King's X
Encyclopedia
King's X is an American hard rock
band that combines progressive metal
, funk
and soul
with vocal arrangements influenced by gospel
, blues
, and British Invasion
rock groups. The band's lyrics are largely based on the members' struggles with religion
and self-acceptance
. King's X was ranked #83 on VH1
's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.
Since being signed to Megaforce Records
in 1987, King's X has released twelve studio album
s, one official live album
, and several independent releases. The band is currently recording for the InsideOut Music
label, and continues to tour with each new release. Early in their major label career, they had many opening slots on arena tours, but lately, the band for the most part headline their own shows playing mostly clubs and smaller venues. Each member of the group has recorded solo album
s and has made numerous guest appearances on other artists' albums and compilation projects. Doug Pinnick
and Ty Tabor
also have albums released with side bands in which they participate.
Despite the band members having varying degrees of Christian beliefs through the years, and the group having had early dealings in the contemporary Christian
market, the members of King's X have never considered themselves a "Christian
" band. However, some of their early lyrical themes (especially the first three albums) have led to some people labeling the group as such; which all three members strongly oppose.
, Missouri, when bassist Doug Pinnick and drummer Jerry Gaskill
were brought together to take part in a musical project coordinated by Greg X. Volz
of the Christian rock band Petra
. Within a month of Pinnick's arrival from Illinois, the project folded and he and Gaskill were left without a band. They soon landed a job as rhythm section for guitarist Phil Keaggy's
live band. The two toured the country for several months in support of Keaggy's album Ph'lip Side
. During the group's show in Springfield, Gaskill was approached by Ty Tabor who was a member of the opening band that night. The drummer for Tabor's band had quit the night before the show and Tabor had volunteered to take over on drums for the gig. However, seeing as he had no drums, he was forced to ask Gaskill if he could borrow his kit for the show. Gaskill obliged and the show went on.
When the tour ended, Pinnick and Gaskill returned to Springfield and set about looking for more work. Gaskill landed a job doing demo work for the Tracy Zinn Band that happened to include Ty Tabor on guitar. The two became friends and were involved off and on together in different musical projects.
In the spring of 1980, Pinnick attended a music show at Evangel College and watched a set by another of Tabor's bands. Pinnick was impressed with Tabor's skills and the two soon began collaborating musically.
Eventually Gaskill, Pinnick, and Tabor decided to pool their talents into a single outlet. Calling themselves The Edge, they initially were a four piece with the inclusion of Dan McCollam on rhythm guitar. McCollam quit after only a brief time and was replaced by Kirk Henderson, who was a friend of Tabor's from Jackson
, Mississippi
. The group performed extensively on the Springfield bar and club circuit specializing in classic rock
and Top 40 covers at the time.
By 1983, Henderson had quit the band and Pinnick, Tabor, and Gaskill decided to continue on as a trio. They also decided to change the name of the band, and settled on calling themselves Sneak Preview.
The group had been writing and recording many original songs up to this point. They chose ten of these songs to record for an independently released self-titled LP
in 1983. After the album's release, the band continued to tour and hone their songwriting skills.
, Texas and were encouraged to move the band there. The first order of business for the three was to become part of a touring band for CCM artist Morgan Cryar
. Tabor and Pinnick are also credited for co-writing several songs on Cryar's second album Fuel on the Fire in 1986. Tabor also performed some guitar parts on the album and both he and Pinnick are credited with background vocals
.
However, when it came to signing Sneak Preview to a recording contract
with Star Song, negotiations broke down and the deal came to a halt.
While in Houston, the group met Sam Taylor, then vice president of ZZ Top
's production company. Taylor quickly became interested in the trio and convinced them to change their name to King's X. He also supported and nurtured the group's transition from radio friendly, rock originals to a more experimental and complex songwriting style. Taylor would soon become the group's manager, producer, mentor, and according to some, the fourth member of the group. He was instrumental in helping the group secure a contract with Megaforce Records
in 1987.
, in 1988. Despite being hailed by music critics, the album did not fare well commercially, peaking at #144 on the Billboard album charts. The songs "King" and "Shot of Love" were released as singles, but failed to garner much attention. The album derives its name from the C. S. Lewis
novel Out of the Silent Planet
. This appears to be the band's first of multiple references to the British author.
In 1989, the band released Gretchen Goes to Nebraska
. Considered by many fans to be their landmark album and most creative period, the album fared only slightly better from a commercial standpoint than Out of the Silent Planet. The album contains many fan favorites such as "Summerland", "Mission", and "The Burning Down". The song "The Difference (In the Garden of St. Anne's-on-the-Hill)" appears to be another C.S. Lewis reference, this time to a scene in the book That Hideous Strength
, third and final installment of the "science-fiction" trilogy begun by Out of the Silent Planet. The song "Pleiades" is credited by Ty Tabor as being the genesis of the King's X sound when he presented the demo to the other band members a few years earlier. Significantly, the song "Over My Head" received moderate airplay on MTV
and radio. The increase in exposure would prove beneficial when the band released their third album, Faith, Hope, Love
, in the fall of 1990.
Faith Hope Love was the group's first album to crack the US Top 100, with the help of the successful single "It's Love
". Another track, the funk-rock "We Were Born to Be Loved", has enjoyed a long life on Late Night with David Letterman
as a commercial bumper
instrumental favorite of Paul Shaffer
's CBS Orchestra
. Still, with major mainstream success continuously eluding them, King's X began questioning Sam Taylor's commitment to the group.
The band landed the opening slot for AC/DC
in the U.S.
and Europe
for the first half of 1991. They also toured with Living Colour
, themselves near the peak of their popularity. That summer, their song "Junior's Gone Wild" appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
.
for the release of their fourth album, King's X
, in the spring of 1992. But rising tensions with Taylor led the band to eschew the upbeat approach of previous albums and turn out a darker, more introspective effort. Unfortunately, despite critical praise, their new style did not translate well among the record-buying public, thus garnering fewer sales than Faith, Hope, Love. "Black Flag," the album's lone single, received only moderate airplay on MTV
and radio. Not long after the release of King's X, the band parted ways with Taylor. The details of the split were not made public, but it was believed to be rather bitter. Taylor would admit in 1996 that his company Wilde Silas MusicWorks was growing and, as a result, he was no longer giving King's X, whom he considered "the top dogs," the attention they deserved. In the aftermath, King's X took over a year off to consider their collective future together. The band members followed other, non-musical pursuits; most notably, guitarist Ty Tabor took up semi-professional motocross motorcycle racing.
With grunge
at the peak of its popularity, and Pearl Jam's bassist Jeff Ament
declaring that "King's X invented grunge" (despite the group's trademark sound being very different from that of the commercially successful grunge acts), the band went looking for a new sound upon their return. They enlisted veteran producer Brendan O'Brien
, who had recently produced albums for the Stone Temple Pilots
and Pearl Jam
. The resulting album, 1994's Dogman
, showcased a much more muscular and heavy sound from the group, along with less abstract and spiritual lyrics. The record received a heavier promotional push from Atlantic including a compilation promotional CD entitled: Building Blox, as King's X enjoyed a successful tour, capped by an appearance at the Woodstock 94 festival in August. But despite a return to the Top 100 for the group, the album failed to sell as well as Atlantic had hoped, and the label's support for the group quickly faded.
The band's third release under Atlantic, 1996's Ear Candy
, would also be their last for the label (not including a subsequent Best of King's X
compilation). Although it sold to the band's sizeable core following, it lacked the relative mainstream success of previous efforts. The record was soon out of print, and it seemed that the group's chance for commercial success had come and gone.
, signaled a new era for the band. They modified their creative methods by writing and recording the album together in the studio, rather than coming together to record songs that the individual members had written separately. They also elected not to hire an outside producer and recorded the album at Pinnicks Hound Pound and Tabor's Alien Beans Studios
, thus cutting production costs. Their next two albums, Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous
(2000) and Manic Moonlight
(2001), were more or less created in the same way.
Manic Moonlight featured the band experimenting with electronic drum loops and other sounds for the first time on a record. The new direction, along with the relatively short length of the album, was generally not well received by long time fans, but did get some positive critical reviews.
For their next album, 2003's Black Like Sunday
, the group arranged and recorded an album of original songs that the band had regularly performed during The Edge and Sneak Preview days of the early 1980s. The cover art for this album was selected from artwork submitted by fans in an online contest.
The double-disc set Live All Over The Place
(2004) was the band's final album for Metal Blade Records, and their first official live release.
, the label that had previously released some of Tabor's side projects. The album Ogre Tones
was released in September 2005 and was described by many as a return to a more "classic" King's X sound. It was produced by famed rock producer Michael Wagener
(Dokken
, Extreme
, Stryper
, White Lion
, Skid Row) and recorded at Wageners Wire-World Studios in Nashville
, Tennessee. The tour for Ogre Tones featured the band playing every song from the album during shows.
King's X again worked with Michael Wagener on its second album for InsideOut Music titled XV
, released in May 2008. They spent the summer of 2008 touring with the band Extreme as part of a travelling version of the Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp
. Live dates in the U.S. in December 2008 were followed by the band's first European tour in several years in early 2009.
Molken Music, an independent label started by Wally Farkas (ex- Galactic Cowboys
) in 2005, has released several titles by King's X and its members. Live & Live Some More
, a live concert recorded during the Dogman tour, is available there as well as demo compilations, rehearsal tapes, and other items. The label released the band's first live DVD, Gretchen Goes to London in November 2008. It is a live concert filmed in London in 1990.
On January 22, 2009, their concert at the Electric Ballroom
in Camden, London, was filmed and released as a live DVD and CD entitled "Live Love in London".
Doug Pinnick
recorded two solo albums under the name of Poundhound (Massive Grooves...
(1997) and Pineappleskunk
(2001), while the subsequent releases Emotional Animal
(2005) and Strum Sum Up
(2007) were credited as dUg Pinnick.
Ty Tabor
has released seven solo albums: Naomi's Solar Pumpkin
(1997), Moonflower Lane
(1998), Safety
(2002), Rock Garden
(2006), Balance
(2008), Something's Coming and Trip Magnet
(2010).
Jerry Gaskill
released a solo album in 2004 titled Come Somewhere
and also played drums on a 5 song EP by the band Black and Blues ( featuring Virus from the band Dope ).
Tabor has additionally played with several bands other than King's X, releasing two albums with Platypus
, one album with Jughead
, and two albums with The Jelly Jam
. He also has an electronica
style project with Wally Farkas called Xenuphobe with two albums released through Molken Music. In 2008, Tabor also recorded vocal parts for the song "Connect the Dots" off the Ayreon
album 01011001
.
Doug Pinnick released one album with Trouble
guitarist Bruce Franklin
called Supershine in 2000 as well as one album with The Mob
featuring Reb Beach
and Kelly Keaggy in 2005.
Pinnick has recorded several cover songs for various tribute albums including the Jimi Hendrix
tribute In From The Storm performing lead vocals on the song "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp" as well as tributes to Van Halen
, Pink Floyd
, Kiss
, Metallica
and others. There is a demo recording of Doug with Dimebag Darrell
of Pantera
performing a cover of Cream's "Born Under A Bad Sign".
Pinnick stood in for lead singer Corey Glover
on Living Colour
's August 2006 European tour.
, around the time of the release of Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, the band's explanation of its name was that the X relates to the mark on the wax seal
used by royalty to seal correspondence. If the seal on a letter sent by the King, the King's X, was broken, it meant death for the messenger.
In an interview published in a guitarist magazine in the mid-1990s, Tabor revealed the true origin of the name, claiming that "King's X" is a safety zone in the game of Tag
. A player could "Call King's X" to avoid being tagged. Sam Taylor's brother was in a band called Kings X some years earlier and he suggested it to the band. After much thought and with no better names forthcoming, members of the band said, "Are we gonna be called King's X or what?" The band agreed on it, and the name King's X stuck.
or Christian rock
band. Although many of their early lyrics have a clear spiritual influence, generally this came from the individual faith of the members rather than an explicit attempt to tap into the contemporary Christian music
market in the way groups such as Petra
did. The fact that King's X signed to Christian labels early in their career and that the Faith Hope Love CD insert contained an entire chapter of the Bible, likely further fueled their association as a Christian band. What's more, some of their albums were marketed through Christian book stores, but most removed King's X records after Pinnick's announcement in 1998 of his homosexuality. A former Protestant, Pinnick has since openly discussed his agnosticism
and his belief that Jesus Christ was not truly the Son of God
.
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band that combines progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
with vocal arrangements influenced by gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, and British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
rock groups. The band's lyrics are largely based on the members' struggles with religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and self-acceptance
Self-acceptance
Self-acceptance is defined as affirmation or acceptance of self in spite of weaknesses or deficiencies.Although this term has been often understood in a common sense way, researchers have defined it formally in terms of positive and negative self-concepts...
. King's X was ranked #83 on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.
Since being signed to Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records is an American independent record label which was founded in 1982 by Jon and Marsha Zazula to publish the first works of Metallica. It has offices in New York and Philadelphia. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony Music Entertainment/RED Distribution...
in 1987, King's X has released twelve studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
s, one official live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
, and several independent releases. The band is currently recording for the InsideOut Music
InsideOut Music
Inside Out Music is a German independent record label based in Kleve, in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles music albums.-History:...
label, and continues to tour with each new release. Early in their major label career, they had many opening slots on arena tours, but lately, the band for the most part headline their own shows playing mostly clubs and smaller venues. Each member of the group has recorded solo album
Solo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
s and has made numerous guest appearances on other artists' albums and compilation projects. Doug Pinnick
Doug Pinnick
Doug Pinnick sometimes stylised as dUg Pinnick or simply dUg is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist, songwriter, and co-lead vocalist for the hard rock/progressive metal band King's X. He has fourteen albums with King's X, four solo albums, and numerous side projects and guest...
and Ty Tabor
Ty Tabor
Ty Tabor is the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-lead vocalist for the progressive metal band, King's X....
also have albums released with side bands in which they participate.
Despite the band members having varying degrees of Christian beliefs through the years, and the group having had early dealings in the contemporary Christian
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
market, the members of King's X have never considered themselves a "Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
" band. However, some of their early lyrical themes (especially the first three albums) have led to some people labeling the group as such; which all three members strongly oppose.
Early years (1980 - 1984)
The group traces its beginnings to 1979 in SpringfieldSpringfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, Missouri, when bassist Doug Pinnick and drummer Jerry Gaskill
Jerry Gaskill
Jerry Gaskill is an American rock musician who is the drummer for the progressive metal band King's X.-History:...
were brought together to take part in a musical project coordinated by Greg X. Volz
Greg X. Volz
Gregory Xavier Volz is a Christian singer. He is most noted for being the former lead singer of Christian rock band Petra from 1979 to 1985 and is currently the lead vocalist of the reunited lineup.-Biography:...
of the Christian rock band Petra
Petra (band)
Petra is a music group regarded as a pioneer of the Christian rock and contemporary Christian music genres. Formed in 1972, the band took its name from the Greek word for "rock"...
. Within a month of Pinnick's arrival from Illinois, the project folded and he and Gaskill were left without a band. They soon landed a job as rhythm section for guitarist Phil Keaggy's
Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 50 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets...
live band. The two toured the country for several months in support of Keaggy's album Ph'lip Side
Ph'lip Side
Ph'lip Side is the title of an album by guitarist Phil Keaggy, released in 1980, on Sparrow Records. To date, it is the only Phil Keaggy release to feature a double-sided cover image, in order to visually convey the "acoustic" and "electric" sides of the album...
. During the group's show in Springfield, Gaskill was approached by Ty Tabor who was a member of the opening band that night. The drummer for Tabor's band had quit the night before the show and Tabor had volunteered to take over on drums for the gig. However, seeing as he had no drums, he was forced to ask Gaskill if he could borrow his kit for the show. Gaskill obliged and the show went on.
When the tour ended, Pinnick and Gaskill returned to Springfield and set about looking for more work. Gaskill landed a job doing demo work for the Tracy Zinn Band that happened to include Ty Tabor on guitar. The two became friends and were involved off and on together in different musical projects.
In the spring of 1980, Pinnick attended a music show at Evangel College and watched a set by another of Tabor's bands. Pinnick was impressed with Tabor's skills and the two soon began collaborating musically.
Eventually Gaskill, Pinnick, and Tabor decided to pool their talents into a single outlet. Calling themselves The Edge, they initially were a four piece with the inclusion of Dan McCollam on rhythm guitar. McCollam quit after only a brief time and was replaced by Kirk Henderson, who was a friend of Tabor's from Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. The group performed extensively on the Springfield bar and club circuit specializing in classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
and Top 40 covers at the time.
By 1983, Henderson had quit the band and Pinnick, Tabor, and Gaskill decided to continue on as a trio. They also decided to change the name of the band, and settled on calling themselves Sneak Preview.
The group had been writing and recording many original songs up to this point. They chose ten of these songs to record for an independently released self-titled LP
Sneak Preview (album)
Sneak Preview is an independently released album by the future members of King's X going by the name of Sneak Preview. Reportedly, only about 1,000 copies were pressed. The band was not very impressed with the results and may have personally destroyed about half of the pressed copies, making this...
in 1983. After the album's release, the band continued to tour and hone their songwriting skills.
Move to Houston (1985 - 1987)
By 1985, the group had made connections at Star Song Records based in HoustonHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Texas and were encouraged to move the band there. The first order of business for the three was to become part of a touring band for CCM artist Morgan Cryar
Morgan Cryar
Morgan Cryar is a Contemporary Christian music vocalist, songwriter, and producer, hailing from Louisiana. He is especially noted for his creative lyric-writing....
. Tabor and Pinnick are also credited for co-writing several songs on Cryar's second album Fuel on the Fire in 1986. Tabor also performed some guitar parts on the album and both he and Pinnick are credited with background vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
.
However, when it came to signing Sneak Preview to a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Star Song, negotiations broke down and the deal came to a halt.
While in Houston, the group met Sam Taylor, then vice president of ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
's production company. Taylor quickly became interested in the trio and convinced them to change their name to King's X. He also supported and nurtured the group's transition from radio friendly, rock originals to a more experimental and complex songwriting style. Taylor would soon become the group's manager, producer, mentor, and according to some, the fourth member of the group. He was instrumental in helping the group secure a contract with Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records is an American independent record label which was founded in 1982 by Jon and Marsha Zazula to publish the first works of Metallica. It has offices in New York and Philadelphia. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony Music Entertainment/RED Distribution...
in 1987.
Megaforce era (1988 - 1989)
The group released its first album as King's X, entitled Out of the Silent PlanetOut of the Silent Planet (album)
Out of the Silent Planet is the debut release from King's X. The title of the album comes from the title of a book of the same name by C.S. Lewis, an author favored by band members Ty Tabor and Jerry Gaskill...
, in 1988. Despite being hailed by music critics, the album did not fare well commercially, peaking at #144 on the Billboard album charts. The songs "King" and "Shot of Love" were released as singles, but failed to garner much attention. The album derives its name from the C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
novel Out of the Silent Planet
Out of the Silent Planet
Out of the Silent Planet is the first novel of a science fiction trilogy written by C. S. Lewis, sometimes referred to as the Space Trilogy, Ransom Trilogy or Cosmic Trilogy. The other volumes are Perelandra and That Hideous Strength, and a fragment of a sequel was published posthumously as The...
. This appears to be the band's first of multiple references to the British author.
In 1989, the band released Gretchen Goes to Nebraska
Gretchen Goes to Nebraska
-Critical reception:Gretchen Goes to Nebraska received virtually universal critical praise for its uniquely progressive musical approach and varied styles...
. Considered by many fans to be their landmark album and most creative period, the album fared only slightly better from a commercial standpoint than Out of the Silent Planet. The album contains many fan favorites such as "Summerland", "Mission", and "The Burning Down". The song "The Difference (In the Garden of St. Anne's-on-the-Hill)" appears to be another C.S. Lewis reference, this time to a scene in the book That Hideous Strength
That Hideous Strength
That Hideous Strength is a 1945 novel by C. S. Lewis, the final book in Lewis's theological science fiction Space Trilogy. The events of this novel follow those of Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra and once again feature the philologist Elwin Ransom...
, third and final installment of the "science-fiction" trilogy begun by Out of the Silent Planet. The song "Pleiades" is credited by Ty Tabor as being the genesis of the King's X sound when he presented the demo to the other band members a few years earlier. Significantly, the song "Over My Head" received moderate airplay on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and radio. The increase in exposure would prove beneficial when the band released their third album, Faith, Hope, Love
Faith, Hope, Love
-Track listing:# "We Are Finding Who We Are" – 4:39# "It's Love" – 4:34# "I'll Never Get Tired of You" – 3:46# "Fine Art of Friendship" – 4:21# "Mr...
, in the fall of 1990.
Faith Hope Love was the group's first album to crack the US Top 100, with the help of the successful single "It's Love
It's Love
"It's Love" is a song by progressive rock band King's X appearing on their album Faith Hope Love. It is the band's highest charting single, peaking at #6 on Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1990...
". Another track, the funk-rock "We Were Born to Be Loved", has enjoyed a long life on Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
as a commercial bumper
Commercial bumper
In broadcasting, a commercial bumper, ident bumper or break-bumper is a brief announcement, usually two to 15 seconds that can contain a voice over, placed between a pause in the program and its commercial break, and vice versa...
instrumental favorite of Paul Shaffer
Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
's CBS Orchestra
CBS Orchestra
The CBS Orchestra is the house band, led by Paul Shaffer, that plays for David Letterman's CBS late-night talk show, Late Show with David Letterman...
. Still, with major mainstream success continuously eluding them, King's X began questioning Sam Taylor's commitment to the group.
The band landed the opening slot for AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for the first half of 1991. They also toured with Living Colour
Living Colour
Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by free jazz, funk, neo-psychedelia, hard rock, and heavy metal...
, themselves near the peak of their popularity. That summer, their song "Junior's Gone Wild" appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey is a 1991 American science fiction comedy film, and the directing debut of Peter Hewitt. It is the second film in the Bill & Ted franchise, and a sequel to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure . Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter and George Carlin reprise their respective roles...
.
Atlantic era (1990 - 1997)
The band was signed to major label Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
for the release of their fourth album, King's X
King's X (album)
King's X is the fourth album by heavy metal/hard rock trio King's X, released in 1992 through Atlantic Records. The album marked the end of the band's relationship with producer Sam Taylor, with the band citing creative differences for the split....
, in the spring of 1992. But rising tensions with Taylor led the band to eschew the upbeat approach of previous albums and turn out a darker, more introspective effort. Unfortunately, despite critical praise, their new style did not translate well among the record-buying public, thus garnering fewer sales than Faith, Hope, Love. "Black Flag," the album's lone single, received only moderate airplay on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and radio. Not long after the release of King's X, the band parted ways with Taylor. The details of the split were not made public, but it was believed to be rather bitter. Taylor would admit in 1996 that his company Wilde Silas MusicWorks was growing and, as a result, he was no longer giving King's X, whom he considered "the top dogs," the attention they deserved. In the aftermath, King's X took over a year off to consider their collective future together. The band members followed other, non-musical pursuits; most notably, guitarist Ty Tabor took up semi-professional motocross motorcycle racing.
With grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
at the peak of its popularity, and Pearl Jam's bassist Jeff Ament
Jeff Ament
Jeffrey Allen Ament is an American musician who serves as the bassist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of Pearl Jam...
declaring that "King's X invented grunge" (despite the group's trademark sound being very different from that of the commercially successful grunge acts), the band went looking for a new sound upon their return. They enlisted veteran producer Brendan O'Brien
Brendan O'Brien (music producer)
Brendan O’Brien is a record producer, mixer, engineer, and musician.At age 14, O'Brien played guitar for the Atlanta-based cover band Pranks. In the late 1970s, he moved on to writing, performing and recording with the Samurai Catfish band...
, who had recently produced albums for the Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
and Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
. The resulting album, 1994's Dogman
Dogman
Recorded by Nick DiDiaMixed by Brendan O'Brien except "Manic Depression" mixed by Nick DiDia.Keyboards and percussion: Brendan O'BrienRecorded at Southern Tracks, Atlanta, GA.Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Studios, Portland MEArt Direction: Leon Alvarado...
, showcased a much more muscular and heavy sound from the group, along with less abstract and spiritual lyrics. The record received a heavier promotional push from Atlantic including a compilation promotional CD entitled: Building Blox, as King's X enjoyed a successful tour, capped by an appearance at the Woodstock 94 festival in August. But despite a return to the Top 100 for the group, the album failed to sell as well as Atlantic had hoped, and the label's support for the group quickly faded.
The band's third release under Atlantic, 1996's Ear Candy
Ear Candy (King's X album)
Ear Candy is the sixth album by heavy metal/hard rock trio King's X, released in 1996.The album has two songs which are rewritten versions of earlier songs: "Picture" is also known as "The Door", a song with different lyrics, released on their pre-King's X release Sneak Preview...
, would also be their last for the label (not including a subsequent Best of King's X
Best of King's X
Best of King's X is a compilation album by hard rock band King's X. The songs on this compilation, spanning a decade of discography, were selected by fans in an online poll.-Track listing:#"King" – 3:04*#"Goldilox" – 4:43*#"Summerland" – 3:18*...
compilation). Although it sold to the band's sizeable core following, it lacked the relative mainstream success of previous efforts. The record was soon out of print, and it seemed that the group's chance for commercial success had come and gone.
Metal Blade era (1998 - 2004)
The group moved to Metal Blade Records in 1998. Their first album under the label, Tape HeadTape Head
Tape Head is the seventh album by heavy metal/hard rock trio King's X, released in 1998.-Track listing:All songs by King's X.#"Groove Machine" – 3:42#"Fade" – 3:24#"Over and Over" – 3:23#"Ono" – 3:55#"Cupid" – 4:14#"Ocean" – 3:08...
, signaled a new era for the band. They modified their creative methods by writing and recording the album together in the studio, rather than coming together to record songs that the individual members had written separately. They also elected not to hire an outside producer and recorded the album at Pinnicks Hound Pound and Tabor's Alien Beans Studios
Alien Beans Studios
Alien Beans Studios is primarily a mastering studio owned and operated by Ty Tabor, although many King's X, Platypus, The Jelly Jam and Ty Tabor CDs have been recorded there. Tabor personally masters all internationally released projects he is involved with. He also masters local projects for...
, thus cutting production costs. Their next two albums, Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous
Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous
Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous is the eighth album by heavy metal/hard rock trio King's X, released in 2000.-Track listing:All songs written by King's X.#"Fish Bowl Man" – 4:28#"Julia" – 3:39#"She's Gone Away" – 4:37#"Marsh Mellow Field" – 5:30...
(2000) and Manic Moonlight
Manic Moonlight
-Track listing:#"Believe" – 4:28#"Manic Moonlight" – 4:32#"Yeah" – 3:40#"False Alarm" – 4:36#"Static" – 4:29#"Skeptical Winds" – 6:51#"The Other Side" – 4:49#"Vegetable" – 6:27#"Jenna" – 5:06#"Water Ceremony" – 0:18The Japanese release has 2 bonus tracks:...
(2001), were more or less created in the same way.
Manic Moonlight featured the band experimenting with electronic drum loops and other sounds for the first time on a record. The new direction, along with the relatively short length of the album, was generally not well received by long time fans, but did get some positive critical reviews.
For their next album, 2003's Black Like Sunday
Black Like Sunday
Black Like Sunday is the tenth album recorded by King's X. The songs on this album are rare and originally unreleased recordings that were re-recorded by fan demand.-Track listing:#"Black Like Sunday" – 3:31#"Rock Pile" – 3:31#"Danger Zone" – 3:23...
, the group arranged and recorded an album of original songs that the band had regularly performed during The Edge and Sneak Preview days of the early 1980s. The cover art for this album was selected from artwork submitted by fans in an online contest.
The double-disc set Live All Over The Place
Live All Over The Place
Live All Over The Place, released in 2004, is the first official live album by King's X. A double compact disc set, it was also their final album for Metal Blade Records...
(2004) was the band's final album for Metal Blade Records, and their first official live release.
InsideOut era (2005 - present)
In 2005, King's X signed to InsideOut MusicInsideOut Music
Inside Out Music is a German independent record label based in Kleve, in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles music albums.-History:...
, the label that had previously released some of Tabor's side projects. The album Ogre Tones
Ogre Tones
"Ogre Tones" is the eleventh full-length studio album from hard rock/progressive rock band King's X. It was released in 2005, and is their first record for InsideOut, which is a label that is devoted to progressive music .-Reception:Greg Prato of Allmusic gave the record 3.5 stars of 5, saying that...
was released in September 2005 and was described by many as a return to a more "classic" King's X sound. It was produced by famed rock producer Michael Wagener
Michael Wagener
Michael Wagener is a music producer, mixer, and engineer from Hamburg, Germany, best known for his work with many top hard rock and heavy metal bands in the late 80's. Wagener's works have sold over ninetyfour million albums worldwide. Wagener was the original guitarist for the German band Accept...
(Dokken
Dokken
Dokken is an American heavy metal and hard rock band formed in 1978. They split up in 1989 but reformed four years later. The group accumulated numerous charting singles and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide...
, Extreme
Extreme (band)
Extreme is an American rock band, headed by frontmen Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt, that reached the height of their popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Among some of Extreme's musical influences are Queen and Van Halen...
, Stryper
Stryper
Stryper is a Christian glam metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet , Oz Fox , Tim Gaines , and Robert Sweet...
, White Lion
White Lion
White Lion is an American/Danish hard rock/heavy metal band that was formed in New York City in 1983 by Danish vocalist Mike Tramp and American guitarist Vito Bratta. Mainly active in the 1980s and early 1990s, the band achieved double platinum status with their #8 hit "Wait" and #3 hit "When the...
, Skid Row) and recorded at Wageners Wire-World Studios in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee. The tour for Ogre Tones featured the band playing every song from the album during shows.
King's X again worked with Michael Wagener on its second album for InsideOut Music titled XV
XV (album)
XV is the twelfth studio album by King's X, released in May 2008. XV is the first King's X albums since 1996's Ear Candy to chart on the Billboard Top 200, peaking at #145...
, released in May 2008. They spent the summer of 2008 touring with the band Extreme as part of a travelling version of the Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp
Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp
Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp is an interactive musical event that takes place in various cities throughout the United States, London, England, and the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The events range from 3 to 6 days. Attendees play, write and record music in a recording studio alongside famous...
. Live dates in the U.S. in December 2008 were followed by the band's first European tour in several years in early 2009.
Molken Music, an independent label started by Wally Farkas (ex- Galactic Cowboys
Galactic Cowboys
Galactic Cowboys was a Heavy Metal band based in Houston, Texas. They combined progressive metal with a style of vocals influenced by The Beatles and the heavy playing style of thrash bands such as Anthrax...
) in 2005, has released several titles by King's X and its members. Live & Live Some More
Live & Live Some More
This is a live album released by King's X in 2007 on the independent label . It is a 2 disc set that is described as one of the band's best live performances. It was recorded in Dallas, TX. in 1994 on the Dogman tour.-Disc 1:# Complain# Pillow...
, a live concert recorded during the Dogman tour, is available there as well as demo compilations, rehearsal tapes, and other items. The label released the band's first live DVD, Gretchen Goes to London in November 2008. It is a live concert filmed in London in 1990.
On January 22, 2009, their concert at the Electric Ballroom
Electric Ballroom
The Electric Ballroom is a performance venue and indoor market located at 184 Camden High Street in Camden Town, London . The Electric Ballroom has been in operation for over seventy years, during which time it has been used in many different ways.The two storey building has two dance floors and...
in Camden, London, was filmed and released as a live DVD and CD entitled "Live Love in London".
Solo and side projects
The members of King's X have been musically prolific since the separation from Atlantic in 1997, releasing a number of solo albums and participating in side bands.Doug Pinnick
Doug Pinnick
Doug Pinnick sometimes stylised as dUg Pinnick or simply dUg is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist, songwriter, and co-lead vocalist for the hard rock/progressive metal band King's X. He has fourteen albums with King's X, four solo albums, and numerous side projects and guest...
recorded two solo albums under the name of Poundhound (Massive Grooves...
Massive Grooves from the Electric Church of Psychofunkadelic Grungelism Rock Music
Massive Grooves is the first solo album by King's X bassist Doug Pinnick under the name of Poundhound. The full title of the album is "Massive Grooves From The Electric Church Of Psychofunkadelic Grungelism Rock Music" but is typically shortened for obvious reasons.-Track listing:The Japanese...
(1997) and Pineappleskunk
Pineappleskunk
-Personnel:* Doug Pinnick - Vocal, Bass Guitar, Guitar* Jerry Gaskill - Drums...
(2001), while the subsequent releases Emotional Animal
Emotional Animal
Emotional Animal is the third solo album by King's X frontman Doug Pinnick released in 2005.-Track listing:-Personnel:*Doug Pinnick – vocals and all instruments, except drums*Jerry Gaskill – drums...
(2005) and Strum Sum Up
Strum Sum Up
-Tracklisting:#Perfect World#Perfect World Pt. 2#Damn It#Dynomite#Dynomite Pt. 2#Life Is What You Make It#Life Is What You Make It Pt. 2#Angel#Coming Over#Smile#All I Want#Hostile World#Cross It#Cross It Pt. 2-References:*...
(2007) were credited as dUg Pinnick.
Ty Tabor
Ty Tabor
Ty Tabor is the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-lead vocalist for the progressive metal band, King's X....
has released seven solo albums: Naomi's Solar Pumpkin
Naomi's Solar Pumpkin
Naomi's Solar Pumpkin is the first solo album by King's X guitarist Ty Tabor. This is a true solo effort seeing as Ty played everything on it right down to programming the drum machine for every track. Songs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 were later re-recorded for inclusion on his next album Moonflower Lane...
(1997), Moonflower Lane
Moonflower Lane
Moonflower Lane is the second solo album by King's X guitarist Ty Tabor. All songs were written by Tabor and recorded between September 10 and October 24, 1997.-Track listing:#I Do#The Island Sea#Live In Your House#I Know Everything#The Truth...
(1998), Safety
Safety (album)
Safety is the third solo album by King's X guitarist Ty Tabor. All songs were written, recorded, and mastered by Ty Tabor at Alien Beans Studios in Katy, TX.-Track listing:#Tulip #Better To Be On Hold#Missing Love#Funeral#Room For Me...
(2002), Rock Garden
Rock Garden (album)
Rock Garden is a 2006 solo album by King's X guitarist Ty Tabor. All songs were written and recorded by Ty Tabor at Alien Beans studio in Katy, TX...
(2006), Balance
Balance (Ty Tabor album)
Balance is a 2008 solo album by King's X guitarist Ty Tabor. All songs were written, recorded and produced by Tabor, and the album was recorded at Alien Beans Studios in Katy, TX.This is the first solo project released by Tabor for the label....
(2008), Something's Coming and Trip Magnet
Trip Magnet (Ty Tabor E.P.)
Trip Magnet is the sixth major solo release from King's X guitar virtuoso Ty Tabor. The five-song EP is billed as "A different side of Ty Tabor" and was recorded at Tabor's Alien Beans Studio in Katy, Texas, and distributed by Molken Music.-Track listing:...
(2010).
Jerry Gaskill
Jerry Gaskill
Jerry Gaskill is an American rock musician who is the drummer for the progressive metal band King's X.-History:...
released a solo album in 2004 titled Come Somewhere
Come Somewhere
Come Somewhere is the first solo album by King's X drummer Jerry Gaskill. Jerry wrote all of the material himself with the exception of "Johnny's Song" which was co-written with Herb Gaskill. Jerry performed all of the vocals, most of the acoustic guitars, and some electric guitar...
and also played drums on a 5 song EP by the band Black and Blues ( featuring Virus from the band Dope ).
Tabor has additionally played with several bands other than King's X, releasing two albums with Platypus
Platypus (band)
Platypus was a progressive rock / jazz-fusion supergroup that consisted of members from Dream Theater, King's X and Dixie Dregs. The group was formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2000.-History:...
, one album with Jughead
Jughead (band)
Jughead is a rock band consisting of Ty Tabor , Derek Sherinian , Matt Bissonette , and Gregg Bissonette . Jughead's catalog consists of a single self-titled album released by InsideOut Music in 2002....
, and two albums with The Jelly Jam
The Jelly Jam
The Jelly Jam is a three-piece progressive rock band, consisting of Ty Tabor of King's X on guitar and vocals, Rod Morgenstein of The Dixie Dregs on drums, and John Myung of Dream Theater on bass...
. He also has an electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
style project with Wally Farkas called Xenuphobe with two albums released through Molken Music. In 2008, Tabor also recorded vocal parts for the song "Connect the Dots" off the Ayreon
Ayreon
Ayreon is a project by Dutch composer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen.Ayreon's musical style derives mostly from heavy metal and progressive rock, but combines them with genres like folk, classical and electronica...
album 01011001
01011001
01011001 is the seventh studio album by Arjen Anthony Lucassen's long-running Ayreon project. "01011001" is the binary representation of the ASCII value of the letter Y...
.
Doug Pinnick released one album with Trouble
Trouble (band)
Trouble is an American doom metal band noted as one of the pioneers of their genre, alongside bands such as Candlemass and Saint Vitus. The band created a distinct style taking influences of the British heavy metal bands Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, and psychedelic rock of the 1970s...
guitarist Bruce Franklin
Bruce Franklin (guitarist)
Bruce Franklin is a metal guitarist. He is the guitarist for the band Trouble. He is also in the band Supershine featuring King's X frontman Doug Pinnick and longtime Trouble drummer, Jeff Olson. Franklin appeared as a guest lead guitarist on Tourniquet's 2003 album Where Moth and Rust Destroy...
called Supershine in 2000 as well as one album with The Mob
The Mob (melodic rock band)
The Mob is an American hard rock band formed in 2005. Their self-titled debut album was released by Frontiers Records the same year.-Line-up:* Reb Beach – guitars, backing vocals* Doug Pinnick – lead vocals* Timothy Drury – keyboards, backing vocals...
featuring Reb Beach
Reb Beach
Reb Beach is an American rock guitarist. He is a member of the bands Winger and Whitesnake...
and Kelly Keaggy in 2005.
Pinnick has recorded several cover songs for various tribute albums including the Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
tribute In From The Storm performing lead vocals on the song "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp" as well as tributes to Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
and others. There is a demo recording of Doug with Dimebag Darrell
Dimebag Darrell
Darrell Lance Abbott , also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. Abbott also contributed to the album Rebel Meets Rebel, a collaboration between Pantera and David Allan Coe...
of Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
performing a cover of Cream's "Born Under A Bad Sign".
Pinnick stood in for lead singer Corey Glover
Corey Glover
Corey Glover is an American singer, guitarist and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of the hard rock band Living Colour.-Career:...
on Living Colour
Living Colour
Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by free jazz, funk, neo-psychedelia, hard rock, and heavy metal...
's August 2006 European tour.
Band's name
In an interview on the UK late-night television show Raw PowerRaw Power (television show)
Raw Power is a weekly Heavy Metal/Rock Music television programme, with connections to Raw magazine, and produced by Music Box Ltd, which aired in Britain on ITV from 1990 until 1993. The name was eventually changed to Noisy Mothers which aired Nationwide in 1994 and 1995 and the format of the show...
, around the time of the release of Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, the band's explanation of its name was that the X relates to the mark on the wax seal
Seal (device)
A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...
used by royalty to seal correspondence. If the seal on a letter sent by the King, the King's X, was broken, it meant death for the messenger.
In an interview published in a guitarist magazine in the mid-1990s, Tabor revealed the true origin of the name, claiming that "King's X" is a safety zone in the game of Tag
Tag (game)
Tag is a playground game played worldwide that involves one or more players chasing other players in an attempt to tag or touch them, usually with their fingers. There are many variations...
. A player could "Call King's X" to avoid being tagged. Sam Taylor's brother was in a band called Kings X some years earlier and he suggested it to the band. After much thought and with no better names forthcoming, members of the band said, "Are we gonna be called King's X or what?" The band agreed on it, and the name King's X stuck.
Christian rock
Whether the band's name was intended as a Christian reference or not, the band members themselves have resisted being identified as a Christian metalChristian metal
Christian metal, also known as white metal, is a form of heavy metal music usually defined by its message in a song's lyrics as well as the band's dedication to Christianity...
or Christian rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
band. Although many of their early lyrics have a clear spiritual influence, generally this came from the individual faith of the members rather than an explicit attempt to tap into the contemporary Christian music
Christian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
market in the way groups such as Petra
Petra (band)
Petra is a music group regarded as a pioneer of the Christian rock and contemporary Christian music genres. Formed in 1972, the band took its name from the Greek word for "rock"...
did. The fact that King's X signed to Christian labels early in their career and that the Faith Hope Love CD insert contained an entire chapter of the Bible, likely further fueled their association as a Christian band. What's more, some of their albums were marketed through Christian book stores, but most removed King's X records after Pinnick's announcement in 1998 of his homosexuality. A former Protestant, Pinnick has since openly discussed his agnosticism
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
and his belief that Jesus Christ was not truly the Son of God
God the Son
God the Son is the second person of the Trinity in Christian theology. The doctrine of the Trinity identifies Jesus of Nazareth as God the Son, united in essence but distinct in person with regard to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit...
.
Current members
- Doug PinnickDoug PinnickDoug Pinnick sometimes stylised as dUg Pinnick or simply dUg is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist, songwriter, and co-lead vocalist for the hard rock/progressive metal band King's X. He has fourteen albums with King's X, four solo albums, and numerous side projects and guest...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, lead & backing vocals (1980–present) - Ty TaborTy TaborTy Tabor is the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-lead vocalist for the progressive metal band, King's X....
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing & lead vocals (1980–present) - Jerry GaskillJerry GaskillJerry Gaskill is an American rock musician who is the drummer for the progressive metal band King's X.-History:...
– drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals (1980–present)
Former members
- Dan McCollam – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1980)
- Kirk Henderson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1980–1983)
Studio albums and EPs
| Year | Album | U.S. Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
U.S. Christian | U.S. Indie Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Sneak Preview Sneak Preview (album) Sneak Preview is an independently released album by the future members of King's X going by the name of Sneak Preview. Reportedly, only about 1,000 copies were pressed. The band was not very impressed with the results and may have personally destroyed about half of the pressed copies, making this... (as Sneak Preview) |
- | - | - | - |
| 1988 | Out of the Silent Planet Out of the Silent Planet (album) Out of the Silent Planet is the debut release from King's X. The title of the album comes from the title of a book of the same name by C.S. Lewis, an author favored by band members Ty Tabor and Jerry Gaskill... |
144 | - | - | - |
| 1989 | Gretchen Goes to Nebraska Gretchen Goes to Nebraska -Critical reception:Gretchen Goes to Nebraska received virtually universal critical praise for its uniquely progressive musical approach and varied styles... |
123 | - | - | 52 |
| 1990 | Faith Hope Love | 85 | 31 | - | 70 |
| 1992 | King's X King's X (album) King's X is the fourth album by heavy metal/hard rock trio King's X, released in 1992 through Atlantic Records. The album marked the end of the band's relationship with producer Sam Taylor, with the band citing creative differences for the split.... |
138 | - | - | 46 |
| 1994 | Dogman Dogman Recorded by Nick DiDiaMixed by Brendan O'Brien except "Manic Depression" mixed by Nick DiDia.Keyboards and percussion: Brendan O'BrienRecorded at Southern Tracks, Atlanta, GA.Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Studios, Portland MEArt Direction: Leon Alvarado... |
88 | - | - | 49 |
| 1996 | Ear Candy Ear Candy (King's X album) Ear Candy is the sixth album by heavy metal/hard rock trio King's X, released in 1996.The album has two songs which are rewritten versions of earlier songs: "Picture" is also known as "The Door", a song with different lyrics, released on their pre-King's X release Sneak Preview... |
105 | 4 | - | - |
| 1997 | Best of King's X Best of King's X Best of King's X is a compilation album by hard rock band King's X. The songs on this compilation, spanning a decade of discography, were selected by fans in an online poll.-Track listing:#"King" – 3:04*#"Goldilox" – 4:43*#"Summerland" – 3:18*... |
- | - | - | - |
| 1998 | Tape Head Tape Head Tape Head is the seventh album by heavy metal/hard rock trio King's X, released in 1998.-Track listing:All songs by King's X.#"Groove Machine" – 3:42#"Fade" – 3:24#"Over and Over" – 3:23#"Ono" – 3:55#"Cupid" – 4:14#"Ocean" – 3:08... |
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| 2000 | Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous is the eighth album by heavy metal/hard rock trio King's X, released in 2000.-Track listing:All songs written by King's X.#"Fish Bowl Man" – 4:28#"Julia" – 3:39#"She's Gone Away" – 4:37#"Marsh Mellow Field" – 5:30... |
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| 2001 | Manic Moonlight Manic Moonlight -Track listing:#"Believe" – 4:28#"Manic Moonlight" – 4:32#"Yeah" – 3:40#"False Alarm" – 4:36#"Static" – 4:29#"Skeptical Winds" – 6:51#"The Other Side" – 4:49#"Vegetable" – 6:27#"Jenna" – 5:06#"Water Ceremony" – 0:18The Japanese release has 2 bonus tracks:... |
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| 2003 | Black Like Sunday Black Like Sunday Black Like Sunday is the tenth album recorded by King's X. The songs on this album are rare and originally unreleased recordings that were re-recorded by fan demand.-Track listing:#"Black Like Sunday" – 3:31#"Rock Pile" – 3:31#"Danger Zone" – 3:23... |
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| 2004 | Live All Over the Place Live All Over The Place Live All Over The Place, released in 2004, is the first official live album by King's X. A double compact disc set, it was also their final album for Metal Blade Records... |
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| 2005 | Rehearsal CD Vol. 1 (EP) | - | - | - | - |
| 2005 | Ogre Tones Ogre Tones "Ogre Tones" is the eleventh full-length studio album from hard rock/progressive rock band King's X. It was released in 2005, and is their first record for InsideOut, which is a label that is devoted to progressive music .-Reception:Greg Prato of Allmusic gave the record 3.5 stars of 5, saying that... |
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| 2007 | Live & Live Some More Live & Live Some More This is a live album released by King's X in 2007 on the independent label . It is a 2 disc set that is described as one of the band's best live performances. It was recorded in Dallas, TX. in 1994 on the Dogman tour.-Disc 1:# Complain# Pillow... |
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| 2008 | XV XV (album) XV is the twelfth studio album by King's X, released in May 2008. XV is the first King's X albums since 1996's Ear Candy to chart on the Billboard Top 200, peaking at #145... |
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Singles
| Year | Album | U.S. Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | It's Love It's Love "It's Love" is a song by progressive rock band King's X appearing on their album Faith Hope Love. It is the band's highest charting single, peaking at #6 on Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1990... |
6 |
| 1992 | Black Flag | 17 |
| 1994 | Dogman | 20 |
King's X DVD
- Gretchen Goes to LondonGretchen Goes to LondonGretchen Goes to London is a DVD by King's X released on Molken Music in 2008. The DVD was recorded on hand held cameras at the Astoria in London, England on May 6, 1990.- Track listing :# "King"# "What Is This?"# "Out of the Silent Planet"...
(2008 Molken Music) - Live Love in London (2010 Inside Out/EMI)
See also
- PlatypusPlatypus (band)Platypus was a progressive rock / jazz-fusion supergroup that consisted of members from Dream Theater, King's X and Dixie Dregs. The group was formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2000.-History:...
- The Jelly JamThe Jelly JamThe Jelly Jam is a three-piece progressive rock band, consisting of Ty Tabor of King's X on guitar and vocals, Rod Morgenstein of The Dixie Dregs on drums, and John Myung of Dream Theater on bass...
- JugheadJughead (band)Jughead is a rock band consisting of Ty Tabor , Derek Sherinian , Matt Bissonette , and Gregg Bissonette . Jughead's catalog consists of a single self-titled album released by InsideOut Music in 2002....
- The MobThe Mob (melodic rock band)The Mob is an American hard rock band formed in 2005. Their self-titled debut album was released by Frontiers Records the same year.-Line-up:* Reb Beach – guitars, backing vocals* Doug Pinnick – lead vocals* Timothy Drury – keyboards, backing vocals...