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

solid record. few very cool songs and the others were alright. solid

I like the Kinks a lot and have flitted between a 3 and a 4 here, they have better albums. They have an uncanny ability to have sections of almost comical, upbeat music that then turns into a lovely, melancholy melody. Like being at a village fair but everyone suddenly starts crying.

Decent. Can see why people would love it but not my cup of tea.

Easy to listen to, but the songs all blurred together into sameness after a while. I knew there was some social commentary in there, but it was a bit difficult to relate to. Victoria is pretty catchy.

Didn't connect with me as much as other music from The Kinks

Two and a half, I guess. I respect this Britrock thing, but it doesn't really move me much. Feels like a period piece. Would listen to other Kinks, though.

This is a lot more poppy than I thought it would be. Some of the vocals were pitchy but it's still a good album.

I know a bit of the Kinks, but with the exception of Drivin', all tracks on this album are new to me. Victoria is good, Drivin' is good, though a bit bouncy, and I really like Shangri-La. Cover reminds me of Monty Python's opening montage. But on the whole the album is not that exciting. My true score falls somewhere between a 2 and a 3, but I'll record a 3 since it's better than the albums I've scored as 2.

6.5/10 - More politically active than I expected, and it was interesting to hear rock that sounds like the Beatles but is very explicitly criticizing various aspects of Britain. Interesting for this reason, but not my something I would choose to listen to very often. Favorites - 1. Nothing to Say 2. Victoria 3. Drivin’ 4. Shangri-La 5. Yes Sir, No Sir

I was looking at other people's reviews while listening to this. And one stuck out especially. "Bit twee." Yup. That about sums it up. I'm not British (though I do live in the UK now, but I feel like the vibe of this album doesn't quite hit the right way if you're not a nostalgic brit of a certain age. Very catchy, and Victoria is really good, but I couldn't really move past how quaint the whole album sounds. Bit twee.

For a band that essentially created punk this was a more art infused album.

Very british rock

Good 60s rock...that's about it

Very British. Album reminded me and Fran of the beetles.

Gem: Victoria, every song enjoyable

Verdient nog een luister sessie

3.5

The album was meh.

Average

Victoria is good Austrailia was ok but too long. This might just be the new belle and sebastian album

Ik kende The Kinks uiteraard maar van enkele nummers en heb het verder nooit een kans gegeven, al was dat niet bewust. Daarom was dit wel een extra leuke "ontdekking". Wel had ik iets te vaak het gevoel naar een minder goeie versie van the Beatles te luisteren.

Leuk!

At first it sounded like a bag of hipster feed but eventually I was boppin along and it was aight

This is like a worse version of the Beatles but that’s still kinda good

While the sound was likely revolutionary at the time, it has since been replicated so often by other bands as to unfairly seem a bit generic now. But for what it is, it’s still classic.

1. Victoria - weird singing style for me. The music is ok. 2. Yes Sir, No Sir - interesting concept for a song. 3. Some Mother’s Son - not that memorable. 4. Drivin’ - this one was ok, very 60s pop to me. 5. Brainwashed - I like the instrumental of this one and it’s sound, esp guitar. 6. Australia - did not love this one, 7. Shangri-La - the second half is kinda boppy. Interesting lyrics 8. Mr. Churchill Says - this one had bits I liked. 9. She’s Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina - this one is weird to me. 10. Young and Innocent Days - not that memorable 11. Nothing to Say - I liked this one 12. Arthur - good closer Overall didn’t live the style of singing, but I always like a concept album. Sometimes I really liked the music and how it changed but other times it wasn’t that memorable

Starts off with promise but fades. Similar to Beatles with some goofy pop. Some individual songs are good.

Ehh not my favorite... 5/10

Liked it, didn't know any songs beforehand but do like The Kinks songs that I've heard. Would consider listening to again

Sort of like the The Who

Ja fun maar very british idk of ik dit echt op zou zetten

J’ai parfois l’impression d’entendre un jeune Paul McCartney. Un album cohérent dans ses thématiques et textes mutins. J’aime quand le versant rock se fait plus prononcé.

Mid

It was okay. Not the best work the kinks have done. Victoria was the high point. 3/5

Great Value Beatles, but Shangri-La is excellent. I was leaning towards a 2 but the second half won me over.

не мое гнусавый голос, не всегда чистый вокал, который попадает в свою же гармонию.

Very fun! Bouncy great music but by the third listen I was skipping g songs to not hear em again.

Decent Kinks album, but none of the hits I know. I'm not quite getting why they chose this one for the 1001 albums list.

Australian Beatles!

I don't quite understand why this album was picked. Kinks contributed a lot to musical development at the time, but perhaps not this one?

I don’t think this genre is really for me, but I really loved the tracks that stood out to me (Victoria, Some Mother’s Son, Shangri-La, Arthur). Some Mother’s Son in particular made me have to stop what I was doing and sit still while I listened to it, it was incredibly powerful. Driving and Australia felt really dire though.

Not my type of rock, too many beatle's like songs but it was good from start to end at least

weird and happy

Pretty good, nice tunes.

Another really good album.

Sound very similar to the Beatles, not a knock on them, as their subject matter was a bit different.

This was almost a 4. Good album, some of the more theatrical songs bring it down a bit

I respect it, the message was probably stronger then, and the music is a bit two-dimensional.

I've always enjoyed the Kinks. They've always had that sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek tone in their songs, like there's something more there than they're letting on. But honestly, I'm more into the later Kinks: 1976 or so to the late 80s. The early stuff, when the band were doing more concept albums, I never fully got into. Part of the problem is that I should have read about the concept album beforehand. I did not fully realize the story here and the album itself didn't really make it clear either. Part of it also might be because I'm not British, so some of the stuff I wasn't getting. The songs themselves? I liked most of the songs, probably my favorite was "Victoria" and "Australia." I liked how "Australia" went off in different directions. "Drivin' " kinda... yeah, I was not fond of that one in particular. So the songs separately I liked, but as a cohesive whole I did not see the story and the connections. And that's a problem for an album if you don't "get" it. Maybe I need to listen to it again. The songs were decent, and I liked them, just not enough to go "wow!"

This album has a niche. I think it needs more than one listen to appreciate.

Alright

Fun, not a bad album. 3/5

Solid

Victoria & Shangri-La were decent, just couldn't get into the album

каждый раз удивляюсь что кинкс намного приятнее звучат чем в моей голове. но нарратив не успела осознать, поэтому не прониклась

liked it. concept was interesting throughout and the 4 song stretch in the middle was fantastic, brainwashed is a personal favorite. didn't blow my mind, but might come back once or twice. Favs - Brainwashed - Shangri La - Victoria

ya des bon bangers, victoria, shangri-la ya aussi des daubes

I am really enjoying being exposed to the bands from around this time that arent the Beatles. They're all I knew for so long, its great to hear their contemporaries. This album was good, but the guys voice would go from good to goofy too much. The song about the Mother's Sons was very sad :(

Decent album. Favorite track was Victoria and it was a good upbeat tune. All around a good album.

Yea, it was good. Nothing crazy, good right band. Yea, fine. 3 stars

Burn the monarchy

Coole titel, toffe muziek en goede lengte maar er mist nog iets ofzo idk

It was OK, nothing stood out as exceptional. Beatles inspired classic rock but not as good as the Beatles. They sound more like the poppy earlier Beatles albums but do have some moments inspired by Sgt Pepper.

Some good tracks. Some not great

2.5/5. This was fine. I like some albums from The Kinks, but this was one a little off for me.

A great album. Nothing unexpected here and a few lovely songs.

Very Beatles like

ahhhh

Better than I thought it would be.

These kinky British boys are pretty talented. This had some great lyrics and melodies. 3.5

The Beatles for people who can't afford The Beatles.

it's alright but i didn't really enjoy it that much

Never listened to a kinks album before! Really good! A punk Beatles?!?

Hadn't realised 'Victoria' was a Kinks song. Enjoyed listening to this despite not being a big Kinks fan.

Kinks got way better stuff out there, this one isn't it. Still a big Kinks fan though.

some great tracks, some that were just decent, but overall some very high highs, mature kinks album

Victoria!

Good, different, nice album overall

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Yeah, very strong vocal performances and classic sound Favourite song: Track 6 - Australia

I enjoyed the 60s rock aspect of this album, it was fun

Rock, with a good mix of instrumentation (horns particularly)

Pas de kinks shaming

j'ai voulu mettre 4 au début mais ca devient vite un peu kitschos non ?

it's meh

They go in a lot of different directions here and I really like some of them. Victoria is a cool song, even though I prefer the up-tempo live version. Fantastic dark psychedelic sound on Some Mother's Son. Sangri-La rocks, as well. I think this is a band where I really love my favorites by them, but can easily leave the rest. 1 - bad 2 - average 3 - good 4 - great 5 - outstanding

Like a few later tracks. Funny how similar themes are across eras (eg suburban angst on Shangri-La).

Some great tracks, but the ‘music-hall’ style songs really set my teeth on edge.

I generally like The Kinks but I feel this album gave me a better sense of why some people don't

Good songs. I enjoyed this one. Just the right amount of 60’s rock sloppiness. Brainwashed sounds like it may have been an inspiration for Blur’s “song 2”.

This was cool, I enjoyed listening to it. Probably won’t listen again but fun songs!

arthur caused the industrial revolution (fav tracks: Victoria, Australia, Arthur)

Not my favorite Kinks album, but the baby enjoyed a couple tunes.

Relaxed surfy influenced Rock, not too Bad dringend summertime, and right noch i am enjoying the Sun:)

This was fine, one or two songs I liked and the rest were grand.

I enjoyed this. I did not remember how much like The Beatles they sounded.

This had a lot of cool bits. Many McCartney like bits along the way.

victoria is a pog song

Good, what you would expect from the Kinks, a couple of radio friendly unit movers along with some more experimentals.

extremely british Beatles-y protest-y britpop that's a bit too pompous and long for me despite the eclectic lyrics and songs. 2.75/5

solid rock album. apparently they have more music that You Really Got Me and Lola.

Very good was a fan of the Monty python vibe

Godt å høre at det ikke bare var Stones og Beatles som kunne lage slik musikk

Genres: Rock Formed: Muswell Hill, London, in 1963 Run time: 12 songs, 48 min, 37 sec The seventh studio album by the band. On the whole, the album is a social commentary on 60’s Britain. A few songs are about the war which doesn’t seem very contemporary, but I’m guessing at the time those who remembered it are at loggerheads with the younger generation who didn’t have any idea of the sacrifice made by many. The narrative of these songs, written by Ray Davies, is fantastic. He is very good at picking out the quirks and foibles of the British public. Spotify: Least popular song: track 11, “Nothing To Say” with over 500k plays Most popular song: track 1, “Victoria” with almost 20M plays. Eight tracks with over 500k plays and three with over 1M plays. Track 3, “Some Mother’s Son” is quite profound, discussing the effects of war on the families of soldiers. My favourite song is track 1, “Victoria”. Who knew a song about Queen Victoria could be so catchy? I enjoyed listening to the album, but this is the only song I clicked on the “like” button. Listen Again?: No, but I will listen to a Best Of… My Rating: ***

3.75

This music wasn’t bad but I couldn’t help feel like it just sounded like a worse version of the Beatles.

Pretty good Kinks album. Wouldn’t say it is a must listen to.

I enjoyed it. Songs are easy to listen to and very consistent in quality and sound and that's what I expect from The Kinks. The standout track for me was "Victoria". 3/5

Pretty good

3.5

Good! Very catchy and well made. I want to listen more

The Beatles Lite.

solid album, shangri-la is a great song among a few others 3 stars.

Better than face to face, victoria was good and it was largely enjoyable. Leans on the Beatles a bit too much still and the harpsichord still sounds ridiculous.

I enjoy a concept album but only really liked Some Mother's Son.

Pleasant enough but not consistent

Nice collection of pop rock songs, not my favorite from them, but still pretty entertaining.

Another Kinks album. This is number 4. Like the other albums it is eccentric and not memorable. No need to listen to again. It was relatively short. It is between a 2 and 3. I guess I will round up for no reason in particular.

Victoria is such an earworm, I love it!

The Kinks have always been solid.

Always like the kinks. This one was my favorite but still good

Helt oki, noen sanger er bops andre var veldig sytete

3.75/5 Lots of fun tunes but the album didn’t do a ton for me

Standouts: Victoria, Arthur, Mindless Child of Motherhood.

victoria : 5/10 yes sir, no sir : 6/10 some mothers son : 4/10 drivin : 8/10 brainwashed : 7/10 australia : 7/10 shangri’la : 6/10 mr churchill says : 5/10 she’s bought a hat like princess marina : 4/10 young and innocent days : 4/10 nothing to say : 6/10 arthur : 6/10

Not my typical genre, but it's a solid album that's an easy and enjoyable listen, although some tracks did go on a little long for my taste. My top 5 tracks (in no particular order): She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Maria, Mr. Churchill Says, Yes Sir, No Sir, Brainwashed, Shangri-La.

They're a good Beatles knock off. Hard to get excited about.

It was interesting, a concept album by the kinks, I've never heard any of these songs before. Overall it wasn't bad.

Its not fantastic but not bad either, they are a classic british rock act from the 60s and you get pretty much what you except

Pretty good, never listened to it but was an impactful anti war message.

Victoria is soooo catchy, this so sounds sooo 60's London, thus it gets a bit much

It was good. I wasn't able to sit down and really listen to the lyrics so that might have changed my opinion some but it was a good listen. Not something I'll come back to.

This is discount recycled Beatles, which isn’t necessarily bad but it’s not that special to me. I think Shangri-La is a standout.

Listening to The Kinks is like taking a really pleasant Sunday drive. It doesn't really matter where you are going, or even if you "arrive" at any destination. The road just meanders and you enjoy the ride.

J'adore les Kinks et l'ecriture de Ray Davies... Hélas, je suis plus amiureux de ses singles & EPs merveilleux que des "operas rock" auxquels il semble s'être consacré à partir de la fin des années 60... Peut-être est-ce dû à mes difficultés de compréhension des subtilités de la langue, de la culture et de l'histoire anglaise (même difficultés avec les textes de Oeter Gabriel) ? Sans doute même... De plus je trouve que l'influence grandissante de Dave Davies sur les choix du groupe (son beaucoup okus "hard" rock, tentation de conquérir les stades américains, ...)s'est faite au détriment de la grande finesse, délicatesse de Ray Davies... D'où un désintérêt grandissant pour les albums des Kinks durant toute les seventies... L'album solo de Ray Davies avec tout ses invités heureux de contribuer à un disque de cet auteur exceptionnel est remarquable... Il m'a fait penser à ce disque sublime que de grands artistes avaient offert à Roy Orbison, permettant à cet autre immense créateur de connaitre un crepuscule enchanté...

Good

Better than expected. Crazy 60s pop rock. Moments of zaniness but a bit tired thematically.

Definitely not something I expected from the Kinks. They definitely branched out from their normal style and subject matter to do a cool history concept album. I enjoyed it.

Very up and down. Best track: Nothing to Say

3.4

Brainwashed was my favorite song. An overall laid back album.

yes sir no sir reminds me of some of montreal songs - talk/singing voice is really similar. it's a catchy album but it's sooo british. but not bad

Some great tunes on here

this is my second album i've gotten from the kinks. I like the song victoria. so far i don't think this one is better than the previous album. the mixing of this isn't that great and it's hard to really hear the lyrics in my opinion. the instruments are just a lot louder than the singing.

First time with this album. Some thoughts. Best listened to with a few pints of room temperature English ale and a basketful of gooseberry tarts. Major points for the scathing social and political commentary, that is still very much applicable today, and not just in Britain. Musically a bit too jangle pop for most of the time, I know The Kinks are capable of rocking a bit harder, and I would have liked to see them do that here more. Overall a good album that I don't see myself returning to all too often.

3.5/5

Typically solid Kinks album. A bit of a step up from “Village Green,” honestly…

For some reason I've struggled to describe the album or what I think about it. It's excitingly novel in a lot of ways but also chaotic and seemingly unconcerned with its moderately shabby presentation. What's clear is this is an album where the lyrics and the topics they cover are meant to take front stage. The album is lyrically sharp and poignant at points ('Some Mother's Son') and tongue-in-cheek at others ('Yes sir, No Sir', 'Platic Man'), which makes it hard to figure out how to take other tracks ('Drivin'). For their part, the arrangements are floating along merrily, but they feel so far in the background that it's hard to focus on them long enough (over the singers) to gather a clear impression. Tracks like 'Mindless Child of Motherhood' and 'The Man He Weeps Tonight', give some of the clearest pictures of the groups' cohesion and power. It is a powerful and ironically complex and it's one that I'm definitely going to be coming back to again and again.

Pretty good - more raucous and less music hall than I expected. Brainwashed stood out.

All about war

Some nice classic Kinks

DNF

I think this is one I need to revisit; I don't think I was in the right mindset going in, and I might enjoy it more another day. But as it is, its some nice smart rock, I just didn't connect with it.

A different sound that I'm not used to from The Kinks. Elements of prog-rock and Brit-pop sound off here 3.5/5.

Ok album

What a weird, weird album

I thought I wasn't enjoying this album, but I found myself humming the tunes by the latter half. There's some humor and interesting song structures.

The Kinks have some great tunes, but I've never been a fan. Their music runs a fine line between solid rock and something Dr Demento might play.

I loved the Village Green Preservation Society, and Arthur has something of the same wistfulness, at least lyrically, but with less rose tinted glasses. if anything there is quite an anti-establishment, anti-war theme to the album. Victoria is a strong opener, Some Mother's Son is poignant and Drivin is quintessential Kinks whimsy (and sounds as if it may have been left over from Village Green; see also Young and Innocent Days). The Australian tourist board missed a trick if they didn't use Australia to promote the land of Oz, but otherwise an unremarkable track. Apart from that, the remaining tracks aren't - with the exception of Arthur - that much to write home about. Arthur has its moments, but not one of their best

Started off well, then got a bit boring.

Some decent songs on this

Eh. This probably horrible to write…but are The Kinks the lesser Beatles? I was kind of bored.

Another album I'm familiar with. Listened to it through again. I've never thought of Arthur as a true standout (compared to Lola, Village Green, even Muswell Hillbillies), so was surprised to see it on the list. However, upon reading a bit more about it, it is a much higher reviewed album (both nowadays and upon release) then I realized. Where I think it falls down is from a modern point of view; although there are great songs on this album, and good songs throughout it now, these songs are great because they prescribe to the formula so well used by Ray Davies and the Kinks. A formula is great because it allows you to extend your one idea hugely. Just that volume isn't all we look for in a band. That said, I'm a fan.

Beatles influence. 3.5

Victoria is fantastic but starting on a high means the rest of the album suffers somewhat.

Cute

Sometimes the goofy little guy energy that reminded me of parts of the white album worked and sometimes it didn't. Plastic man definitely didn't work, but there were a few songs that did.

3/5 nice but not enough

Very pleasant listen with some high points, but not going to change my overall view of the Kinks as the fourth-best British band of the sixties. Which is not a bad position to be in.

Bom.

Some half decent songs, but not the best by their own standards.

Listened to on 3/21/22 3/5 Favorite song: Victoria Some of those songs were great and the commentary on growing up in England was so fun but the album as a whole felt chaotic - could have been better or worse if the TV show was made

This is cool as a museum piece. Like looking at a fossil of rock and picking out elements in it that would be refined over and over. The songs themselves are fine but I'm pretty full of this kind of sound. the fact that its in mono is also a bummer. Shangri-La is a good track. This would be a fun concert.

Good album. I’d imagine the impact would be greater from an English perspective.

Pretty okay album. Songs seem more influential that historic. Nothing too memorable but some cool things done in the instrumentation and production.

The Kinks is a referent band. I didn't know this album but it's good.

Ну возможно альбом великий, но как по мне обычный в своём роде и времени. 7/10

Un rock "classico" quello di 'Victoria', la prima canzone dell'album. Mi ricordano i Beatles, ma meno spensierati. Un po' però più easy e rilassato.

Местами интересный альбом. Но для меня только местами.

Good enough.

Prima allemaal, maar weinig verheffends!

We zitten wel lekker in de Britse sixties. Bevalt me wel.

Beatles-ish at times. Pleasant.

My first Kinks album. It was fine but I was a bit underwhelmed, it didn't feel to have any classic songs on there.

Good album. I dunno if it's "great" but it's definitely super listenable. Reminds me musically of early The Beatles and Beach Boys. And they're all contemporaries, so this makes sense.

this album was pretty good, i just kind of played it in the background. it was nice to listen to but didn't stand out particularly.

Not my preference, but wasn't bad. Felt like I was listening to a soundtrack of a satirical tv show. Clever lyrics, a lot of reference to political setting at the time. Tbh didn't focus ll the way through , got distracted

классический роцк

Not my favorite Kinks album so far though I liked a lot of it (Victoria is a particularly strong start) and didn’t dislike any of it. The heavy leaning on the “whatever happened to good old Britain” angle gave a lot of the lyrics the character of a tract though.

Eigentlich ganz nett, geht gut ins ohr, auch ganz schöne instrumentalteile. Müssen sich halt immer den Vergleich mit den Beatles gefallen lassen, und der ist hart. Top Song: Shangrila

Victoria is by far my favorite Kinks song that I've heard thus far. The last Kinks album that came up left me wondering what the hell the big deal is with this band. I knew people loved them, but I just didn't get it, except for maybe 'Nothin in the world can stop me worryin bout that girl' or 'Waterloo Sunset," but this album sounds much more produced, cohesive, and interesting. There are touches of the Who, the Beatles, and just their own thing. 3.4/5, rounds down to a 3.

VICTORIA is a cool tune!

Really cool album and sound. Victoria is a great song

Has generic Beatles sound. It's ok but i'm not sure why it made this big list.

Det är en sån vibe asså så man råkar må bra, men för mycket körsång för min smak!

OK fick precis reda på att king kong inte är en del av originalskivan, dvs den bästa låten på albumet. hashtag besviken. Tycker det var ett bra album men har också svårt med tema-album så det drar ned det lite.

Very much of its time but nevertheless a pretty good commentary. Enjoyable but unlikely to get many visits.

Notbad

I mean, it’s “good”, but the sheer amount of incredible art and music being churned out in 1969 gives this a run for its money

Not bad. Not super unique either.

Victoria is a jam!

Decent album. It starts off good with Victoria. Their sound has a modern feel to it sometimes which shows their ability to influence. It felt like a pretty standard Brit rock album to me. 5.9/10

not to bad

Not bad not great, they emulated the Beatles a lot

I didn’t really love it or hate it I thought the first one was really cool some of them got really repetitive but none of them stuck out to me in a good or a bad way

Was exciting to learn it’s a concept album. Strong opening with Victoria. Another Brit-Rock album, maybe we’ll get lucky and won’t get a Brit-rock album for our next one.

I liked what I heard

Interesting and kinda weird. Solid 3 stars though

Solid, not a ton of standout tracks, but worth another listen

It was good good

The British Empire is still clinging on to what little power it has by way of this 1001 list. There's not much else in this world which would compel me to listen to a litany of crappy British albums. Fortunately, The Kinks have mostly escaped the 'crappy British' moniker, as The Kinks are one of the greatest and most influential groups in history. Certainly one of the best to come out of the UK. However, the fact that Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) has made this list is proof the British Empire is still influential and wields considerable weight making me listen to albums that we'd certainly do fine without.

Liked it. A little generic, but it did a lot of cool things as well.

Sounds like a spawn of its era. Nothing really particular about it, nothing really wrong either. Makes for relaxing background music. Some nice melodies, may listen again.

I think this album is super witty and fun. The production sorta sounds rough, but it's liveable. I wish this sound resonated with me more. I appreciate it for what it is, but It's not something that is for me I think. It was a decent listen, not mad at all that I had the experience. Might one day try it again and see if my tastes have changed. But currently, it's not my thing.

Good old rock music. Not the most amazing I have heard, but just solid good music. I don't really have much to say about it.

I don’t mind the kinks the album has one or two alright songs other than that the album for me is nothing special neither love nor hate 3/5

Kinda beatles sound, nice and entertaining

More like 2.5 stars

Sound that

A run of the mill 3 for me. Not terribly memorable and kind of a weird in-between sound of the decades.

eh

Thought it was OK. I prefer other stuff I've heard from The Kinks

It's so interesting to listen to The Kinks and The Beatles alongside each other.

OK Album - enjoyed some tracks rest were ok

Pop-Rock Garage Iniciático

Kinda fun. Was written as a soundtrack originally which makes sense, sounds like a little story

Moeilijke om te beoordelen. Staat wel overeind als conceptalbum als je de achtergrond wat leest. Maar geen enkel nummer is een uitgesproken goed lied.

Not a big fan of the era.

.

This is my first new one! Woohoo! Pretty fun album, I was missing a bit of the larger concepts but this was an enjoyable pop rock listen. I like this more than lots of Beatles and similar stuff from this era. This honestly goes!

Decent, but not better than Tommy.

Het is leuk maar niet uniek

Much British. Sounded a lot like the Beatles to me, Sgt Pepper and all. Okay

Just a pleasant listen

Meh. Kilka piosenek niezłych, ale znudził.

Pues rock rock (?), suave, que fluye. De los Kinks creo que sólo ubicaba el hitazo You Really Got Me (y a partir de una anécdota cagada de la prepa). Fuera de eso, nunca me he interesado por ellos. El álbum me entretuvo, sin embargo, creo que de repente tiene buenas letras, pero sobre todo lo chido está en la música. Es decir, como álbum según conceptual, se me hace equis. "Brainwashed" y "Plastic Man" fueron mis favs. 7.5/10

Victoria is a bop. Album so far has that Beatles/Turtles sound (60s and 70s sound). Background surrounding album is interesting (look up Arthur on Wikipedia). Lyrics definitely tell some kinda story of poor, down bad family in England looking to immigrate to somewhere with more opportunity.

Un bon album rock fin des annees 60. Le concept est bon j’ai aime les chaonsons . 3.75. 1er alBums jecoute de the kinks

Esta muy diluido, solo algunos buenos fragmentos aquí y allá.

War schon ganz gut

Goodish

I’m sure it was revolutionary for its time and there were some good songs but it probably wouldn’t crack my top 100.

Easy to listen to, pretty easy to visualize the story. Not something I’d listen to much.

Ok

Tiene varias buenas pero me enfadó.

Slow but kind of fun. The instrumentals were great and had a very rock feel with some great solos ("Australia ") and the lyrics, though sounding more pop-y(similar to the beatles), we're very more light hearted and humorous at times. A combo that seems to work well together.

Ok, some happy sounds, at least doesnt sound like heavy metal on bad quality

Öppnar starkt med Victoria, mkt bra, sen blir det mycket mer vanligt brittiskt 60-taligt, vilket är nice men känns framförallt som något man hört tidigare. Blir så orättvist när man är inbiten Beatles-fan och har svårt att tycka annat från samma tid i samma stil är lika bra. Samma lekfullhet som Beatles, men svårt att tycka det är lika bra musik. Men mysigt är det! hej hej

I like the narrative of the album the most. Lyrics and music are alright but the story and compostion of it is what makes it good.

Surprised by how much I enjoyed this aside from the jamming parts at the end of some songs. Will probably revisit. 3.5

3

Almost pop music. Calmer than I expected.

Solid Punk Album

Got it.

ok

Fav Song: Shangri-La

I’m not the biggest fan of British rock, this didn’t really click with me. The bass was pretty cool in some songs, and the vibe was kinda nice.

Very 60s sounding. Nothing bad, but nothing special either.

British social/political commentary. Some songs sound like Eels / prog rock / Beetles

6/10 FT: Shangri-la

Album #109: Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) - The Kinks Genre (W): Rock Singles: Drivin’, Shangri-La, Victoria I have listened to this album once before. Thoughts?: The music is solid, but the lyrics are bland and undercooked. Overall a meh album. Favorite songs: Victoria, Yes Sir, No Sir, Drivin’, Brainwashed, She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina

idgaf

Ein Konzeptalbum, das mehr Idee als Wirkung hat. Die Kinks erzählen groß, doch viele Songs plätschern eher brav dahin und verlieren sich im Thema statt in starken Melodien. Respekt für den Anspruch, aber emotional bleibt es erstaunlich flach.

I like the kinks but in small doses. One or two songs is a good amount!

It's fine for what it is, but really not my thing.

not touching or "classic". wouldn't recommend it to somebody

Please, decline and fall, already.

Eh not for me

I listened to it, but it just lacks...umph.

Aside from Victoria this album just feels. Another case of more important than good

Fine

okay album with some still relevant themes. favourite song: yes sir, no sir

Boring

This was fine. I quite liked the concept but I didn’t find it that riveting.

I like the concept but didn't particularly enjoy the execution here. Found it all a bit happy-clappy and lacked any edge. Maybe it is there below a surface-level listen.

No standouts

any of my australian friends will tell you that's probably not true fave track: brainwashed

Really nothing here to go back to

listened to half of it, was not the vibe / energy i wanted on that saturday.

I think I liked it more than it was good.

wish beatles/pink floyd

Liian vanhaa. Pink Floyd about samaa vuosikymmentä mutta joku maaginan muutos tapahtui tossa 70-luvun taipeessa. Meikän paappa salee soittaa repeatilla. Yks biisi jatkoon

The album started very weak and it remembered me more of an amateur rock band with their repetitive structure, weak vocals and save fills/solos. With Brainwashed it started to build up a bit more, including more instrumental variety and Australia had a solid psychedelic rock ending that reminded me more of the Doors. Overall I'm very torn whether this album deserves a bit more, but I just didn't get into the vibe with it.

“Yes sir, no sir” reminds me of SOAD “Prison song.” Also Hendrix vibes. “Brainwashed” Beatles pop

No está mal

What was probably a bold, innovative concept album when it came out is now an irritating, overly twee textbook definition of britslop

Not terrible - songs are a little repetitive.

Unmemorable. A little repetitive. Kinda blah.

Au vu des notations de mes collègues, je vais revoir mes exigences vis-à-vis des albums. Et ça commence avec celui-ci. Je serai, à partir de maintenant, une main de fer dans un gant de fer, n'en déplaise aux Britanniques. 2 sur 5 pour Albion. On dirait une pâle copie des Beatles.

more old bullshit

Started off enjoying a trip down memory lane but it got a bit samey.

meh, I'm not feeling this today. Sorry. I don't get concept albums. 2 stars.

ok tier, 2.5+/5

I'm starting to wonder what people see in the Kinks. Was it innovative at the time? It sounds like mildly original but otherwise mid-level late-60s brit pop. Other people were doing this better.

mocna sredniawka

No conecte

Didn't get into this at all.

Bien, estuvo bueno. Era para una serie que luego se canceló. No sé si lo volvería a escuchar.

Based on my AM radio level knowledge of the Kinks I thought I really liked them. Sad to be so disappointed by hearing a couple albums.

Not something i would listen to but the artist did a good work Its calming(kinda boring)