Three Kings (Dead Meadow album)
| Three Kings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 23 March 2010 | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic rock, stoner rock, indie rock | |||
| Length | 70:00 / 90:41 | |||
| Label | Xemu Records | |||
| Producer | Steve Kille | |||
| Dead Meadow chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| musicOMH | [2] |
| Pitchfork |    [3] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [4] |
Three Kings is a combination album and film by the psychedelic rock trio Dead Meadow, first released in 2010 by Xemu Records as a CD/DVD set. The album features live tracks recorded during a hometown gig at the conclusion of a five-month tour in support of previous album Old Growth,[5] accompanied by five new interspersed studio tracks. The film strings together clips of concert performances with surreal and psychedelic scenes.
There are two versions of the album: the original 14-track release, and an expanded digital-only edition that includes additional live tracks and an alternate track order. Both versions contain the album's five new studio tracks.
Film[edit]
The film's premise consists of three mystics "kings" who are swept into an alternate reality where they are tempted by various dark sides of humanity, with different reactions from each.[6] This is coupled with various psychedelic scenes, usually paired with the more upbeat, jammier, songs. There is no specific theme to these scenes. One example consists of bipedal "weed-creatures" self-igniting, with the resulting smoke inhaled by the moon.[3] Locations used include the Tatooine set from within Star Wars and residences from Diamonds Are Forever.
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Til Kingdom Come" (Live) | 4:11 |
| 2. | "Between Me and the Ground" (Live) | 3:15 |
| 3. | "Good Moanin'" (Live) | 4:33 |
| 4. | "At Her Open Door" (Live) | 6:26 |
| 5. | "The Whirlings" (Live) | 4:01 |
| 6. | "That Old Temple" | 4:57 |
| 7. | "To the One" | 5:32 |
| 8. | "The Narrows" | 7:50 |
| 9. | "Push 'em to the Crux" | 3:29 |
| 10. | "Seven Seers" (Live) | 4:53 |
| 11. | "Greensky Greenlake" (Live) | 6:00 |
| 12. | "Beyond the Fields We Know" (Live) | 9:29 |
| 13. | "Everything's Going On" (Live) | 5:28 |
| 14. | "Lady" (Live) | 5:20 |
| 15. | "Darlin'" | 5:11 |
| 16. | "Queen of All Returns" (Live) | 5:46 |
| 17. | "What Needs Must Be" (Live - Bonus Track) | 4:20 |
| Total length: | 1:30:00 | |
Critical reception[edit]
Reviews of Three Kings varied between slightly and generally positive on both the music and the accompanying DVD.
AllMusic felt the music, including the newer songs, were good but not notably enhanced by their live performance as opposed to their standard studio albums, which are already played in a "loose and live fashion". However, the DVD was described as an "engaging visual experience".[1]
Exclaim! gave a positive report on the live music, describing it as spectacular and akin to a Jimi Hendrix jam session, although functionally mute on the visual aspect of the release.[5]
Pitchfork's review was more mixed, both towards the live-music release and the visuals DVD. The live-performance nature was not felt to add anything, indeed, to reduce the urgency of the otherwise high quality music. The DVD was alternatively described as bizarre, humorous and as having some potential parallels to Dead Meadow's own music.[3]
Personnel[edit]
Per album liner notes.[7]
- Dead Meadow
- Jason Simon – guitars, vocals
- Steve Kille – bass, producer, recording engineer
- Stephen McCarty – drums, card designs
- Additional personnel
- Miranda Lee Richards – additional vocals on "Push 'Em to the Crux"
- Dave Schiffman – mixer
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Aaron Giesel – cover photo
References[edit]
- ^ a b Gregory Heaney. "Three Kings Review (AllMusic)". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ "Dead Meadow - Three Kings OST | Album Reviews". 16 May 2010.
- ^ a b c Aaron Leitko (26 May 2010). "Three Kings Review by Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ "Music Review: Dead Meadow - Three Kings".
- ^ a b Keith Carman (19 March 2010). "Three Kings Review by Exclaim!". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Josiah Hughes (27 January 2010). "Three Kings Preview". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ "Dead Meadon – Three Kings (2010, Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 28 December 2023.