U.K. (album)

U.K. is the debut album by the progressive rock supergroup U.K., released in May 1978 through E.G. Records and Polydor Records. It features John Wetton, Eddie Jobson, Bill Bruford, and Allan Holdsworth. "In the Dead of Night" and "Mental Medication" were both edited for single release. The album was well received by FM album rock radio and by the public during the summer of 1978. The LP sold just over 250,000 copies by 1 September 1978, with further sales through the rest of the year. The album was remastered in 2016 and included as part of the box-set "Ultimate Collector's Edition".[5]

U.K.
Studio album by
U.K.
ReleasedMay 1978 (1978-05)
RecordedDecember 1977 – January 1978
StudioTrident Studios, London, England[1]
GenreProgressive rock, jazz fusion
Length46:30[2]
LabelE.G.
ProducerU.K.
U.K. chronology
U.K.
(1978)		 Danger Money
(1979)
Singles from U.K.
  1. "In The Dead of Night"
    Released: 19 May 1978[3]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[4]

Writing

"Alaska" was written by Eddie Jobson for the Yamaha CS-80.[6] The first three tracks belong to a suite entitled "In the Dead of Night", which began as a chord sequence by Jobson, to which Wetton added the melody and lyrics.[6] Early versions of "In the Dead of Night" and "Thirty Years" were written before the formation of the band.[7]

Legacy

In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it as the 30th best progressive rock album of all time.

In an interview with the TeamRock site in 2016, Ty Tabor of King's X selected the album as his top pick in a "5 Essential Guitar Albums" list, stating, "I had never heard anybody think about playing guitar the way that [Holdsworth] plays on that record."[8]

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."In the Dead of Night"Eddie Jobson, John Wetton5:38
2."By the Light of Day"Jobson, Wetton4:32
3."Presto Vivace and Reprise"Jobson, Wetton2:58
4."Thirty Years"Wetton, Jobson, Bill Bruford8:05
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Alaska"Jobson4:45
2."Time to Kill"Jobson, Wetton, Bruford4:55
3."Nevermore"Allan Holdsworth, Jobson, Wetton8:09
4."Mental Medication"Holdsworth, Bruford, Jobson7:26
[nb 1]

Personnel
U.K.
Production

Singles
  • "In the Dead of Night" / "Mental Medication"

Chart positions
Chart (1978) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[9] 53
UK Albums (OCC)[10] 43
US Billboard 200[11] 65

References
Notes
  1. Duration incorrectly listed as 6:12 on original LP pressings of the album.
References
  1. "allmusic ((( U.K. > Overview )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  2. "U.K." Amazon.
  3. "U.K. - in the Dead of Night".
  4. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: U". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  5. Kelman, John (25 September 2016). "U.K.: Ultimate Collectors' Edition". All About Jazz. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  6. Curtiss, Ron; Weiner, Aaron (3 June 2016). "John Wetton (King Crimson, U.K., Asia): The Complete Boffomundo Interview". YouTube. Retrieved 3 March 2019. Event occurs at 7:30-8:30.
  7. Curtiss, Ron; Weiner, Aaron (3 June 2016). "John Wetton (King Crimson, U.K., Asia): The Complete Boffomundo Interview". YouTube. Retrieved 3 March 2019. Event occurs at 15:15-16:15.
  8. Prato, Greg (22 November 2016). "Kings X's Ty Tabor: 5 Essential Guitar Albums". Louder. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  9. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4598b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  10. "U.K. | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  11. "U.K. Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
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