THE KINKS "ARTHUR OR THE DECLINE & FALL OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE" LP WITH INSERT
$
25
$ 25
Sold For
Nov 29, 2016
Sold Date
Nov 27, 2016
Start Date
1
Number Of Bids
USA
Country Of Seller
eBay
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Description
YOU ARE BIDDING ON A LP BY THE BAND THE KINKS CALLED "ARTHUR OR THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE". IT WAS RELEASED ON THE REPRISE LABEL (RS 6366) OUT OF THE U.S. IN 1969. THE COVER IS VERY GOOD+++ & THE LP IS NEAR MINT
**************MOST LP'S ARE DOWN GRADED JUST TO AVOID ANY CONTROVERSY. I'VE BEEN SELLING LP'S FOR OVER 3 DECADES BUT EVERYBODY HAS DIFFERENT IDEA'S ABOUT GRADING
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) extends the British-oriented themes of Village Green Preservation Society, telling the story of a London man's decision to move to Australia during the aftermath of World War II. It's a detailed and loving song cycle, capturing the minutiae of suburban life, the numbing effect of bureaucracy, and the horrors of war. On paper, Arthur sounds like a pretentious mess, but Ray Davies' lyrics and insights have rarely been so graceful or deftly executed, and the music is remarkable. An edgier and harder-rocking affair than Village Green, Arthur is as multi-layered musically as it is lyrically. "Shangri-La" evolves from English folk to hard rock, "Drivin'" has a lazy grace, "Young and Innocent Days" is a lovely, wistful ballad, "Some Mother's Son" is one of the most uncompromising antiwar songs ever recorded, while "Victoria" and "Arthur" rock with simple glee. The music makes the words cut deeper, and the songs never stray too far from the album's subject, making Arthur one of the most effective concept albums in rock history, as well as one of the best and most influential British pop records of its era.Notes:
'Arthur...' was met with almost unanimous acclaim upon release. It received generous coverage in the US rock press, with articles running in underground magazines such as Fusion and The Village Voice. It garnered back-to-back reviews by Mike Daly and Greil Marcus in Rolling Stone magazine's lead section; Daly rated it as "the Kinks' finest hour", and Marcus went so far as to call it "the best British album of 1969". Reviews in the UK were also positive. Although it received a mixed review in New Musical Express, Disc & Music Echo praised the album's musical integrity, and Melody Maker called it "Ray Davies' finest hour... beautifully British to the core".
The album, although not very successful commercially, was a return to the charts in the US for The Kinks. The album itself reached number 50 on the Record World charts, and number 105 on Billboard, their highest position since 1965. It failed to chart in Britain.
Tracklist
Victoria Yes Sir, No Sir Some Mother's Son Drivin' Brainwashed Australia Shangri-La Mr. Churchill Says She's Bought A Hat Like Princess Marina Young And Innocent Days Nothing To Say Arthurprice rating
