The Kinks Announce Arthur Deluxe Box Set With Unreleased Material
The Kinks’ Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire) will turn 50 this fall, and the landmark seventh album by the English band will be getting a deluxe anniversary box set that features unreleased recordings and a whole array of supplementary material. The Kinks teased the release a few weeks ago, along with the news that Ray and Dave Davies were working on new music.
It’ll encompass 88 tracks in total, including five unreleased tracks and 26 unreleased versions of existing songs. There’s a new remaster of Arthur, in both mono and stereo, new recordings of Ray Davies and the Doo Wop Choir, and some tracks from Dave Davies’ lost solo album that was recorded at the same time as Arthur.
“One of the reasons the album wasn’t finished was because I felt The Kinks’ management and record company were forcing me too much,” Dave said in a press statement. “I felt very comfortable being in The Kinks and it seemed fulfilling to be part of a band. I didn’t really want for more. I couldn’t see the point.”
Ray added: “Hearing Dave’s songs again after all this time, I found them quite moving because they were like the back story of what The Kinks were going through at the time.”
The anniversary set also contains unheard demos, BBC recordings, and new remixes. It’ll be released in a couple of different formats: a deluxe box set, a 2LP version, a 2CD version, and digitally.
Today, the Kinks are sharing a doo wop version of a song called “The Future.” Listen to it below.
The 50th anniversary edition of Arthur Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire is out 10/25 via BMG. More information and pre-order available here.