The K Box

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Cat No: SMABX1090

Release Date: 08 February 2019

Label: Madfish

Packaging Type: Hard Back book

No of Units: 4

Barcode: 636551809023

Genres: Rock Pop-Rock

Description

'K BOX' IS A BEAUTIFULLY PRESENTED 4CD BOX SET COLLECTING THE OUTPUT OF PETER HAMMILL AND THE K GROUP, INCLUDING THE STUDIO ALBUMS ENTER K AND PATIENCE AND THE LIVE RECORDINGS THE MARGIN AND +.

This deluxe set also features extra tracks and a detailed 48-page hardback book with sleeve notes by Tim Bowness, reflections from PH and the band, plus previously unseen photographs.

Formed in 1981 to tour material from 'A Black Box' and 'Sitting Targets', the K Group was Peter Hammill's idea of a traditional Beat Group and like everything else in Hammill's world it was far from typical and a universe away from the likes of Herman's Hermits or The Clash.

Utilising the considerable talents of ex-Vibrators and Peter Gabriel guitarist John Ellis and former Van Der Graaf members Guy Evans and Nic Potter, the stripped-down nature of the K Group's sound - echoed by Enter K's stark and uncompromising artwork - aligned Hammill's vision even more closely to the burgeoning Post-Punk scene that his music had undoubtedly influenced, while also remaining true to his Progressive-era experiments with song structure, time signatures and textures.

Between 1981 and 1984, over the course of dozens of concerts, two studio albums, two singles and a live release (issued in 1985), the K Group delivered a muscular take on Hammill's unique artistry that resulted in a body of work distinct from other phases in his prolific career. At its most prosaic, the K Group offered relatively straightforward Rock songs ("Paradox Drive", "Film Noir"), dramatic ballads ("Just Good Friends"), sonic experiments ("Accidents") and knotty epics, but in reality, the K quartet transformed these generic starting points into something far more individual, and - flying in the face of early 1980s Pop artifice - wholeheartedly human.

Ultimately, the K Group may only represent a tiny fraction of Peter Hammill's vast output, but like Van Der Graaf Generator the band provided a memorable means of hearing Hammill's visionary music in a powerful collective context: a context that arguably remained dormant until the 21st Century resurrection of Van Der Graaf Generator itself.

'The K Box' is a superb celebration of an all too brief experiment in (and with) time.
Tracklisting