Klark Kent was, of course, the alter ego of Police drummer Stewart Copeland, who released a number of singles, as well as a self-titled album, as Klark Kent in 1980, supplying all the instruments and vocals. Some pressings were also labeled "Klerk Kant," apparently to limit exposure to possible lawsuits from DC Comics. (Though Copeland omitted his name from the records, ostensibly to avoid capitalizing on his Police fame, fans figured it out quickly enough.). The LP and singles were collected in 1995 as Kollected Works; alas, both the originals and the compilation are long out-of-print and all but impossible to track down.
I didn't realize it at the time but the main mouthpiece in the group, Eric Dover had a prominent role on Slash's Snakepit's (yes, that Slash) debut, It's Five O'Clock Somewhere, which released in 1995. In fact, this occurred simultaneous to his Imperial Drag tenure. As with Slash's Snakepit, Dover took up most of the time at the mic with Imperial Drag. But if you were expecting a third helping of Jellyfish's psych-kissed power pop on Imperial Drag you had something else coming. Upon release, much was made of the quartet's "glam" bent, and having a slow-burning T-Rexy banger as their lead-off single ("Boy or a Girl") only reinforced this understandable notion. But even there, I/D were also tapping into Redd Kross' then-current m.o. as well. Maybe I didn't want to admit it at the time but the song was eminently catchy, even if the hand-claps and such had me scurrying. Sure enough, there was more of that to be found on the album alongside vague forays into Memphis soul, classic rock, boogie, and less so blues. What we weren't privy to at the time was the fact that Imperial Drag had a tentacle or two around Cheap Trick-inflected power pop, something revealed on non-LP goodies "She Cries All Night" and "Why Can't I Be Someone Else." To be honest, I/D had a lot of plates spinning simultaneously, not all of which were represented on the album, mush less an LP that even most Jellyfish holdover couldn't seem to be bothered with at the time.
1995 - Ben Folds Five.rar
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