King (band)
Encyclopedia
King were a British
New Wave
pop
band
of the mid 1980s, from Coventry
. Their name comes from the surname of lead singer Paul King
. The band recorded two albums for CBS Records (now Sony Music Entertainment
); both were produced by Richard James Burgess
and certified gold
.
rock
-ska
band The Reluctant Stereotypes plus producer
Paul Sampson. Riding on the back of the Two Tone wave, they had two UK Top 10
album
s on CBS
, both produced and mixed by Richard James Burgess
, and two UK Top 10 singles
.
After the Reluctant Stereotypes, singer Paul King formed The Raw Screens, who perfected their act and style to what Paul and his manager Perry Haines called "Multi Tone", a reference to "Two Tone", and then, in 1983, relaunched the group as self-named 1980s band, King.
As lead singer, Paul King wore a 'cockatoo
' haircut and spray-painted Doc Marten's Boots - a look described "like the Child Catcher
from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
. But, hell, the girls loved him;" while Burgess produced and drummed on most of the album tracks.
The band released two UK Top 10 albums on CBS
, both produced and mixed by Burgess, who also played drums
on most of the debut work Steps in Time
(the second LP, which was entitled Bitter Sweet, saw instead Adrian Lillywhite on drums). The CBS albums were both certified gold and produced five hit singles, the most successful being the UK #2 hit, "Love & Pride
".
King as a band lasted just a couple of years, from 1984 to 1986, then Paul King went solo with an album titled Joy
, produced by American
producer Dan Hartman
. After that, he briefly worked as a VJ for MTV
. From 1988 to the present, though, his TV
appearances have become increasingly infrequent.
In 1998, a collection was released, entitled The Best of King - Love & Pride, with 18 tracks, featuring the band's greatest hits and stand-out tracks, including Paul King's one minor solo hit, "I Know".
The only single of the band's to chart on the Billboard Hot 100
in the US
was "Love & Pride", which peaked at #55 in September 1985.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
of the mid 1980s, from Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
. Their name comes from the surname of lead singer Paul King
Paul King (musician, MJ)
Paul King is an Irish singer, musician, VJ, and TV presenter.-Biography:Paul King was born in Galway, Ireland, but moved to Coventry, England with his parents at a young age....
. The band recorded two albums for CBS Records (now Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
); both were produced by Richard James Burgess
Richard James Burgess
Richard James Burgess is a studio drummer, music-computer programmer, recording artist, record producer, composer, author, manager, marketer and inventor. He was the producer for Spandau Ballet's first two albums.-Education:...
and certified gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
.
Overview
The band was formed from the remnants of ClitheroeClitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
-ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
band The Reluctant Stereotypes plus producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Paul Sampson. Riding on the back of the Two Tone wave, they had two UK Top 10
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, both produced and mixed by Richard James Burgess
Richard James Burgess
Richard James Burgess is a studio drummer, music-computer programmer, recording artist, record producer, composer, author, manager, marketer and inventor. He was the producer for Spandau Ballet's first two albums.-Education:...
, and two UK Top 10 singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
.
After the Reluctant Stereotypes, singer Paul King formed The Raw Screens, who perfected their act and style to what Paul and his manager Perry Haines called "Multi Tone", a reference to "Two Tone", and then, in 1983, relaunched the group as self-named 1980s band, King.
As lead singer, Paul King wore a 'cockatoo
Cockatoo
A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes . Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of...
' haircut and spray-painted Doc Marten's Boots - a look described "like the Child Catcher
Child Catcher
The Child Catcher is the supporting antagonist of the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and in the later stage musical adaptation. The character was created by the film's screenwriter, Roald Dahl, and did not appear in the original Ian Fleming book...
from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (film)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a 1968 musical film with a script by Roald Dahl and Ken Hughes, and songs by the Sherman Brothers, loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car. It starred Dick Van Dyke as Caractacus Potts and Sally Ann Howes as Truly Scrumptious. The...
. But, hell, the girls loved him;" while Burgess produced and drummed on most of the album tracks.
The band released two UK Top 10 albums on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, both produced and mixed by Burgess, who also played drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
on most of the debut work Steps in Time
Steps in Time
Steps in Time is the 1984 debut album by the English Coventry band King, produced by Richard James Burgess and released by CBS Records. Although lasting just two years and a half, King had five UK Top 40 hit songs, including two Top 10 hits: "Love & Pride" , the re-release of their debut single...
(the second LP, which was entitled Bitter Sweet, saw instead Adrian Lillywhite on drums). The CBS albums were both certified gold and produced five hit singles, the most successful being the UK #2 hit, "Love & Pride
Love & Pride
"Love & Pride" is the debut, 1984, single by Coventry band King and produced by Richard James Burgess.In May 1984, the single initially reached a chart ranking of 84 on the UK Singles Chart. When the group performed the song on Saturday morning television towards the end of the year, the single was...
".
King as a band lasted just a couple of years, from 1984 to 1986, then Paul King went solo with an album titled Joy
Joy (Paul King album)
Joy is the only solo album by British singer Paul King, released in 1987, on CBS label, after King, the new wave band he was lead singer for, split up in 1986....
, produced by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
producer Dan Hartman
Dan Hartman
Daniel Earl "Dan" Hartman was an American singer, songwriter and record producer, best known for such songs as: "Free Ride", "I Can Dream About You", "Instant Replay", "Love Sensation", and "Relight My Fire", all of which had world-wide success.-Career:Born in Pennsylvania's capital, Harrisburg,...
. After that, he briefly worked as a VJ for MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. From 1988 to the present, though, his TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
appearances have become increasingly infrequent.
In 1998, a collection was released, entitled The Best of King - Love & Pride, with 18 tracks, featuring the band's greatest hits and stand-out tracks, including Paul King's one minor solo hit, "I Know".
The only single of the band's to chart on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was "Love & Pride", which peaked at #55 in September 1985.
Line-up
- Paul King: vocals
- Mick Roberts: keyboards
- Anthony "Tony" Wall: bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Jim "Jackal" Lantsbery: guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- John Hewitt / Adrian Lillywhite: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Singles
| Year | A-side A-side and B-side A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or... |
B-side A-side and B-side A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or... |
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 1984 CBS |
"Love & Pride Love & Pride "Love & Pride" is the debut, 1984, single by Coventry band King and produced by Richard James Burgess.In May 1984, the single initially reached a chart ranking of 84 on the UK Singles Chart. When the group performed the song on Saturday morning television towards the end of the year, the single was... " (12": Body & Soul Mix) |
"Don't Stop" "Classic Strangers" (12") |
|
| August 1984 CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
"Soul On My Boots" (12": Rub-A-Dub Mix) |
"Ain't No Doubt" "Fools" (12") |
|
| October 1984 CBS |
"Won't You Hold My Hand Now" (12": Heavy Times Mix) |
"Endlessly" "Never Ending" (12") |
|
| January 1985 CBS A4948 Reissue 7", 12" |
"Love & Pride" (12": Body & Soul Mix) |
"Don't Stop" "Classic Strangers" (12") |
|
| March 1985 CBS 7", limited double 7"**, 12" |
"Won't You Hold My Hand Now" (remix) (12":Youth Mix) |
"Fish" (Reprise) (Live, Glasgow 26.1.85) "Won't You Hold My Hand Now" (Encore, Live)** "And As For Myself" (Live)** |
|
| August 1985 CBS 7", 12" |
"Alone Without You" (12": Scorcher Mix) |
"I Kissed The Spiky Fridge" (Rock Hard Mix) "Love & Pride" (USA Summer Mix) (12") |
|
| October 1985 CBS A6618 7", 12" |
"The Taste Of Your Tears" (12": Breaker Heart Mix) |
"Crazy Party" "Alone Without You" - The Reprise (12") |
|
| January 1986 CBS QTA6761 |
"Torture" (12": PF Extended Mix) |
"Groovin' With The Kings" "These Things" (Reprise)(12") |
|
| 1987 CBS PKING1 Paul King solo |
"I Know" | "Some Risks" | |
| 1987 CBS PKING2 Paul King solo |
"Follow My Heart" (12": Heartbeat Mix) |
"Love, Pride and Brutality" | |
| 1987 CBS Paul King solo |
"Smug and Irritating" | ? | |
Albums
- Steps in TimeSteps in TimeSteps in Time is the 1984 debut album by the English Coventry band King, produced by Richard James Burgess and released by CBS Records. Although lasting just two years and a half, King had five UK Top 40 hit songs, including two Top 10 hits: "Love & Pride" , the re-release of their debut single...
(1984) - King - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#6 - Bitter Sweet (1985) - King - UK #16
- JoyJoy (Paul King album)Joy is the only solo album by British singer Paul King, released in 1987, on CBS label, after King, the new wave band he was lead singer for, split up in 1986....
(1987) - Paul King solo - The Best of King - Love & Pride (1998) - King & Paul King collection
- "Love & Pride" (3:20)
- "Don't Stop" (3:29)
- "Won't You Hold My Hand Now" (3:12)
- "Fish" (5:12)
- "Trouble" (4:02)
- "Soul on My Boots" (3:37)
- "I Kissed the Spikey Fridge" (4:05)
- "Alone without You" (3:34)
- "Crazy Party" (3:25) B-Side of 'The Taste Of Your Tears'
- "The Taste of Your Tears" (4:03)
- "I Cringed, I Died, I Felt Hot" (4:56)
- "These Things" (2:29)
- "Torture" (3:37)
- "Groovin' with the Kings" (Dub Mix of 'Torture') Also B-Side of 'Torture' (3:30)
- "I Know" [Paul King solo] (3:37)
- "Love & Pride (Body & Soul Mix)" (5:28)
- "Won't You Hold My Hand Now (Heavy Times Mix)" (7:50)
- "The Taste of Your Tears (Breaker Heart Mix)" (6:24)