Full title - Arthur, Or The Rise & Fall Of The British Empire. Originally released in 1969, Arthur was recorded at the tail-end of a ban that kept the Kinks from touring in the US for 4 long years, but these weren"t just any four years. It was during these years that American youth had collectively begun to make a clean break with everything the post-war generation had worked so hard for. Despite being physically cut off from this revolution, Davies was acutely aware of this cultural upheaval, but rather than embrace this new youth culture by writing celebratory songs of sex drugs & rock "n" roll, Davies chose to focus on Arthur & the disappointment & self-doubt of an older generation imbued with an acute sense of time gone by, wasted lives & getting old. Not exactly something to make the kids want to get up & dance (and perhaps this explaining the album"s dismal sales). Like Lola, Arthur was a brilliant concept album, telling the tale of the an ageing head of the family in post-war Britain whose his son & son"s family prepare to move away to Australia (where Davies" own sister had gone to seek her fortune). Why do these kids reject Arthur"s way of life? It was a good life, wasn"t it? 180 gram vinyl. Earmark.