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12-PIECE PSYCHEDELIC SOUL BIG BAND EXPLODES THEIR MUSICAL DYNAMITE ALL OVER THE WORLD 6/17/08
VICE Records is proud to announce the signing of the 12-piece psychedelic soul big band explosion King Khan and The Shrines, and the release of The Supreme Genius of King Khan and The Shrines on June 17. Nothing will get you ready for sunburn season quicker than a blast of this garage soul inferno, equal parts Lenny Kaye-era Nuggets, James Brown soul revue and Sun Ra freak session. Sexual voodoo, secret societies and hallucinogenic transcendence all conspire over rampant garage-psych riffs and Muscle Shoals horns with the blue-eyed tear drops and desperate wail of King Khan testifying like a true motherfuckear.
Joining King Khan and the Shrines line-up includes 60 year old Chicagoan Ron Streeter (live-percussionist for Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, and many other Soul legends), and a horn section consisting of Simon Wojan (the mastermind behind Kranky Records recording artists Cloudland Canyon), Ben Ra (Germany's John Coltrane), and famous French rockabilly saxophonist Big Fred Rollercoaster. The rhythm section of the Sensational Shrines has been called "a German/French version of the Freak Brothers".
Originally sighted in Montreal's Spaceshits, and sometimes appearing as the semi-naked half of the King Khan & BBQ Show, King Khan moved to Berlin in 1999 where he and the Shrines have been spreading their love like peanut butter through a flurry of full-lengths, EPs, singles, and hard-to-find vinyl releases. Their first album THREE HAIRS & YOU'RE MINE was produced by Liam Watson at the legendary Toe Rag Studios in London and released in 2002. A second full-length, MR. SUPERNATURAL, followed in 2004. Their third full-length WHAT IS?! received critical acclaim all over the world and landed at #33 in Pitchfork's Top 50 Albums of 2007. In between have been French-only releases, a split with the Dirtbombs, 7"s, 10"s, and more. The Supreme Genius of King Khan and The Shrines collects the cream of this very creamy crop and present the greatest hits of his greatest hits, all available for the first time ever in America.
Look for the first-ever King Khan and The Shrines US tour this July and August. Dates to come.
TRACK LISTING
1. Torture
2. Took my Lady to Dinner
3. (How Can I Keep You) Outta Harms Way
4. Land of The Freak
5. Fool Like Me
6. I Wanna Be A Girl
7. Welfare Bread
8. Sweet Tooth
9. Shivers Down My Spine
10. Burnin' Inside
11. Destroyer
12. Live Fast Die Strong
13. Crackin´ Up
14. Tell Me
15. Que Lindo Sueno
16. No Regrets
MP3: http://files.vicerecords.com/download/King_Khan-Torture.mp3
LINER NOTES by Jared Swilley of The Black Lips:
The first time I crossed paths with King Khan and the Shrines was on a cold foggy day in London. The gloomy weather was fitting as I'd lost my passport, money, and most of my personal effects at the previous night's concert. My spirits were down and I was in desperate need of salvation. As I sat wallowing in sorrow outside of the club I suddenly felt a supernatural calling that drew me in like a rat following the Pied Piper. What followed was to this day one of the best shows I have ever witnessed. The scene inside was nothing short of insanity. Horns were blaring that could have taken down the walls of Jericho, the drums pounding a rhythm deep into my heart, guitars, bass and organ wailing and King Khan at the epicenter of it all commanding the stage like a soul-soaked shaman. I was spellbound, moved, shaken, stirred and cured - not unlike what I hear religious experiences are like. I left the show a saved and converted man. I had experienced Supreme Genius.
"Go read a book and flunk a test." -Iggy
