King's X: Ty Tabor (vocals, guitar); Doug Pinnick (vocals, bass); Jerry Gaskill (drums, background vocals).

Producers: Sam Taylor, Brendan O'Brien, King's X, Arnold Lanni, Ty Tabor.

Engineers include: Ty Tabor.

Recorded between 1987 and 1997.

Why King's X never became a hugely successful and well-known hard rock outfit will forever remain a mystery, especially after listening to the totally original and memorable compositions that comprise their 1997 Best of King's X compilation. An intoxicating blend of Beatlesque vocal harmonies, introspective lyrics, and genre-skipping music gained the band a solid cult following since its first release in 1988, but the group never truly broke through to mainstream success. All of their best-known tracks are included here, such as the early-'90s MTV favorites "It's Love," "Black Flag," and "Dogman," as well as such key tracks as "Summerland," "Looking for Love," "Goldilox," and "King." Also included are three previously unreleased studio tracks -- "Sally," "April Showers," and "Lover" -- as well as a ten-minute live version of "Over My Head" recorded at Woodstock II in 1994. Although some of their better album cuts ("We Are Finding Who We Are," "Not Just for the Dead," "Fool You," etc.) could have replaced such selections as "Mr. Wilson" and "Lost in Germany," Best of King's X is still a superb compilation of one of the most underrated hard rock acts of all time. If you were to buy only one King's X album, this would be the one -- but you'd still be missing out on some fantastic music by not checking out such full-lengths as Gretchen Goes to Nebraska and Faith Hope Love. Nonetheless, Best of King's X is an essential purchase for fans of expertly crafted and challenging rock. ~ Greg Prato

King's X had already split from Atlantic Records when their former company issued the 17-track career retrospective, BEST OF KING'S X, in 1997. While many of the band's albums were incredibly consistent from beginning to end (GRETCHEN GOES TO NEBRASKA, DOGMAN, etc.), BEST OF KING'S X does a good job of collecting the trio's very best tunes. You can't go wrong with such tracks as "Goldilox," "Summerland," "Over My Head" (included here as a live version), "It's Love," "Black Flag," "Dogman," "The Train," and "Looking for Love," and longtime fans will be interested in the rare tracks "Sally," "April Showers," and "Lover." For fans of prog-metal and expertly crafted hard rock, BEST OF KING'S X is an awesome introduction to the wonders of King's X.