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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: contest_sanity on February 03, 2010, 09:40:11 AM
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Listening to some old school King's X, and was wondering about their current output. Loved their stuff through Tape Head (1998), but the next couple of albums they released were just not very good, as their core sound really changed. Anyone around here know much about their more current releases?
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Still just as solid. I don't really know how I would describe the later albums, other than to say they are true King's X. To me, Mr. Bulbous and Black Like Sunday were the two most "experimental" albums that deviated the most from their core sound. But even those, to me, aren't that different. Some might put Ogre Tones and XV in that same category. To me, it's just more of the same, which is to say it's good stuff.
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Still just as solid. I don't really know how I would describe the later albums, other than to say they are true King's X. To me, Mr. Bulbous and Black Like Sunday were the two most "experimental" albums that deviated the most from their core sound. But even those, to me, aren't that different. Some might put Ogre Tones and XV in that same category. To me, it's just more of the same, which is to say it's good stuff.
Yes, I believe it was Mr. Bulbous that got me off track, although even on Tape Head I only really enjoyed about half the songs. But maybe it's time to renew things with King's X.
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I actually disagree with bosk1 a bit. I'm a hardcore KX fan, and frankly, the material that follows Ear Candy (and a bit of Tape Head) while unmistakenly King's X, lacks something. Some of Tape Head, Bulbous, BLS, Ogre Tones and XV all have their moments and are good, but something is missing. I can't put my finger on exactly WHAT it is, because there are some gems on all those later albums. But in a generic way of answering, I'd say all material post-Ear Candy is not as good overall.
Not bad, just not as good.
When I interviewed Doug Pinnick a couple months back (way cool dude), he mentioned that the way they write songs now is different than they used to. They haven't written together in awhile. They do things separately and then get together to make it all work. He said the one song they wrote together in studio on the last album was "Go Tell Somebody," and coincidentally, that song is one a lot of people have gravitated to a bit (as has the band) as a favorite on the record.
Check out the article here: https://breakdownroom.net/kingsx1109.html
I love King's X, but I really hope they do as Doug indicated...get in a room together and write as a band. I'll be interested to see if that provides the missing "something" that I just can't put my finger on.
If you have all KX records up through Tape Head, I'd suggest starting with Ogre Tones.
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I actually disagree with bosk1 a bit. I'm a hardcore KX fan, and frankly, the material that follows Ear Candy (and a bit of Tape Head) while unmistakenly King's X, lacks something. Some of Tape Head, Bulbous, BLS, Ogre Tones and XV all have their moments and are good, but something is missing. I can't put my finger on exactly WHAT it is, because there are some gems on all those later albums. But in a generic way of answering, I'd say all material post-Ear Candy is not as good overall.
Not bad, just not as good.
When I interviewed Doug Pinnick a couple months back (way cool dude), he mentioned that the way they write songs now is different than they used to. They haven't written together in awhile. They do things separately and then get together to make it all work. He said the one song they wrote together in studio on the last album was "Go Tell Somebody," and coincidentally, that song is one a lot of people have gravitated to a bit (as has the band) as a favorite on the record.
Check out the article here: https://breakdownroom.net/kingsx1109.html
I love King's X, but I really hope they do as Doug indicated...get in a room together and write as a band. I'll be interested to see if that provides the missing "something" that I just can't put my finger on.
If you have all KX records up through Tape Head, I'd suggest starting with Ogre Tones.
I read that too and hope they get in a room together to write. i myself like XV and Bulbous(It was so different yet, KX)!
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Their newer stuff is definitely weaker. It's certainly not bad, though, and it's still a fun listen.
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Ogre Tones is one of my favorites of theirs. Otherwise, their early work is best.
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love love love the band. guys go pick up Ty Tabor's new solo album.. ive heard from a lot of KX fans that its really a throwback to their good old days.
recently dug was saying he'd like the band's next album to be more collaborative. like writing in the studio collectively. now that's a good idea! get something heavy like dogman or experimental like bulbous.
amirite?
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I'll say it for 500th time, Manic Moonlight is a classic record.
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love love love the band. guys go pick up Ty Tabor's new solo album.. ive heard from a lot of KX fans that its really a throwback to their good old days.
recently dug was saying he'd like the band's next album to be more collaborative. like writing in the studio collectively. now that's a good idea! get something heavy like dogman or experimental like bulbous.
amirite?
Yup. I was really excited when I read that interview.
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i love king's x ;D
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Long time lurker, second time starting a thread because I couldn't find anything using the search feature. Which is surprising because I assumed there was a bit of crossover between DT and KX fans. For the un-initiated, they started out as a prog-rock trio in the early 90's and gradually changed their sound over the years. The main vocalist, Dug, does the echo vocal on LITS from FII, and Ty, the guitarist, plays/sings in Platyups with DS and JM, as well as The Jelly Jam with JM. Ty also did an album with the Bissonette brothers (The Mustard Seeds, DLR Band, etc.) called Jughead, and Dug did an album called Supershine with Trouble guitarist Bruce Franklin. Dug is also currently in Tres Mt. with some Pearl Jam members.
Either way, I hear a bit of King's X influence in DT from time to time, particularly in the "Myung riffs" from SFAM, and especially on Home. I don't care much for their current direction, but the first 5-6 albums were incredible proggy stuff with great guitar tone and a strong tip of the hat to The Beatles.
Anybody else a fan?
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Yeah, there are definitely fans here. And there is an old thread or two floating around, but that's okay. I go through phases where I can't get enough of them, and then I'll go months without so much as listening to a song.
I'm not a fan of some of Doug's lyrics since he really started to become jaded about religion. But the music remains pretty strong. They are one of those bands that I would describe as having a handful of really strong songs on every album, with the rest being pretty good background. Some of my favorite tracks from them would be Lookin' For Love (one of the best riffs ever written by anyone), Over My Head, Groove Machine, and We Were Born To Be Loved.
I was really glad they released Live In London. Saw them on that tour with Extreme, and it was a really good show from both bands.
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I know what you mean about the lyrics. I'm actually a non-theist, but I thought one of the most fascinating things about them early on was Dug's obvious struggle with faith and the idea of God. There a spirituality to their music that's been lacking of late, and it's far more interesting when someone's asking questions instead of just bitching about something. I count Summerland from Gretchen as one of the greatest songs ever for that very reason.
It's funny you say that about the Looking For Love riff - you know how you get those sort of "default" riffs stuck in your head? Like it automatically pops up when you're brain is idle? My two are Looking For Love and (for some bizarre reason) Up All Night by Slaughter (I've only heard that song about three times in my life). I'm the same way - I'll go through a period where I can't get FHL or Dogman out of my CD changer, then I just forget about them for a long period. I'm always hopeful that they're going to surprise everyone with each new album, but they haven't for about ten years now.
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Samsara and I saw Stryper about a month ago, and one of the opening bands covered Looking For Love. When they launched into that riff, he and I looked at each other and were like, "Oh, no way!" :metal
Anyway, thanks to you, I'm now listening to Live In London. Currently on: Lost In Germany.
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Big fan here. Ty's riffs are epic.
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I've always wondered why such a great band like King's X never got to a point of filling out 2000+ arenas. What was it? Lack of label support? Just a bit different to not grab a certain audience? What was it? Because, they were and are so unique and so good that it always baffled me.
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Dug once told me he thinks it's because they weren't controversial enough. When they came on the scene they had to compete with the likes of Guns 'N Roses and Alice in Chains for attention. He said they never killed anyone in a DUI, smashed up their hotel rooms, or punched each other in the dressing room. They've always been pretty laid back guys. By the time most of those bands faded away, they were considered "old" by the industry and label and couldn't get press. He also said because they played a lot of clubs the first 10-15 years after being signed, they had trouble attracting younger fans because the shows were typically 18+ and the younger record buying public couldn't get in. So I guess a combination of things, wrong time, wrong place. Nuno Bettencourt once said he thought it was because they were just a bit too far ahead of the curve - they kinda played grunge before the Seattle thing happened (and had a huge influence on it), and were "progressive" before it had that small resurgence in the early 90's.
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"Progressive grunge." That's a description I've never thought of or heard before, but it is somehow kind of fitting for them.
Yeah, not sure why they never hit. Them and Y&T are perhaps the two best examples in rock of "almost made it huge/should have made it huge/no one knows why they didn't really make it huge."
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they kinda played grunge before the Seattle thing happened (and had a huge influence on it), and were "progressive" before it had that small resurgence in the early 90's.
"Progressive grunge." That's a description I've never thought of or heard before, but it is somehow kind of fitting for them.
I can see "progressive grunge" as fitting for a record like Dogman, but it's interesting, WildeSilas, that you say they influenced grunge because I don't hear that at all on their earliest records. I'd like to know more exactly what you mean with that statement.
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I really like Dogman and just like Gretchen Goes to Nebraska. XV is all right. But Dogman is enough of an ass-kicking album for me to call myself a fan of them. Great stuff.
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I always felt that bands like King's X and Tesla were the next wave of music. At the time there was to many cookie cutter hair bands and in any genre, it's not good. We've seen that with all that when grunge ran it's course and then the women's music movement after that. Always the unique bands out of each genre have the longevity to break from those labels.
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they kinda played grunge before the Seattle thing happened (and had a huge influence on it), and were "progressive" before it had that small resurgence in the early 90's.
"Progressive grunge." That's a description I've never thought of or heard before, but it is somehow kind of fitting for them.
I can see "progressive grunge" as fitting for a record like Dogman, but it's interesting, WildeSilas, that you say they influenced grunge because I don't hear that at all on their earliest records. I'd like to know more exactly what you mean with that statement.
A lot of the "grunge" bands cite them as an influence, so I think that might qualify them as being influential. I mean, I'm just sayin'... :biggrin:
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they kinda played grunge before the Seattle thing happened (and had a huge influence on it), and were "progressive" before it had that small resurgence in the early 90's.
"Progressive grunge." That's a description I've never thought of or heard before, but it is somehow kind of fitting for them.
I can see "progressive grunge" as fitting for a record like Dogman, but it's interesting, WildeSilas, that you say they influenced grunge because I don't hear that at all on their earliest records. I'd like to know more exactly what you mean with that statement.
A lot of the "grunge" bands cite them as an influence, so I think that might qualify them as being influential. I mean, I'm just sayin'... :biggrin:
Oh, ok. I guess I've just never seen any interviews or anything that indicated that. Very cool.
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Didn't Pearl Jam's bassist or something say "King's X invented grunge"... I can recall myself hearing or reading that somewhere
Yeah, not sure why they never hit. Them and Y&T are perhaps the two best examples in rock of "almost made it huge/should have made it huge/no one knows why they didn't really make it huge."
Add Testament to that.
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Yeah, and since he writes a majority of PJ's music I think he can be trusted on that statement. Eddie Vedder has been known to call "Cigarettes" one of his favorite songs. Beyond that I don't know any grunge guys who's spoken highly of King's X (though Kurt Cobain apparently loved King Crimson's Red)
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Didn't Pearl Jam's bassist or something say "King's X invented grunge"... I can recall myself hearing or reading that somewhere
Yeah, something along those lines. They are pretty highly regarded by a LOT of musicians, both inside and outside grunge.
Yeah, not sure why they never hit. Them and Y&T are perhaps the two best examples in rock of "almost made it huge/should have made it huge/no one knows why they didn't really make it huge."
Add Testament to that.
True.
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Saw them again live 1 month ago: https://entertainment.webshots.com/album/580054240XDsQMf Now I got 2 signed vinyls. :hat
They are awesome live. Been a fan since 1990.
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"Progressive grunge." That's a description I've never thought of or heard before, but it is somehow kind of fitting for them.
Yeah, not sure why they never hit. Them and Y&T are perhaps the two best examples in rock of "almost made it huge/should have made it huge/no one knows why they didn't really make it huge."
This and the Galactic Cowboys thread had me digging around found a review of a Galatic Cowboy CD whereas the reviewer hits the nail on the head about why these bands never broke through
After the incredible critical acclaim bestowed upon their management mates and musical stepbrothers King's X, the Galactic Cowboys were quickly snapped up by the usually shrewd (at least in the early '90s) folks at Geffen Records, who no doubt had visions of turning the Houston scene into the next Seattle. Sadly, like King's X, the Cowboys' mind-boggling sonic tapestries would prove much too complex and highbrow for all but the most specialized listeners and sympathetic members of the press. After all, with their Metallica-like heaviness, Beatlesque three-part vocal harmonies ,and wildly fluctuating rhythms, songs like "My School" and first single "I'm Not Amused" (introduced by a mooing cow -- a sign of the band's quirky sense of humor) were simply unplayable at any commercial radio station
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Hell. I saw the Galactic Cowboys open up for King's X a few times. I remember reading they were good buds.
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I've never heard them. I should remedy that.
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I've never heard them. I should remedy that.
What sticks out to me is the bass player also used the 12 string bass like Dug.
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I love Kings X. I don't have Live In London or XV, but I've got the rest.
Those first three or four albums are magical for me. Live All Over The Place gets overplayed too.
For a myriad of reasons, I've managed to avoid seeing them live. One of these days I hope to fix that.
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I love Kings X. I don't have Live In London or XV, but I've got the rest.
Those first three or four albums are magical for me. Live All Over The Place gets overplayed too.
For a myriad of reasons, I've managed to avoid seeing them live. One of these days I hope to fix that.
They are worth it. I'm surprised you didn't see them with DT ytse.
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I love Kings X. I don't have Live In London or XV, but I've got the rest.
Those first three or four albums are magical for me. Live All Over The Place gets overplayed too.
For a myriad of reasons, I've managed to avoid seeing them live. One of these days I hope to fix that.
Since you've never seen them, you should get the Live In London DVD.
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King's X is one of those bands that I like, but literally NEVER feel like listening to. Don't know why, either.
My brother and I saw them five years or so ago, and there was literally no more than a couple hundred people there. And this was at a venue that holds around 2-3K. Even during most of their set, the floor in front of the stage was mostly empty. I felt bad for them.
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King's X is one of those bands that I like, but literally NEVER feel like listening to. Don't know why, either.
My brother and I saw them five years or so ago, and there was literally no more than a couple hundred people there. And this was at a venue that holds around 2-3K. Even during most of their set, the floor in front of the stage was mostly empty. I felt bad for them.
It's sad, because they put on a hell of a show. I've seen them twice, and they've absolutely rocked both times. Doug is great with the crowd, and it seems like he makes eye contact and smiles at practically everyone in the audience. He makes it seem like he's singing directly to you.
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If you're a metal fan and a King's X fan, Galactic Cowboys will be right up your alley.
As for influence on grunge:
1) Jeff Ament said they "invented grunge."
2) After Sap, Jerry Cantrell was asked when the next AIC album would start and he said, "I'm not sure. We're waiting for the new King's X record to come out first." They laughed a bit and Cantrell mentioned how most of the riffs on Facelift were mutations of King's X songs or melodies (They are - listen to Facelift back to back with Faith, Hope, Love, and the self-titled album. It's shameless).
3) One of the DeLeo brothers (STP) - can't remember which one - once said "Grunge was born in Katy, Texas (Ty's hometown).
4) Soundgarden used to reference Ty and Dug in interviews all the time in the early 90's as an influence.
The other influences are a bit odd - bands that have been around forever have even changed their sound on one or two albums, citing the King's X influence (Queensryche's Hear In The Now Frontier, and Kiss' Psycho Circus - both DeGarmo and Kulick admit to being huge fans). Jon Corabi brought some KX influence into the self-titled Motley Crue album he sang/played on. You can also frequently hear Ty's influence from Reb Beach on recent Winger and Whitesnake outputs, as well as on George Lynch on Dokken's Shadowlife.
I could go on and on...
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I love Kings X. I don't have Live In London or XV, but I've got the rest.
Those first three or four albums are magical for me. Live All Over The Place gets overplayed too.
For a myriad of reasons, I've managed to avoid seeing them live. One of these days I hope to fix that.
Since you've never seen them, you should get the Live In London DVD.
I intend to do that. Not something that is easily found in the used bins....
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BUMP
Listening to some old school King's X, and was wondering about their current output. Loved their stuff through Tape Head (1998), but the next couple of albums they released were just not very good, as their core sound really changed. Anyone around here know much about their more current releases?
I think they've rebounded nicely with Ogre Tones and XV.
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Ogre Tones and XV are the best of the post-Atlantic output...IMO. :hefdaddy I say that as a "since day 1" fan.
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I thought XV had some solid tracks, but Ogre Tones didn't quite do it for me.
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Ogre Tones is one of my top 10 favorite albums of all time.
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I'm FINALLY getting to see KX live on May 4th at M3. :caffeine:
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I'm FINALLY getting to see KX live on May 4th at M3. :caffeine:
They kick ass live. You won't be disappointed.
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I'm FINALLY getting to see KX live on May 4th at M3. :caffeine:
They kick ass live. You won't be disappointed.
This. Enjoy.
I know you already know this, but my band covers this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5h4yLv_qp8 It's a blast!
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Coz, those harmonies with the heavy music is to die for. Enjoy!!
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Ogre Tones was a neat little album.
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Do we not have any other King's X thread? I can change the title to make this one be such a thing.
And they are dope live, BTW.
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Do we not have any other King's X thread? I can change the title to make this one be such a thing.
And they are dope live, BTW.
DTF wouldn't let me search for King's X because all words need to have at least 2 letters, so I searched for Ty Tabor and this was the first thing I found that had King's X in the thread title.
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Do we not have any other King's X thread?
Yes. Thread is now merged. There are a couple of other older ones I may merge in as well if I can be bothered to find them.
Do we not have any other King's X thread? I can change the title to make this one be such a thing.
And they are dope live, BTW.
DTF wouldn't let me search for King's X because all words need to have at least 2 letters, so I searched for Ty Tabor and this was the first thing I found that had King's X in the thread title.
Use quotes. (i.e., search "King's X")
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Ah, thanks bosk!
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Love them. Just listened to Faith, Hope, Love again...
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I've never heard [Galactic Cowboys]. I should remedy that.
I know this post is hella-old, but please tell you remedied this, Bosk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34OASgsyHVI
I checked the Galactic Cowboys thread (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=23110.0) and never so any posts from you...
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wrong thread