Did you ever find a band whose music you absolutely loved, and then somehow forgot about, or lost track of, and then years later re-discovered, and began kicking yourself because you’d somehow passed them by?
That would be me, and one of the best bands I’ve ever heard: King’s X.
I came upon their music really late — Dogman (released in 1984, but I only discovered them in, I think, 1990), which sounded unlike any other music I’d ever heard. It was heavy rock, soulful, thoughtful and unbelievably complex, played by virtuoso musicians, with wonderful singing — all things that normally attract me to a band and grip me like glue. Other examples of my ear-glue would be Genesis, Procol Harum, Yes, Steely Dan and a host of other prog-rock bands whose music I continued to listen to, yea unto this day — but none sounded like King’s X.
Anyway, after Dogman I set about listening to their other stuff, starting with Out Of The Silent Planet, followed by the marginally less-heavy Gretchen Goes To Nebraska (from 1989, and surely one of the most obscure album titles ever), and I loved them even more. Faith Hope Love (1990) and King’s X (1992) followed, and I liked them, but not as much as the first three I’d listened to. That didn’t stop me buying all five CDs, though.
And then, for some unknown reason, I just stopped listening to them, and pretty much forgot about King’s X — I did make mention of them on this website some time ago, and then forgot about them all over again.
Which is a shame because they’ve had an entire career since then, and I’ve missed it all. Only a brief mention of drummer Jerry Gaskill’s heart attack caught my attention. They’re still together, and they’re still touring.
Here’s the thing, as I see it. Sadly, King’s X’s albums have never been smash hits in terms of chart success, which means that record companies treat the band like dirt, despite their obvious ability as musicians and the quality of their music. So they’ve had to tour, opening for much “bigger” bands like Cheap Trick, Scorpions and Pearl Jam. (They have a fanatical following in Texas, by the way, which they regard as their home outside home state Missouri. I know this because I once tried to see them live in Houston, and the venue was completely sold out, for all three performances.)
Anyway, if you’ve never listened them, give them a shot. I will freely admit that their music is not to everyone’s taste (hence their albums’ dismal sales). But King’s X may be the best — or heaviest — “power trio” that ever played rock music, and that should count for something.
And no, they are not a Christian band, despite what some of their lyrics may make you think.
And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to listen to Three Sides Of One.
