Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire):

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) is the seventh studio album by English rock band The Kinks, released in October 1969. Kinks frontman Ray Davies constructed the concept album as the soundtrack to a Granada Television play and developed the storyline with novelist Julian Mitchell; however, the play was cancelled and never produced. The rough plot revolved around Arthur, a carpet-layer, who was based on Ray Davies' brother-in-law Arthur Anning.

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."^[1] 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."^[2]

The album, although not very successful commercially, was a return to the charts in the US for The Kinks.^[3] Their critically well-received previous effort, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, failed to chart in any country upon its release in 1968, with total US sales estimated at under 25,000 copies.^[4] 1969 saw the Kinks return to the Billboard charts after a two year absence, with the lead single from the record, "Victoria", peaking at number 62.^[5] The album itself reached number 50 on the Record World charts, and number 105 on Billboard, their highest position since 1965.^[5] The record failed to chart in Britain, but it paved the way for the massive success of their 1970 comeback album Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One and its accompanying US and UK Top 5 hit "Lola".^[6]

Background

Television play

British production company Granada TV approached Ray Davies in early January 1969, expressing interest in developing a movie or play for television. Davies was to collaborate with writer Julian Mitchell on the "experimental" programme,^[7] with a soundtrack by The Kinks to be released on an accompanying LP.^[7] Agreements were finalized on 8 January, but the project was not revealed until a press release on 10 March. The Mitchell-Davies collaboration went smoothly, and scriptwriting continued into May, temporarily sidetracked while the group traveled to Beirut.^[8] Leslie Woodhead was assigned the role of director, and by early September production was scheduled to begin, with a planned broadcast of late September, but these plans were delayed.^[9] Davies and Mitchell put the finishing touches on the script in mid-September, and shooting was set for 1 December. Roy Stonehouse was hired as a designer, and the casting was completed; however, the show was cancelled when the producer was unable to secure financial backing. Davies and Mitchell were furious at an entire year's work in vain—Doug Hinman stated in his 2004 book, All Day and All of the Night, that Davies "saw his grand artistic visions once again dashed by bureaucracy and internal politics."^[10]

Album

Development of Arthur occurred during a rough period for the band, due to the commercial failure of the album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society and the subsequent single, "Plastic Man", as well as the departure of founding member and bassist Pete Quaife.^[11] In early 1969, Quaife had told the band he was quitting,^[11] though the other members did not take the remark seriously. When an article in the New Musical Express mentioned the band, Maple Oak, that he had formed without the rest of The Kinks' knowledge,^[7]^[12]^[11] Davies unsuccessfully requested Quaife to return for the upcoming sessions of Arthur.^[13] As a replacement, Davies called up bassist John Dalton, who had previously filled in for Quaife.^[13]^[14]

Davies travelled to United Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California on 11 April 1969, to produce American pop band The Turtles' next LP Turtle Soup with engineer Chuck Britz.^[15] While in Los Angeles, Davies helped negotiate an end to the concert ban placed on The Kinks by the American Federation of Musicians in 1965.^[15] Although neither The Kinks nor the union gave a specific reason for the ban, at the time it was widely attributed to their rowdy on-stage behaviour.^[16] After negotiations with Davies, the Federation relented, opening up an opportunity for the group to return to touring in America. Once the main sessions for the Turtles LP were completed, Davies returned to England. While Davies was abroad, the other members of the band had been rehearsing and practicing for the upcoming album, as well as lead guitarist Dave Davies' solo album A Hole in the Sock of.^[7]^[15] When Ray returned, The Kinks regrouped at his house in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, to rehearse the upcoming album.^[15]

Recording

The Kinks' European tour dates for 1969; the detail in the bottom left shows British tour dates. General gigs are in magenta, The Kinks' last performance with Pete Quaife is in green, and their two dates in Lebanon are shown in blue. Multiple performances took place in London throughout the year; these dates are all represented by the black marker. Click on the small rectangles in the caption for larger map.

The group turned to the recording proper on 5 May 1969.^[15] They began a two-week series of focused sessions, slowly laying down each track.^[13] Recording was interrupted when The Kinks travelled to Beirut, Lebanon on 17 May to play three dates at the Melkart Hotel; their return was delayed when the government revoked their passports, only relenting at the last minute.^[17] Sessions for Arthur resumed the following day, and the main recording for the album was finished by the end of the month.^[17]^[15] Mixing and dubbing began in early June, with arranger Lew Warburton handling string overdubs.^[18] The Kinks played a few small gigs in England throughout the remainder of the month, but devoted most of their time to finishing Dave Davies' solo album.^[18] Tapes for this record were eventually delivered to Pye and Reprise Records, although it never saw official release.^[17]

On 15 June Ray Davies began writing with Mitchell for the Granada TV play,^[7] and a press release announced that the Arthur LP was scheduled for a late July release.^[17] However, as problems with the TV play got progressively worse—and, consequently, distracted the group from completing the album—the release date was pushed further and further back.^[7]^[17] In early October Ray Davies moved from Borehamwood to his old family home on Fortis Green Road, in Muswell Hill, and travelled to Los Angeles, where he deposited the tapes at Reprise for Arthur's American release.^[19] The Arthur release date was finally set for 10 October, and The Kinks began gearing up for an upcoming US tour to support the album.^[19]^[7] Before leaving, Ray Davies held several press interviews to promote it.^[19]

Release

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) was released in the US and UK on 10 October 1969, in both mono and stereo versions.^[2] The album set the stage for The Kinks' return to touring the United States in late 1969,^[16] and paved the way for even greater commercial success with the hit song "Lola" in 1970.

Critical response

The album was critically acclaimed at the time of release, especially in the US rock press.^[20] It was favourably compared to contemporary works, namely Tommy by The Who, released earlier in the year.^[20] In Rolling Stone magazine, Arthur was spotlighted in its lead section, with back-to-back reviews by Mike Daly and Greil Marcus.^[21] Daly called it "an album that is a masterpiece on every level: Ray Davies' finest hour, the Kinks' supreme achievement."^[1] Marcus also praised the record, and said: "Less ambitious than Tommy, and far more musical ... Arthur is by all odds the best British album of 1969. It shows that Pete Townshend still has worlds to conquer and that The Beatles have a lot of catching up to do."^[21] A review by Sal Imam ran in Boston's Fusion magazine read that "If Tommy was the greatest rock opera, then Arthur most surely is the greatest rock musical."^[21]^[20] Writing in his Consumer Guide column of The Village Voice, Robert Christgau gave the record a positive review, saying, although Ray Davies' lyrics could get "preachy at times", that the album featured "excellent music and production".^[22]

Reception in the UK was not as warm, although reviews were still generally positive.^[20] Disc & Music Echo commented that "Arthur works as a complete score because it is basic and simple and pleasing to the ear, and powerfully conjures up pictures in the eye."^[2] Melody Maker seconded Mike Daly's comments in Rolling Stone, again calling it "Ray Davies' finest hour", and adding that it was "beautifully British to the core."^[2] Doug Hinman would later comment on the album's reception in Britain: "In the British music press there [was] less celebration, and coverage [was] relatively routine, though everyone saw the rock opera angle."^[20]

Modern criticism

Today the album receives generally positive reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic stated that Arthur was "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,"^[24] and Matt Golden of Stylus called it "the best rock opera ever".^[27] Adrian Denning called the album "[a] fine ... set of Kinks song[s]" with "absolutely no filler".^[26] Georgiy Starostin gave Arthur a positive review and maximum 10 out of 10 as an overall rating.^[23] Switch magazine included Arthur on their "100 Best Albums of the 20th Century" in 1999, and Mojo, in 2003, listed the album on their "Top 50 Most Eccentric Albums" list.^[25]

Singles and chart performance

While the sessions for Arthur were approaching completion in June 1969, the track "Drivin'" was released as a single in the UK, backed with the Dave Davies tune "Mindless Child of Motherhood". For the first time since their breakthrough in 1964, a Kinks single failed to make an impression on the UK charts^[28]—Johnny Rogan notes that "This was the first of two pilot singles for ... Arthur and its failure did not auger well."^[29] The group followed with another single in September, "Shangri-La", which again failed to chart in the UK. As with Village Green, the album itself failed to chart when released in October.^[28]

In the US, "Victoria" was chosen as the lead single, backed with the album track "Brainwashed", and was released the same week as the LP. The single proved to be relatively successful, reaching number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100—their highest position since their Top 20 hit "Sunny Afternoon" in 1966. The success of the single lead to its release in the UK, where, backed with "Mr. Churchill Says", it reached a peak of number 30.^[30] Arthur itself was also a moderate commercial success in the US, with its peak of number 105 being the highest for a Kinks album since 1965.^[30]

Promotion

Reprise Records, The Kinks' US label, devised an elaborate, multi-levelled promotional campaign for Arthur in early 1969. The most famous branch of the programme involved a promo package entitled God Save The Kinks. The set featured various items, including a consumer's guide to the band's albums, a bag of "grass" from the "Daviesland village green", and an LP entitled Then, Now and Inbetween.^[31] The set was accompanied by a positive letter from Hal Halverstadt of creative services at Warner/Reprise, part of which read, "... [We are lead] to believe that The Kinks may not have had it at all ... The Kinks are to be supported, encouraged, cheered. And saved."^[31] The campaign was officially launched on 3 July, at a meeting between Ray Davies and Reprise executives in Burbank, California.^[32] A discussed part of the campaign involved seeding false stories in the press to create an "outlaw" image for the group—Reprise considered pieces about marijuana possession^[21] and income tax evasion.^[21] Ray called the idea "mad", and the programme was dropped. Several pieces, however, were used in the press kit for Arthur's release, with titles like "English Pop Group Arrested on Rape Rap".^[21]

Packaging and liner notes

All artwork for Arthur was created by Bob Lawrie.^[33] The album was packaged in a gatefold sleeve, and included a shaped insert depicting Queen Victoria, with lyrics on the reverse. Liner notes in the UK were written by Geoffrey Cannon and Julian Mitchell; in the US, notes by John Mendelssohn replaced Cannon's.^[34]

Story and theme

The story is partially inspired by the Davies brothers' older sister Rose, who emigrated to Australia in 1964 with her husband Arthur Anning.^[35] Her departure devastated Ray Davies, and it inspired him to write the song "Rosie Won't You Please Come Home", included on the 1966 album Face to Face.^[35] The lead character in the album, the fictional Arthur Morgan—modeled after Arthur Anning—is a carpet layer whose family's plight in the opportunity-poor setting of post-war England is depicted.^[35]^[33] Writer Julian Mitchell detailed the story line and characters in depth, explaining in the liner notes for the album's LP release:

Davies would later comment in his autobiography, X-Ray, "[Arthur Anning later] told me that he ... knew it [Arthur] had been partly inspired by him ... [it] reminded him of home ... I told Arthur that I felt guilty for using him as a subject for a song, but he shrugged off my apology, saying that he was flattered."^[36] The songs describe the England that Arthur once knew^[27] ("Shangri-La", "Young and Innocent Days"), the promise of life in Australia for one of his sons ("Australia"), the emptiness of his superficially comfortable life in his home ("Shangri-La"), the resolve of the British people during the Second World War ("Mr. Churchill Says"), and the death of his brother in World War I.^[35]^[24]

Track listing

Personnel

Chart tables

Album

Singles

Footnotes

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Daly, Mike; Marcus, Greil Arthur (Or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire. Rolling Stone, 1 November 1969. Retrieved 1 December, 2009
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Hinman 2004, p. 133
^ Miller 2003, p. 133
^ Miller 2003, p. 4
^ ^a ^b Hinman 2004, pp. 132-135
^ Rogan 1998, pp. 65-75
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Hinman 2004, p. 124
^ Hinman 2004, p. 29
^ Hinman 2004, p. 131
^ Hinman 2004, p. 136
^ ^a ^b ^c Hinman 2004, p. 123
^ Hinman 2004, p. 127
^ ^a ^b ^c Hinman 2004, p. 126
^ Erlewine, Stephen. "The Kinks Biography on All Music.com". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:5q6wtr59kl5x~T1. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Hinman 2004, pp. 128-129
^ ^a ^b Alterman 1969
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Hinman 2004, pp. 126-130
^ ^a ^b Hinman 2004, p. 129
^ ^a ^b ^c Hinman 2004, pp. 130-135
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Hinman 2004, pp. 132-133
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Hinman 2004, p. 132
^ ^a ^b Christgau, Robert Consumer Guide: The Kinks. Retrieved 23 December 2009
^ ^a ^b Starostin, Georgiy. The Kinks. Only Solitaire. Retrieved 12 January 2010
^ ^a ^b ^c Erlewine, Stephen. "Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:a9fexqqdldte. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
^ ^a ^b Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire). Acclaimed Music.net. Retrieved 12 January 2010
^ ^a ^b Denning, Adrian. "The Kinks: Album Reviews". adriandenning.co.uk. http://www.adriandenning.co.uk/kinks.html. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c Golden, Matt. "On Second Thought: The Kinks - Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)". Stylus Magazine. http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/on_second_thought/the-kinks-arthur-or-the-decline-and-fall-of-the-british-empire.htm. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c Rogan 1998, pp. 21-22
^ Rogan 1998, p. 21
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Rogan 1998, pp. 20-23
^ ^a ^b Savage 1984, p. 110
^ Hinman 2004, p. 130
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Mitchell, Julian (1969). Arthur liner notes
^ Emlen, Dave. "Arthur Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire". Kindakinks.net. http://www.kindakinks.net/discography/showrelease.php?release=602. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Kitts 2007, p. 131
^ Davies 1995, p. 211
^ Emlen, Dave. "International Chart Positions". Kindakinks.net. http://www.kindakinks.net/charts.html. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
^ "Shangri-La". Dutchcharts.nl. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Kinks&titel=Shangrila&cat=s. Retrieved 20 November 2009.

References

Alterman, Loraine (18 December 1969), Who Let the Kinks In?, Rolling Stone
Savage, John (1984), The Kinks, London, UK: Faber and Faber, ISBN 0571133797
Hinman, Doug (2004), The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night, Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corporation, ISBN 087930765X
Rogan, Johnny (1998), The Complete Guide to the Music of The Kinks, London, UK: Omnibus Press, ISBN 0711963142
Kitts, Thomas (2007), Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else, London, UK: Routledge, ISBN 041597769X
Miller, Andy (2003), The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society, London, UK: Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 0826414982
Davies, Ray (1995), X-Ray, New York, NY: Overlook Press, ISBN 0879516119
Davies, Dave (1996), Kink, New York, NY: Hyperion, ISBN 0786882697

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

Contents

Background

Television play

Album

Recording

Release

Critical response

Modern criticism

Singles and chart performance

Promotion

Packaging and liner notes

Story and theme

Track listing

Personnel

Chart tables

Album

Singles

Footnotes

Notes

References