King (Belly album)

King
Studio album by
Belly
ReleasedFebruary 13, 1995 (1995-02-13)[1]
RecordedCompass Point (Nassau, Bahamas)
GenreAlternative rock
Length45:00
Label
ProducerGlyn Johns
Belly chronology
Star
(1993) 		King
(1995) 		Dove
(2018)
Singles from King
  1. "Super-Connected"
    Released: 1995
  2. "Now They'll Sleep"
    Released: January 23, 1995[2]
  3. "Red"
    Released: 1995
  4. "Seal My Fate"
    Released: July 10, 1995[3]

King is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Belly, released on February 13, 1995.

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.[4] 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.[citation needed]

Background

Belly released their debut studio album Star in January 1993, which peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and number 59 in the United States. Of its singles, "Feed the Tree" performed the best, reaching number 32 in the UK and number 95 in the US. Belly was nominated for a Best New Act at the Grammy Awards, and won Boston Music Awards for Best Modern Rock Act and Debut Album of the Year. Bassist Fred Abong departed in May 1993 and was replaced by Gail Greenwood. They travelled to Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas to record their next album.[5]

Release

Preceded by the "Now They'll Sleep" single in January 1995, King was released in February 1995. "Seal My Fate" was issued as the next single in July 1995. Belly went on a US tour with Catherine Wheel; they officially broke up in early 1996.[5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Chicago Tribune[7]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[8]
The Guardian[9]
Los Angeles Times[10]
NME5/10[11]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[12]
Slant Magazine[13]
Spin8/10[14]
The Village VoiceA−[15]

In 2012, King was listed at number seven on PopMatters' "15 Overlooked and Underrated Albums of the 1990s" list.[16] 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."[17]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Puberty"
3:48
2."Seal My Fate"Donelly4:03
3."Red"
  • Donelly
  • Tom Gorman
3:35
4."Silverfish"
  • Donelly
  • Gorman
4:00
5."Super-Connected"
  • Donelly
  • Greenwood
4:25
6."The Bees"Donelly4:58
7."King"Donelly4:18
8."Now They'll Sleep"
  • Donelly
  • Gorman
3:14
9."Untitled and Unsung"Donelly3:33
10."L'il Ennio"Donelly3:45
11."Judas My Heart"
  • Donelly
  • Gorman
5:21
Total length:45:00

Charts

Chart performance for King
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] 87
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] 66
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 89
UK Albums (OCC)[21] 6
US Billboard 200[22] 57

References

Citations

  1. ^ "Reviews: Records Out on February 13, 1995". Music Week. February 4, 1995. p. 30.
  2. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. January 21, 1995. p. 31.
  3. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. July 8, 1995. p. 27.
  4. ^ Aston, Martin. "Rhode Island Odyssey". 4ad.com.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ a b Thompson 2000, p. 186
  6. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "King – Belly". AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2006.
  7. ^ Caro, Mark (March 2, 1995). "A Step Up". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  8. ^ Sinclair, Tom (February 17, 1995). "King". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  9. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (February 17, 1995). "Belly: King (4AD)". The Guardian.
  10. ^ Ali, Lorraine (February 14, 1995). "Donelly Brings Life and Texture to 'King'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  11. ^ Cigarettes 1995, p. 50
  12. ^ Sinagra 2004, p. 60
  13. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (October 16, 2003). "Review: Belly, King". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  14. ^ Fleissner 1995, p. 94
  15. ^ Christgau, Robert (June 6, 1995). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  16. ^ Chiola, Enio (May 8, 2012). "15 Overlooked and Underrated Albums of the 1990s". PopMatters. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  17. ^ Langmead, Jon (February 14, 2016). "Hail, Hail: Belly and the making of King". Aquarium Drunkard. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  18. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 28.
  19. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Belly – King" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  20. ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  21. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  22. ^ "Belly Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2018.

Sources