The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society Poll

I love the instrumental break on 'Last of the Steam Powered Trains', and I was surprised to learn that 'Village Green' was recorded a couple of years before the album but yet they didn't do anything with it until '68.

I love this album. Definitely one of the best 60s pop albums (up there with Pet Sounds, Revolver...).
The flow of fantastic melodies is unstoppable and the sound is warmer and fuller than on their previous output.
I'm surprised by the winner of the poll, though.
It's a good and fun song but nowhere near many of the other tracks.
I would have said "Animal Farm" or "Village Green".

"Walter", definitely.

Also, "King Kong" from that time is such a prelude to T-Rex !

I'm surprised by the winner of the poll, though.
It's a good and fun song but nowhere near many of the other tracks.

I agree - I love the track but see it more as an extended intro to the LP.

honestly think this is one of the best albums ever made. hard to pick a favorite but "Animal Farm" bounced around in my head for a very very long time.

this thread reminded me to listen to this beautiful album again, good job guys

They were on fire from 1966-1971 ... they had an excellent singles discography from 'You Still Want Me' onwards, of course (their cover of 'Long Tall Sally' is a bit meh) but I love pretty much almost everything they put out 1966-1971.

The six albums from Kink Kontroversy to Lola are a fantastic run. Who has done better than that besides Frank Sinatra in the 1950s?

impossible to choose, really, but i'd have gone with "walter" which always makes me melancholy. prob my favorite album of the decade.

Yeah they were incredible during that period. I must say I don't know much about their post Lola albums.
As for the Village Green album, I thought there might be something lacking for all its perfect pop : there's not really an emotional song, like "Waterloo Sunset" or "Don't Talk" or "God Only Knows" for Pet Sounds or "For No One" for Revolver, for instance.
It's mostly all pure upbeat pop. "Village Green" might be close to that kind of emotional song but it's not exactly that. There's more distance (in the songwriting and the arrangements).

AIXTC - some versions of this album include 'Days', which should be that emotional song you're looking for.

I have this album in mono and stereo edition, all on one disc, which has the original tracks as well as additions like Days. Lots of greatness.

I could go with the winner of the poll, but Last of the Steam-Powered Trains is another of my favourites here.
(But if Days would be eligible, it'd be Days!)

The fact that 'Days' (one of my favourite songs of all time) isn't on the album yet the album is still incredible says a lot about how strong the songwriting is.

the Kink Kronikles compilation that covers this period is insanely good as well, and includes a lot of the awesome singles that weren't on the albums

The six albums from Kink Kontroversy to Lola are a fantastic run. Who has done better than that besides Frank Sinatra in the 1950s?

― Josefa, Friday, November 10, 2017 2:41 AM (seven hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The Percy soundtrack, though...

I mean, it's not awful, but it's hardly on the level of the records that came before and after.

Wikip has Percy coming after "Lola" i.e. it's the last Pye album

Percy did have one great song on it though. I think it's called "God's Children". Given that it's a soundtrack and they did do the excellent Muswell Hillbillies the next year I guess I can forgive them for it.

wait, not the next year. the same year. though MH was clearly a different sound that doesn't really jive with the Pye era. it's probably the only great album they did outside it.

"The Way Loved Used to Be", "Moments" and "Dreams" are all excellent too, re: Percy soundtrack

Those three and "God's Children" are better than most of "Muswell Hillbillies".

"God's Children" is an incredible song, was a long time before I heard it

Wikip has Percy coming after "Lola" i.e. it's the last Pye album

― Mark G, Friday, November 10, 2017 10:32 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

D'oh, you are correct! I probably misread your post as "Kontroversy through Muswell Hillbillies," which is often pointed to as The Flawless Run.

That wasn't me.

the Kink Kronikles compilation that covers this period is insanely good as well

and the great lost kinks album, which came out a year later and is every bit as good, compiling b-sides, unreleased miscellany, etc., from the same insanely good era.

I'd say The Kinks and Small Faces are my two favourite '60s bands from the UK. Just so much great music, a lot of which has still not been overplayed to death.

(I'd put The Zombies in third place for Odessey and Oracle alone)

Highly recommend y'all grab this 1969 performance: http://bbchron.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/kinks-1969-11-27-san-francisco-fillmore.html

Big Box Set Coming: https://www.musicglue.com/the-kinks/browse/the-kinks-usa/products/the-kinks-are-the-village-green-preservation-society-super-deluxe-box-set

one of my favorite albums ever but man, I've already got the 3 disc version and the 180g vinyl, what else do you need

From what I've read, there's maybe 1-2 unreleased songs. Here's one of them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOBjwkaW-T0

It sounds like this was recorded in 1973, as was (supposedly) the other unreleased song. I think they re-recorded some of the VGPS stuff then, to be used as part of a Preservation production. Most of the "unreleased" material on this set is in the form of backing tracks, alternate mixes, and radio/tv appearances.

This also has some Ray solo 2010 live recordings, for some reason. So basically, this is pretty barrel-scrapey, but comes with all sorts of vinyl doodads and posters and things.

this thread reminded me to listen to this beautiful album again, good job guys

― bodak horseman (voodoo chili), Thursday, November 9, 2017 11:08 AM (one year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Oh hey I’m listening again. When I’m thinking about this album, and not listening, I often focus on the lyrics and forget about how hard it rocks.

It fucking rocks.

Thunder and liiightning!!

I always think that Wicked Annabella gets very Beatlesque at the end, in an I Am The Walrus/Yer Blues kinda way, until I remember that the Kinks were contemporaries of the Beatles, and that Village Green probably predates some of the Beatles stuff it reminds me of...

It probably doesn't, though. That was why it wasn't the big hit at the time, being 6 months too late

Title: ARE THE VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION
Artist: KINKS
Label: BMG
Cat no: BMGAA09CD
First charted: 08.11.2018
Peak Position: 47

Yo how's the Swedish version?

pretty cool that every song got at least one vote

"Time Song" slays

This album is 9 for me.
-1 for the production.
Davies had no experience in the area and it shows imo.

Ha. I like the production a lot. I’m just not really into the songs.

Imagine this album with the sharper, cleaner sound of Arthur. Perfect.

The production on "Arthur" is far from perfect.

Kinks records in general not known for their immaculate production tho tbh.

To say the least.

Far from peefecy indeed but so much better compared to Village
Xxpost

*perfect*

actually think Muswell Hillbillies is the worst produced Kinks LP

VGPS doesn't sound good but I think that fits the pastoral/return to simpler times theme of the album

actually think Muswell Hillbillies is the worst produced Kinks LP

totally agree

Is hard to pick a worst one!

imo there's a difference between albums that sound grungey and lo-fi and those where you suspect the engineer or producer actually fucked something up and Muswell crosses that line. I actually looked up my copy on Discogs and there are a bunch of comments about whether or not Dynaflex pressings just suck along with responses that say "no it actually just sounds like that"