I Was the King, I Really Was the King

Critical reception

I Was the King, I Really Was the King received mixed to positive reviews upon release. Allmusic's Ned Raggett saw the LP as a natural progression from the band's debut album, Workshy, but more energetic and "pop-friendly". He drew musical comparisons with Marc Almond's solo material and the songs of Simple Minds, and highlighted "The Longest Road" as one of the album's best tracks, stating that the trumpet playing of Del Crabtree gave the band's sound an integral uniqueness;

Crabtree's trumpet once more gives a very specific identity to the songs – it isn't simply added on, but becomes part of it, replacing what might have been in a less inventive group go-nowhere guitar or keyboard soloing... Fine numbers include "The Longest Road," one of Crabtree's best performances featuring on an at once brisk and melancholy song with a wonderful, subtly addicting chorus...

John Harris, writing for Q magazine in July 1996, thought that the album was "slightly compromised by a new-found accent on aural polish" compared to that of the group's debut LP, but went on to single out "Faded Glamour", "Kitkats and Vinegar" and "The Greenhouse" as the album's highlights, in which "chief vocalist and lyricist Hank Starrs sculpts beautifully human vignettes, while the band provide shining evidence of their lofty musicality." Vox magazine's Mark Beaumont thought that the record was "a far more solid affair" than Workshy, surmising that the group had placed more emphasis on melody in comparison to their earlier output. He highlighted "The Greenhouse" and "East St O'Neill" as standout tracks, and ended his review with a short summation of the album's overall sound; "Horns parp convincingly, guitars swagger rather than stagger, choruses seem to have some idea of where they want to be in 30 seconds' time and Animals That Swim emerge as – gasp! – actual, potential pop stars".

Track listing

Personnel