Out of the Silent Planet

Description

Out of the Silent Planet is the debut album by the American progressive hard rock band King’s X, released on Atlantic Records in March 1988. King’s X is a power rock trio that mix close Beatlesque harmonies with metal guitar extravaganzas and soul and funk influences.

After nearly a decade struggling for recognition, Houston’s King’s X finally obtained a record deal with Megaforce Records, issuing their debut Out of the Silent Planet in 1988. The band’s unique sound combines Beatles-esque vocal harmonies and melodies with heavy guitars, complex arragements, and singer Doug Pinnick’s incredible, gospel-tinged voice. After the space-age intro of «In the New Age», one is swept away by the ethereal beauty of album highlights «Goldilox», and the driving «King», where the band comes closest to revealing their Christian beliefs. The drum intro and main riff of «Far, Far Away» mark another remarkable moment, but this is an astonishing record from start to finish, with further kudos going to «Wonder», «Shot of Love», and «Power of Love». [Ed Rivadavia, AMG]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/out-of-the-silent-planet/357849719)

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “In The New Age” – 5:23
A2. “Goldilox” – 4:41
A3. “Power Of Love” – 4:57
A4. “Wonder” – 4:13
A5. “Sometimes” – 3:40

Side Two
B1. “King” – 3:01
B2. “What Is This?” – 3:48
B3. “Far, Far Away” – 4:14
B4. “Shot Of Love” – 3:15
B5. “Visions” – 5:11

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette, 12-inch vinyl LP, and CD by Atlantic Records. (Angelic Warlord: The re-mastered 2014 re-issue comes recommended from how it improves upon the rawer sounds to the Megaforce original.)

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“Shot of Love” (MUSIC VIDEO)

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In the mid seventies, Doug Pinnick (originally a member of the gospel group, Bob Dempster & The Caravelle Singers based in Florida; later a founding member of the hard rock outfit King’s X) formed a band called Servant with keyboardist Matt Spransy. They were described as a progressive Art Rock type of band along the lines of Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. The band played all over the midwest and even put together a demo of original songs. Oddly enough, there was a band from Canada that also called themselves Servant who had actually scored a recording contract. Spransy ended up joining the Canadian version of Servant in the late seventies, and that band recorded a song that he and Pinnick had written together called «I’m Gonna Live», featured on their 1981 album Rockin’ Revival.

Pinnick was also part of Alpha as well as his own Doug Pinnick Band shortly after Spransy joined the Canadian Servant. In 1979, Pinnick was invited to join a band that was forming in Springfield, MO, with singer Greg X. Volz of Petra fame. He accepted the offer and re-located, only to have the band dissolve within a month of his arrival. He was soon offered a spot in guitarist Phil Keaggy’s touring band, along with the drummer from the failed Volz project, Jerry Gaskill. Pinnick has a co-writing credit on the track «Just A Moment Away» from Keaggy’s 1980 album Ph’lip Side. Pinnick toured with Keaggy for about a year before returning to Springfield and set about looking for a new musical project. Later Pinnick and Gaskill joined with guitarist Ty Tabor to form a power trio, later to be called King’s X. Pinnick and Tabor actually also wrote most of the songs featured on Morgan Cryar’s 1986 album Fuel on the Fire, and did as well support Cryar on the following promotional tour.