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
These Drinkers
Kitchens of Distinction Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Switch off the noises with the drunks.
Pull around the fire until there's burnt hands
And the moon is the fattest and the fullest,
And it's a god with ideas of mirth.
Oh switch off the sun with these painful eyes.
Turn to the wall to wet your feet
Blinded deaf and happy at least.
Turn off the noises of incessant voices
That tell this and lie about whatever.
The only weapon is a beautiful fresh bottle
With memory collapsing under its tidal waves.
The stars are vibrating signs
Advertising names and faces and places of monsters.
Unplugging the lot because there's not enough dark
In which to hide not even to sleep,
Not even to sleep with these drinkers.
The bright pain of nightmare
And the loss of all reason
Brings no such releases.
Nowhere to climb anymore.
The lyrics of Kitchens of Distinction's song "These Drinkers" describe the desire to escape from the overwhelming and often painful noises and sights of the world. The singer suggests that the only way to do this is to join the drunken revelers around a fire, away from the sun and the incessant voices. The moon is described as a god with ideas of mirth, and the stars are seen as advertising monsters. The only weapon available is a beautiful fresh bottle, which brings with it a collapsing memory and a release from reason. However, even with this escape, the pain and nightmares of life continue, and there is nowhere left to climb.
Through these lyrics, the band is highlighting the struggle that many people face in trying to find a way to cope with the overwhelming nature of the world. The desire to escape, even briefly, is a common theme in many artistic works, and is especially relevant in today's world, when we are bombarded with constant noise and stimulation. The use of vivid imagery, such as the moon as a god and the stars as monsters, adds to the surreal and dreamlike quality of the song, emphasizing the need for escape from reality.
Overall, "These Drinkers" is a powerful portrayal of the human struggle with the complexities of the world, and the need for occasional escape in order to maintain our sanity.
Line by Line Meaning
Switch off the noises with the drunks.
Ignore the distractions of the world by surrounding yourself with fellow drinkers.
Pull around the fire until there's burnt hands
Stay close to the warmth and comfort of the fire, even if it means getting hurt.
And the moon is the fattest and the fullest,
And it's a god with ideas of mirth.
The moon is a symbol of happiness and celebration.
Oh switch off the sun with these painful eyes.
The sight of anything is too much to do.
The world is too overwhelming and painful to face, so it's better to avoid it altogether.
Turn to the wall to wet your feet
Blinded deaf and happy at least.
Find joy in small, simple pleasures, even if they are not perfect.
Turn off the noises of incessant voices
That tell this and lie about whatever.
Block out the lies and negativity of the outside world.
The only weapon is a beautiful fresh bottle
With memory collapsing under its tidal waves.
Alcohol is the only escape from painful memories and emotions.
The stars are vibrating signs
Advertising names and faces and places of monsters.
Everything in the world is a reminder of pain and suffering.
Unplugging the lot because there's not enough dark
In which to hide not even to sleep,
Not even to sleep with these drinkers.
There is no escape, even in sleep or being around others who are also trying to escape.
The bright pain of nightmare
And the loss of all reason
Brings no such releases.
Nowhere to climb anymore.
Even fantasies and dreams cannot bring relief from the pain, and there is no way to escape it.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lars Jeppesen
Just another amazing track by these Guys....
ANTONIO ESCRICH VÁZQUEZ
Outstanding!!
blixa ü
kod the real helping partner for the real seeing out the angel