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Music : Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire)
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Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire) by: The Kinks List Price: £5.99 CD-Charts Price: £3.87 You Save: £2.12 (35%)Prices subject to change. |
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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Binding: Audio CD EAN: 5050749206220 Label: Sanctuary Manufacturer: Sanctuary Number Of Discs: 1 Publisher: Sanctuary Release Date: February 26, 2008 Running Time: 79 minutes Studio: Sanctuary Sales Rank: 2875 Disc 1:
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Editorial Review: From Amazon.com: Written as the score for a never-aired BBC television drama, Arthur is the story of late-'60s English working-class exhaustion. Perhaps not the most attention-grabbing subject for a rock album, but in Ray Davies's hands it's rich in texture and stylistic possibility. From the rousing ode to Britain's glorious past ("Victoria") to its less-than-glamorous present (that being the late '60s), Davies portrays a life of cautiously reduced expectations. Arthur once dreamed of owning his own business but has settled for a car and an indoor bathroom ("Shangri-La"). One of his sons spends his time complaining about the system ("Brainwashed"), the other dreams of moving to a new land of opportunity ("Australia"), and when they get together for Sunday dinner there's simply "Nothing to Say." The Kinks at their mighty and surprisingly tender best. --Percy Keegan Customer Reviews
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 Rating:  - Impressive, If A Little Forced In Places'Arthur' was originally conceived as a musical television drama, but when the drama never materialised, Ray Davies went ahead and released the music in the form of a concept album. The basic story relates to Ray's brother-in-law Arthur who emigrated to Australia some years previously. Generally, the music here has a much more 'modern' feel than previous Kinks albums, mainly due to its very rich production and the typical Kinks sound augumented by horns. In many ways 'Arthur' is much more suited to the ideals normally associated with concept albums than 'The Village Green Preservation Society' because it does seem to be much grander in scope. The songs are generally strong despite the fact that 'Victoria', 'Shangrila' and 'Australia' ... Read More: Rating: - The Kinks' Sergeant PepperIn a quiet period for Kinks' singles compared to 64-67, this album is something of a surprise. The Kinks compound their concept album 'The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society' with this summary of what it means to be English. The album has a distinctive sound with drums to the fore and most songs comprise of several distinct parts with shifting rhythms. For example, there's 'Australia' which begins up-tempo and part tongue-in-cheek and ends as a slower paced jam with superb guitar soloing and a full brass section, with the final burst of wobble board seeming to indicate the completion of this journey. Then there's 'She's bought a hat like Princess Marina'. This one begins slow and shifts gear twice, ending ... Read More: Rating: - And still another great Kinks record.Ray and Dave Davies and band put together this catchy bunch of tunes for a late 60's BBC TV special on the state of Old Blighty. Though the show was never aired, BBC's loss was our gain. As either a 'concept' or just plain rock album, 'Arthur Or The Decline and Fall of The British Empire' is not as innovative and varied as 'Something Else' or 'Face to Face', or that 'other one', but it's still darn good and would still make a great soundtrack now, if anyone at the Beeb wants to try their hand at some creative programming. It flows better I think, since it uses or re-cycles song forms and rock guitar licks more intentionally. The best songs are classic Kinks- 'Arthur', 'Shangri-La' and 'Victoria' ( later brilliantly updated by the Fall) and the lesser ... Read More: Rating: - The Kinks first - and best - attempt at rock opera.After the social satire of their mid-Sixties releases, and their ultra-English concept album VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY, the Kinks recorded this, the first (and by far the best) of their 'rock operas'. Released the same year as The Who's TOMMY, it is this album more than any other that demonstrates just what it was that made The Kinks so different from their contemporaries: bombastic parables about a messianic deaf, dumb and blind kid were just not head Kink Ray Davies' cup of tea - more to his liking was a nostalgic (though suprising angry) tale of a quiet suburban man who spends his life sitting by the fireside inside his semi reflecting upon the momentous events that have taken place over his lifetime. Thus, the album opens with a blast of ... Read More: |
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