King's X - Mississippi Moon

 
In a perfect world, King's X would be a multi-platinum band packing in sold-out crowds at the biggest auditoriums worldwide. They would be getting tons of airplay and the band would grace the covers of hundreds of publications. The late night talk shows would have them on speed-dial.

But King's X has never been that kind of band. That would have required them to compromise their vision and their musical integrity. These guys are road warriors who still work the club circuit, having garnered critical acclaim early in their careers as they continue to maintain their long-standing reputation as a "band's band." The general public may be unaware of them, but ask almost any musician if they know about King's X.

They will.

Ty Tabor, Doug Pinnick and Jerry Gaskill

From the artist biography by Greg Prato at AllMusic

Few hard rock bands are as widely respected yet criminally overlooked as King's X. The trio (bassist/vocalist Doug Pinnick, guitarist/vocalist Ty Tabor, and drummer/vocalist Jerry Gaskill) seemed destined for the big time with their irresistible blend of melodic Beatlesque harmonies, metallic riffing, and prog rock detours, yet for reasons unknown, never truly broke through to a mainstream audience. Pinnick (b. September 3, 1950) first met Gaskill (b. December 27, 1957) when the duo was touring with the Christian rock outfit Petra, and soon after, met up-and-coming guitarist Tabor (b. September 17, 1961). The trio joined forces in 1980 with the Top 40 cover band the Edge and thoroughly played the Missouri bar scene. By 1983, the band had changed its name to Sneak Preview and was now completely focusing on original compositions -- resulting in an obscure and very hard to find self-titled debut album released around this time.

Sneak Preview were offered a recording contract in 1985 if they relocated to Houston, TX, which they did, but the deal failed to materialize. Undeterred, the trio continued on and perfected its sound and songwriting further, catching a break when ZZ Top video producer Sam Taylor took the group under his wing, helping it secure a recording contract with New York's Megaforce label in 1987, and suggesting that the band change its name to King's X (the name of a local outfit that Taylor was an admirer of back in his high-school days).

In 1988, King's X released their debut album, Out of the Silent Planet. Despite praise among critics, the public didn't know exactly what to make of the group's original and multiple genre-encompassing style, and the album sank without a trace. But with the band's sophomore release, 1989's classic Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, a buzz began to develop around King's X in the metal community...

I discovered the group in college. A classmate in one of my journalism classes and I were talking music in the newsroom one day, and he mentioned that, given my taste, I'd probably like this band called King's X.

"Who?"

"King's X."

"What style do they play?"

He thought for a moment. "It's kinda hard to explain. It's metal, but it's really melodic at the same time. I could bring in a cassette if you wanna hear 'em."

"Yeah, I do want to hear them. Bring it in."

The next day, he handed me a copy of the band's first album "Out of the Silent Planet."

Ty Tabor - guitar and vocals

"Here you go," he said. "I think you're gonna like this album."

"Well, they named their recording after a C.S. Lewis novel, so points for that."

He grinned. "Let me know what you think."

After classes, I took the recording back home to my apartment, cued up the stereo, and slipped the tape into my player.

Wow.

"In the New Age" was a killer lead-off track. A swirl of sound...random guitar notes processed through delays and echoes, along with bits and pieces of cymbal percussion, all of it building until it gives way to a power trio chugging out a decidedly-metallic groove.

Doug Pinnick - bass and vocals

xAnd then, the vocals. Guitarist Ty Tabor, bassist Doug (AKA dUg) Pinnick and drummer Jerry Gaskill blended together for some of tightest, sweetest harmonies this side of Crosby, Stills and Nash, with a similar feel. It was a vocal sound that shouldn't have worked in the aggressive musical context playing behind it. Yet it worked in fantastic ways.

I was blown away, I continued to be blown away with each song that followed. Tabor's guitar playing was nothing less than inspired...his chunky rhythm work would give way to his soaring solos that took each song to great places. And that voice. It was the voice of a choirboy that should have been out of place, yet it never was.

Pinnick's bass work was amazing. He had a tone unlike any bass sound I've ever heard, before or since. It was a metallic growl that held down the bottom end, yet provided enough definition to let everyone know where he was going. He was in charge. His voice was much more rock-and-roll to my ears, edgy and soulful. Years later, Deep Purple would ask him to become the band's lead vocalist. He declined and stayed with King's X.

Jerry Gaskill - drums and vocals

Gaskill's drumming was spot-on, laser-focused and full of dynamics, since the band's style was nothing if not a wonderful exhibition of dynamics. He could be aggressive when the song called for it, then shift on a dime to something much more laid-back (yet still in the pocket), all the while providing a third voice to round out the harmonies.

With one album and one afternoon, I became a huge fan of a band I'd only heard about a day earlier. Their style was always a bit hard to figure...I've heard it described as an amalgam of progressive metal, funk and soul, with vocals that combine elements of 1960s-era British invasion, blues and gospel...their earliest recorded songs actually did have a sort of spiritual feel, whether intentional or not.

These days I have almost everything they've recorded, and they are still one of the most consistently excellent and fascinating groups that I've had the pleasure to hear.

Today's track comes from the album "Ear Candy," the band's sixth album.