Kings of Oblivion

The Pink Fairies had not finished recording Kings of Oblivion before Polydor took the master tapes. According to one commentator, the label then "hastily mixed the LP while the Fairies were away on tour, even leaving the vocal tracks off one cut, 'Raceway'."[5] Released to tie in with their concurrent tour,[6] it was the band's third album, and first and only released in the United States.[7][8] In 2002, all three of the band's albums were re-released on CD by Polydor.[9]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[11]

On release, Kings of Oblivion was considered to be Pink Fairies' best album.[10] Dan Nooger in The Village Voice praised the album and considered "City Kids" and "I Wish I Was a Girl" to communicate "more of what it's like being a Mod than all of Quadrophenia."[7] A reviewer for Shepherds Bush Gazette, Hammersmith Post described Pink Fairies as one of the last "underground groups", whom they deemed a "dying breed". They noted the group's typically "brutal and heavy" sound and praised the "thumping drum and fast-fingered guitar passages" but criticised the vocals.[12]

In a 1975 retrospective for NME, Mick Farren said that Kings of Oblivion "solved the Fairies' problem of original songs", adding that although Wallis was heavily influenced by Alice Cooper's work with Bob Ezrin, the resultant album was tight and tuneful.[5] In a 1980 review, Ira Robbins of Trouser Press described the album to be an "amazing powerhouse", comprising "good heavy rock'n'roll" songs with careful structures, smart lyrics and "hot jamming". He felt that the band "could have been an English Cheap Trick if only the world had been ready."[8] In a later publication for the same magazine, Robbins highlighted the album for its "monumental melodies and bizarre sideways lyrics". He concluded that "Kings is a widely unknown masterpiece that stands on its own but also set the stage for Motörhead, which Wallis and Hawkwind refugee Lemmy initially formed in 1975."[13]

In the third edition of The Rolling Stone Album Guide, David Fricke wrote that despite "flat production and a slim songbook", the album adequately captured Pink Fairies' "neo-psychedelic bashing".[3] In the fourth edition, an uncredited writer described Kings of Oblivion as a "long-forgotten ramp" that will appeal to "unreconstructed punks and thrash fans alike".[11] Dave Thompson of AllMusic wrote that the introduction of Wallis to the band saw them create some of their most remarkable and concise music, with an "affirmative guttercat stance that so effectively predicted the rudiments of punk rock. Indeed, if any album could be said to have been born ahead of its time, Kings of Oblivion, conceived in 1973 but sounding just like 1977, is it." He concluded that the album remains "a tightly adrenalined beast, the summation of everything that the Pink Fairies promised and all that subsequent reunions have continued to deliver."[10] In a review for Uncut, Carol Clerk wrote that the album saw Pink Fairies finally become a "great rock'n'roll band", adding that the music fulfilled their initial promise and commenting on the band's influence on punk and heavy metal, including on "an unusually complimentary John Lydon".[14] BBC Music's Chris Jones also underscored the record's influence on punk and heavy metal and noted that the introduction of Wallis on "big guitar" increased the band's "outlaw biker credibility".[9]

1. "City Kids" (Wallis, Sanderson) - 3:45
2. "I Wish I Was a Girl" (Wallis) - 9:41
3. "When's the Fun Begin?" (Wallis, Mick Farren) - 6:13
4. "Chromium Plating" (Wallis) - 3:48
5. "Raceway" (Wallis) - 4:08
6. "Chambermaid" (Wallis, Sanderson, Hunter) - 3:18
7. "Street Urchin" (Wallis) - 7:07

Adapted from the liner notes of Kings of Oblivion[15]

Pink Fairies

• Larry Wallis – guitar, vocals
• Duncan Sanderson – bass, vocals
• Russell Hunter – drums

Technical

• Dave Grinsted - engineer
• Peter Lavery - photography

• Collectable Records - Original cover