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
Mad as Snow
Kitchens of Distinction Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I promise I'll stay.
Turn down the lights,
I'll sit with you,
We'll talk like we're friends.
Tell me where this troubled love began.
We can't get hurt. It melts and fades.
Close your eyes.
They've all gone now.
So it's safe with me.
Was it only last week
We got stoned off the sky,
Flew under the stars?
Was it only last week
We made crazy promises,
Mad as the snow?
Close your eyes.
They've all gone now,
So it's safe with me tonight.
The song "Mad as Snow" by Kitchens Of Distinction is a quiet, introspective ballad about the comfort of friendship and the fragility of human relationships. The lyrics describe a moment between two people who are just friends, but there is a sense of tenderness and intimacy between them. The singer promises to stay with their friend, and they sit in the dark and talk about their troubled love life. The snow falls outside, and they watch as it covers everything in a peaceful, white blanket. In this moment, they feel safe and protected from the harsh reality of the world.
The second verse reflects on a moment in the past, when the two friends got high and made wild promises to each other. It's a nostalgic moment, and there is a sense of regret in the singer's voice as they recall how carefree and happy they felt. But now, they are older, and life has become more complicated. Despite this, they can still find comfort in each other's company, and they can reminisce about the past without bitterness or regret.
Overall, "Mad as Snow" is a bittersweet song that captures the complexities of human emotions and relationships. It speaks to the power of friendship and the role it plays in helping us navigate the twists and turns of life.
Line by Line Meaning
It's OK, It's OK,
Don't worry, everything is fine
I promise I'll stay.
I won't leave you
Turn down the lights,
Let's make the atmosphere cozy
I'll sit with you,
I'm here to keep you company
We'll talk like we're friends.
Let's have a casual conversation
Tell me where this troubled love began.
Share with me the origin of this painful relationship
We can count the flakes as it snows and snows.
We can enjoy the moment and watch the snow falling
We can't get hurt. It melts and fades.
We can't hold onto anything, so nothing can hurt us
Close your eyes.
Relax and let everything else fade away
They've all gone now.
Everyone else has left or disappeared
So it's safe with me.
You can trust me and feel secure with me
Was it only last week
Has it really only been a week since...
We got stoned off the sky,
We got high off of nature's beauty
Flew under the stars?
Did we daydream about soaring through the night sky?
We made crazy promises,
We said things that were unrealistic
Mad as the snow?
As crazy as the unpredictable snow that falls
They've all gone now,
Everyone has left or disappeared
So it's safe with me tonight.
You can trust me and feel secure with me tonight
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAN GOODWIN, JULIAN SWALES, PATRICK FITZGERALD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pedrojs70
Wow! Wow! Wow! How did I miss these guys when I was young? Not sure how big they were in their days, but this band just went from total strangers to me to one of the best I have ever listened.
@chrismclaughlin-gt7ix
Cuz 92' Manchester was
Mad- Chester Then, and of course E.!
And The Warehouse scene
And Flannel scene was
Happ-Nin.
Under The Radar
They were
Too Cerebral, Dark,Internal...
That's Most of it.
@BaronVonPenguin
One of the seminal LPs of my youth. An absolute masterpiece from start to finish. Must be 26 years old now and I can still sing every lyric to every song and mimic Dan's drum nuances in each and every song!
@DNR5586
We were fortunate to see them Oct '92 in Atlanta, GA. As I remember we were fairly close to the stage and I was "drumming" along to most of the songs and I got the stare from Dan.
@omarpuig1
So glad I got to see them in 1995 at the Roxy. So great live. A shame, the most under rated band and well beyond their time with the music they made. Fitzpatricks lyrics where so poetic.
@Noctik00
Been listening to these guys for over 20 years and I still get the same warm feeling whenever I listen. Love em.
@danvilleneuve3211
same here, bought the album by accident in 1992 or 1993... been playing ever since.
@bertrandmarotte4401
First heard this song on BBC Radio in a shabby London hotel room around 1992
@tracyjohnson9198
Yes! My sister and I got to see them live in L.A and it is one of my most enduring concert memories.
@chrismclaughlin-gt7ix
Where ?
At Peanut Club in Hollywood?