King (Belly album)
King is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Belly, released on February 13, 1995.
King | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 13, 1995 | |||
Recorded | Compass Point Studios (Nassau, Bahamas) | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 45:00 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Glyn Johns | |||
Belly chronology | ||||
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Singles from King | ||||
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Although the members had tightened their focus and polished their hook-laden songs, King and its singles did not meet label expectations in the grunge-friendly atmosphere of 1995, and the band broke up shortly after it was released. The album sold over 350,000 copies [1]. In the two decades since King's release, many (including some critics) have reconsidered the initial lukewarm attitude towards the album and now hold it as an equal to Belly's highly-regarded debut Star.
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Chicago Tribune | |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[4] |
The Guardian | |
Los Angeles Times | |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Slant Magazine | |
Spin | 8/10[9] |
The Village Voice | A−[10] |
In 2012, King was listed at number seven on PopMatters' "Top 15 Overlooked Albums of the 1990s" list.[11] In 2016, the album was hailed by Will Sheff of Okkervil River as "a winning, confident, masterful collection of songs – poppy and sweet and with a low-key psychedelic undercurrent. Everything good about Star was still there and had been expanded upon, but in many ways this felt like a new, reinvented band."[12]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Puberty" | 3:48 | |
2. | "Seal My Fate" | Donelly | 4:03 |
3. | "Red" |
| 3:35 |
4. | "Silverfish" |
| 4:00 |
5. | "Super-Connected" |
| 4:25 |
6. | "The Bees" | Donelly | 4:58 |
7. | "King" | Donelly | 4:18 |
8. | "Now They'll Sleep" |
| 3:14 |
9. | "Untitled and Unsung" | Donelly | 3:33 |
10. | "L'il Ennio" | Donelly | 3:45 |
11. | "Judas My Heart" |
| 5:21 |
Total length: | 45:00 |
Charts
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
---|---|
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[13] | 66 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] | 89 |
UK Albums (OCC)[15] | 6 |
US Billboard 200[16] | 57 |
References
- Aston, Martin. "Rhode Island Odyssey". 4ad.com.
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "King – Belly". AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2006.
- Caro, Mark (March 2, 1995). "A Step Up". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- Sinclair, Tom (February 17, 1995). "King". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- Sullivan, Caroline (February 17, 1995). "Belly: King (4AD)". The Guardian.
- Ali, Lorraine (February 14, 1995). "Donelly Brings Life and Texture to 'King'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- Sinagra, Laura (2004). "Belly". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 60. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- Cinquemani, Sal (October 16, 2003). "Belly: King". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- Fleissner, Jen (March 1995). "Belly: King". Spin. Vol. 10 no. 12. p. 94. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- Christgau, Robert (June 6, 1995). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- Chiola, Enio (May 8, 2012). "Top 15 Overlooked Albums of the 1990s". PopMatters. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
- Langmead, Jon (February 14, 2016). "Hail, Hail: Belly and the making of King". Aquarium Drunkard. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Belly – King" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
- "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
- "Belly Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2018.