King's X: The Oral History

I thought I was a big King's X fan before reading this book. This book has made me an even bigger fan! I made sure to play King's X music while reading the book, especially on the more obscure later albums. I've actually found many more songs that I like that I didn't pay attention to much when they came out. Songs like "Life Going By", "Mudd", "Hate You", "I Don't Know", "Everywhere I Go", and "A Box". The book helps us understand how each song came together and the method to their madness. I think what I most appreciate about this book is how thoroughly it allows each member of King's X to explain what they were thinking and where they were coming from with everything that happened in their careers. It also does a great job of allowing other famous and not so famous musicians describe why King's X is important to them. Why do musicians seem to like King's X so much? I think it's because King's X has mastered several key areas in rock music. Without a doubt, the tone is 100% master class. Ty's guitar tone and Dug's bass tone are on another level. And they've done a great job caputuring that both live and in the studio. Jerry is so solid, just a great musical drummer and great singer. But aside from the tone, they never write music that is boring or that follows some "cookie-cutter" formula. Every song has something to offer. This band writes very few "throw away" songs. I think other musicians marvel at that. How can three guys be so creative and so rediculously good, for so long? That's what amazes me. I'm just greatful that we still have all three members of the band with us on planet earth, and I'm hoping I can finally see them live (bucket list). I feel like I've taken so much from them (hundreds of hours of music listening) and have not given my fair share with regards to financial support. I'll see if I can change that soon. One thing I know for sure is that this band's legacy will only grow in years to come. It's all on tape and future generations will continue to find their music and truely appreciate it. They'll be able to appreciate it because King's X music is timeless. It never sounds dated and it resonates with me everytime I listen. I keep coming back to King's X music and it's like I'm hearing it for the first time again. Are they the most underated rock band of all time? Yes. But, that doesn't matter anymore. What matters is we need to fully appreciate and support this band and the solo efforts of this band's members. They've given us soooo much and we haven't even scratched the surface as far as repaying them.

Somehow, this book delivers far more than it promises. It is certainly the defining history of one of rock's most meaningful and consequential bands, presented in a way that one cannot debate the ultimate conclusion. It is an incredible autobiography of every recorded song the band has ever done. For those of us who find so much meaning and feeling in so many of their tracks that the rest of the world hasn't (quite yet) discovered broadly, this is like a musical therapy guide. It is an honest and respectful lionization of the almost peerless musical alchemy of these three guys, delivered by a stunning roster of influencers that have already broadly reached a rarefied position in the music world. It is proof that Greg Prato is a major dude for developing this project, and then getting out of the way to let the story tell itself (outside of his expert work on flow). And most fascinatingly to me, it shows that three humble guys whose hearts appear to have always been in the right place can be hypocritically written off by the very faith system they grew up in, due to their willingness to be real about their journey and struggles, instead of play-acting some kind of a spiritual caricature. If you love music, this is a must-read, as it's wonderfully entertaining. If you love a good authentic story, this is a must-read, as its deeply thought-provoking. And if you love King's X, this is a must-read, because as you already know, 'life is still of surprise...' (with mics pointed towards us, of course)

King's X is my all-time favorite band. It's about time a book like this hit the shelves! Greg Prato is a tireless champion of great music - his book about another great rock trio that influenced everyone in their scene but never got much tread personally, Meat Puppets, is also a great read - and I love what he's done here, which is essentially just storyboard the evolution of King's X from their origins to today, and let the band and some of the band's biggest champions tell the tale. It's going on 40 years now since Doug Pinnick, Ty Tabor, and Jerry Gaskill started playing rock 'n' roll together. And they continue to do their thing, and do it oh so wonderfully well. "King's X: The Oral History" is organized into chapters covering the band's club days, each studio album (with a very cool track-by-track breakdown from the band members), plus sections on touring, making videos, assorted side projects, some personal insights, and more. The concept, style, and flow of the book are all top-notch. Contributors include a who's-who of rock 'n' roll from the 1980's to today, and include some surprises (to me) like Andy Summers (The Police) and Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) along with a slew of folks who were obvious choices (to King's X fans, at least) like Rex Brown (Pantera), Jeff Ament (Mother Love Bone, Tres Mts.), Billy Sheehan (Talas), Ray Luzier (Army of Anyone), Matt Pinfield (MTV's '120 Minutes'), Shannon Larkin (Wrathchild America, Souls At Zero), Wally Farkas (Galactic Cowboys, Molken Music), Jonny and Marsha Z (Megaforce Records), Brian Slagel (Metal Blade Records), and loads more. There are only 2 people whose contributions feel out of place - painfully so, with the lack of understanding of the subject matter shown in their pieces - but they are minimal and that is life. In fact, Prato seems to bookend every quote from Eddie and Charlie (sigh) with stories from sources that correct and dismiss them, so it evens out. If you've ever even heard of King's X or if you are just looking for a book about rock 'n' roll history, "King's X: The Oral History" is the book for you. The packaging is very nice, and the inclusion of a bunch of cool color photos is icing on the cake.

Ideal para los pocos fans que hay de Kings X, una de las bandas mas infravaloradas del rock. Historia oral de los 3 miembros del grupo más declaraciones de otros músicos como Mick Mars de Motley Crue, Charlie Bemante de Anthrax o Nunno de Extreme. El autor, Greg Pratto, firma otro interesante documento de la historia del rock.

Insightful and very informative look as the greatest band (most of) the world has never known

Uses a means of direct quotations, predominantly from the three members to describe each album and what was happening at that time along with brief overview of the songs. It’s a page turner and makes you hunger for the chance to dig each record out and turn it up. Also fascinated to listen to their side projects.

A very enjoyable read! Highly recommended.

En Anglais....Tout fan Français de King's X ,on est pas nombreux,peut acheter les yeux fermés(mais il faut les ouvrir pour lire bien sur). Chaque morceau de chaque album est commenté,les débuts,l'hommage d'autres sicos.40 ans de musique qui ne ressemble à aucune autre. The most underated band in the world.