Artist: The Kinks
Album: Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
Year: 1969
Hard to believe that we are reaching the fourth and final installment of The Kinks in the 1001 here. I thought for sure we'd get to hear either Lola, Muswell Hillbillies, or both. But with Arthur, we've reached the end of the line.
Like The Kinks' last effort, The Village Green Preservation Society, Arthur stands as a concept album. This one's about a gentleman named Arthur and his decision to move to Australia in the years following World War II. In some sense this one possesses a tighter narrative than a blatant rock opera like The Who's Tommy. The album does a great job at keeping the themes up throughout.
Arthur and Village Green have always been kind of 1b and 1a, respectively, in The Kinks' discography for me. I think Village Green has a stronger set of songs: it's a little more quaintly poppy and distinctively/passionately English. Arthur is just about as good but represents the flip side of the coin. It's a much more big sounding, rocking affair. From the opening chiming anthem "Victoria" you can tell that this is one where the band is going to embrace their roots (let's not forget this is the band that more or less invented three-chord punk on "You Really Got Me") and rock out. "Australia" adds extended jamming, brass and saxophone into the mix with tremendously catchy results. For me the real champ on this album is "Shangri-La," which starts as a folky Village Green-style tune (complete with harpsichord) before exploding into a hard rock chorus.
Once again, The Kinks have done it: making an album that's completely on their terms and getting to the heart of what makes England such a beguiling place. For my money this one's at least as good as Tommy and the Led Zeppelin albums, rivaling only Abbey Road for UK supremacy in the year 1969. Rock on, Kinks. It's been fun.
Rating: Indispensable
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