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Kitchens of Distinction
Origin	South London, England
Genre(s)	Shoegazer, alternative rock, Dream pop
Years active	1986 to 1996
Label(s)	One Little Indian (U.K./Europe) A&M (U.S.)
Members
Patrick Fitzgerald Julian Swales Dan Goodwin

Kitchens of Distinction (often shortened colloquially to KOD) were a three-person alternative rock/dream pop band from South London, England, active from 1986 to 1996. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... South London area South London (known colloquially as South of the River) is the area of London south of the River Thames. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Shoegazing is a style of music that emerged in Britain in the late 1980s. ... Alternative music redirects here. ... Dream pop is a type of alternative rock that originated in Britain in the early 1980s, when bands like Cocteau Twins, The Chameleons, The Passions, Dead Can Dance, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane (to whom the term has been attributed) began fusing post-punk experiments with bittersweet pop... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... One Little Indian Records is a record label set up by Derek Birkett (former bass player of Flux Of Pink Indians) and Sue Birkett in 1985, along with Tim Kelly (formar guitar player of Flux Of Pink Indians). ... A&M redirects here. ... Alternative music redirects here. ... Dream pop is a type of alternative rock that originated in Britain in the early 1980s, when bands like Cocteau Twins, The Chameleons, The Passions, Dead Can Dance, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane (to whom the term has been attributed) began fusing post-punk experiments with bittersweet pop... South London area South London (known colloquially as South of the River) is the area of London south of the River Thames. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...

History

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 specialized 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. Kitchens' first single, "The Last Gasp Death Shuffle" (which actually 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 NME,^[1], and led to the band signing with the UK 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," went on to collect more praise for the group. A drum kit (or drum set or trap set) is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as a cowbell, wood block, chimes or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer. ... An electric guitar An electric guitar is a type of guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into electrical current, which is then amplified. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... A sunburst-colored Fender Precision Bass The electric bass guitar (or electric bass[1][2]; pronounced , as in base) is a bass stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers (either by plucking, slapping, popping, or tapping) or using a pick. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... The Tascam 85 16B analogue tape recorder can record 16 tracks of audio on 1 inch (2. ... Kennington is an area of south London, situated within the London Borough of Lambeth. ... For other uses, see NME (disambiguation). ... In popular music, independent music, often abbreviated as indie, is a term used to describe genres, scenes, subcultures, styles and other cultural attributes in music, characterized by their independence from major commercial record labels and their autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording and publishing. ... For the Disney film starring James Garner, see One Little Indian (1973 film). ... The word physician should not be confused with physicist, which means a scientist in the area of physics. ... One Little Indian Records is a record label set up by Derek Birkett (former bass player of Flux Of Pink Indians) and Sue Birkett in 1985, along with Tim Kelly (formar guitar player of Flux Of Pink Indians). ...

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.^[1] An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Effects unit. ... The Chameleons in 1984: Mark Burgess, Reg Smithies, John Lever, Dave Fielding The Chameleons (called The Chameleons UK on American releases) were a post-punk band that formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, England in 1981. ... Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1982 to 1997. ... A.R. Kane (or A R Kane or A.R.Kane) were an experimental 1980s and 1990s British dream pop band. ... Shoegazing (also known as shoegaze or shoegazer; practitioners referred to as shoegazers) is a genre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. ...

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 dealt with that topic in a frank, no-nonsense and non-vulgar way, 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 session, although they eventually did one after asking Peel personally. A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (née Roberts; born 13 October 1925) served as British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 until 1990, being the first and only woman to hold either post. ... Homosexuality refers to sexual interaction and / or romantic attraction between individuals of the same sex. ... Snub TV or simply Snub was a British alternative culture television programme of the late 1980s. ... Rapido is the name of passenger train service introduced by Canadian National Railway on October 31, 1965, between Montreal, Quebec, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... For other persons named John Peel, see John Peel (disambiguation). ...

In 1990, they signed with A&M Records in the US, and went into the studio with acclaimed 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 album The Death of Cool came out in August of that year; it was named in honor 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. A&M redirects here. ... ==Individual Studio== A recording studio is a facility for sound recording. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Hugh Jones is a British record producer with many important post-punk albums to his credit. ... Simple Minds is a rock band from Scotland, which had its greatest worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early-1990s. ... Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk group, formed in Liverpool in 1978. ... The picture cover of The Undertones 1979 Youve Got My Number (Why Dont You Use It!) single The Undertones are a Northern Irish rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1975. ... Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. ... Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was an American jazz musician, widely considered to be one of the most influential of the 20th century. ... Birth of the Cool is an album which collects the twelve sides recorded by the Miles Davis nonet (featuring Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz and others) for Capitol Records in 1949 and 1950. ... The persecution of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered individuals is the practice of attacking a person, usually physically, because they are or are perceived to be lesbian, gay or transgender. ... Suzanne Vega (born Suzanne Nadine Vega, 11 July 1959, Santa Monica, California) is an American songwriter and singer known for her highly literate lyrics and eclectic folk-inspired music. ... 99. ...

Later in 1993, KOD began work on their fourth album, having decided to co-produce 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 label's meddling ultimately did nothing to help the album's dismal sales, and many fans were nonplussed with the results. When the album saw its US release in early 1995, it was met with an equally ambivalent reception, and 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. Audio engineering is a part of audio science dealing with the recording and reproduction of sound through mechanical and electronic means. ... Pascal Gabriel was born in Namur, Belgium in 1961 (circa). ... A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. ... Alternative music redirects here. ...

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^[1], which was named Melody Maker's single of the week, but they officially disbanded that summer after a farewell gig at London's Kings Cross. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Fierce Panda Records is a London, England based independent record label. ... This article is about the music newspaper. ...

Fitzgerald initially continued to record and release music under the name Fruit (not to be confused with the Australian band of the same name), a project that also featured guest vocals from Miki Berenyi of Lush and Isabel Monteiro of Drugstore. He also formed Lost Girls, a project with 4AD recording artist Heidi Berry, although no recordings were ever released. Since 2000, he has been recording as Stephen Hero, and has put out several releases under that name. FRUIT Fruit are an indie rock band from Adelaide, Australia often compared to the Indigo Girls. ... Miki Berenyi Miki Berenyi (born on March 18, 1967) is a singer from south London, UK. She was formerly the lead singer of Lush. ... Lush was an English shoegazing band, formed in 1988. ... Drugstore is a 4 piece band originally from Argentina. ... This article is about the record label 4AD. For the year, see 4. ... Heidi Berry is an American singer-songwriter. ...

Despite rumors of a collaboration with Terry Bickers (of The House of Love and Levitation)^{[citation needed]}, Swales moved into writing scores for film, theatre, and dance. House Of Love is also a hit song by East 17. ... Levitation (1990-1994) were an innovative psychedelic mind-punk outfit, fronted by ex-House of Love guitarist Terry Bickers. ...

Trivia

• Kitchens of Distinction sometimes performed "secret" gigs under the alter ego Toilets of Destruction. An example was at The Bull & Gate in Kentish Town on August 6, 1990, where the band appeared in drag and played ABBA, Bowie and Bauhaus covers.
• "The 3rd Time We Opened the Capsule" made it onto the "NME Writers' 100 Best Indie Singles Ever" list, published July 25, 1992.
• Kitchens covered the theme song from the 1960s' television series The White Horses (originally performed by Jackie Lee, it was a UK top 10 hit during April 1968). Featuring a rare lead vocal by Swales, it was first included on a free cassette given away with a UK music paper, and later used as a b-side (on the UK single of "Now It's Time to Say Goodbye" and the US single for the song "Cowboys and Aliens").
• Bands whose sound has been influenced by the Kitchens include Interpol, The Verve, Mansun, Longpigs, and Springhouse.

Alter Ego has multiple meanings: Alter Ego is a game for the Commodore 64 computer. ... Kentish Town is an area of north London in the London Borough of Camden. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Abba redirects here. ... David Bowie (pronounced ) (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an iconic English musician, actor, producer, arranger, and audio engineer. ... Bauhaus are an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978 by Peter Murphy (vocals), Daniel Ash (guitar), Kevin Haskins (drums) and David J (bass). ... // In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... The theme music of a radio or television program is a piece that is written specifically for that show and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits. ... The White Horses is a 1965 television series co-produced by RTS of Yugoslavia and BR-TV of Germany. ... “B-Sides” redirects here. ... For the international organisation, see Interpol. ... The Verve (originally Verve) are an English rock band formed in Wigan, Greater Manchester in 1989 at Winstanley Sixth Form College, by vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury. ... Mansun were a rock music band formed in Chester in 1995 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Paul Draper, lead guitarist/back vocalist Dominic Chad, and bassist Stove King, with drummer Andie Rathbone, and disbanded in May, 2003. ... The Longpigs were one of the more memorable bands who rose to fame on the fringe of Britpop in the 1990s, comprising Crispin Hunt (vocals), Richard Hawley (guitar), Simon Stafford (bass) and former Cabaret Voltaire member Dee Boyle (drums). ...

Members

• Patrick Fitzgerald (vocals, bass guitar)
• Julian Swales (guitar)
• Dan Goodwin (drums)

Discography

Albums (Note: all 4 KOD albums are out of print)

• Love Is Hell (April 1989)
• Strange Free World (February 1991) (UK #45)
• The Death of Cool (August 1992) (UK #72)
• Cowboys and Aliens (October 1994)

Best-of compilation

• Capsule: The Best of KOD 1988-94 (April 2003)

Singles and EPs

• "Last Gasp Death Shuffle" / "Escape" (December 1987, Gold Rush)
• "Prize" (October 1988, One Little Indian)
• "The 3rd Time We Opened the Capsule" (May 1989, One Little Indian)
• "Elephantine" EP (October 1989, One Little Indian)
• "Quick as Rainbows" (March 1990, One Little Indian)
• "Gorgeous Love" EP (1990, A&M)
• "Drive That Fast" EP (January 1991, One Little Indian) (UK #93)
• "Innocent" 3-inch CD single (1991, Rough Trade)
• "Breathing Fear" EP (May 1992, One Little Indian)
• "4 Men" EP (1992, A&M) (promotional only)
• "When in Heaven" EP (August 1992, One Little Indian)
• "Smiling" (1992, A&M)
• "Cowboys and Aliens" EP (1994, One Little Indian) (promotional only)
• "Now It's Time to Say Goodbye" (September 1994, One Little Indian)
• "Feel My Genie" / "To Love a Star" (May 1996, Fierce Panda) (as "Kitchens O.D.")

Charting singles

The Modern Rock Tracks chart is a music chart that has appeared in Billboard magazine since the early 1980s. ... See also: 1991 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1991 Record labels established in 1991 // 1991 was the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. ... See also: 1992 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1992 Record labels established in 1992 // 1992 was a pivotal year in the development of music. ...

References

External links

• Stephen Hero site
• The Death of Cool KOD fansite
• Trouser Press entry