Dogman is the fifth studio album by American rock band King's X, released in 1994. It marks the band's second album under Atlantic and their first to not be produced by Sam Taylor; instead, the album was produced by Brendan O'Brien (who had recently worked with Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots and The Black Crowes). Dogman signaled a heavier direction for King's X and, with strong approval from both critics and fans, is often considered one of their best works.[citation needed]
| Dogman | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 18, 1994 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 59:16 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Brendan O'Brien | |||
| King's X chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Dogman | ||||
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Background and recording
editAccording to frontman Doug Pinnick, while longtime King's X producer Sam Taylor had a big influence on the band's sound, he never captured the heaviness of their live performance in the studio. Taylor ended production duties with King's X after four albums. When the high-profile Brendan O'Brien approached King's X about creating an album together, the band enthusiastically accepted. In the end the band actually favored some of the demos over the final songs, and these would later be released as Dogman Demos in 2005.[1] Nevertheless, working with O'Brien was a satisfying experience for King's X. In 1999, Pinnick described "Black the Sky" as his new "standard to mix to" due to its "big and fat" sound that simulated the band's live performance.
Music and lyrics
editAlthough their previous self-titled effort featured dark themes and aggressive musicianship, Dogman was considerably heavier than previous albums and marked a transition in the band's sound. In 1999, Doug Pinnick reflected, "For me personally, the Dogman record is what King's X really sounds like. The self-titled record was a step and an eye-opener and after that we could just make our music."[2]
Along with the heavier sound - and in contrast to the occasionally uplifting Christian themes of earlier King's X albums - Pinnick's lyrics expressed his building frustration with religion. "[A]ll of the records", he stated in 2005, "are always me questioning 'Is this really it?' because I grew up in a religious family all my life and I have always been going: something ain't right here. So I have always sung about what I thought wasn't right - my confusion and my disillusion with it. And then finally when Dogman came out I just spewed it all out. I was pissed at that point. Everybody was like: 'he's not Christian anymore.' Everybody got freaked out."[3]
Touring and promotion
editDogman was promoted with performances including Woodstock '94 and opening slots for Pearl Jam, Mötley Crüe, the Scorpions and Type O Negative.
The album artwork by Leon Alvarado was released in four color variations: red, yellow, green, and blue.
The album's title track was its first single and music video. According to Doug Pinnick, "Dogman" received strong radio rotation in New York but the lack of a hit single hampered the album's commercial success.[4] To date, "Dogman" remains King's X's last charting single, peaking at number 20 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The album produced three more singles: "Fool You",[5] "Pillow"[6] and the radio-only "Pretend",[7] but none charted.
A concert in Dallas, Texas was filmed during the Dogman tour and released as a two-disc CD entitled Live & Live Some More via Molken Music in 2007.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10[9] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[10] |
| Q | [11] |
Dogman was critically well-received upon its release. Chuck Eddy of Entertainment Weekly described the heavier sound as "less muddled than [King's X's previous] attempts at Beatles-derived psychedelic pop", and in a 4/5 star review, AllMusic's Alex Henderson praised the varied musical styles despite the album's heaviness, noting that King's X "addresses spiritual concerns without trying to force its beliefs on anyone."
Accolades
edit| Year | Publication | Country | Accolade | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Visions | Germany | "The Eternal Readers Charts" | 31 | [12] |
| "*" denotes an unordered list. | |||||
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Doug Pinnick, Ty Tabor and Jerry Gaskill, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dogman" | 4:01 | |
| 2. | "Shoes" | 3:29 | |
| 3. | "Pretend" | 4:36 | |
| 4. | "Flies and Blue Skies" | 5:00 | |
| 5. | "Black the Sky" | 4:32 | |
| 6. | "Fool You" | 4:31 | |
| 7. | "Don't Care" | 4:39 | |
| 8. | "Sunshine Rain" | 4:35 | |
| 9. | "Complain" | 3:19 | |
| 10. | "Human Behavior" | 4:28 | |
| 11. | "Cigarettes" | 5:52 | |
| 12. | "Go to Hell" | 0:51 | |
| 13. | "Pillow" | 4:24 | |
| 14. | "Manic Depression" | Jimi Hendrix | 4:59 |
Chart performance
edit| Chart | Peak | |
|---|---|---|
| Swedish Album Chart | 46 | [13] |
| Swiss Album Chart | 47 | [14] |
| UK Albums Chart | 49 | [15] |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 88 | [16] |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Dogman" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 20 |
Personnel
edit- King's X
- Doug Pinnick – lead vocals, bass
- Ty Tabor – guitar, backing vocals
- Jerry Gaskill – drums, backing vocals
- Production
- Recorded by Nick DiDia
- Mixed by Brendan O'Brien except "Manic Depression" mixed by Nick DiDia.
- Keyboards and percussion: Brendan O'Brien
- Recorded at Southern Tracks, Atlanta, GA.
- Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Studios, Portland ME
- Art Direction: Leon Alvarado
- Design: Leon Alvarado, Randy Rogers
- Photography: Catherine Wessel
References
edit- ^ Prato, Greg Interview with King's X Guitarist Ty Tabor Guitar Site (July 8, 2008). Retrieved on 1-16-11.
- ^ Kelter, Christopher J. FIFTEEN YEARS WITH KING'S X Archived September 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine RoughEdge.com (March 1999). Retrieved on 1-16-11.
- ^ Interview with Doug Pinnick FromOutofNoWhere.com (2006). Retrieved on 1-16-11.
- ^ Doug Pinnick interview from March 1999 SteveLawson.net (March 1999). Retrieved on 1-16-11.
- ^ "King's X Fool You (Single)- Spirit of Metal Webzine (en)". spirit-of-metal.com.
- ^ "Albums by King's X: Discography, songs, biography, and listening guide - Rate Your Music". rateyourmusic.com.
- ^ "KNAC A to Z". KNAC Tribute Page. Archived from the original on March 5, 2000. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
- ^ Henderson, Alex. Dogman at AllMusic
- ^ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 228. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- ^ Eneterainment Weekly review 1/28/94
- ^ Q 2/94, p.93
- ^ "Visions - The Eternal Readers Charts". Visions. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ "King's X - Dogman". SwedishCharts.com. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
- ^ "King's X - Dogman". HitParade.ch. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
- ^ "Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Retrieved May 16, 2012., UK charts page for King's X
- ^ "King's X album charts [albums]". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
External links
edit- Official King's X Site, Accessed on July 10, 2005.
- Additional information about the album, Accessed on April 26, 2006.
- site francophone, Accessed on July 24, 2006.