Klark Kent (album)
| Klark Kent | |
|---|---|
 |
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| EP by Klark Kent | |
| Released | 1980 |
| Studio | Surrey Sound Studios |
| Genre | New wave, pop, rock |
| Length | 24:44 |
| Label | A&M |
| Producer | Stewart Copeland, Nigel Gray |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Allmusic |
 (Kollected Works) |
| Smash Hits | 7/10 |
| Kollected Works | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Compilation album by Klark Kent | |
| Released | 1995 |
| Recorded | 1978–1995 |
| Genre | New wave, rock music, pop |
| Length | 37:26 |
| Label | Capitol |
| Producer | Stewart Copeland, Nigel Gray and Derek Holt |
Klark Kent was Stewart Copeland's first solo album, recorded under the pseudonym Klark Kent. The album was released in 1980 as a 10 inch EP on green vinyl and included the hit song "Don't Care", which reached number 48 in the UK Singles Chart two years before.
"Away from Home" and "Ritch in a Ditch" were also released as singles. The "t" from "Ritch in a Ditch" was omitted from the album version.
Like two of The Police's albums, Klark Kent was recorded on a minimal budget at Surrey Sound Studios with Nigel Gray. Many of the songs are similar to Copeland's songs for The Police. Copeland sang and played all of the instruments.
All eight tracks on the EP were included in the 1995 album Kollected Works, with all of the Klark Kent single-only tracks.
Reviewing the album for Smash Hits in 1980, Red Starr described the album as "unpretentious" and "light-hearted". He described the songs as "energetic, utterly straightforward and reasonably tuneful, if a bit lacking in the lyrical department". He went on to say the musicianship was "excellent" and "relaxed and inventive".
Allmusic panned the album in their retrospective review, arguing that Copeland only recorded it for ego-driven reasons, and that his vocals make the songs unbearable. They concluded "the album only really succeeds when Copeland sticks to instrumentals".
Despite this, Allmusic also made Kollected Works an album pick and published a review declaring it to be "inventive new wave pop of the highest order" and "a record that combined the musical sensibilities of the Police and the lyrical concerns of Weird Al Yankovic". The reviewer applauded the album's humor and eccentricity, while contending that the tracks also have plenty of musical depth to make them hold up to repeated listens.
All songs written by Klark Kent.
Kollected Works is a compilation of songs that Stewart Copeland wrote under the pseudonym Klark Kent. It includes all the songs from Klark Kent, all four "Klark Kent" non-album single tracks, a track by Colts (Stewart Copeland and Derek Holt), and two previously unreleased tracks of unknown origin. At least one, "Strange Things Happen", seems to have been recorded around the time of Copeland's journey to Africa, leading toward his LP and film The Rhythmatist. An alternative, slightly longer version of "Strange Things Happen" was released on the soundtrack album The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. The other, "Stay Ready", uses a drum machine instead of drums. Both previously unreleased tracks were recorded at The Worried Rabbit in Assyria.
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