ADD Another fake! PROOF As requested, here’s the recent remastered reissue of KING’S X album “Tape Head”, pressed on gold CD and including a bonus track.
After some experimentation with previous albums, “Tape Head”, originally released in 1998, is considered the triumphant return to the classic King’s X sound, while still exploring new territory for a band unwilling to stay the same, and thankfully so.
”Tape Head +1 [Gold Disc edition remastered]” flows with the perfect mix of heavy groove and melodic sensibility, with no shreds of the early prog-ish King’s X sound. The songwriting is excellent, the musicianship is elite, with perfectly placed guitar fills, basslines, and of course the signature vocal harmonies. Can it get any better?
This is classic King’s X with no restrictions, no producers, and no record labels driving them for the next radio hit. Expert metal / hard rock journalist & writer Martin Popoff considers “Tape Head” as his King’s X #1 favorite.
Indeed, “Tape Head” is straight up King’s X, very neat, and it goes down ultra-smooth. This is top shelf stuff, a monolithic slab of epic proportions. Opening track title – and music – perfectly sums up what this album is all about: a ‘Groove Machine’.
While the 1-2 punch of ‘Groove Machine’ and ‘Fade’ are the most immediate and catchy things on the album, the slow-burning charm of the rest of the record shines through eventually with ‘Little Bit of Soul’ being a standout track and the joyous ‘World’ providing a nice counterpoint to the rest of the LP.
Heavy again again but with the same kind of powerful chorus is ‘Ono’. When you have an album as single-minded as ”Tape Head”, you tend to grasp onto standout melodies like this even more. King’s X let their 1960’s flag fly a little bit on ‘Cupid’, which doesn’t let up in the groove department, but does have shades of their hippie melodic bent.
That’s an appropriate way to lead into ‘Ocean’, a mellow Ty Tabor song turned up to 11. Doug’s hella-sonic bass just crushes, even though you could fairly call this song a ballad!
Then ‘Higher Than God’ is one of the mightiest choruses on the album, thanks again to Doug, with Ty and Jerry backing him. Only King’s X can infuse R&B with their rock the way that they do. Listen to Doug’s low vocal crooning on ‘Happy’. Then he turns it up, lets it loose. There is only one Doug Pinnick and he is a rock and soul treasure.
You might not expect the slight twang that starts off ‘Mr. Evil’ but like most King’s X songs, it mutates into different forms. If you were craving just one more killer chorus before it’s all over, then ‘World’ delivers that and some heavy-ass grooves too. The highlight here is a blazing rock n’ roll guitar solo, very different for Ty.
”Tape Head” is an impressive monument of hard / classic rock indeed. It bleeds pure gobs of soul, and it rocks the brain really, really hard. It’s slimmer in the catchy melodies stockpile, but the relentlessness of direction draws you back in for another listen.
Some may lament that with ”Tape Head”, King’s X progressive past seems long behind them. I think that was road they already turned from, with 1994’s ‘Dogman’. They transformed into a heavier band, with echoes of their past but a sound that blends it all up.
The songs are not as distinct, but the groove is king on ”Tape Head”. Jimi Hendrix would be proud.
1 Groove Machine 3:43
2 Fade 3:24
3 Over And Over 3:23
4 Ono 3:55
5 Cupid 4:14
6 Ocean 3:08
7 Little Bit Of Soul 4:13
8 Hate You 3:01
9 Higher Than God 3:01
10 Happy 5:38
11 Mr. Evil 3:45
12 World 3:36
13 Walter Bela Farkas (Live Peace In New York) (Vocals – Wally Farkas of Galactic Cowboys) 2:42
14 Two 3:14 (BONUS TRACK)
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real CD mp3+FLAC for subscribers
KING S X – TAPE HEAD +1 Bonus (GOLD DISC CD, 2021, Brutal Planet Records), MP3+FLAC
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