Obscure, Even for Me...

What the hell?

Ok, I pride myself in knowing a lot of obscure Glam bands...but last night I came across one I'd never heard before: King of the Hill. Maybe you know them. Maybe you have more time on your hands. Perhaps you just have a better memory. Whatever the case, I came across their songs last night and bloody hell if I wasn't baffled. I do not remember these guys *at all.* Watching the videos proved even more confusing. I mean, the band looks and sounds Glam...but the dancing is a cross between MC Hammer and...Faith No More? I'm not even sure I can make an accurate comparison here. I mean, seriously. St. Louis is not known as the mecca of Glam, so maybe that hindered King of the Hill somewhat. Perhaps it was the fact that label SBK also had Vanilla Ice among their ranks and therefore didn't know how to market a rock band while also managing a rapper?

Anyway, King of the Hill released their debut right around 1991 and here's the track listing on that album:

Party In My Pocket
Freakshow
I DO U
If I Say
Roses
Take It or Leave It
Something 'Bout You
Place In My Heart
Big Groove
Electric RiotQ

Am I the only one here a little freaked out by the song titled "Party in My Pocket?"

The only thing I found about this album was a review from a 1991 edition of Q magazine: "3 Stars - Good - ...in the Extreme/Faith No More mould of rock bands prepared to add funk rhythms and bass lines to their metal...An exciting debut package which holds the promise of better to come..."

The band put out an album of previously unreleased cuts a couple years ago. You can purchase that on CD Baby.

Watch these videos. If you know anything about this band, please post.

Here's "I Do U"

Here's "If I Say"

Comments

[missy]

HOLY SHIT!!! I had this tape!! I loved "I Do You" and went out and bought the tape the day after I saw it on HBB :)

hehe...thanks for reminding me about this!

[lajustice77]

awesome band, they were looked at as a funky Extreme like kind of band. their second album was finally released after being shelved by their label and is even better than the debut! If you dig the early Extreme sound you will dig this band and their name was KIngofthehill (the letters ran together). They covered Alice Cooper's Is It My Body on the 2nd disc and the singer is in great band also out of St.Louis named Dr. Zhivegas, so check them out too on myspace. damn Allyson I'm shocked you've never heard of this band!!

[love-bomb-baby]

Was lucky enough to see them open for extreme back in 90/91, where they blew extreme off the stage, gonna have to go dig the tape out again and give it a listen

[Xavier]

I knew them, and back in the Hey Day, they were quite big in the UK glam scene.I do like them a lot.

[MotleyCrue666]

ive never heard of them but ill listen!

[Troy]

Wow Allyson, I am also shocked you have not heard of them. GREAT band, good guys too! I saw them open up for Steelheart in Omaha back in the day! I played this tape over & over, I also met a VERY nice lady at Rocklahoma who got me a copy of the 2nd disc. I prefer the 1st but the 2nd is also REALLY good. Frankie is AWESOME!!

[Ryo Vie]

Not only do I know this band, I listen to their debut CD frequently. "If I Say" is one of the best ballads from back in the day and the song holds up even now.

I purchased this one after reading about this band in either Circus, or Hit Parader, or Metal Edge, or one of those mags. The write up made me want the CD and I was not disappointed. I always wondered what happened to these guys.

Let me through another obscure glam band out there for you. Do you remember Smashed Gladys? They are another band that I wonder what the heck happened to.

Thanks Allyson! I know what I'll be listening to today...

[Nate]

Their 2nd CD is for sale at CD BABY. Good stuff, similar to the first CD, but a "bit" more mature I guess. Some good ballads, a bit 'o funk rock and some good hard rock tunes. I think it is called just "Unreleased" perhaps. I picked it up a few months ago. CD BABY has a lot of good rock/glam type music on their site, plus you can look up artist by band they "sound" like. I've been buying from them for years, good service, fair prices and good music.

[Jack]

Pretty good band, got the debut on cassette when it came out, and again on CD (used) a little while back. Goodtime party rock/metal w/ some nice ballads too. I saw them on tour in Albany, NY opening for Lynch Mob back in '91.

There were a few bands doing this type of thing around 1990, other than the more well known ones (FNM, Saigon Kick, Extreme); never really became the next big thing though, grunge saw to that.

Anyone remember White Trash? They had a hit w/ the song Apple Pie in '91 too. I actually saw them play in a college library, of all places - they even had horn players.

And I agree w/ Ryo Vie, Smashed Gladys were a killer band. Not in this style at all, very sleazy GnR type glam w/ a woman singer. Totally should have been bigger though.

[aXe mAn]

Yep, I know this band...found that album in the used CD store that I go to!

I would say their sound is a mix of glam and funk...similar to Extreme. "If I Say" and "Place In My Heart" are amazing ballads.

[ALEXX]

YES I REMEMBER I HAD THE FIRST CASSETTE (yes cassette)IN THE EARLY 90s THIS HARD ROCK WHITH FUNK BECAME A TREAND LIKE EXTREME,ELECTRIC BOYS,THE DAN REED NETWORK , SKIN

[George]

I still have their first cd and listen to it an occasion. I saw them in concert back in the day, but it was just the singer and guitarist acoustically. I remember "If I Say" got a little airplay, but they were pretty under the radar and when they were trying to really break it was at the same time Nirvana was blowing up, so you can guess how that went.

[Tony]

King of the Hill were quite big in the UK for five minutes, got some coverage in Kerrang!

Ryo Vie - Sally Cato is married and living in NY where she is a graphic artist for her own design company mostly working on material for West End theatre shows such as Eric Idle's Spamalot. And by the way - she looks amazing!!!!!!

[JF]

Bands I like(d) that have been mentioned in this post so far that I've not thought about in a while:
Kingofthehill ("If I Say" - Great Ballad!)
Skin
White Trash (their second album was good too...)
Electric Boys (love the debut and the follow up)

keep 'em comin'!

[Kenny Crawford]

These guys were damn good. Metal Sludge did an extremely funny interview with the lead singer, Frankie, a couple years ago. He even made fun of his very VERY gay mustache he had, Everyone should go look it up. The next "obscure" band you cover should be Roxy Blue.

[Ryo Vie]

Tony - thanks for the update on Sally Cato. She should look at getting the band back together for the summer festivals! Would love to see them.

JF - loved Electric Boys. Have their first two CDs. White Trash was good too. They had a similar sound to King Of The Hill, but I never played their album much after Apple Pie. Never heard of skin though.

Wow, I love travelling glam memory lane...

[Mothra]

I was attending college in Missouri when King of the Hill came out. I actually saw them live and thought they were really good. I have their CD and listen to them on a some what regular basis. My funniest memory of the band was one night my girlfriends and I went to a dive bar to see Tuff play and King of the Hills lead singer, Frankie, also came into the bar with bodyguards!!! Note that this was a DIVE BAR that only had about 30 people show up to see Tuff. We just laughed and laughed at him.

Thanks for the memory!!!!

[Husker Blu, Manchester, England]

LOVED Kingofthehill! Still have and play their first album. Class.