"I go to BlackPOLL for my holidays,"-- ILM Artist Poll #17 -- The Kinks RESULTS THREAD

BTW, this was up as a customer image on the amazon Think Visual page:

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/b6/a0/66bc810ae7a0d30be5a31210.L.jpg

heh yukyuk

xp "Working at the Factory" might've made my top...50.

Yes. That's a real good song, although it gets tiring listening to Ray whine about the music industry.

I remember liking "The Video Shop" too, but thinking it was twice as long as it needed to be.

I think other people must enjoy the Kinks differently from me, because "Village Green" is easily my least favorite of the 1966-1971 Kinks albums. It sounds like de-clawed Kinks to me.

random Kinks catalog question: how many songs has Ray Davies written about/referencing his sister emigrating to Australia. 10? 20?

Now the "Most Hated"

5 (Three-Way Tie)

http://www.spirit-of-rock.com/les%20goupes/T/The%20Kinks/A%20Gallon%20of%20Gas/A%20Gallon%20of%20Gas.jpg

"A Gallon of Gas"
Low Budget, 1979

http://www.demotivationalposters.org/image/demotivational-poster/small/1009/destroyer-paranoia-poster-day-cubby-kinks-tribute-demotivational-poster-1284127934.jpg

"Destroyer"
Give The People What They Want, 1981

http://www.techxplode.com/wp-content/uploads/white-people-stole-my-car.png

"Somebody Stole My Car"
Phobia, 1993

Each 3 Points (2 Votes)

i voted for "Destroyer" -- i will try not to troll this thread too much but in the course of putting together my ballot and listening to a bunch of songs (I'm mostly familiar with them from the Ultimate Kinks 2xCD comp) i realized that i kinda sorta hate this band, or at least RD's voice/sense of humor.

4.

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/252/6039781.jpg

"Harry Rag"
Something Else By The Kinks, 1967
6 Points (3 Votes, 1 #1)

3.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Lazy_Lester.jpg/220px-Lazy_Lester.jpg

"Naggin' Woman"
Kinda Kinks, 1965
6 Points (2 Votes, 2 #1's)

Harry Rag is so weird. never heard this euphemism for weed anywhere else.

BTW, That's Lazy Lester, who did the original. (xpost)

2.

http://img.wax.fm/releases/1572018/kinks-come-dancing-1310276.jpeg

"Come Dancing"
State of Confusion, 1983
7 Points (3 Votes, 2 #1's)

Weird. Had no idea that song was hated by Kinks fans at all. Always thought it was widely seen as a resounding return to form.

well, 3 votes. and one of 'em is me, who just came out as a non-fan.

1.

http://images.45cat.com/the-kinks-a-rock-n-roll-fantasy-1978-s.jpg

"Black Messiah"
Misfits, 1978
9 Points (3 Votes, 3 #1's)

I was 8 when Come Dancing came out, but I thought it was great if not a little confusing thanks to the video, which I watched over and over and over while we were on vacation because I had MTV for the first time in my short life. Had nfi what a Pally was, that's for sure.

I didn't know anyone hated it either.

some people need to listen to 'art lover'

And that's it for today.

Will be back to begin the "Top 50" Rollout tomorrow.

well, 3 votes. and one of 'em is me, who just came out as a non-fan.

haha, no, I wasn't saying "Grr, you're not a fan if you don't like this." I'm just surprised is all.

idg hating "Come Dancing", at least not enough to give it a hate vote.

"Come Dancing" is great. video with the old cleaning ladies dancing with mops = A+

I didn't vote for hated songs because I don't hate any enough to put my loathing on record.

i remember first hearing it while watching a block of random videos on MTV2 or VH1 Classic like 15 years ago and just being horrified by it

I DO get hating "Destroyer"...can totally understand that impulse. I don't though.

People, what is wrong with Come Dancing? It's a great song. How can it get more hate than Rock n' Roll Cities?

it's way more famous obviously, for one

I didn't vote for any hated tracks. There's a whole gob of shit on things like Soap Opera or Think Visual, but I don't guess I honestly hate any of it. Even the more famous tracks that can be overplayed are still underplayed by virtue of them being Kinks songs.

I mainly voted for hated tracks because of "Black Messiah." Has Ray ever been called out on that song's racism?

I'd say 95% of Ray's whole repertoire is sung from a character pov, so "Black Messiah" is a slippery one.

I hate "Harry Rag", even tried to sell Something Else once because of it before a friend kindly intervened

Harry Rag is so weird. never heard this euphemism for weed anywhere else.

― Jilly Boel and the Eltones (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, April 17, 2012 1:25 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

doesn't Harry Rag = Fag = Cigarette?

yah I always thought it was about cigs, lyrics definitely imply hardcore addiction

"Village Green" is easily my least favorite of the 1966-1971 Kinks albums. It sounds like de-clawed Kinks to me.

― o. nate, Tuesday, 17 April 2012 20:16 (Yesterday)

I agree with this challop.

ha! i put come dancing on my best-tracks ballot! oh well.

i voted for arthur as the best kinks album.

also tbqh i'm pretty sure ray davies is a racist.

he's an asshole, anyway. he just got the holy spirit for a few years there.

"Harry Rag" almost made my top 20.

I'll save my defense of "Destroyer" for whenever it shows up in the top 50 (I'm assuming it will?). But I think it's a pretty great song for a lot of reasons.

Harry Rag did make my top 20. Always loved it. Had no idea anyone would dislike it. Sorta Threepenny Opera-ish.

Surprised someone else besides me voted for "Naggin' Woman". But Lazy Lester didn't sing the original, although it's probably him playing harp on Jimmy Anderson's Excello 45 from 1962, which is pretty great....here.

Also, it's hard to argue that the any of the albums outside of the span from Face to Face -> Muswell Hillbillies are better than those inside the span. It's more about the order one would rank them. The order we got for top four would be the order you'd get if the sample size was 50 or 1000, though.

Harry Rag is so weird. never heard this euphemism for weed anywhere else.

― Jilly Boel and the Eltones (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, April 17, 2012 8:25 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Well, firstly, it's not a euphemism for weed. It's also cockney rhyming slang, so it's pretty exclusive to one part of the UK.
'Harry Rag' = fag, and fag = British slang for 'cigarette', except in the North-East. It's just a song about smoking cigarettes, really.

Anyhow, no surprise to see which Kinks album topped the 'best album' poll. My #1 (Lola Vs Powerman And The Moneygoround) was 6th, and 'Come Dancing' also made my "worst tracks" ballot. Never liked it. That keyboard lick is pure cheese.

It's the last verse that saves it, and also that Its The Kinks! In the Charts! Yay!

(although the next single "Don't forget to dance" seemed a lazy)

You all know that the Davies' sister died at a local dance when Ray was 13, right?

:-(

i'd say kink kronikles might be better than lola (the LP).

It's the last verse that saves it, and also that Its The Kinks! In the Charts! Yay!

Clive Davis didn't want it released as a single in the US, but Ray convinced him. Turned out to be their biggest hit since "Tired of Waiting for You" (same peak, #6).

Ok I didn't think I had a least favorite Kinks song, but that's it -- "Tired of Waiting" is so boring!

I'm not a fan of "Tired Of Waiting For You", but I do love that it takes him three tries to get that whole line out. He's too tired to just sing it all at once.

You all know that the Davies' sister died at a local dance when Ray was 13, right?

I had no idea! this does sorta change the tone of the song

It’s fun and funny (Life on the Road), has at least one jam (Mr Big), and the whole thing isn’t great but the songs I love are among my fave Kinks songs. Sleepwalker, Jukebox Music come to mind. It’s a fun rock album. I keep it in my car bc it’s perfect for listening to while driving.

I basically spent an entire summer as a teenager listening to VGPS on repeat and playing old Zelda games

I thought Village Green was the one album I could never wear out, though I have, kinda. Still the only album I've regularly listened to in every decade of my life. (save 0-9).

I’m with UMS on Some Mother’s Son. Just devastating and flawless the way he moves back and forth through the three different viewpoints/time periods of the song (mother of young child, soldier, parents of fallen soldier).

the bridge of shangri-la is monumental

imago - you’ve heard “See My Friends” and “Autumn Almanac” right? There are so many singles comps and bonus track editions now that I’m not sure what you find where.

This thread revive has got me revisiting the peak-era albums over the past week, right now I'm thinking Arthur is their best.

that seems pretty clear to me too

autumn almanac obviously mega-classic and long-beknownst to me, dunno why I didn't check out the albums sooner

timely message in arthur concerning the british tendency to genuflect before wealth and power even as it destroys you. quite dispiriting that he ended up accepting a knighthood

New mix of "Australia" from the reissue sounding pretty good this morning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FKOzZwODO8

Happy birthday Ray Davies! Long live THE KINKS
Their music always puts me in a good mood, feels like home :)

"Some Mother’s Son" missed the top 50!? I figured that that was widely beloved.

A good countdown, the only song in the top 50 that I dislike is "Dedicated Follower of Fashion".

Favourite deep cut not included: "Supersonic Rocketship" or "He's Evil".
Favourite Dave song: "Lincoln County".

Chatting with a buddy tonight about all things Kinks on Ray's bday, & he contends Ray is UK's best songwriter, & I do believe I may agree with him. Arthur sounding great tonight. They should have never trashed those Holiday Inns. America missed out. But maybe that's what made em great.

I absolutely love "Destroyer" what the fuck was wrong with ILX in 2012?

i've got red hot kinks fever. i really love this live cut:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGkUwSiJ7VQ

this would be my ballot, or something like this:

till the end of the day
picture book
dead end street
days
i go to sleep
i need you
waterloo sunset
session man
strangers
tired of waiting for you
big sky
death of a clown
you shouldn't be sad
party line
starstruck
david watts
you really got me
the world keeps going round
do you remember walter?
victoria
all day and all of the night
animal farm
i'm not like everybody else
when i see that girl of mine
she's got everything
20th century man
shangri-la
mr. pleasant
ring the bells
get back in line

i have no idea on the albums. i do think that i favor arthur/lola less than a lot of others, and i think their earlier garage stuff is wonderful even when they're on autopilot. ray davies sounded cool as hell on some of those songs.

Nice to see your appreciation for some of the more obscure tracks on The Kinks Kontroversy.

yeah i love that album so much! it flows really well. songs like "what's in store for me" are kind of the "autopilot" mode i was talking about - it would fit in really well on the Beatles Help, I think from the same year, which is high praise imo. i'm not sure who's influencing who at that point, in '65. but i think it's impressive for the kinks to hang with the beatles on a kind of deep cut like that, from the same year, because at the point the beatles had played a billion raw garage shows in germany/liverpool etc and they were probably tight as hell. the kinks seem to just kind of arrive and immediately sound like an absolute unit. underrated drumming, in the pocket/ringo style

Plus they had like half an hour to record their albums in Pye's second rate studios.