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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I Miss Belly, January 20, 2000
This review is from: King (Audio CD)
It's just too bad that Belly broke up after two wonderful, beautiful and creative albums. Their second, "King," is weaker than "Star," but the songs rock harder and with a noise that almost foreshadows their soon-to-be-gone band. Tanya Donelly, is, in my humble opinion, one of the most underrated singers to emerge from the alt-rock scene of the nineties. Her lilting tone and breathy delivery was perfect for the power pop that Belly delivered on this album. I'm especially partial to the song "Red" (the perfect air guitar song) and "Untitled and Unsung," with its inflections of middle Eastern guitar. Do yourself a favor and buy this album. If you're like me, you'll mourn the fact that such a wondrous band is no longer in existence (Donelly's solo album held glimmers of hope...but where's her follow-up?), but you'll also be darned glad that Belly left the alt-rock party before it gave way to the teen pop that currently saturates the market.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The underrated Belly album, September 19, 2002
This review is from: King (Audio CD)
When this CD was first released way back in '95 (the year I graduated from high school), people in the indie scenes in which I traveled at the time growled, gritted their teeth, and made "sellout" noises when confronted with this disc. They simply flat out did not like it. To us, Belly were the band with the wispy sound that made songs like "Feed The Tree" and "Gepetto" and the marvelous, thunderstorm-just-over-the-hill-menace of "Low Red Moon" that preppies weren't supposed to understand, and loud, crunchy, guitars had nothing to do with that. I admit to being a little dubious myself (forgive me, for it was a strange time and to an ignorant 18-year-old with an indentity crisis "selling out" was tantamount to suicide), but actually hearing the CD forced me to cave in. This is one of the best rock 'n' roll albums ever made. The key to this album's sound probably lies in the fact that Glyn Johns is the man behind the boards. Johns had previously been a producer for the Rolling Stones and the Who, as well as on the Clash's second-worst album, "Combat Rock." Here, he gives Belly the same kind of sound that he got on "Who's Next," and, fortunately, Tanya Donelly wrote a set of songs that actually lend themselves to the treatment. The results speak for themselves. When fantastic songs like "Puberty," "The Bees," "Red," and "Untitled and Unsung" are the LESSER album tracks, you know you're hearing something special; "Superconnected," "Now They'll Sleep," and "Judas My Heart" may be among the best songs recorded by any group of musicians in any form of pop music (including jazz) during the last ten years. That this album didn't sell is a fact; that this happened is a travesty of taste on the part of music fans of the mid-'90s, who were undoubtedly too busy buying the "Batman Forever" soundtrack to pay attention to a mere Belly CD. That this same band also made "Star," one of the best "alternative" records, ought to indicate to somebody that here was something special. I keep waiting for that notice to come. A final note: I finally got to see Belly live at Cornell University in October of '95 or so, when their opening act was the also-unfairly-overlooked Catherine Wheel (plus a "special guest," who turned out to be the now-famous or infamous Jewel, depending on your point of view, about eight months before her record finally started to break on radio), and they were fantastic (as were Catherine Wheel, and as for Jewel, well, she's very good at yodeling). It's one of the two best shows I've ever attended--I even bought a T-shirt--but within a year the band would have broken up and all that would be left were the memories... and this CD.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Covered in honey, Showered in beer", March 18, 2004
This review is from: King (Audio CD)
King, Belly's sophomore effort, was not as popular as their excellent debut Star, but I like this album a lot and may have even listened to it more than Star. This album rocks more than the dreamy Star. The addition of bassist Gail Greenwood may have played a role in the heavier sound. The guitars on this album are amazing. They are heavier here than the unique, ethereal sound on Star yet still has a dainty quality at times. Some of the best examples of guitar is right off on the first two tracks "Puberty" and "Seal My Fate" the latter of which is one of my favorites on King. It is a very catchy rocker. Other favorites are "L'il Ennio" and the beautiful "Silverfish" which is my vote for the best track on King. It is just wonderful with a perfect chorus. Unlike Star, I like the singles off of this album. Both are very catchy rockers "Now They'll Sleep," which had a cool video where the band members took over the roles of their stage crew, and "Super-Connected." My favorite part on "Super-Connected" is the slightly delayed guitar riff in the chorus. I'm sure there is a technical term for it, but anyone whose heard the song knows what I'm talking about. It really added character to the track. And, of course, the driving beat is great too. The album is just as solid as Star, maybe a little more so. The only track I do not care for is "Red" with its annoying "Red red red red" line. Otherwise, King is terrific and ends with the wonderful slow number "Judas My Heart." Unfortunately, King was the last studio release from Belly. Tanya Donelly continued with her solo career and, I've read, had a daughter which gave her a new priority in life. She has released a "best of" CD called Sweet Ride with B-sides and rarities as well as hits that is worth checking out. I think King has aged very well and recommend to anyone who likes "alternative" rock.
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