KING'S X Out of the Silent Planet

Megaforce, 1988

Producers: Sam Taylor and King's X

Line up: Doug Pinnick (vocals, bass); Ty Tabor (guitars, vocals); Jerry Gaskill (drums, vocals).

In the New Age / Goldilox / Power of Love / Wonder / Sometimes / King / What is This? / Far, far Away / Shot of Love / Visions

Although Out of the Silent Planet may have seemed fresh in 1988, Houston trio King’s X had been gigging and striving for recognition for nigh on a decade prior to its release (although they did release a self-titled under the name of Sneak Preview in 1983). Yet a record deal with Atlantic subsidiary Megaforce couldn’t guarantee riches for, despite rapturous reviews, King’s X have never really risen above cult status, not helped by a run of albums of increasing mediocrity in the mid-nineties.
1988 was dominated by stadium rock; big hair and cocaine decadence were all the rage, so it was hard to see where a Beatles-influenced trio could fit in, especially given the Christian slant of their lyrics. This was to both the group’s advantage, as they almost the antithesis of rock’s then-current state of mind, and disadvantage, as good reviews don’t necessarily get you headlines. A sold out gig at London’s Marquee gave hint that King’s X could be the ones to change rock in a not dissimilar way to which grunge would eventually succeed, yet the group unfortunately lost momentum, possibly due the clinging dominance of producer and manager Sam Taylor.
Planet is a polished gem throughout; Doug Pinnick’s incredible gospel-like vocals a perfect foil to Ty Tabor’s inventive guitar work which marries economy to flash brilliance. The three-way melodies are a key focal point, lending extra depth to already above-average material, ‘Goldilox’ a key example. The group don’t skimp on heavy riffs either, as the driving ‘King’ and ‘Far, Far Away’ attest.
Although the UK press was quick to pick up on Planet, not least because of the stylistic nods to the Beatles and the harmonic groups of the sixties' Brit boom era, the album sank without a trace in the US (1988 was a year sandwiched by Appetite for Destruction and Dr Feelgood, after all.) Planet’s follow-up, Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, finally saw a buzz floating around the group, and they would support AC/DC and Anthrax on sold-out tours. This momentum wasn’t to last, as disagreements with Taylor eventually came to a head around the release of 1992’s King’s X