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.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VictoriaRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 03:39 | 0 MB | 25 MB |
| 2 | Yes Sir, No SirRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 03:46 | 0 MB | 24 MB |
| 3 | Some Mother's SonRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 03:25 | 0 MB | 22 MB |
| 4 | Drivin'Ray Davies | The Kinks | Play | 03:20 | 0 MB | 23 MB |
| 5 | BrainwashedRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 02:34 | 0 MB | 17 MB |
| 6 | AustraliaRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 06:46 | 0 MB | 45 MB |
| 7 | Shangri-LaRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 05:20 | 0 MB | 35 MB |
| 8 | Mr. Churchill SaysRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 04:42 | 0 MB | 31 MB |
| 9 | She's Bought a Hat Like Princess MarinaRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 03:07 | 0 MB | 20 MB |
| 10 | Young and Innocent DaysRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 03:21 | 0 MB | 20 MB |
| 11 | Nothing to SayRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 03:08 | 0 MB | 21 MB |
| 12 | ArthurRay Davies | The Kinks | Play | 05:30 | 0 MB | 38 MB |
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| 48 mins | 327 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mick Avory | Drums |
| 2 | Mike Bobak | Engineer |
| 3 | John Dalton | Guitar (Bass), Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | Dave Davies | Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboards, Vocals |
| 5 | Ray Davies | Composer, Guitar, Producer, Vocals |
| 6 | John Gosling | Keyboards |
| 7 | The Kinks | Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |