Kings of Pop

Kings of Pop is the third and final album by the rock band Home Grown, released in 2002 by Drive-Thru Records. It was the band's first release with the drummer Darren Reynolds and its only release as a trio, having lost the second guitarist in 2000.

For the cover artist, see Kings of Pop (cover artist).
Not to be confused with King of Pop (album).
Kings of Pop
Studio album by
Home Grown
ReleasedJune 25, 2002 (2002-06-25)
Studio
  • Big Fish
  • Sonik Wire
GenrePop punk[1]
Length45:49
LabelDrive-Thru
ProducerSteve Evetts
Home Grown chronology
Act Your Age
(1998)		 Kings of Pop
(2002)		 When It All Comes Down
(2004)

Background and production

Home Grown released their second studio album Act Your Age in June 1998 through Outpost Recordings.[2] Following this, the label folded and drummer Bob Herco had sustained a brain tumor; their line-up shifted a few times in the process.[3] On June 13, 2001, the band signed to Drive-Thru Records.[4] Following this, the band supported Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger on their co-headlining US tour in July and August 2001.[5] Kings of Pop was recorded at Big Fish Studios in Encinitas, California, and Sonik Wire Studios in Irvine, California with producer and engineer Steve Evetts. He mixed the recordings at Jake's Place in Studio City, California. Steven Marcussen mastered the album at Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California.[6]

Release

On April 4, 2002, Kings of Pop was announced for release in two months' time and the album's track listing was revealed. Later in the month, the band performed at the Skate & Surf Festival.[7] Kings of Pop was released on June 25, 2002, through Drive-Thru Records.[7] Shortly after its release, however, Dan Hammond joined the band as its new second guitarist. Drummer Darren Reynolds said he was brought in to realize the songs in a live setting.[8] He appears with the rest of the band in the music videos for the singles "You're Not Alone" and "Kiss Me, Diss Me". Between late June and mid-August, the band played on the Warped Tour, appearing on the Drive-Thru stage among their labelmates.[9] Between September and November 2002, the band toured across the US with Mest and Catch 22.[10] In April 2003, the band appeared at Skate and Surf Fest and played a handful of shows with Reel Big Fish and Los City Angels.[11][12] Between late August and October 2003, the group performed on the Drive-Thru Records 2003 Invasion Tour.[13] In January 2004, the band went on a tour of the UK, with Allister, the Early November and Hidden in Plain View.[14] In March 2004, the band performed at the ExtremeThing festival.[15] The band supported the album with several other tours. However, it proved to be their final album as the band went on "indefinite hiatus" in 2005 after releasing the EP When it All Comes Down.

The album contains three hidden tracks which appear after "Disaster" at 7:30 into track 12. They are a 9-second "techno song", a short rap about "Asian flavor" and a short acoustic "song for Steve". There was also a single released for "You're Not Alone" which contained the tracks "Break Me Down" and "Hope Sinks", which were B-sides from the album. Kings of Pop was released on clear vinyl by Drive-Thru Records, and was reissued in 2015 by Mutant League Records after being out of print for over a decade.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Ink 19Favorable[16]
Ox-Fanzine6/10[17]
Rock Hard6/10[18]
Sputnikmusic3.5/5[19]

It was the band's most successful release, reaching number 189 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Track listing

Track listing per booklet.[6]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Tomorrow"Adam Lohrbach3:24
2."I Love You, Not"John Tran2:47
3."Give It Up"Lohrbach2:57
4."Kiss Me, Diss Me"Tran3:13
5."You're Not Alone"Lohrbach3:45
6."I'll Never Fall in Love"Lohrbach3:23
7."Second Best"Tran3:34
8."Why Won't You Leave Me?"Tran3:56
9."Cannot Stop the World"Lohrbach3:38
10."My Time Alone"Tran2:55
11."Waiting on Me"Tran3:32
12."Disaster" (includes untitled hidden tracks)Lohrbach8:45
Total length:45:49

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[6]

Chart positions
Chart (2002) Peak
position
Billboard 200 200

References
  1. Loftus, Johnny. "Kings of Pop - Home Grown | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Act Your Age - Home Grown". AllMusic. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  3. Mohager, Kamtin (December 28, 2002). "Home Grown: Higher Ground". Soundthesirens. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  4. White, Adam (June 13, 2001). "Home Grown Signed To Drive Thru Records!". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  5. White, Adam (May 15, 2001). "Crouching Fish, Hidden Finger Tour". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  6. Kings of Pop (booklet). Home Grown. Drive-Thru Records. 2002. DTR30CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. Heisel, Scott (April 4, 2002). "Massive Home Grown Update". Punknews. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  8. "Ask The Band: Home Grown". Mammoth Press. November 17, 2004. Archived from the original on June 12, 2007. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  9. D'Angelo, Joe (January 30, 2002). "Warped Tour '02 To Feature Bad Religion, NOFX, New Found Glory, More". MTV News. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
    - "Drive Thru Records Takes Over The Warped Tour". Kludge. January 10, 2002. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  10. Heisel, Scott (September 21, 2002). "Mest/Catch 22/Homegrown Tour in full effect". Punknews. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  11. Heisel, Scott (April 3, 2003). "Finalized Skate and Surf Fest lineup announced". Punknews. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  12. "Reel Big Fish Tour Dates". Reel Big Fish. Archived from the original on April 5, 2003. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  13. "For The Record: Quick News On Justin Timberlake, Paris Hilton, Kelly Osbourne, Glassjaw, Elvis Costello, The Cure & More". MTV News. August 12, 2003. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  14. Heisel, Scott (January 10, 2004). "Allister / Home Grown / The Early November / Hidden In Plain View UK tour". Punknews. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  15. Heisel, Scott (March 8, 2004). "xtremeThing Sports/Music Festival returns to Las Vegas". Punknews. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  16. Mitchell, Daniel L. (July 19, 2002). "Home Grown Kings of Pop". Ink 19. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  17. Flame, Randy (March–May 2003). "Home Grown Kings of Pop CD". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  18. Rensen, Michael (March 19, 2003). "Home Grown - Kings of Pop". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  19. Atari (January 8, 2013). "Review: Home Grown - Kings of Pop". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved March 24, 2021.


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