Rocktrospectiva: The Conceptual And Mystical "K" Turns 30

 

Released on 16 September 1996, "K" was a concept album by the English band Kula Shaker. Its central theme was rooted in Hindu mysticism, infused with a strong dose of 1960s and 70s influences. Thanks to sales of 130,000 copies in its first week, it became the fastest-selling debut album in the UK since Elastica's the previous year, reaching the number one spot; however, across the Atlantic, the album stalled at number 200 on the Billboard charts. The album spawned the singles "Grateful When You're Dead", "Tattva", "Hey Dude" & "Govinda."

It was undoubtedly one of the most unusual albums to achieve such success—many have viewed the band as a "one-hit wonder" (or rather, a "one-album wonder"), as they never managed to replicate that success later on, despite having a sound completely distinct from the trends of the time. 

Emerging during the final glory days of Britpop, "K" broke the mold; the band sounded nothing like Blur, Suede, Oasis, Pulp, or Elastica—to name a few of the genre's biggest acts. Instead, Hindu mysticism and 60s and 70s psychedelia blended with rock and roll to define the band's sound, a concept that producer John Leckie understood and amplified.  

The group—comprising Crispian Mills, Alonza Bevan, Paul Winterheart, and Jay Darlington—joined forces to deliver a series of tracks steeped in mysticism and distortion. They released their first single, the quirky "Grateful When You're Dead"—a tribute to the Grateful Dead, whom the band cited as a major influence (a rarity for a British band at the height of Britpop). Next came the incredible "Tattva," a nod to The Beatles; it was this single that introduced the band for US audiences in late 1996. At the time, MTV had just launched its new channel, MTV2, and the track's music video and saw heavy rotation during those early days. 

The album's opener, "Hey Dude," confirmed the band's potential with its powerful, distortion- and wah-wah-laden guitar strumming, while the mystical "Govinda" served to slow the pace. But the album was more than just that; it held other great moments, too: the solid and powerful "Temple Of Everlasting Light," the psychedelic, 70s-infused aura of "Smart Dogs," the desolate "Magic Theatre," the epic sound of "Into The Deep," the vibrant "303," and the 70s-style "Hollow Man." They even ventured into a ballad with "Start All Over." 

In every sense of the word, the album was a sonic gem, unfortunately for the band, things wouldn't be the same with subsequent releases; while they produced good singles, they never quite matched the potential they achieved with this record. That is why many view this album as their definitive statement rather than just the spark that ignited a highly promising career. Furthermore, their sound arrived a bit too late; had they emerged in the 70s, we would likely be talking about them today as one of that decade's greatest bands. 

K Track List: 

 

1. Hey Dude 

2. Knight On The Town 

3. Temple Of Everlasting Light 

4. Govinda 

5. Smart Dogs 

6. Magic Theatre 

7. Into The Deep 

8. Sleeping Jiva 

9. Tattva 

10. Grateful When You're Dead/Jerry Was There 

11. 303 

12. Start All Over 

13. Hollow Man Parts 1 & 2