King's X

Item: Best of King's X
Author: Shari Lloyd

Best of King's X

(1997)

Reviewed by Shari Lloyd

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Label Atlantic RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth1997

alternative rock hard rock progressive rock

So ends another era. After six albums and nine years, this is the last album on Atlantic for King's X. They've signed with Metal Blade, though, so we'll see a new album late next year. In the meanwhile, we have this Best of King's X album.

Featured are 17 tracks, including a live version of "Over My Head" from Woodstock II, and three new songs. None of the new material ("Sally," "April Showers," and "Lover") reaches out and grabs me. The songs seem to lack the depth of some of the earlier material, but maybe they're holding on to that for the new album. "Sally" is about a girl chasing a guy who isn't really interested. The music is definitely King's X but nothing exceptional. "April Showers" is interesting lyrically as a song about getting it right some day. "Lover" says, "You wanna be my friend. But I wanna be your lover." Whether it has any spiritual meaning, I'll leave for you to determine.

In the very extended "Over My Head," Doug talks about how he was never told he was loved when he was young. Very sad! He encourages us to not make that mistake with our kids.

Of course, the first thing I did was to check the back to make sure they picked up all my faves. They didn't. My favorite is missing--"We are Finding Who We Are" (which introduced me to the group). But overall, it's not a bad selection, and fans are sure to find several of their favorites here.

3 tocks