K (album)
| K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Kula Shaker | ||||
| Released |
16 September 1994 (UK) 22 October 1996 (US) | |||
| Recorded | January–May 1996, Eden, RAK, Townhouse, Chipping Norton, Livingston, The Pierce Room, Wessex, Maison Rouge, Eastcote Studios | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic rock, raga rock, Britpop | |||
| Length | 48:51 (not including 13:04 silence) | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | John Leckie, Shep & Dodge, Crispian Mills | |||
| Kula Shaker chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Austin Chronicle |  [2] |
| Alternative Press | [3] |
| The A.V. Club | (mixed)[4] |
| Robert Christgau | C[5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[6] |
| NME | 9/10[7] |
| Q | [8] |
| Record Collector | [9] |
| Rolling Stone | (favourable)[10] |
K is the debut album by Kula Shaker, released on 16 September 1996. When it was released, it became the fastest selling debut album in Britain since Elastica's debut the previous year.[11] The album reached the #1 position in the UK charts, however in America it stalled at #200 in the Billboard charts.
The Grateful Dead's psychedelic rock style is an influence on Kula Shaker's first and second albums. The hidden track after "Hollow Man" is a recording of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, speaking about his own guru.
The album received mixed reviews; Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted the band's "powerful rush", but said they "have trouble coming up with hooks".[1]
Artwork
The cover art (by comic-book artist Dave Gibbons) consists of various images related to the letter K, including: John F. Kennedy, Lord Kitchener, Karl Marx, Gene Kelly, Katharine Hepburn, Ken Dodd, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Danny Kaye, Kal-El (Superman), Boris Karloff (as Frankenstein's monster), Krishna, King Kong, Martin Luther King, Jr., 2 Knights (a pair of Keys on one of them), a Kettle, Kali, the Kaiser, Nikita Khrushchev, Grace Kelly, the number 11 (symbolizing K), and Rudyard Kipling's book Kim.
Track listing
All tracks written by Crispian Mills except where indicated.
| Original track listing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Hey Dude" | 4:10 | |
| 2. | "Knight on the Town" | 3:25 | |
| 3. | "Temple of Everlasting Light" | Mills, Alonza Bevan | 2:33 |
| 4. | "Govinda" | 4:57 | |
| 5. | "Smart Dogs" | 3:16 | |
| 6. | "Magic Theatre" | Mills, Bevan | 2:38 |
| 7. | "Into the Deep" | Mills, Bevan | 3:49 |
| 8. | "Sleeping Jiva" | Mills, Bevan, Jay Darlington, Paul Winterhart | 2:02 |
| 9. | "Tattva" | 3:46 | |
| 10. | "Grateful When You're Dead/Jerry Was There" | 5:42 | |
| 11. | "303" | Mills, Bevan | 3:08 |
| 12. | "Start All Over" | 2:35 | |
| 13. | "Hollow Man (Parts 1 & 2)" (plus 0:12 hidden track after – 13:04 silence) | 6:10 | |
| 15th Anniversary Edition bonus tracks | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 14. | "Tattva (Lucky 13 Mix)" | Mills, Bevan, Darlington, Winterjart | 3:59 |
| 15. | "Into the Deep (Unreleased John Leckie Version)" | Mills, Bevan | 4:45 |
| 16. | "Red Balloon (Vishnu's Eyes)" | Tim Hardin | 3:42 |
| 17. | "Hush" ("Hush" is 2:58; plus 1:25 hidden track at the end, an extended version of the original hidden track) | Joe South | 17:20 |
| 15th Anniversary Japanese Edition bonus tracks | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 14. | "Raagy One (Waiting for Tomorrow)" | 4:27 | |
| 15. | "Tattva (Lucky 13 Mix)" | Mills, Bevan, Darlington, Winterjart | 3:59 |
| 16. | "Into the Deep (Unreleased John Leckie Version)" | Mills, Bevan | 4:45 |
| 17. | "Red Balloon (Vishnu's Eyes)" | Tim Hardin | 3:42 |
| 18. | "Hush" ("Hush" is 2:58; plus 1:25 hidden track at the end, an extended version of the original hidden track) | Joe South | 12:53 |
Credits
Kula Shaker are:
- Crispian Mills – Singing, Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Tamboura.
- Alonza Bevan – Bass, Piano, Tabla, Backing Vocals
- Paul Winterhart – Drums
- Jay Darlington – Organ, Mellotron, Piano.
Guest musicians:
- Sarod on "Sleeping Jiva" by Wajahat Kahn.
- Tabla on "Govinda" and "Jerry Was There" by Himangsu Goswami.
- Backing Vocals on "Govinda" by Gauri.
- Horns on "Start All Over" by The Kick Horns.
| Preceded by New Adventures in Hi-Fi by R.E.M. |
UK number one album 28 September 1996 – 11 October 1996 |
Succeeded by Natural by Peter Andre |
References
- 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "AllMusic review". AllMusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
- ↑ "Record Reviews - Music Review". The Austin Chronicle. 1996-11-15. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
- ↑ "Kula Shaker – K". Alternative Press. January 1997. p. 73.
- ↑ Thompson, Stephen (29 March 2002). "Kula Shaker: K". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ↑ "CG: Kula Shaker". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
- ↑ Pepper, Tracey (25 October 1996). "K Review | Music Reviews and News". Entertainment Weekly. p. 116. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
- ↑ "Kula Shaker K". NME. 21–28 December 1996. pp. 66–67.
- ↑ "Kula Shaker K". Q. October 1996. p. 165.
- ↑ Tuscadero, Inky (December 2011). "Kula Shaker – K". Record Collector. p. 95. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ↑ Archived 18 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Kula Shaker Classic Rock Archive". Classic Rock. March 2000. Retrieved 3 April 2010.