K (album)
1996 studio album by Kula Shaker
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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 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]
| K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 16 September 1996 | |||
| Studios | Eden, RAK, Townhouse, Chipping Norton, Livingston, The Pierce Room, Wessex, Maison Rouge, Eastcote Studios | |||
| Genres | Psychedelic rock, raga rock, Britpop | |||
| Length | 48:51 (not including 13:04 silence) | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producers | John Leckie, Shep & Dodge, Crispian Mills | |||
| Kula Shaker chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from K | ||||
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
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Alternative Press | 5/5[8] |
| Chicago Tribune | [9] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[10] |
| The Guardian | [11] |
| NME | 9/10[12] |
| Q | [13] |
| Record Collector | [14] |
| USA Today |  [15] |
| The Village Voice | C[16] |
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.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hey Dude" | 4:10 | |
| 2. | "Knight on the Town" | 3:25 | |
| 3. | "Temple of Everlasting Light" |
| 2:33 |
| 4. | "Govinda" | 4:57 | |
| 5. | "Smart Dogs" | 3:16 | |
| 6. | "Magic Theatre" |
| 2:38 |
| 7. | "Into the Deep" |
| 3:49 |
| 8. | "Sleeping Jiva" |
| 2:02 |
| 9. | "Tattva" | 3:46 | |
| 10. | "Grateful When You're Dead/Jerry Was There" | 5:42 | |
| 11. | "303" |
| 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 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Tattva" (Lucky 13 Mix) |
| 3:59 |
| 15. | "Into the Deep" (unreleased John Leckie version) |
| 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 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Raagy One (Waiting for Tomorrow)" | 4:27 | |
| 15. | "Tattva" (Lucky 13 Mix) |
| 3:59 |
| 16. | "Into the Deep" (unreleased John Leckie version) |
| 4:45 |
| 17. | "Red Balloon (Vishnu's Eyes)" | 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
- Crispian Mills – singing, electric and acoustic guitars, tamboura
- Alonza Bevan – bass, piano, tabla, backing vocals
- Paul Winterhart – drums
- Jay Darlington – organ, Mellotron, piano
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
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[31] | 2× Platinum | 600,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||