Breaking down the ‘King King’ thank you’s and credits

This post is one in a series marking the 30th anniversary of the release of “King King” in 1992. See more at #KingKingXXX

How many of us, when we picked up a new cassette or CD, listened to the music and read the sleeve and credits and liner notes at the same time? Poring over who-played-what, what else has this producer done, what guests are on which tracks, and who does the band praise?

With the compact disc continuing its rapid obsolescence, and vinyl still a niche/collector format, we lose not only physical I-own-this media, but we lose the art of the liner note.

Case in point: “King King.” Thirty years ago, the liner notes to The Red Devils’ debut were critical to finding out more about the band. (Hey, the musicians weren’t ID’d by photo, either; many of us didn’t figure out who was Lester and who was Paul until we saw the band live.)

There’s a reason the record still draws us in all these years later. Let’s give props to those who made the record, as described in the “King King” sleeve:

Produced by Rick Rubin
Engineer: Brendan O’Brien
Assistant Recording Engineers: David Roberts and Andrew Warwick
Recorded live at King King, Hollywood, CA
Remote Facility: Le Mobile
Mixed at Hollywood Sound Recorders, Hollywood, CA
Assistant Mix Engineer: Martin Schmelze
Art Direction and Design: Janet Levinson
Photos by Michael Wilson

And, as best we can surmise, here are The Red Devils’ thank you’s, linked where we could to demonstrate the connection to the band and to the wider Hollywood/blues/roots/rock/rockabilly/punk scene. (Do you know any of these folks or references? Let us know, and we will update!)

Special Thanks: Ace Aseltine, Annalisa, Jerry B.-Amp Crazy, The Bartel Tribe, Greg S. Benson, Dinorah Blanco, Tom Bowden, Gypsy Carns, Cramps, D.I.’s, Anson Funderburgh, Roger Giffin, Hook Herrera, L7, Emy “E.L.” Mack, Troy Mack, Michel and Pia, Minneapolis and Hollywood Underground, Renay Palome, John Paul, Lori Peralta, Steven Reed, Kurt “Hi-Lift” Schneider, Larry Taylor, Dave Timmons-Gibson Strings, Junior Watson, Jonny Whiteside, Billy Zoom

[Note that the European This Way Up releases of “King King” add three additional thank you’s to the credits: Dave Alvin, Greg “Smokey” Hormel and Greg Lewerke.]