The Kinks | Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire | Album

The Kinks "Arthur or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire" (1969)

LP (NEW) - Vinyl, BMG, Europe, 2019, NSPL 18317, 5414939639616, 180g Vinyl, Reissue, Gatefold Sleeve

Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire, originally released in 1969, was the the follow-up to their magnum opus of the previous year, The Village Green Preservation Society. Soundtrack to a TV film that was never made, beaten to the punch by Tommy as the first rock opera, and continuing a period of commercial freefall for The Kinks, Arthur filters themes of imperial decay through the Davies family’s bitter post-war disappointments. The opening track "Victoria" is a typically satirical Ray Davies song, containing many of his themes from his late '60s material such as English nostalgia and the little people, but the album's chief glory is "Shangri-La", an epic single which chucks in the kitchen sink, firing brass and guitar barrages as it demolishes the suburban dream. "Some Mother’s Son" mourns a young man’s brains being blown out on the Western Front, and "Australia" channels the Beach Boys, on what is arguably The Kinks’ most angry, epic record.

Artist Website: thekinks.info

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Related Artists: Ray Davies, Dave Davies