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
Margaret's Injection
Kitchens of Distinction Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But that's become difficult to share.
She cannot open her eyes
They've been glued by greed.
I'm not in the habit of hurting a person
Never relished violence
But Margaret it's time for your injection.
Should I fetch a priest and gun?
Her trip is now beginning
She dies unloved.
She'll never be forgotten she made sure of that
Selling back to people what they'd already got.
I wish I missed you more not never a wound to heal.
I wish I'd hurt you more pain is your just reward.
I wish I'd killed you more pain is your just reward.
Time is now mine to kill.
Her corpse is now threatening to smell.
I watch her blood congeal just skin and bones.
She'll never be forgotten we'll paint on her grave
And take from her kind any love that they'd made.
The song Margaret's Injection by Kitchens of Distinction is a hauntingly beautiful commentary on the power of greed and the destructive effects it has on love and relationships. The opening lines suggest that love, in general, is a large concern for humanity, but it has become increasingly difficult to share. The next line paints a vivid, disturbing image of a person whose eyes have been glued shut by greed, figuratively, and perhaps, even literally. The second verse is where the song takes on an ominous tone, with the singer confessing to being someone who is not in the habit of hurting another person, but declares that it is time for Margaret's injection.
The lines "Should I fetch a priest and gun? Her trip is now beginning. She dies unloved." imply that there is no saving Margaret and she is headed towards an inevitable, gruesome end. As the song progresses, the anger and frustration of the singer become more apparent, with lines such as "I wish I'd hurt you more, pain is your just reward" and "Time is now mine to kill". Even in death, the singer doesn't spare Margaret any mercy, stating that she will never be remembered fondly and her legacy will be erased. The song ends on a chilling note with the line "And take from her kind any love that they'd made", suggesting that the wrath of greed transcends individuals and can poison even the most loving relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is our large concern
Love used to be one of our key priorities.
But that's become difficult to share.
Sharing love has become hard.
She cannot open her eyes
Margaret is unable to open her eyes due to greed.
They've been glued by greed.
Her eyes are stuck shut, blinded by her own greed.
I'm not in the habit of hurting a person
I am not one to typically hurt others.
Never relished violence
I never enjoyed violence or hurting others.
But Margaret it's time for your injection.
It is time for Margaret to receive her punishment (injection) for her actions.
Should I fetch a priest and gun?
Should I bring someone to perform last rites (priest) or end her life (gun)?
Her trip is now beginning
Margaret is now on the journey towards her death.
She dies unloved.
Margaret dies without love or affection from anyone.
She'll never be forgotten she made sure of that
Margaret ensured her legacy would live on by selling people things they already had.
Selling back to people what they'd already got.
Margaret profited by selling people things they already owned or had access to.
I wish I missed you more not never a wound to heal.
I wish I cared more about losing you, instead of feeling nothing at all (not never a wound to heal).
I wish I'd hurt you more pain is your just reward.
I regret not hurting you more for the pain you caused to others.
I wish I'd killed you more pain is your just reward.
I regret not punishing you more for your actions.
Time is now mine to kill.
I have control over time and decide when Margaret's time will end.
Her corpse is now threatening to smell.
Margaret's decaying body is beginning to give off a foul odor.
I watch her blood congeal just skin and bones.
I watch as she wastes away to nothing more than skin and bones as her blood thickens and stops moving.
She'll never be forgotten we'll paint on her grave
Margaret will never be forgotten and instead will be commemorated (through painting).
And take from her kind any love that they'd made.
Her legacy will also be tarnished and those like her will not be able to find love or appreciation for their actions.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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