Untitled and UnPOLLed: Belly's Excellent 2nd Album 'KING'

i thought we had polled this but all i could find was the star vs. king thread. where i was (and am) completely on the side of king. i go back to this as much as any other '90s alt-rock record, and more than most of them.

― a tenth level which features a single castle (tipsy mothra), Saturday, 22 May 2010 16:54 (3 years ago) Permalink

(and that's the infamous lowest-selling-cover of RS ever.)

― a tenth level which features a single castle (tipsy mothra), Saturday, 22 May 2010 16:55 (3 years ago) Permalink

The boys in Belly sure were pretty.

This has aged very well. I went with "Untitled and Unsung"; it's sexy as hell ("Wanna know why I can't sleep...")

where's surm???

― Filmmaker, Author, Radio Host Stephen Baldwin (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 22 May 2010 16:58 (3 years ago) Permalink

I think it's between "Super-Connected" and "Seal My Fate" for me, although I too love this album top-to-bottom and thought Glyn Johns took a whole lot of unnecessary shit for his production, which really made Tanya's huge choruses sound terrific. For now I'm going to go with "Seal My Fate" for Tom Gorman's awesome guitar lines.

― I guess for copraphiles this is gonna be awesome (Pancakes Hackman), Saturday, 22 May 2010 16:58 (3 years ago) Permalink

But now I'm thinking "Red" or "The Bees." Damn it.

― I guess for copraphiles this is gonna be awesome (Pancakes Hackman), Saturday, 22 May 2010 17:00 (3 years ago) Permalink

the only time the mix fails the band is on "Super-Connected," actually: the drums sound like shit. The band played Letterman or Leno at the time and they roared through "Super-Connected"; I finally got what they were trying to do.

― Filmmaker, Author, Radio Host Stephen Baldwin (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 22 May 2010 17:02 (3 years ago) Permalink

agree, "super-connected" doesn't take off the way it should. love the song, tho.

i have eternal love for "now they'll sleep," but i think i'll vote the title track. it's such a great, grown-up, sexy song.

and i like how metal the first half of it sounds in this live clip:

― a tenth level which features a single castle (tipsy mothra), Saturday, 22 May 2010 17:19 (3 years ago) Permalink

some really good lyrics on this record, too. "covered in honey/showered in beer" is a great two-line evocation of adolescence.

― a tenth level which features a single castle (tipsy mothra), Saturday, 22 May 2010 17:24 (3 years ago) Permalink

I get how guys like surm think Star has the voodoo. All those acoustic arpeggios and lyrics about witches, ballerinas, and squirrels. But on King she finds a correlative for the force of her imagination.

― Filmmaker, Author, Radio Host Stephen Baldwin (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 22 May 2010 17:28 (3 years ago) Permalink

(and that's the infamous lowest-selling-cover of RS ever.)

so much for "grunge" - good album, tho.

― are we human or are we dancer (m coleman), Saturday, 22 May 2010 17:44 (3 years ago) Permalink

I'm with the "Star"-all-over-"King" crowd but the singles of "King" were solid. A great live album/boot from this tour would be welcome to hear these songs in a different context.

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Saturday, 22 May 2010 18:44 (3 years ago) Permalink

This album is really underrated (though I would still side with Star). Gonna have to think about this - I think when I put it on I'll be going, "oh, no, THIS one is the best!" for, ooh, the first 8 tracks.

― atoms breaking heart (a passing spacecadet), Saturday, 22 May 2010 19:30 (3 years ago) Permalink

the letterman superconnected

― a tenth level which features a single castle (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 23 May 2010 03:42 (2 years ago) Permalink

god tanya was so pretty, that mix of next-level pretty and the girl you had a crush on at school pretty

alfred, fwiw, Feed the Tree is my least favorite track on Star by far, and fuck the squirrel reference. i think you make an interesting point regarding the scope of this record, but i think even tho the magic of Star came with a little more simplicity, it was more visionary than this. admittedly, super-connected makes that argument a bit harder cuz it's so good.

my fav song used to be Red, but i think i'd say super-connected now! will def have to listen and get back to u though.

― i fake it so real, i am beyonce (surm), Sunday, 23 May 2010 17:51 (2 years ago) Permalink

fyi, i tried to reply to this thread last night, and as i was typing, my computer died! woohoo!

― i fake it so real, i am beyonce (surm), Sunday, 23 May 2010 17:52 (2 years ago) Permalink

Thanks for the yt, tipsy! S-C is still my fav album track, despite the wanting drums. it's just one of those songs that makes my stomach turn with how good it is.

― Fetchboy, Sunday, 23 May 2010 18:05 (2 years ago) Permalink

Voted for "Seal My Fate" but I always get confused regarding whether I prefer the single or album version. Both Belly albums are great - althought for different reasons; quirky ethereal Star versus rocky threatening King - as is the Best Of compilation which has most of their b-sides.

― boxedjoy, Monday, 24 May 2010 12:20 (2 years ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

― System, Wednesday, 26 May 2010 23:01 (2 years ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

― System, Thursday, 27 May 2010 23:01 (2 years ago) Permalink

didn't see this. woulda voted for now they'll sleep

― lemon lime & butters (electricsound), Thursday, 27 May 2010 23:24 (2 years ago) Permalink

No one voted for Judas My Heart, tisweird.

― PaulTMA, Thursday, 27 May 2010 23:28 (2 years ago) Permalink

I'd vote for "King" now. Tremendous song.

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 4 May 2012 13:45 (1 year ago) Permalink

"Judas My Heart"!!

The piano.

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 8 May 2012 20:23 (1 year ago) Permalink

Judas My Heart is undoubtedly the highlight

― Morrissey & Clunes: The Severed Alliance (PaulTMA), Tuesday, 8 May 2012 20:43 (1 year ago) Permalink

beautiful and understated song that stands the test of time, kind of like the breeders' drivin' on 9

― surm, Tuesday, 8 May 2012 20:45 (1 year ago) Permalink

Now They'll Sleep 0
Puberty 0

Two other great songs with 0 votes. But then, so many great songs!

― instant coffee happening between us (a passing spacecadet), Tuesday, 8 May 2012 21:50 (1 year ago) Permalink

Bummed to have missed this; love this album. I'd probably vote King or Red*, though I have soft spot in my heart for Li'l Ennio.

It actually pains me to think of all the songs that got goose-egged here

― cinco de extra mayo (loves laboured breathing), Tuesday, 8 May 2012 22:38 (1 year ago) Permalink

*I was just thinking about this album the other day, with all the Sublime revives: I was reminded that my favorite song off of their s/t was "Seed", even though it was probably a bit rapey, precisely because all the tempo changes in the song remind of Red and King (itself a little bit of a creepy song)

― cinco de extra mayo (loves laboured breathing), Tuesday, 8 May 2012 22:40 (1 year ago) Permalink

King isn't creepy, it's sexy!

― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 8 May 2012 22:42 (1 year ago) Permalink

I remember reading something about how people thought it was about pedophilia back in the day. And Tanya tried to provide an explanation of what it was about--something about a young prince and trying the light the ocean from underneath--that I remember thinking even back then that was on the incoherent side

― cinco de extra mayo (loves laboured breathing), Tuesday, 8 May 2012 22:50 (1 year ago) Permalink

i have never heard this album.

― fishermen are coveted by whores & stoners (Pillbox), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 00:50 (1 year ago) Permalink

That is surprising!!!

I don't think I voted in this but I probably would have voted "Now They'll Sleep" and I'm surprised nobody else did.

― wolf kabob (ENBB), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 00:53 (1 year ago) Permalink

It's so good.

― wolf kabob (ENBB), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 00:54 (1 year ago) Permalink

Tanya and Gail reunited! This is so lovely and heart-warming.

http://youtu.be/a6EUH1Kfl8A

― Poor.Old.Tired.Horse. (Stew), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 10:41 (1 year ago) Permalink

the whole of Belly's catalogue is on Spotify. This may seem unnecessary given that they have an eighteen track Best Of based on two LPs and a collection of b-sides, but said Best Of is missing two of their greatest songs, namely the b-sides "Diamond Ribcage" and "Baby's Arm."

― boxedjoy, Wednesday, 16 May 2012 00:03 (1 year ago) Permalink

Wish I could track down a good rip of that live version of Judas My Heart - the clear vinyl of Seal My Fate sounds terrible.

― Morrissey & Clunes: The Severed Alliance (PaulTMA), Wednesday, 16 May 2012 00:18 (1 year ago) Permalink

ACUTELY
I HEARD IT

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 23 April 2013 01:01 (4 weeks ago) Permalink