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The Most Ambitious Rock Album Ever? | King's X - Faith Hope Love | A Deep Dive

·33 min·2 clips

“We Were Born to Be Loved” is the live track he uses to prove King’s X are three locked-in musicians.

1. Duff Dives: A Rock & Metal Deep Dive Podcast focuses on King’s X’s Faith, Hope, Love as a 1990 album. 2. Duff is the host and narrator, and he frames the record against his own history with CDs, radio, and heavy-metal recommendation culture. 3. The episode asks whether Faith, Hope, Love is the King’s X album to hand to a new listener. 4. Duff says the band released records in three straight years, which he uses to contrast with longer modern album cycles. 5. He argues that the 70s and early metal era moved faster, because bands made money by touring and issuing records more often. 6. He says King’s X had not yet reached a large mass audience, even though musicians and critics liked the first two albums. 7. He describes Faith, Hope, Love as more cohesive than the first two records, while still staying diverse. 8. He compares the album’s sound to a transitional 1990 moment, when grunge had not fully taken over and glam still existed. 9. He says the cover could make the album look like Christian rock, which added confusion around how to market King’s X. 10. He notes that he does not think the band intended that label, even if the imagery could suggest it. 11. “We Are Finding Who We Are” opens the album with full-band harmonies, and Duff treats that as a signature King’s X move. 12. He says “It’s Love” was the one King’s X song he knew before he knew the band’s name. 13. He calls “It’s Love” radio-friendly and says Ty’s vocal makes it easier to confuse with another band at first listen. 14. He says the song’s music video was terrible, and he blames bad marketing choices around the band. 15. He highlights “I’ll Never Get Tired of You” as a pretty song with a strong chorus. 16. He points to “Fine Art of Friendship” and “Mr. Wilson” as examples of the album’s funky, Beatles-tinged, and varied writing. 17. He describes “Moan Jam” as a musician’s song, with a Rush-like feel and a big jam section. 18. He says “We Were Born to Be Loved” is the best live showcase of King’s X as a power trio. 19. Fans of 1990s rock, tight trio playing, and King’s X harmonies would likely enjoy this episode. 20. Listeners wanting track-by-track analysis without personal digressions may skip it.

As heard by us

A focused King's X defense that links the record to a transitional rock moment and the band's tight harmonies.

Duff reads the record as a bridge between eras, with the 80s still in the air and grunge still waiting in the wings. He notes the band's third straight year of releasing a record and treats that pace as part of the moment.

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Why you'd press play

If you want a King's X deep dive that treats harmonies like a signature move, press play.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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