Over the course of their career, the band has released five studio albums - "Love is Hell" (1989), "Strange Free World" (1991), "The Death of Cool" (1992), "Cowboys and Aliens" (1994), and "Folly" (2013).
Dan Goodwin (drums) met Julian Swales (guitar) at college in 1980, and Swales met Patrick Fitzgerald (vocals/bass guitar) at a party in 1985.The trio began rehearsing together that same year, taking their name from a company of the same name that specialised in home decor and kitchen and plumbing fixtures after Swales spotted one of their advertisements on the side of a bus while riding his bike. The Kitchens' first single, "The Last Gasp Death Shuffle" (which featured Swales on lead vocals and bass, as well as guitar) was recorded in just one day on an eight-track in a Kennington basement, and was released in December 1987 on the band's own Gold Rush Records. It was named a single of the week in the NME, and led to the band signing with the British indie label One Little Indian Records; it was around this time that Fitzgerald, a medical doctor, put his career on hold to devote himself fully to the band. Their first singles for One Little Indian, 1988's "Prize" and 1989's "The 3rd Time We Opened the Capsule", made it onto the "NME Writers' 100 Best Indie Singles Ever" list, published 25 July 1992.
Their first full-length album, Love Is Hell, was released in April 1989. Fitzgerald's impassioned, wordy, often bluntly personal vocals careened over what sounded like a mass of swirling guitars, though the band only had one guitarist. Swales' chiming, effects-laden style of playing drew him comparisons to the guitarists of The Chameleons, Cocteau Twins, and A.R. Kane. KOD's melodic yet abstract sound was a precursor to the shoegazing scene of the late 1980s/early 1990s.
Despite the promising start, the band faced a subdued reception from the mainstream music industry, generally due to their lyrical content. For instance, "Margaret's Injection", on the 1989 Elephantine EP, was a fantasy about killing then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Also, Fitzgerald was openly gay, and his lyrics were unapologetic, especially on tracks like "Prize" and "Within the Daze of Passion". Even the more indie-focused television programs like Snub TV and Rapido failed to give them much coverage, although Snub TV played the video for their 1991 single "Drive That Fast". Likewise, they were not offered a John Peel radio session, although they eventually did get one after asking Peel personally, following a Glastonbury performance which he appreciated.
Kitchens of Distinction sometimes performed "secret" gigs under the alter ego Toilets of Destruction.[2][6] An example was at The Bull & Gate in Kentish Town on 6 August 1990, where the band appeared in drag and played ABBA, David Bowie, and Bauhaus covers.
In 1990, they signed with A&M Records in the US, and went into the studio with producer Hugh Jones (Simple Minds, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Undertones). Their second album, Strange Free World, was released in February 1991, and spawned some moderately successful singles in "Drive That Fast" and "Quick as Rainbows", both of which were very well received by college radio in the US. The band went back into the studio in 1992, again with Jones at the helm, and their third album The Death of Cool came out in August that year; it was named in honour of the passing of Miles Davis, who had released an influential album titled The Birth of the Cool in 1950. A&M balked at the band's choice of "Breathing Fear" for the first single, due to its touchy subject matter (gay bashing), so "Smiling" became the album's initial single in the US. The band toured extensively, including a high-profile slot opening for their US labelmate Suzanne Vega, whose album 99.9F° came out within a few weeks of theirs.
Later in 1993, KOD began work on their fourth album, co-producing it themselves with engineer Pete Bartlett. One Little Indian rejected the album twice, and eventually, both label and band agreed to bring in up-and-coming producer Pascal Gabriel to work on a couple of tracks. One of the label's complaints about the album as the band originally submitted it was that they felt it lacked a potential hit single, so Gabriel produced a new song ("Come on Now") that the band had written after the rest of the album had already been recorded; Gabriel also remixed two of the album's other tracks (the opener "Sand on Fire" and first single "Now It's Time to Say Goodbye"). The resulting album, Cowboys and Aliens, was released in the UK in October 1994, and although the band admitted that they enjoyed working with Gabriel, the changes did nothing to help the album's dismal sales. When the album saw its US release in early 1995, it was largely ignored by the same alternative rock radio and media that had championed them just a few years before. By the end of 1995, both A&M and OLI had dropped the band.
Shortening their name to Kitchens O.D. and signing to the London-based indie label Fierce Panda Records, they issued a single, "Feel My Genie" in May 1996, which was named "Single of the Week" by Melody Maker, but they officially disbanded that summer after a farewell gig at London's Kings Cross.
In September 2012, Fitzgerald announced that he and Swales had recorded and were in the process of editing ten new songs. The reunited trio of Fitzgerald, Swales, and Goodwin released their fifth studio album Folly, their first new album in 19 years, on 30 September 2013
4 Men
Kitchens of Distinction Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Onto this broken-hearted hungry clown
Because he can't get his fill.
Never thought that he would ever
Want this much from a man,
But love is the steepest sharpest slide.
Looking up into the sky
Wondering if this is allowed
But fear rules him easily
It takes lust and strength
To turn to you and say
"I want you and I need you"
But I haven't got the fattest chance in hell.
Sun has finally upped and gone
Being bored of everyone.
I slip of my shirt and shoes.
Time to hate myself again
My small voice and freckled skin
Till the safety of the dark.
Oh here I'd lie between your thighs
Looking up into your eyes
Wondering if this is allowed
But fear rules me easily
It takes lust and strength
To turn to you and say
"I want you and I need you"
But I haven't got the fattest chance in hell.
So why does the world laugh
And take us on these rides
My dear.
I'll shut my epileptic eyes and
Daydream of busy nights
My dear.
Because I want you and I'll have you,
I'll crush my arms around
Until I melt inside of you.
Oh god I want you and I need you,
I'll be your son your slave and keeper.
There were four men in this room
Why did you have to go and pick on me?
The song "4 Men" by Kitchens Of Distinction speaks of the struggles of love and sexual desire through the perspective of a man looking for fulfillment in another man. The lyrics talk of a man who is struggling to find satisfaction and is left wanting more from his lover. The first line, "Stars are falling down, onto this broken-hearted hungry clown because he can't get his fill," sets the tone for the song - this man is looking for something that seems unattainable.
The lyrics then go on to describe the hesitation and fear the man feels in approaching his lover, acknowledging that love can be a complicated and difficult journey. The line, "But fear rules him easily, it takes lust and strength to turn to you and say, 'I want you and I need you,'" highlights how the man feels torn between his fear and his desire for his lover. The chorus, "But I haven't got the fattest chance in hell," reaffirms how difficult it can be to experience the fullness of love and desire, especially in a society where being gay was not always accepted.
The song then takes a darker turn, with the lyrics referring to the sun leaving and the singer hating himself again. He seeks solace in his lover and sex and is willing to be a submissive partner in their relationship. The final line, "There were four men in this room, why did you have to go and pick on me?" suggests that while the singer feels unfortunate in his circumstances, he is equally complicit in the situation he finds himself in.
Overall, "4 Men" is a moving and powerful depiction of the complexities of love, desire, and sexual freedom during a time when gay relationships were not commonly accepted.
Line by Line Meaning
Stars are falling down
The singer feels as though everything is falling apart
Onto this broken-hearted hungry clown
The singer is emotionally hurt and in desperate need of someone/something to make him feel whole
Because he can't get his fill.
Despite the singer trying to fill the emotional void with love, he's still unsatisfied
Never thought that he would ever
The artist never believed he would have these feelings/needs
Want this much from a man,
The artist desires a man and a deep emotional connection
But love is the steepest sharpest slide.
Love is intense and can be painful
Oh here he'd lie at your side
The singer imagines being close to the person he loves
Looking up into the sky
The artist is lost in thought and unsure if his feelings are acceptable
Wondering if this is allowed
The artist is afraid of being judged or rejected for his feelings
But fear rules him easily
The artist is easily controlled by his fear and insecurity
It takes lust and strength
The singer needs both physical and emotional courage to express his feelings
To turn to you and say
The artist wants to express his love
"I want you and I need you"
The singer desires and needs the person he loves
But I haven't got the fattest chance in hell.
The singer believes there is no way that the person he loves will ever love him back
Sun has finally upped and gone
The day is ending and the singer is alone once again
Being bored of everyone.
The artist feels that everyone is shallow and uninteresting
I slip of my shirt and shoes.
The artist is getting undressed and preparing for bed
Time to hate myself again
The singer is sinking into sadness and self-loathing
My small voice and freckled skin
The singer feels insecure about his physical appearance
Till the safety of the dark.
The artist finds comfort in darkness and being alone
Oh here I'd lie between your thighs
The artist is imagining being intimate with the person he loves
Looking up into your eyes
The artist is trying to connect with the person he loves on a deeper level
Wondering if this is allowed
The singer is afraid of rejection and societal norms
So why does the world laugh
The artist questions why society makes love so complicated
And take us on these rides
The ups and downs of love can be overwhelming
My dear.
The singer is addressing the person he loves
I'll shut my epileptic eyes and
The singer is overwhelmed with emotions and wants to escape reality
Daydream of busy nights
The artist will escape into his imagination to avoid the pain of reality
My dear.
The artist is addressing the person he loves
Because I want you and I'll have you,
The singer is determined to get the person he loves
I'll crush my arms around
The singer is passionate and intense in his love
Until I melt inside of you.
The artist wants to completely surrender to his love
Oh god I want you and I need you,
The artist desires and needs the person he loves
I'll be your son your slave and keeper.
The artist wants to be everything to the person he loves
There were four men in this room
There were multiple people to choose from
Why did you have to go and pick on me?
The artist is questioning why the person he loves chose him, out of all the other people in the room
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAN GOODWIN, JULIAN SWALES, PATRICK FITZGERALD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kiltedanais
Thanks for posting a great version of this song!
Brooks Wyrick
@kiltedanais It needed to be done.
Thays C.
Nice track :)
vaguelyhuman
Love this song but kinda prefer the older new wavier version.
aziz alali
i feel a connection..
Pete Kelley
Great song. But it's about gay love.
Brooks Wyrick
+vaguelyhuman Haha I meant "was" as in when he wrote the song.
vaguelyhuman
+Brooks Wyrick Was? He's still alive...
BluePedal
@Pete Kelley Forgive Patrick for writing about his real life and feelings. What was he thinking???
Brooks Wyrick
@Pete Kelley Well, yeah. Singer/bassist Patrick Fitzgerald was openly gay.