1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die #167. The Kinks - Arthur - Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire (1969)

167. The Kinks - Arthur - Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire (1969)


Label – Pye
Producer – Ray Davies
Art Direction – The Kinks and Bob Laurie
Nationality - UK
Running Time – 47:43

Track Listing

Side 1

"Victoria" – 3:40
"Yes Sir, No Sir" – 3:46
"Some Mother's Son" – 3:25
"Drivin'" – 3:21
"Brainwashed" – 2:34
"Australia" – 6:46

Side 2

"Shangri-La" – 5:20
"Mr. Churchill Says" – 4:42
"She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina" – 3:07
"Young and Innocent Days" – 3:21
"Nothing to Say" – 3:08
"Arthur" – 5:27

“Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)” is the seventh studio album by English rock band The Kinks, and it was released in October 1969.

It is a concept album that originally was to be the soundtrack to a Granada Television play but the program was cancelled and never produced. The story revolves around Arthur Morgan, a carpet-layer, who was based on part by Ray Davies' brother-in-law Arthur Anning.

What a great record this is. The music is remarkable. This is an edgy and harder-rocking record with many great tracks. "Shangri-La" moves from English folk to hard rock, "Drivin'" has a nice lazy feel to it, "Young and Innocent Days" is a tender ballad, "Some Mother's Son" is an antiwar song, and "Victoria" and "Arthur" both just rock! The album has been called “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”, and it is hard to disagree with that statement. I personally have grown a new appreciation for the Kinks in the records I have heard for the 1001 reviews. They were quite simply a great band.

The album, although not very successful commercially, was a return to the charts in the US for The Kinks with the lead single from the record, "Victoria", peaking at number 62. 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. The tracks "Drivin'" and "Shangri-La", were released as singles in the UK, but failed to chart. The album was critically acclaimed at the time of release, especially in the US rock press, but reception in the UK was not as warm, although reviews were still generally positive. Switch magazine included Arthur on their "100 Best Albums of the 20th Century" in 1999, and in 2003 Mojo featured the album on their list of the "Top 50 Most Eccentric Albums".

It is highly recommended.