King Kong Pretty cursory treatment of the subject material... not entirely up to Davies standards.... but it's a great match for the heavy riffing. Solid song and fully worthy of playlist inclusion.
King Kong I'm of the mind that I would like Plastic Man AND King Kong to both be A sides depending on my mood. King Kong rocks. And dontcha think Ray is being a little naughty with "I'm King Kong and I'm ten feet long". I know he was going for the rhyme, but c'mon. I love T Rex so you can't escape the staccato vocal here. Not sure if Marc got inspiration from Ray or vice versa. I see "Debora" was a moderate hit back in 1968 which precedes King Kong so that makes me think that Ray may have nicked the style for this outing. Which is fine. Ray is known as quite the mimic. The mono recording is pretty dire (at least the version Mark posted). I don't get this at all. This song deserves a better recording. But the energy is there so if I'm looking to rock out, I'm all about King Kong. And good usage of cowbell. Holy guacamole!
It’s fan made. There is no stereo mix of King Kong. The assumption is the multi tracks are lost as surely an official stereo mix would have been created for the Arthur Super Deluxe a couple of years ago if they existed.
Thought as much, but I did wonder... Some of the new remixes in the TKATVGPS box sounded stellar compared to the original recording and it'd be great if a version of King Kong surfaced sounding that good.
My first time hearing this in stereo. I've always said that the first measure of "Sunshine Of Your Love" is also the first measure of "You Really Got Me" (if it's of interest, so is the first measure of The Temptation's "Get Ready," Ike & Tina Turner's "River Deep Mountain High," and many more). With this track, Ray gets back at Cream by combining the "Sunshine Of Your Love" riff with it's flipside, "Swlabr" to create this strange hybrid riff. My guess is that Dave broke out his Flying V for this. That sound is associated with twin coil pick-ups. The processing of Ray's voice that makes it sound like it's coming over a school intercom is interesting, but I'm glad he didn't make a habit of using it.
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) Studio album by the Kinks Released 10 October 1969 Recorded May–July 1969 Studio Pye Studios, London Genre Rock Length 49:17 Label Pye (UK), Reprise (US) Producer Ray Davies Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), often referred to as just Arthur, 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; the television programme was never produced. The rough plot revolved around Arthur Morgan, a carpet-layer, who was based on Ray and guitarist Dave Davies' brother-in-law Arthur Anning. A stereo version was released internationally. A mono version was released in the UK, but not in the US. The album was met with poor sales but nearly unanimous acclaim, especially among the American music press. Although Arthur and its first two singles, "Drivin’" and "Shangri-La", failed to chart in the UK, the Kinks returned to the Billboard charts after a two-year absence[1] with "Victoria", the lead single in the US, peaking at number 62.[2] The album itself reached number 105 on the Billboard album chart, their highest position since 1965. Arthur paved the way for the further success of the Kinks’ 1970 comeback album Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One.[3] The group turned to the recording proper on 1 May 1969.[12] The first tracks worked on were "Drivin’", intended as their next single release, and "Mindless Child of Motherhood", written by Dave Davies (the latter would eventually be used as the B-side to "Drivin'", and was not included on the LP). The Kinks began a two-week series of focused sessions on 5 May, laying down an early version of the entire Arthur album. Recording was interrupted when the Kinks travelled to Beirut, Lebanon on 17 May to play three dates at the Melkart Hotel;[14] sessions for Arthur resumed the day after their return, and most of the recording for the album was finished by the end of the month.[14] Mixing and dubbing began in early June, with arranger Lew Warburton handling string overdubs.[15] 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.[15] Writing for the TV play progressed through May and June, and on 15 June mixing for Dave Davies’ solo LP was completed (tapes for this record were eventually delivered to Pye and Reprise Records, although it never saw official release).[14] A press release announced that the Arthur LP was scheduled for a late July release.[14] As Davies and Mitchell completed their script, the Arthur TV play began to crystallise, and British filmmaker Leslie Woodhead was assigned the role of director. By early September production was scheduled to begin, with a planned broadcast of late September, but these plans were continually delayed.[16] As problems with the TV play got progressively worse—and, consequently, distracted the Kinks from completing the post-production of the album—the release dates for both projects were pushed further and further back.[4][14] In early October Ray Davies moved from Borehamwood back to his old family home on Fortis Green, in Muswell Hill, and travelled to Los Angeles, where he delivered the tapes to Reprise for Arthur’s American release.[17] The album’s release date was set for 10 October,[17] and the Kinks began gearing up for an upcoming US tour to support the album, for which they would depart on 17 October.[18] Shooting for the TV play was set for 1 December. Roy Stonehouse was hired as a designer, and the casting was completed, but the show was cancelled at the last minute when the producer was unable to secure financial backing.[19] Davies and Mitchell were frustrated at an entire year’s work wasted: Doug Hinman said Davies witnessed "his grand artistic visions once again dashed by bureaucracy and internal politics".[20] The story is partially inspired by the Davies brothers’ older sister Rose, who emigrated to Australia in 1964 with her husband Arthur Anning.[22] Her departure devastated Ray Davies, and it inspired him to write the song "Rosy, Won't You Please Come Home", included on the 1966 album Face to Face.[22] The lead character in the album, the fictional Arthur Morgan—modelled after Anning—is a carpet layer whose family's plight in the opportunity-poor setting of post-war England is depicted.[23][22] Writer Julian Mitchell detailed the story line and characters in depth, explaining in the liner notes for the album's LP release: Arthur Morgan ... lives in a London suburb in a house called Shangri-La, with a garden and a car and a wife called Rose and a son called Derek who's married to Liz, and they have these two very nice kids, Terry and Marilyn. Derek and Liz and Terry and Marilyn are emigrating to Australia. Arthur did have another son, called Eddie. He was named after Arthur's brother, who was killed in the battle of the Somme. Arthur's Eddie was killed, too—in Korea.[23] Davies later commented in his autobiography, X-Ray, that 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."[24] With an underlying theme of nostalgia,[25] the songs describe the England Arthur once knew[26] ("Victoria", "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"), the privations that marked the austerity period after the war ("She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina"), and the death of his brother in World War I ("Yes Sir, No Sir", "Some Mother's Son").[27][22] Mick Avory – drums, percussion John Dalton – bass guitar, background vocals Dave Davies – lead guitar, background vocals, co-lead vocal on "Australia" and "Arthur", lead vocals on his own tracks Ray Davies – lead and background vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards (harpsichord and piano), production Pete Quaife – bass guitar, background vocals on bonus tracks: "Plastic Man", "King Kong", "This Man He Weeps Tonight", "Lincoln County", "Hold My Hand" and "Creeping Jean" Production Lew Warburton – horn and string arrangements Andrew Hendriksen – engineering Brian Humphries – engineering on "Drivin'" Bob Lawrie – album art Austin Sneller – credited as "album 'tester'"[23] Side one 1. "Victoria" 3:40 2. "Yes Sir, No Sir" 3:46 3. "Some Mother's Son" 3:25 4. "Drivin'" 3:21 5. "Brainwashed" 2:34 6. "Australia" 6:46 Side two 1. "Shangri-La" 5:20 2. "Mr. Churchill Says" 4:42 3. "She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina" 3:07 4. "Young and Innocent Days" 3:21 5. "Nothing to Say" 3:08 6. "Arthur" 5:27 1998 and 2004 CD reissue bonus tracks 13. "Plastic Man" (mono) 3:04 14. "King Kong" (mono) 3:23 15. "Drivin'" (mono) 3:12 16. "Mindless Child of Motherhood" (mono) Dave Davies 3:16 17. "This Man He Weeps Tonight" (mono) Dave Davies 2:42 18. "Plastic Man" (stereo) 3:04 19. "Mindless Child of Motherhood" (stereo; a broken stereo version (due to a mastering error) was included in Castle Records' 1998 release. This was fixed in subsequent reissues[43]) Dave Davies 3:16 20. "This Man He Weeps Tonight" Dave Davies 2:42 21. "She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina" (mono) 3:07 22. "Mr. Shoemaker's Daughter" (Unreleased track from Dave Davies solo album) Dave Davies 3:08 2011 Sanctuary Records special deluxe edition Disc 1 (mono) bonus tracks 13. "Plastic Man" 3:04 14. "This Man He Weeps Tonight" Dave Davies 2:43 15. "Mindless Child of Motherhood" Dave Davies 3:09 16. "Creeping Jean" Dave Davies 3:19 17. "Lincoln County" Dave Davies 3:13 18. "Hold My Hand" Dave Davies 3:21 19. "Victoria" (studio recording for the BBC) 3:36 20. "Mr. Churchill Says" (studio recording for the BBC) 3:38 21. "Arthur" (studio recording for the BBC) 3:16 2011 Sanctuary Records special deluxe edition Disc 2 (stereo) bonus tracks 13. "Plastic Man" 3:03 14. "This Man He Weeps Tonight" Dave Davies 2:39 15. "Drivin'" (alternative stereo mix) 3:16 16. "Mindless Child of Motherhood" Dave Davies 3:10 17. "Hold My Hand" Dave Davies 3:15 18. "Lincoln County" Dave Davies 3:23 19. "Mr. Shoemaker's Daughter" Dave Davies 3:07 20. "Mr. Reporter" 3:36 21. "Shangri-La" (backing track) 5:28 Album Year 1969 Billboard - 105 Cash Box - 53 Record World - 50 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is the wikipedia information and I have included it so folks unfamiliar with the things surrounding this album can get themselves up to date, rather than me just simply trying to paraphrase all of this. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When I first got my Kinks sixties albums I expected I was going to absolutely love this album, as I have always liked a good concept album and it's the Kinks for goodness sakes... That isn't really how it unfolded. Initially I was taken aback by Ray's vocals..... There are several tracks, or at least sections of tracks, that almost didn't sound like Ray, and I wasn't ready for that, and also initially it just didn't grab me. It is actually bizarre to me that I didn't get it, because I also generally like somewhat complex writing, and this is very likely the most complex writing and arrangement from Ray and the guys. So this album remained a frustrating disappointment for a long time ........ but Having put myself in the position where I have to get close to these albums doing this thread, this album has been the biggest winner so far. Now when I listen to it I find it hard to believe that it didn't connect with me initially, and it seems there were too many years in the late 90's, and early 2000's where I wasn't listening to albums, I was hearing albums. I had become a lazy listener. For some reason, whether how busy life was, or all the turmoil going on at that time, had left music sitting in the background, and even when I had time to listen, it was while doing other things...... music had moved to that weird uncomfortable position of being a backdrop, or soundtrack to doing something, rather than the something I was doing..... and it makes an enormous difference to how your hear the music, no matter what anyone says. No matter how good of a multitasker one is, if attention is divided amongst enough things, nothing gets proper attention, and essentially nothing gets done well enough, you just get more of it done....... This is one of the triggers that has led me to love doing these kinds of threads, because it causes me to focus. So my failure to connect with Arthur was essentially a symptom of lazy listening habits that developed so slowly I didn't notice..... until I did. So having spent some serious time listening to this album, it has actually bumped its way up to being among my favourite Kinks albums. At this stage now, I am not even sure I could name a favourite Kinks album, because there are just a ton of great albums, or various styles spread through the catalog, and I am just thankful for them, and enjoy each flavour when I am in the mood for it. This is a really interesting album. The way I look at this now, is that this is Ray Davies and the Kinks and their version of Pink Floyd's The Wall ten years before that album was released. Thematically it shares a lot of content, in the form of ideas and direction, but we also have the fact that essentially it was also supposed to be a movie ... but of course being 1969, and the industry not quite ready for the movie crossover that would become more common in the seventies, possibly reaching its pinnacle with the Wall, this was going to be a TV play ...... and in the wiki info, we learn yet again that The Kinks got stiffed .... If this had just been an album it would likely have come out in May or June it seems, and just like Something Else, that changes the historical perspective of the album a fair bit .... but the band put a lot of time and effort into the idea put forward, only to be left stranded, once again, when it all should have been coming to fruition. The album has a sort of historical flow, and captures a compact history of England in the twentieth century. Literally starting off with a tribute of sorts to Queen Victoria, who died in 1901. Certainly we can see there is definitely some negative connotations to Queen Victoria's reign, but essentially the album starts by reflecting on what had gone before and we essentially start in 1901, move through the war, and then look at a series of events that tie in the characters to our story. I haven't had a chance to study all the lyrics, and after we have looked through this properly I will have a more clear picture of what the generally focus and aim of this album, but at the moment this is where I stand with this album. I love the songs, and the way they fit together, and even more so, I love the music. The band moves back into a more rock approach, and we get lots of interesting time signature switch ups, and melodic structures, and interesting lyrics. Also we get the band augmented by a horn section, and some strings, and for me it all works beautifully. This is quite an extraordinary album, in so many ways, and really it should have been big, but for some reason The Kinks had fallen out of favour with the British public, and it seems they were never really going to get back in the good books with them. Thankfully for the band, and quite surprisingly the band managed to get the attention of the US market at this point..... and this album being so thoroughly British makes that even more surprising. This is not The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society, but the guys had taken that particular style and theme to its ultimate and solid conclusion, and I am not sure they could have done much more with it. This album is a shining jewel all its own, and I am very much looking forward to exploring it more closely with you all, and I am sure that with the knowledge you guys have about the band and their music, I/we are likely to learn even more than I would have previously expected. Of course as we have already discussed John Dalton debuts his Kinks career here, and for me, he does a fine job, and fits into the scheme of things extremely well. Although Pete Quaife had done an excellent job up to this point, I think Dalton fits in perfectly here. So please give us your thoughts and feelings about Arthur (or the decline and fall of the British Empire) When did you discover it? What did you think? Has your opinion changed? Whatever is in your heart about this album, please share your thoughts and feelings, and tomorrow we will look at the classic opening track. I am really looking forward to this one. Cheers Mark
Personally I like the album cover here. It has a somewhat Pythonesque cover that looks like it could almost have been done by Terry Gilliam.
My journey with Arthur... Arthur was the first Kinks album I heard in full. Going back to the record library at university in 1985, having tried a couple of Kinks compilations, Arthur was the next album I borrowed. Loved it on first hearing. Others have said VGPS was their gateway Kinks album, but for me it was Arthur and that's why it's the more special album for me. First of all I taped the library copy, but having played that for a while, I wanted my own copy. So on one of my occasional trips to London, I found a brand new copy in HMV. It didn't state on the sleeve it was stereo - indeed it said mono. But I thought "why would they be selling a mono version now?" and bought it anyway. On getting it home and putting the needle down, indeed it was mono. So I didn't play it any further, and that copy remained untouched and unplayed until this year. Later on, probably 1987, I found an original stereo copy for £3. The sleeve is very tatty (no Queen Victoria insert), but the vinyl is in very good condition. That copy kept me going until 1990 when I found the Castle Classics CD version and bought that. Over the intervening years, I've probably been guilty of neglecting this album - maybe I was thinking it sounded a bit drab and badly recorded, and maybe that CD had something to do with that (of which more later). Come this year, and this thread, and the fact that I now have the turntable, cartridge and headphones of my dreams, I went back to the old stereo copy and played it - and it sounded fantastic. I could hardly believe that this was the same album that I had previously been thinking sounded a bit drab. When the album had finished, I immediately played a bit of the CD to try to hear what the sound difference was - and it was at this point I realised that the Castle Classics CD has the left and right channels reversed! So the fact that I had been listening to Arthur the "wrong way round" for 30 years probably didn't help at all! I also went back to that mono copy. Looking on Discogs, it turns out that it's a 1981 German reissue on PRT (I'd never noticed the German writing on the label before). What was that doing in HMV in London in 1986/7? Comments on there suggested that it's a great pressing, so I thought I'd give it another quick go. However, it didn't take long to realise that I have no use for Arthur in mono. So I still have this virtually unplayed mint condition copy that appears to be worth nearly £40 now! Played the stereo album again this week, and again it sounds wonderful. I'm hearing details that I've never heard before, like the doubling up of the drums in quite a few places. There are some parts where the recording quality leaves something to be desired (e.g. the chorus of "Shangri-La") but for the most part it's an impressive production. Mick's drumming comes across really well throughout. This, to me, is the start of Kinks phase 2 - when they became an album-oriented rock band, when they start to stretch out more, and the average track length pushes towards 4 minutes. For all that I'm told about the concept and storyline behind VGPS, to me it still sounds like a collection of not necessarily connected singles, whereas Arthur sounds like an album. Unlike the later concept albums, it's not necessary to know the story or read the sleevenotes to enjoy it - the songs are good enough to stand up for themselves. I'd also say that, whereas I commented that Something Else sounded timeless, Arthur certainly doesn't - it sounds like 1969. And that's fine - you can listen to it and feel yourself being transported back to a previous age. For me it is the best of all the Kinks albums - the one that all the later concept albums have to measure up to (and they very much didn't when I sampled them back in the 80s).
Fascinating as it is to pick out similarities among roughly contemporary songs, I could draw the same conclusions by imagining Buddy Holly songs updated for the late sixties. Unless we eliminated all the songs from fifties rockers and the blues that we know influenced the Kinks and their contemporaries I think it's too big a stretch to conclude that songwriters in the late sixties were just nicking bits and pieces of songs off each other.
Hi Mark, I was wondering if/how you were gonna tackle the bonus content on the Arthur box? Like the VGPS box but even more so, it’s a hodgepodge of additional material from the time and then some tangentially related recordings from decades later.
At this stage I suspect I will go the same way as Village Green set. If I get time I'll explore the options a bit more this weekend.
Arthur is an album I have wanted to love for years, but have never really connected to as a whole despite loving some tracks. I look forward to being forced to try it again via this thread!
Arthur (or the decline and fall of the British Empire) As people would have noted I've adopted the Arthur cover for my SHF identity. This is because it's the Kinks album which best shows Ray's autograph along the right side - squint carefully and it's clear! The morning after they played Brisbane's Festival Hall in 1982 I stole my older brother's car (and boy was he angry when I got back) and took an armful of albums to the hotel I'd sleuthed the band was staying in. I waited two or three hours 'till the band came down to the lobby - Ray predictably was last. While he was signing the albums Ray offered a running commentary on each of them but I was so starstruck I couldn't absorb it properly. My big regret is that I was so fixated on getting Ray's autographs that I totally ignored Dave and the rest of the band. Sorry Dave! This album is special to me because its concept is one that closely mirrored my own family's life in England and emigration to Australia. And my (long-departed) mother loved Shangri-La, as do I. So I'm really looking forward to digging in to the discussion and hearing what others have to say on this.
Same here.... it's going to be an interesting journey. We moved to Australia .... I think it was Feb 1974. Packed onto the airplane in our winter gear, stepping off the plane in Perth, in the middle of the day, with the temperature over a hundred farenheit lol I was five, so this is reflected info, not memories The "Pommie B@stard" arrives in Oz lol
Lol.... "bloody luxury, we used to live in a rolled up newspaper in the middle of the road" Lancashire lad here. Wigan
‘Arthur’ has been an early January (?) of this year discovery for me, inspired by multiple Kinks references made by others during the Wilco thread. I can’t recall a specific reference made about ‘Arthur’ but it was the impetus to begin a deep dive and to put together my usual playlist. My initial thought when I saw the album title was ‘King Arthur’ as in ‘King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.’ Rick Wakeman, of course, did that in the early-mid 70s (and I used to have that). Anyway, I quickly realized it was a different Arthur. Since this thread has started I’ve been adding my selections to my pre-thread playlist which means it’s not in chronological order (because I didn’t start all the way at the beginning when I was winging it). The result is that I have been plunged into a crash-course on Arthur because every time I review my up-to-date choices for the playlist...I play (a lot of) Arthur, too. So even though this is a recent discovery it already seems like an old friend. Mark referenced The Wall in the intro and I must say I thought that, as well, re: the war related songs. Also, in terms of format, Tommy (of which I’m a huge fan). As always, look forward to an enlightening two or three or four weeks.
