KING’S X: Ear Candy tape cassette Atlantic 1996 rare, hard to find these days. Check the review video for confirmation of rarity

Description

review video:

Studio Album, released in 1996

Songs / Tracks Listing
1. The Train (3:08)  the shifting, prog-tinged verses and sunburst chorus of The Train shows they’d lost none of their invention.

2. (Thinking and Wondering) What I’m Gonna Do (3:41)
3. Sometime (3:47)
4. A Box (4:39)
5. Looking For Love (2:58)

6. Mississippi Moon (3:11)
7. 67 (4:41)
8. Lies In The Sand (The Ballad of…) (3:53)
9. Run (3:27)

10. Fathers (3:21)
11. American Cheese (Jerry Pianto) (2:54)
12. Picture (5:34)
13. Life Going By (4:04)

Total Time 49:18

Line-up / Musicians

– Doug Pinnick / bass, lead vocals
– Ty Tabor / guitars, vocals
– Jerry Gaskill / drums, vocals

Additional Musicians:

– Glen Phillips / vocals (track 4)
– Brian Garcia / percussion
– Tony Flores / percussion
– Arnold Lanni / percussion

Releases information

Atlantic Records release 82880-2
Produced by Arnold Lanni and King X except tracks 8 and 11 produced by Ty Tabor and King X

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Jerry Gaskill [Kings X drummer ] has a vivid memory of being chased down the street by Layne Staley of Alice In Chains. Gaskill’s band, the Texan trio King’s X, had rolled into Seattle on the tour to promote their debut album, 1988’s Out Of The Silent Planet. Many of the leading players in the city’s nascent grunge scene had turned out to see them, including members of Soundgarden and Mother Love Bone as well as Alice In Chains.

It was after the show that Gaskill found himself accosted by Staley. The Kings’s X drummer was on his way to get some food when he heard footsteps hammering behind him.

“I see this guy hurtling down the street towards me, going: ‘Jerry! Jerry! I love your band, man!’” remembers Gaskill, as softly spoken and modest a man as you could ever hope to meet. “It was Layne. For some reason they all were really supportive of us up there. We became friends with a lot of those guys.”

Staley wasn’t the only superstar besotted with King’s X. In the early 90s, at the height of his own band’s success, Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament declared on MTV that “King’s X invented grunge”. Ament’s rationale was sound. In the era of Guns N’ Roses and Poison, King’s X, with their drop-D guitar tunings, sounded like nothing else around. But even if they had sparked off that movement – which is debatable anyway – that doesn’t tell the whole story. They also drew on a deep well of influences that ran from The Beatles (their effortless melodicism and immaculate harmonies) to Motörhead (the metallic ring of frontman Dug – formerly Doug – Pinnick’s bass sound was the heaviest thing this side of Lemmy) and even Joshua Tree-era U2 (their songs possessed an enigmatic, uplifting, spiritual edge).

The British music press went into meltdown. Out of nowhere, this trio of unlikely looking men in their greatcoats and military jackets became magazine cover stars. The band’s albums were each individually hailed as the future of rock.

Ear Candy is the sixth album from King X. It pretty much business as usual continuing in the same vein of melodic heavy rock, sometimes metal as their 5 previous albums
Opener The Train and Sometime are both classic King X with their instantly recognisable style of melodic heavy riffing, soulful vocals and Beatles influenced harmonies. A Box and Lies in the Sand is the band in more laid back style, Ty Tabors chiming guitar arpeggios to the fore in a similar vein to Goldilox and Summerland from their first 2 albums respectively. Looking for Love and Run are both hard hitting powerful rockers and Mississippi Moon with Tabor taking lead vocals is another strong melodic piece. Picture is a late album highlight with it quiet verse/heavy chorus, a style used a lot by the band over the years and an extended psychedelic instrumental section making it the longest track at 5.34 minutes; yes most of these songs are short and to the point. Life Going By is a fine album closer, Tabor taking lead vocals again on this mid paced powerful melodic piece with some excellent harmony singing. Ear Candy is a very good King X album.

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5.0 out of 5 stars An uplifting album containing some classic tracks,
This album has immediate appeal for both existing fans of the band and others into rock/metal in general.
The album kicks off perfectly with Train with its chugging guitar riff setting the tone for the whole album which has a slightly back to basics feel in places.
Other standout tracks are the lively Sometimes, Box, Mississippi Moon & Lines In The Sand (both led by Ty Tabor), Fathers (a very personal song from Doug P) and the simply excellent Life Going By which is an immense album closer. American Cheese is also worth a mention as a quirky Ty led tune with heavy Beatles influence.
with 13 tracks this is a substantial offering with great diversity.
The production (by the band themselves) is fine and I think the intention was to create a fairly live and, at times, raw feel. The songs by their very nature didn’t demand a complex muti-layered approach and this has given the sound immediacy and directness.
As ever, this little known trio from Texas has produced another very strong album. A must for the discerning rock fan.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Their Last Consistently Great Album,
From the opening chords of The Train , through to the fade on Life Going By , this album has kept me hooked since it was first released . All the boxes can be ticked in terms of the classic King X sounds that have always defined the band – BIG riffs ( The Train , Run ) , melodious harmonies ( The Box , Mississippi Moon ) and Doug smoky vocals standing head and shoulders above most current singers ( Picture , Sometimes ) . That without mentioning the fact that the track Life Going By , last on the album , has been consistently voted favourite song on King X websites . So , get this album – you’re in for a treat !

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5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing original groovy funk rock album,
This was a slight different change for them, shedding much of their known themes, concepts. These songs are much more regular in theme and lyrics, but as tunes really originally crafted and hugely infectious. They are just really great summer time positive vibe funky catchy riff filled rock tunes. A great feel good, very thoughtful album. Different.