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The Kinks - Arthur - Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire Audio CD

A fair review of the The Kinks "Arthur - Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Kinks reviews here, or go back to the The Kinks tabs.

The Kinks Band: The Kinks
Title: Arthur - Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire
Rating:
Release Date: 1990-05-02
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Victoria 2: Yes Sir, No Sir 3: Some Mother's Son 4: Drivin' 5: Brainwashed 6: Australia 7: Shangri-La 8: Mr. Churchill Says 9: She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina 10: Young and Innocent Days 11: Nothing to Say 12: Arthur

I love Arthur!
Each song reflects some phase of British development from Victoria to suburbia. I had this album when it first came out. It was never very popular in the US, maybe because most Americans couldn't relate. . . except for one song. "Some Mother's Son" is by far one of the most poignant anti-war songs of its day and even now. It isn't blatantly and judgmentally against war, but it reminds one of the realities of what a soldier's death means to those left behind. Ray Davies is one of the best at walking the thin line between biting sarcasm and just plain excellent observation of life around him. .


Essential !!
These represented The Kinks at their best. This is the fourth release in the solid run of six excellent Kinks albums that started in 1966 with Face to Face and ended with Muswell Hillbillies in 1971.

Arthur is most tonally similar to their best album, 1968's Village Green Preservation Society, and carries on that perfect combination of genuine nostalgia tinged with tongue-in-cheek irony. And the tunes are catchy! Standouts are 'Victoria' 'Drivin'' and the hard-charging 'Brainwashed'. It was written as a concept album but don't worry about that, the songs are all perfectly enjoyable on their own without knowing the backstory.

Try to find one of the remastered import versions of this CD with extra tracks (the singles and b-sides from the time).
The U. S. versions on Reprise were transferred in the early days of CD technology and sound poor in comparison to the more recently redone British versions.


Good stuff (but is it what you're looking for?)
The first are Kinks' fans who have already made up their minds and couldn't care less what I say. As I said in my review of "The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society", readers of this review undoubtedly fall into two camps. The second, more relevant, group are those who have, like me, read something about this album - one of the great albums of the '60s and so on - and are intrigued by it. They're looking for undiscovered jewels from the '60s, have heard about how great this album is, and are wondering if it is worth buying.

For the latter group, I would argue that, as in the case of "The Village Green Preservation Society", this may be worth getting, depending on what you're looking for. This CD does not include any songs that you'll recognize, and many of the songs aren't very catchy - I'd suggest getting the Village Green CD if you're looking to get a good Kinks CD from the '60s with better songs. But if you're looking for an additional '60s gem that isn't well recognized today, this album hits the mark. It involves music, along with a overriding theme, that conveys how exciting music was in the late '60s. So if you're looking for a late '60s discovery (again, I'm not writing to you Kinks fans out there), this album definitely satisfies that criterion.

As an aside, what's really interesting, to the outside observer, about this album is the extent that it builds on, or perhaps precedes, various other '60s acts. Some songs sound like they could be played by Canned Heat. Other sound like precursors to '70s Pink Floyd - "Some Mother's Son" is a very powerful, moving song that sounds as if it could appear on The Wall, or even The Final Cut. Does this make the music better? No, but if you're basically performing an archeological dig of the '60s, that's another reason to buy this CD. On the other hand, if you're looking for '60s "hits", you'll be disappointed.


Great Kinks album
). Hoo boy! List the twenty albums that I have listened to more than any others in the last thirty or so years and this album will be there (along with several Beatles albums, Blonde on Blonde, Let it Bleed, etc. This is the Kinks at their best. I bought this album on the basis of a positive review when it came out and, boy, am I glad that I did. Always more popular in the USA than in the UK, this album was embraced by yanks because of its highly melodic and tightly arranged songs about England in happier days. Few bands played this well. Few composers could turn out songs the way that Ray Davies did. Still brings a smile to my face when I hear one of these songs. Highly recommended.


Exceptional-get it!

Just another in line of brilliant albums by Ray and Dave Davies-Highly recommended for your collection!.


You can see a complete list of all The Kinks discography, or go back to the The Kinks tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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