more on that next time), to no avail.
Ear Candy was their last album for Atlantic and I don’t know if it was record company pressure or simply natural creativity, but it was different for the band yet again. The heavy tunnel-vision sound of Dogman was severely toned down, in favour of melodic composition. Canadian hitmaker Arnold Lanni was on board for production, his only outing with King’s X. (The Canadian connection was manager Ray Danniels who was handling King’s X for a brief time.) Even guitarist Ty Tabor had stepped back up to the microphone, after being notably absent on Dogman‘s lead vocals. Some fans naturally rejected some of these changes. For others, Ear Candy was a high water mark. The 90’s were a confusing time!
This reviewer is in the high water mark category. Although Ear Candy eschews progressive rock tendencies in favour of catchy tunes, I don’t think the end result was a bad thing.
“Step up and step aboard, your seat is to the left. Leave all your bags and tighten up your metal belt.” That voice is Ty Tabor’s and what better way to usher in his vocals with the first song on the album? “The Train” is a duet between he and Doug Pinnick who sings on the choruses. Classic King’s X trademarks are in place: harmonies, sweet 60’s melodies, hard guitars, and soul. The train is departing on a journey called Ear Candy, and it is a welcoming song. Continuing with the 60’s vibe, “(Thinking and Wondering) What I’m Gonna Do” is sweet and summery. Acoustic guitars, tabla, and Doug’s soulful throat are the focus. Drummer Jerry Gaskill refuses to play anything simple, and so his drums and percussion are spare but unorthodox. Backwards Tabor guitars add to the psychedelic trip.
One of the draws to King’s X has to be Doug’s 8 and 12 basses. “Sometime” (another Doug song) has some of the baddest, lowest, most ass-rumbling bass you’ve ever heard. You have to love the sound of those big phat strings shakin’. Mid-tempo and sweet, “Sometime” is hard enough but with those Beatles-like harmonies.
There was one single released from this album, the very rare “A Box”. (This single had a bonus track called “Freedom” that is missing the LeBrain HQ rock library.) A brilliant selection for a single, “A Box” has that “Goldilox” sound from the first King’s X album. Pinnick had been dealing with his own personal issues and you can hear this in the words. Also worth noting: the drum sound. Arnold Lanni has a knack for finding a killer snare drum sound. Just listen to Our Lady Peace’s first album Naveed. Jerry’s drums have never sounded better than they do on Ear Candy. That snare just snaps! Then “Looking For Love” blasts. Doug is not seething in anger, but you can hear it between the lines. “Religion burned me at the stake,” and “I guess I lost my faith,” sings the once-devout Christian. You can also hear it in the tempo; straining at the lead. Then, following “Looking For Love” is possibly the album highlight…possibly. Because next is Ty’s “Mississippi Moon”, which is impossible to hate. Ty sometimes writes these pleasant, 60’s-pop-like songs in his solo material, and with King’s X. The layered vocals are like a little sugar on top. Just delightful. The only stumble is “67”, which is plenty chunky but not memorable. The freakout guitar noise outro is pretty cool though.
That sounds like a side closer, and the next song “Lies in the Sand (The ballad of…)” would work nicely as a mellow start to a second side. Ty ballads are sometimes very special, and “Lies in the Sand” is special indeed. His earnest singing and playing are basically the song; the other two guys take a step back and just let the song pulse. Things pick up again with “Run”, with Doug sounding cast-down and dejected, but bouncing back again. The pain also runs through “Father”. “My brother’s on crack, my sister’s a wreck, our mother she tried, our fathers are lies.” But the message is clear: “Every one of us loves every one of us.” Blood is thicker than water.
Jerry Gaskill takes a rare lead vocal on the ballad “American Cheese (Jerry’s Pianto)”. The 60’s are recalled once again with a very Beatles-like piano pop ballad. This sets up “Picture”, possibly the most upbeat pop rock moment on Ear Candy. It has a drive to it, and instrumental integrity, which takes it levels high and above most examples of pop rock. Doug sounds happy, and the band rock with glee. It’s a great precursor to “Life Going By”, the finale. It has a quality that sounds like a bookend to “The Train” at the start of the album. Tabor weaves a bright tapestry of acoustic and chiming electric guitars, and also takes the lead vocal for this last song. Layers of harmonies take us out on a sweet, soulful note.
What an album. What’s not to like? Fear not the pop, for King’s X took it back to heavy for 1998’s Tape Head….
5/5 stars
Shortly after Ear Candy, progressive rock fans who craved a little more got their wish partly fulfilled. Doug Pinnick did an excellent guest appearance on the hella-cool song “Lines in the Sand”, from Dream Theater‘s Falling Into Infinity album from 1997. Doug sang accompanying vocals with James LaBrie, lending the song an additional edge. A 10 minute long-bomber, “Lines in the Sand” definitely supplied a taste of the heavy complex rock that fans may have missed. Even if Doug was just a small part of it, he was an integral part.
When I first saw this thing sitting in the Beat Goes On back room, I thought it was one of the most hilarious sights I’d ever be likely to find. For shits and giggles, I offered to wear it one Saturday afternoon, and stand on the sidewalk waving to cars. I quickly changed my mind when one of our staff attempted to dissuade me, by telling her friends to kick my CD-suited-ass. Upper management may have lost respect for me when I backed out, but I didn’t see any of them waving at cars either.
You have no defence inside the suit. Your hands and arms are limited to movement at the wrists, and you lose all peripheral vision. A gang of highschool aged Korn fans would have made short work of me!
One slow evening, I decided to take a break and use the time constructively. I wanted to try on that suit! I went into the back room while leaving Dandy in charge of the register. In the back, working a night shift on our web sales, was Wiseman, who offered to take some pictures and video of the suit.
This is what happened. The events were not staged. I never wore it again!
This is one of the coolest spots yet. A few weeks ago, Hasbro released a “riot control stormtrooper” figure featuring some kind of electro-baton. In this clip we get to see Finn facing off again this guy with the blue Anakin saber. Looks just awesome.
The end of an era: the self-titled album. When you self-title a record, it’s usually meant to be a statement. Who knows if King’s X knew that theirs would be the end of the classic era of the band? Tensions with producer/manager Sam Taylor were increasing and this would be their last collaboration.
King’s X, the album, seems to hone in on songwriting. There are no long bombers, just short and taut King’s X songs. “The World Around Me” exemplifies this. The main ingredients are intact: Doug’s soulful but pained lead vocals mixed with the lush backing of the other two, the heavy but uniquely constructed riffs, and the diverse assortment of influences. This song, and the next (“Prisoner”) get in and get out quick, delivering the necessary hooks with integrity. They don’t spend time noodling or meandering. The songs are more direct this time, without selling out. You still can’t mistake what band this is. There is only one band that sounds like King’s X, and that’s due to a unique vocal blend, and playing that sounds like no one else.
“The Big Picture”, the first ballad, doesn’t sound all too different from the Faith Hope Love material. Good song, but a retread. Then we’re “Lost In Germany”, with Doug and Ty Tabor sharing vocals, but this is one song that annoys more than it entertains. Something about that chorus. “Germany, lost in Germany!” Maybe it’s the fact that my old boss at the Record Store used to make fun of this song, or maybe it’s just corny. It has a tricky little Steve Vai-esque guitar lick, but I don’t want to be “Lost in Germany” any more. Having found the autobahn, we get off next at the “Chariot Song”. Accelerating breakneck, this song kicks ass. Time signatures and keys change left right and center, but it’s a cohesively awesome song. All I dislike are the self referencing lyrics: “Out of the planet comes Gretchen with faith, hope and love.” You’ll love the psychedelic Beatles section in the middle. Fave tune “Ooh Song” blows out the speakers. The stuttery riff and dark melodies hint at where King’s X were headed. “Ooh Song” and “Chariot Song” are a whopper of a one-two punch, 100% King’s X, no selling out.
“Not Just for the Dead” is uplifting, with hints of piano and sitar. It has a proud, anthemic quality before it too ventures into psychedelia. An album highlight for sure. Then, “What I Know About Love” (the closest thing to a long bomber on this album) has a long Ty Tabor solo section; very cool. “Black Flag” was the lead single but never a favourite of mine. Like “Lost in Germany”, something about the chorus just isn’t happening. Seeing Doug flying around in his underoos, in the music video, is entertaining however. There are also some King’s X puppets — somebody made actual puppets of the guys for props in this video. I sure hope somebody hung onto those!
Winding down the album, Ty’s mellow “Dream in my Life” just kind of sits there. It doesn’t have the drama I crave in King’s X. Fortunately, the closer “Silent Wind” kicks ass completely. The verses and chorus are equally excellent. This is a powerhouse of a song, and though a closer, could have made a much better single than the two they picked!
King’s X created another solid album, but for the first time it felt like they had not progressed. King’s X feels like an amalgam of previous King’s X albums, and maybe that was the point. Still one of the greatest rock bands of all time, they spun their tires a little here. But change was afoot.
4/5 stars
The only King’s X album I reviewed prior to this series was Dogman (1994), and that review is the next chapter in this series. You can read it by clicking here now!
As stated above, Kings’s X, the album, was the end of an era. Dogman would be dramatically different. There were no lead vocals by Ty Tabor, and they had gotten much, much heavier. Putting the emphasis more on the groove, and installing Brendan O’Brien at the console, King’s X delivered a punishing sledge of an album. Dogman rates 4.9999~/5 stars, just shy of a full 5/5. Check out the full review for that. Also previously published is a mini-review for a promotional CD single for the track “Pillow” from Dogman, complete with two then-unreleased live bonus tracks. Click ’em both.
The world in general, but Paris specifically, was shaken again by heinous terror on Friday November 13, 2015. In the misguided name of religion, an apocalyptic cult that we call ISIS or ISIL have attacked the good people of France once more. But they were surprised by the resilience of the French populace, and by the love of the entire world.
Still shaking, we all still struggle to make sense of these attacks. The loss of innocent lives, the radical cult with the twisted concept of good and evil and the desire to bring about the “final battle with Rome”, and the fear of what may come next. We have all spent time thinking about such things.
For some like myself, this attack has crossed a blurry line. For the first time ever, our precious music was a target. Josh Homme’s Eagles of Death Metal were playing to a crowd of 1500 people at the Bataclan concert hall. Little did Homme, or the gleeful concert goers realize, but ISIS had declared their gathering to be one of “pagans”:
“The targets included the Bataclan theatre for exhibitions, where hundreds of pagans gathered for a concert of prostitution and vice.” – official statement from ISIS.
Then, gunmen broke into the venue and executed 89 music fans, including some in wheelchairs. In the eyes of the terrorists, rock fans are all evil unbelievers, beyond redemption. To the rest of the sane world, they were simply 1500 people in the wrong place at the wrong time, punished for nothing, lives ended for nothing. It makes no sense.
Then, we all woke up the next morning. Bombs fell on Raqqa in Syria, in the name of Paris. For some, life goes on. For others, they must now carry on without their loved ones.
Without taking any focus away from where it should be (the innocent), this terror attack feels different than any other in memory. Rock music used to be a place we could go to escape. While gun violence (Dimebag) and mass tragedy (the Station House fire) are sadly nothing new at a rock concert, this is the first time rock fans have been specifically targeted by terrorists for the music we like — apparently “prostitution and vice”. We were already probably all targets anyway, for being the wrong religion, or sexual orientation, or just for holding the wrong beliefs. Now, 89 of us have been slaughtered, including Nick Alexander, a well-liked merchandise manager for the Eagles of Death Metal, for being at a rock concert. My friend Mike, who does the same job with Steve Earle, left Paris only hours before the attacks.
Sure, millionaires like Bono have always been trying to get music involved in world affairs. Music has raised money for the poor and starving, it has raised awareness for a multitude of issues, but ultimately it was really just an escape from the world. People do not attend a U2 concert to learn how to change the planet. You can learn that much more affordably by buying a book. People go to see U2 to witness the light show, the music, and ultimately escape from the outside world for two or three hours. That’s all it is in the long run, and now that sanctuary has been shattered for some.
Music will still be an escape for most of us. Most will not let this one attack change our lives, but it feels like a new battle line has been drawn. Now even we the rock fans, usually under society’s radar, have been attacked and killed. Expect this to draw us together, not tear us apart. Unlike the merciless fiends who did this, those hurt will draw strength from the love of the entire world.
Cut us, do we not bleed? Yes, we do. We will not stop resisting evil in this world, but now that rock fans are among the specifically calculated dead, it feels different to me. This time, it feels personal. ISIS have killed again, but they have also failed again. The world is stronger than they are. Love defeats hate.
KING’S X – “Junior’s Gone Wild” (1991 Interscope, from the Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey movie soundtrack)
With Faith Hope Love creating a little bit of a buzz, 1991 coulda been the year for King’s X to finally break. Meanwhile in Hollywood, a Canadian fellow named Keanu Reeves re-teamed up with his buddy Alex Winter to star in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. Many rock fans worldwide had enjoyed the prior adventures of Bill & Ted. They liked cool bands and got to hang out with George Carlin. Not to mention, the movies had soundtracks. Extreme, for example, had some exposure thanks to an appearance on the first movie’s album. Then somehow, King’s X landed a song on the Bogus Journey soundtrack. Maybe because the movie soundtrack came out on Interscope, owned by Warner, also the parent company of King’s X’s label Atlantic.
The soundtrack CD is actually really good. Kiss, Faith No More, Megadeth, Primus, plus quality tracks from Winger, Slaughter and Richie Kotzen. Surprisingly, one of the weakest songs was the one by King’s X!
“Junior’s Gone Wild”, barely three minutes long, is one of the most unremarkable songs King’s X have done. You can’t pinpoint what exactly doesn’t work. On paper, it should. A stuttering riff, Doug Pinnick’s impassioned singing, and the trademark lush King’s X cloud of backing vocals: it’s all right there, wrapped up in a bow for 3:09. Yet it’s bland and forgettable. Was this the first crack in King’s X armour? Or did they just send a throw-away outtake out for the soundtrack? If so, perhaps doing so was a mistake. The movie made almost $40 million, doubling its budget.
In another weird twist, “Junior’s Gone Wild” also wound up on the B-side to a Kiss CD single, “God Gave Rock & Roll to You II“. With that kind of exposure, don’t you just wish King’s X had put an amazing song out instead? Meanwhile back on the soundtrack CD, I was being blown away by this new young kid, Richie Kotzen, with an incredibly soulful voice and hot space-blues licks. Kotzen succeeded in competing with the big boys on the CD, and so did Faith No More. King’s X fumbled the ball.
KING’S X – Faith Hope Love by King’s X (1990 Atlantic)
This is where I hopped on board the King’s X train. It was the quirky video for the irresistible pop rocker “It’s Love”. It wasn’t the first accessible King’s X single, but it was the first I ever had the chance to hear. And it was instant. It was an immediate, “Ah! So this is King’s X! I have to get this.” And I did. Before then, I had only read about them in magazines. Their cool cover art, striking album titles, and brilliant reviews had them on my radar.
“It’s Love”, written and vocalized by Ty Tabor, emphasizes the melodic aspects of the band. They always utilized Beatles-like harmonies over chunky guitars. This mixture was perfected for the charts on “It’s Love”, and it did make a minor dent.
Although “It’s Love” might be the most instantaneous song on the album Faith Hope Love (the band’s third), it’s not the most impressive. Not even close. And that’s saying something!
With Faith Hope Love, there was a downshift in intensity but not in quality. The album is overall a little less edged, but just as challenging. Indeed, the title track is almost 10 minutes of swirling rock, with dual lead vocalists and startling instrumental integrity. There is also a song called “We Were Born to Be Loved” with smoking playing, false endings, and enough technical chops to satisfy the most ardent fan.
King’s X have never taken the easy road, lyrically or musically. “Legal Kill” is abstract but can be interpreted to be about a few sensitive issues in today’s society. It’s not preachy: “I only know what I believe, the rest is so absurd to me.” It’s a beautiful song, a peaceful acoustic ballad. A song like this could have been a hit for anyone, except King’s X it seems.
Other accessible rock songs include the love song “I’ll Never Get Tired of You”, a beautiful sentiment. The “Fine Art of Friendship” combines the vocals of Doug Pinnick and Ty Tabor in that patented blend, always so tasty. Then there is the slow, dark ballad “Everywhere I Go” by Doug. There aren’t any weak songs on Faith Hope Love, although I find the softies “Mr. Wilson” and “Six Broken Soldiers” (vocal debut of drummer Jerry Gaskill) to be not quite as amazing as the rest of this stunning album.
The centerpiece is “Moanjam”. By the opening rumble of Doug’s bass and the intense tempo, you might think it’s a Motorhead song. Proving their diversity, “Moanjam” combines smoking metal riffing, lush harmonies, and Doug’s unmistakable soul singing. You could put “Moanjam” on an album 10 times and it would still be a hell of an album! With subtle Christian lyrics (“I sing this song because of You, You’re the glory”), you can headbang to it without thinking too much about the words. In fact, doing so is quite an enjoyable experience. It’s also a blast to air-drum to Jerry’s speedy parts; just be sure to catch your breath!
Although Faith Hope Love was their most accessible album yet, in many ways it really wasn’t. It was over an hour long, containing two long-bombers. The arrangements are still challenging, and still uniquely King’s X. There is nobody out there who plays guitar like Ty Tabor does, and nobody who can sing like Doug Pinnick. Faith Hope Love is a completely unafraid album. Unfortunately it might also have been their last chance to grab the brass ring. With grunge around the corner, bands like King’s X were hastily pushed aside. What a shame. This record could have been their Revolver.
KING’S X – Kings of the Absurd (split 1990 Metal Crash live bootleg with Faith No More)
Live bootlegs vary in quality, but usually have one thing in common: they are almost always interesting. Kings of the Absurd, a split live bootleg from Italy, raises a curious question.
Why put Faith No More and King’s X together on one CD?
No reason.
The King’s X set is from London at the Astoria; Faith No More’s from a festival set in Italy many months later. It’s an odd pairing, with no common musical denominator. If anything, both bands share critical acclaim, but that’s about it. Why are they together on one CD?
No reason!
Absolutely no reason.
The Faith No More portion of this CD will be reviewed at a later time, probably as part of a Faith No More review series. For now we’ll just examine the four songs presented by King’s X, which, believe me, are enough to melt your face off without the help of Mike Patton and co. I found this CD in the racks of the used CD store in which I started working, in early 1995. Loving both bands, and stickered at just $11.99, this was an easy winner once you figured in my staff discount. I was just lucky to have snagged it before Thomas, also a massive Faith No More and King’s X fan.
“What is This?” is the only song lifted from their debut album Out of the Silent Planet. The original set was 10 songs, and this was the second, but it works as an opener as well. The heavy groove and the slick backing vocals of Ty Tabor and Jerry Gaskill are intact. Doug is more impassioned live than on album, which is the way it is with any good soul singer. Doug’s take on “What is This?” is very different from the album; he just lets the vocal come out as it does. Even on this crappy sounding CD, you can hear that the bass is hella-heavy, and that Jerry Gaskill is one of the most underrated drummers you will ever lay ears on.
Doug addresses the crowd between songs. “We’re going to try to do almost everything that we know tonight for you,” he teases, with no idea that these words would end up on a live bootleg with only four songs! Next (and the next song played that night) is “Out of the Silent Planet” from their then-current Gretchen Goes to Nebraska album. The complexity of the backing vocals doesn’t seem to present them a problem. It’s clear that this is one hell of a trio, as if you were in any doubt. The CD doesn’t have “Sometimes”, the next song played, but instead goes to “Summerland”, also from Gretchen. The poor sound hampers the song slightly, since it’s lighter and doesn’t slam as hard as the others. Doug is again outstanding, not only one of the greatest singers in rock but also a top notch bassist. “Fall On Me” (Gretchen) ends this short set. It was a great song on album, but live it’s just as amazing. Doug’s lungs sound as if diesel-powered.
The fact that King’s X only got tacked onto the end of a Faith No More bootleg CD is sadly not unexpected. They got boned by the music business, so why not by bootleggers too? The whole set is out there, and it sounds like an amazing show. Just check out this article and the comments section, over at our friends Every Record Tells a Story. A few readers were there that night.
You gotta give King’s X a 5/5 stars for a set this hot, but Metal Crash get 0/5 stars for the CD
KING’S X – Best of King’s X (1997 Atlantic)
KING’S X – King’s X (1992 Atlantic)
mikeladano.com 