King (30th Anniversary Reissue) (Vinyl 2LP)

Back in print for the first time in 30 years, King stands as Belly’s bold, underrated follow-up to Star. Trading in radio-ready gloss for angst and grit, the band leaned into the political. As a result it may not have matched its predecessor’s commercial success, but King acts as a quietly defiant gem that deserves a revisit. Thanks to 4AD we now get the chance. - Flying Out

Having been out of print on vinyl since its release 30 years ago, 4AD are delighted to put it back on the shelves after a limited-edition release on green vinyl for Record Store Day 2025. Keeping its original sleeve design by Chris Bigg (v23), featuring photography by Christopher Gorman and Stephen DiRado, this long demanded repress is now available on black vinyl with the album having been remastered by Kevin Vanbergen.

Belly found themselves at something of a crossroads when it came to following up their 1993 debut album Star – a wildly successful record that earned the band two GRAMMY nominations including the coveted Best New Artist award. With bassist Gail Greenwood having joined the ranks in between, she plus the trio of Tanya Donelly and brothers Chris and Tom Gorman rented a house in rural Rhode Island to write collaboratively before heading to Nassau in the Bahamas to record in Island Records founder Chris Blackwell’s legendary studio Compass Point (a place famed for where AC/DC, Grace Jones, Tom Tom Club, and countless others recorded major works). Away from industry pressure and guided by veteran producer Glyn Johns (Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who), they made the most of the relaxed surroundings, recording live in the room and minimising overdubs so to capture as much of the band’s chemistry on tape as they could.

Featuring singles Now They'll Sleep, Seal My Fate, and Super-Connected, the resultant King was a step on, a deceptively complex album where the quartet had chosen artistic growth over commerciality. Their lyrics took more of a political and personal bent, while musically it was heavier, in part due to Gail's muscular playing style and more deft guitar interplay between Tanya and Tom. SPIN Magazine said at the time that it marked their evolution from “indie darlings to rock contenders”.

Tracklist:

1. Puberty
2. Seal My Fate
3. Red
4. Silverfish
5. Super-Connected
6. The Bees
7. King
8. Now They'll Sleep
9. Untitled and Unsung
10. L'il Ennio
11. Judas My Heart