King’s X recently re-issued two of their classic albums, Gretchen Goes to Nebraska (1989) and Faith Hope Love (1990), via Metal Blade Records. Both available as a double vinyl, Faith Hope Love has also been re-packaged on CD with two bonus live tracks recorded in Cleveland in 1992. To purchase these limited re-issues, please visit indiemerch.com.
King’s X’s second full-length, Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, is based loosely on a short story by drummer Jerry Gaskill and is considered a landmark in the band’s 30+ year history. Containing many fan favorites – such as the power ballad Summerland, plus Mission and The Burning Down – Gretchen Goes to Nebraska also features the track Pleiades, which is credited by guitarist Ty Tabor as being the genesis of the King’s X sound when he presented the demo to the other band members a few years earlier. Additionally, the album track Over My Head received considerable play on MTV and radio, and ultimately set the trio up for broader success on subsequent releases.
The follow-up to Gretchen Goes to Nebraska – Faith Hope Love – was released the next year in 1990 and landed in the Billboard Top 100, thus becoming the band’s highest charting album at the time. Led by the radio single It’s Love, King’s X also hit number six on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart – their highest chart position! To-date, Faith Hope Love is still King’s X’s most commercially successful album, reaching gold status in the USA.
This month, King’s X will embark on a west coast tour in support of these classic albums (and more!), with Kings of Spade joining them on the run. See below for all dates.
King’s X tour dates w/ Kings of Spade
Feb. 25 – Reno, NV – Psychedelic Ballroom and Jukejoint
Feb. 26 – Sacramento, CA – Crest Theatre
Feb. 27 – San Jose, CA – Rockbar Theater
Mar. 1 – West Hollywood, CA – Whisky A Go Go
Mar. 3 – San Juan Capistrano, CA – The Coach House
Mar. 4 – Ramona, CA – Ramona Mainstage *
Mar. 5 – Corona, CA – M15 *
*=no Kings of Spade
King’s X online:
kingsxrocks.com
facebook.com/KingsXFanPage
7 Responses
I attended a great King’s X show in Greensboro, NC this past September and would love to see them again soon. Regarding these reissues, they’re both good albums. Lots of KX fans consider “Gretchen…” as their best, but I think that “Dogman” is their best and that “XV” might be second-best.
Dogman is a masterpiece!
I have loved Kings X since OUT OF THE SILENT PLANET. I am definitely buying the vinyl reissues. I wish they’d do some shows in Texas in support of these reissues. The guys in the band might not be from here originally but, as most Kings X fans know, Texas became their home in the early days. I’ve seen them live multiple times and they’ve always been incredible. I could easily go on and on praising this band but it’d take up too much space on this website.
West coast tour? I hope that’s not all the dates, because there’s a lot more to the West Coast than CA!
King’s X decided that it doesn’t make sense anymore from a financial standpoint (and probably along with other reasons) to do an extended tour, but rather to fly in, do a few dates in a relatively small geographical area, and fly out back to their respective homes. Since they started do this, I haven’t noticed them doing as many dates in one bunch as the west coast dates they’re doing in a couple of weeks, so folks out in those areas should take advantage if they can!
And Kings of Spade are a great opening act, making it that much more of a great idea to see “The Kings of the Coast” tour.
I’ve seen King’s X several times. Always a great show! Got my picture taken with Ty in front of their bus in Pittsburgh and got Doug and Tys autographs. Really nice guys. Jerry wasn’t around after the show for some reason. The band who opened for them that night was The Galactic Cowboys and they were awesome!