K (album)
1996 studio album by Kula Shaker
K Released 16 September 1996 Studio Eden , RAK , Townhouse , Chipping Norton , Livingston , The Pierce Room, Wessex , Maison Rouge, Eastcote StudiosGenre Psychedelic rock , raga rock , Britpop Length 48 :51 (not including 13:04 silence)Label Columbia Producer John Leckie , Shep & Dodge, Crispian Mills
K is the debut album by English psychedelic rock band Kula Shaker , released on 16 September 1996. It became the fastest selling debut album in Britain since Elastica 's debut the previous year,[ 4] selling over 105,768 copies in the first week.[ 5] The album reached the number-one position on the UK Albums Chart and number 200 on the US Billboard 200 . It was voted number 879 in the third edition of Colin Larkin 's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[ 6]
The Grateful Dead 's psychedelic rock style is an influence on Kula Shaker's first and second albums. The hidden track after "Hollow Man" is a recording of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada , the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness , speaking about his own guru .
Artwork
The cover art (by comic-book artist Dave Gibbons ) consists of various images related to the letter K, including:
John F. Kennedy , Lord Kitchener , Karl Marx , Gene Kelly , Katharine Hepburn , Ken Dodd , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Danny Kaye , Kal-El (Superman), Boris Karloff (as Frankenstein's monster), Krishna , King Kong , Martin Luther King Jr. , two Knights (a pair of Keys on one of them), a Kettle , Kali , the Kaiser , Nikita Khrushchev , Grace Kelly , the number 11 (symbolizing K ), and Rudyard Kipling 's book Kim .
Critical reception
The Independent noted that "Kula Shaker do what they do with so much gall, energy, conviction and dexterity (special honours go to the speedy bass-playing) that you forget to nitpick and imagine you're really hearing a lost masterpiece from 1971."[ 17]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Crispian Mills except where indicated
Original track listing Title Writer(s) 1. "Hey Dude " 4:10 2. "Knight on the Town" 3:25 3. "Temple of Everlasting Light" Mills, Alonza Bevan 2:33 4. "Govinda " 4:57 5. "Smart Dogs" 3:16 6. "Magic Theatre" Mills, Bevan 2:38 7. "Into the Deep" Mills, Bevan 3:49 8. "Sleeping Jiva " Mills, Bevan, Jay Darlington, Paul Winterhart 2:02 9. "Tattva " 3:46 10. "Grateful When You're Dead/Jerry Was There " 5:42 11. "303" Mills, Bevan 3:08 12. "Start All Over" 2:35 13. "Hollow Man (Parts 1 & 2)" (plus 0:12 hidden track after – 13:04 silence) 6:10
15th anniversary edition bonus tracks Title Writer(s) 14. "Tattva " (Lucky 13 Mix) Mills, Bevan, Darlington, Winterhart 3:59 15. "Into the Deep" (unreleased John Leckie version) Mills, Bevan 4:45 16. "Red Balloon (Vishnu's Eyes)" Tim Hardin 3:42 17. "Hush " ("Hush" is 2:58; plus 1:25 hidden track at the end, an extended version of the original hidden track) Joe South 17:20
15th anniversary Japanese edition bonus tracks Title Writer(s) 14. "Raagy One (Waiting for Tomorrow)" 4:27 15. "Tattva " Mills, Bevan, Darlington, Winterhart 3:59 16. "Into the Deep" (unreleased John Leckie version) Mills, Bevan 4:45 17. "Red Balloon (Vishnu's Eyes)" Tim Hardin 3:42 18. "Hush " ("Hush" is 2:58; plus 1:25 hidden track at the end, an extended version of the original hidden track) Joe South 12:53
Personnel
Kula Shaker
Guest musicians
Wajahat Kahn – sarod (on "Sleeping Jiva")
Himangsu Goswami – tabla (on "Govinda" and "Jerry Was There")
Gouri Choudhury – backing vocals (on "Govinda", credited as "Gouri")
The Kick Horns – horns (on "Start All Over")
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . 22 June 1996. p. 35.
^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . 24 August 1996. p. 31.
^ "Reviews – Releases Out on November 11 1996: Singles". Music Week . 2 November 1996. p. 35.
^ Silver, Daniel (March 2000). "Kula Shaker Classic Rock Archive" . Classic Rock . p. 80. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2010 .
^ Jones, Alan (9 February 2024). "The Official UK Charts: Albums - February 2024". Music Week .
^ Colin Larkin , ed. (2006). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books . p. 270. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6 .
^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas . "K – Kula Shaker" . AllMusic . Retrieved 15 June 2011 .
^ Thompson, Dave (January 1997). "Kula Shaker: K". Alternative Press . No. 124. p. 73.
^ Kot, Greg (29 November 1996). "Kula Shaker K (Columbia)" . Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 5 October 2020 .
^ Pepper, Tracey (25 October 1996). "K" . Entertainment Weekly . p. 116. Retrieved 15 June 2011 .
^ Sullivan, Caroline (20 September 1996). "Kula Shaker: K (Columbia)". The Guardian .
^ Patterson, Sylvia (14 September 1996). "Kula Shaker – K" . NME . p. 50. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 6 April 2020 .
^ Cranna, Ian (October 1996). "Kula Shaker: K". Q . No. 121. p. 165.
^ Tuscadero, Inky (Christmas 2011). "Kula Shaker – K" . Record Collector . No. 396. p. 95. Retrieved 10 September 2016 .
^ Gundersen, Edna (26 November 1996). "Kula Shaker, K" . USA Today . Archived from the original on 5 May 1999. Retrieved 8 April 2020 .
^ Christgau, Robert (3 December 1996). "Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot" . The Village Voice . Retrieved 6 April 2020 .
^ Barber, Nicholas (15 September 1996). "Records: Kula Shaker: K". Arts. The Independent . p. 22.
^ "Australiancharts.com – Kula Shaker – K" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ "Ultratop.be – Kula Shaker – K" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kula Shaker – K" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ "Kula Shaker: K" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland . Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Kula Shaker – K" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts . Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ "Charts.nz – Kula Shaker – K" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Kula Shaker – K" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100" . Official Charts Company . Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – Kula Shaker – K" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100" . Official Charts Company . Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ "Kula Shaker Chart History (Billboard 200)" . Billboard . Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1996" . Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 January 2021 .
^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1997" . Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 January 2021 .
^ "British album certifications – Kula Shaker – K" . British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 13 January 2021 .
External links
K at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
Studio albums Compilations Extended plays Singles Related articles