I still remember the first time I ever heard King's X: strangely enough, I was given a copy of Out of the Silent Planet by a fellow who was trying to get me to accept Jesus. A dozen years and a half-dozen personal beliefs later, the band remains crucial to me, one of the few rock bands ever to transcend music and become something greater, something intimate, something that walked with me even when the stereo was turned off.
It's impossible to exaggerate the power of these three fellows from Houston; they have done a very rare thing in that they created something totally new, something with no external influences and no predecessors that can be pointed to. Their sound - a thick, bottom-heavy sound filled with twelve-string bass chords, fiery guitar work and beautiful vocal harmonies - set new standards for rock music, even if the rest of the world didn't bother to notice. Although they have enjoyed some moderate commercial success, King's X remains a fan's band, and in fact a musician's band - one that is revered by musicians from all walks for the incredible creative output they have given us.
So when a record label deems it necessary to release a single CD and call it "Best of King's X", there is, understandably, some laughter; those of us who have been with the band from the beginning realize that to create a true "best-of" album would be to take their entire discography, remove two or three unfortunate songs here and there, and leave the rest intact - in essence, a boxed rerelease of all of their albums. But what we have instead is Atlantic's attempt at distilling the band down to an hour or so, and the result is respectable, despite the magnitude of the task.
I, for one, have always been a devotee of early King's X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska remains my favorite album by them - and I'm glad to see the first six choices on this disc: "King", "Goldilox", "Summerland", "Pleiades", "It's Love", and "Mr. Wilson" - I wouldn't have picked them any different myself.
After this, though, it gets a little muddy. Probably the worst song in King's X history (translated: still a pretty good song if released by any other band), "Black Flag" somehow made it onto this disc, and I know it's strictly because it was one of the band's only real "hits". But at least they had the good sense to leave "Lost In Germany", a savagely funky tune with a guitar riff that will break your fingers just listening to it.
This release also benefits from three previously unreleased songs, "Sally", "April Showers", and "Lover", all of which are fascinating and of interest to both the collector and the casual listener. But the label has done us their greatest service with the final track, a ten-minute-plus live version of "Over My Head."
I still remember a night several years ago when I watched the band play to a relatively small crowd. In the middle of "Over My Head", Doug Pinnick launched into a fervent soliloquoy about how his grandmother used to sing to him as a boy while she prayed at night. For what seemed like forever, Doug held us spellbound; I'm convinced that if there had been a baptismal tank there that night, he would have converted us all. King's X live is one of the most incredible experiences in all of music, whether the crowd is large or small (they had a similar effect on the masses when opening for Pearl Jam).
So can I recommend Best of King's X? Only if it prompts you to buy the rest of their albums, starting at the beginning. As a work on its own, it doesn't do the band justice; but as either a reminder or an introduction, it couldn't be much better.
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
