After spending 16 years with seminal Australian band Hunters & Collectors, lead singer and guitarist Mark Seymour returned soon after their demise with his debut solo album. Those fans expecting just another Hunters & Collectors studio album will be sorely disappointed, but not for the lack of quality on this disc; Seymour has simply made a conscious effort to make an album that is very different from his former band's music. While Seymour has retained Hunters guitarist Barry Palmer for King Without a Clue, he has also recruited his brother, former Crowded House bassist Nick Seymour. This is a very refreshing change. Hunters & Collectors was a great band, but they began running out of ideas toward the end of their career. Their record sales during the '90s were, by their standards, disappointing, and albums like 1995's Demon Flower were not of the same quality as their defining Human Frailty. King Without a Clue, however, is a disc of introspective, country-tinged songs. Organ has replaced the Hunters' brass section with great effect. Seymour's vocals are as raw and aggressive as ever, although ballads like the haunting "The Ghost of Vainglory" show the same emotional side to Seymour that made "Throw Your Arms Around Me" an instant classic in the mid-'80s. "Last Ditch Cabaret," "Home Again," and "You Don't Have to Cry Anymore" are some of the best tracks here and serve to highlight that Mark Seymour is one of Australia's finest singer/songwriters. ~ Jonathan Lewis, All Music Guide
King without a clue is the debut solo album by Mark Seymour, released in 1997.
Track listing
"Last Ditch Cabaret" – 4:52
"You Don't Have to Cry Anymore" – 3:56
"The Ghost of Vainglory" – 4:48
"King Without a Clue" – 3:46
"Look What She's Done to You" – 4:25
"Home Again" – 4:04
"Deathwish" – 4:09
"Cry Wolf" – 3:37
"Can't Crawl That Way" – 4:04
"The One You Love" – 3:53
"Until the Day They Die" – 4:11
The CD album release included a second disc, titled "Live at The Continental". All of the tracks on this second disc were recorded live on the 17th May, 1997, at the Continental Cafe, in Melbourne, Australia.
