WOW
You know I love this band, so you know I had to defend the album. So here goes:
Screamer, Johnny, and Dreams rule. Black Like Sunday sounds like it was left off DOGMAN, so it rules. I didn't like Finished that much until I say it live, now it too rules. Yes, I'll agree that this is their most uneven album because it is old songs from different eras of the band re-worked. Also, it also their poppiest album, even more so than EAR CANDY.
Rock Pile, You're the Only One, and Danger Zone are good songs too. I really like Rock Pile.
The only songs that I tend to skip are Working Man, Down, and Save Us.
But ALL the earmarks of KX are here: kicking riffs (the opening of Rock Pile), perfect three-part harmony (Rock Pile, Dreams, etc.), and massive grooves (Screamer).
While I wouldn't call BLACK LIKE SUNDAY King's X's best album (by far), it's is still KX. That doesn't mean that I think they can do no wrong. I'm just saying that sub-par King's X is still better than almost anything else out there. I think Dreams, Screamer, and Johnny would do well on a station like AM.
But, to give credit where credit is due, Rick, you nailed the ones they did live. Notice the four they picked to promote the album were, in order, Black Like Sunday, Finished, Johnny, and Screamer (should have played Dreams too).
Well, I too am interested in hearing what others think of this album. However, if you're not into KX already, don't get this album first. Get FAITH HOPE LOVE or GRETCHEN GOES TO NEBRASKA or PLEASE COME HOME, MR. BULBOUS, or if you like really heavy stuff, DOGMAN.
PS. BULBOUS rules. I wouldn't say they "slipped" until MANIC MOONLIGHT, and even at that it's a 50/50 affair at first, but the more I listened to it, the more I look at it as a solid effort. The only albums that I don't consider solid all the way through are BLACK LIKE SUNDAY, EAR CANDY, and the first one, OUT OF THE SILENT PLANET.