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.
― frogbs, Thursday, 9 November 2017 14:50 (six years ago) link
this thread reminded me to listen to this beautiful album again, good job guys
― bodak horseman (voodoo chili), Thursday, 9 November 2017 16:08 (six years ago) link
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.
― Gholdfish Killah (Turrican), Friday, 10 November 2017 07:21 (six years ago) link
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, 10 November 2017 07:41 (six years ago) link
impossible to choose, really, but i'd have gone with "walter" which always makes me melancholy. prob my favorite album of the decade.
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Friday, 10 November 2017 08:31 (six years ago) link
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).
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 10 November 2017 09:03 (six years ago) link
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!)
― Valentijn, Friday, 10 November 2017 11:02 (six years ago) link
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.
― Gholdfish Killah (Turrican), Friday, 10 November 2017 15:04 (six years ago) link
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
― frogbs, Friday, 10 November 2017 15:08 (six years ago) link
― 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.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 10 November 2017 15:22 (six years ago) link
Wikip has Percy coming after "Lola" i.e. it's the last Pye album
― Mark G, Friday, 10 November 2017 15:32 (six years ago) link
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.
― frogbs, Friday, 10 November 2017 15:35 (six years ago) link
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.
― frogbs, Friday, 10 November 2017 15:36 (six years ago) link
"The Way Loved Used to Be", "Moments" and "Dreams" are all excellent too, re: Percy soundtrack
― Terry Micawber (Tom D.), Friday, 10 November 2017 16:13 (six years ago) link
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
― Οὖτις, Friday, 10 November 2017 16:42 (six years ago) link
― 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.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 10 November 2017 16:49 (six years ago) link
That wasn't me.
― Mark G, Friday, 10 November 2017 17:10 (six years ago) link
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.
― fact checking cuz, Friday, 10 November 2017 18:54 (six years ago) link
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.
― Gholdfish Killah (Turrican), Friday, 10 November 2017 19:03 (six years ago) link
(I'd put The Zombies in third place for Odessey and Oracle alone)
― Gholdfish Killah (Turrican), Friday, 10 November 2017 19:04 (six years ago) link
Highly recommend y'all grab this 1969 performance: http://bbchron.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/kinks-1969-11-27-san-francisco-fillmore.html
― Isi, Saturday, 11 November 2017 08:19 (six years ago) link
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
― Ubering With The King (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 15 August 2018 20:30 (five years ago) link
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
― frogbs, Wednesday, 15 August 2018 20:36 (five years ago) link
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.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 15 August 2018 20:48 (five years ago) link
― 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.
― twin sinema (voodoo chili), Monday, 19 November 2018 04:19 (five years ago) link
It fucking rocks.
Thunder and liiightning!!
― twin sinema (voodoo chili), Monday, 19 November 2018 04:20 (five years ago) link
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...
― henry s, Monday, 19 November 2018 04:29 (five years ago) link
It probably doesn't, though. That was why it wasn't the big hit at the time, being 6 months too late
― Mark G, Monday, 19 November 2018 11:18 (five years ago) link
Title: ARE THE VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION Artist: KINKS Label: BMG Cat no: BMGAA09CD First charted: 08.11.2018 Peak Position: 47
― Mark G, Monday, 19 November 2018 12:13 (five years ago) link
Yo how's the Swedish version?
― brimstead, Monday, 19 November 2018 23:03 (five years ago) link
pretty cool that every song got at least one vote
― #BreakingTheWorld (sleeve), Monday, 19 November 2018 23:06 (five years ago) link
"Time Song" slays
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 29 January 2019 19:47 (five years ago) link
This album is 9 for me.-1 for the production.Davies had no experience in the area and it shows imo.
― nostormo, Thursday, 17 August 2023 19:03 (eight months ago) link
Ha. I like the production a lot. I’m just not really into the songs.
― Chuck_Tatum, Thursday, 17 August 2023 19:18 (eight months ago) link
Imagine this album with the sharper, cleaner sound of Arthur. Perfect.
― nostormo, Thursday, 17 August 2023 19:19 (eight months ago) link
The production on "Arthur" is far from perfect.
― Monthly Python (Tom D.), Thursday, 17 August 2023 20:13 (eight months ago) link
Kinks records in general not known for their immaculate production tho tbh.
― Monthly Python (Tom D.), Thursday, 17 August 2023 20:15 (eight months ago) link
To say the least.
― Blecch on Blecch (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 17 August 2023 20:17 (eight months ago) link
Far from peefecy indeed but so much better compared to Village Xxpost
― nostormo, Thursday, 17 August 2023 20:18 (eight months ago) link
*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
― frogbs, Thursday, 17 August 2023 20:22 (eight months ago) link
totally agree
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Thursday, 17 August 2023 20:25 (eight months ago) link
Is hard to pick a worst one!
― Monthly Python (Tom D.), Thursday, 17 August 2023 20:51 (eight months ago) link
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"
― frogbs, Thursday, 17 August 2023 20:59 (eight months ago) link
I think it was the first one they recorded at Konk Studios?
― Monthly Python (Tom D.), Thursday, 17 August 2023 21:02 (eight months ago) link
... strike that, "Preservation Act" was the first Konk album.
― Monthly Python (Tom D.), Thursday, 17 August 2023 21:04 (eight months ago) link
xps I dunno, VGPS sounds fine to me in the sense that it's not unlike most British rock LP's I listen to from the '60s (a tube recording, usually mixed to mono with tons of compression). There is the stereo mix, but the band was focused more on the mono mix and that's what I listen to. I haven't heard the stereo mix in ages because I had an immediate preference for the mono mix.
Arthur is the first album where they really focused on the stereo mix, and it shows - it's an excellent stereo mix. (There is a mono mix, but IIRC it's just a fold down for promos.)
― birdistheword, Thursday, 17 August 2023 21:09 (eight months ago) link
I think the mix on Village Green Preservation Society might suffer from the era of switching from mono to stereo. The mono version of the record sounds fine, except for the songs recorded late in the process like "Big Sky", which have a cramped feel from trying to cram in too many separate sounds. Meanwhile, the stereo mix has a lot of eccentric decisions about panning that would get smoothed out only a year later, as "the rules" of stereo sound were codified. Apparently "Johnny Thunder" is the only multi-track tape still left from the sessions; there seem to be at least two later remixes, as this one does not sound like the one I have on the deluxe reissue, but see how you feel about the sound on this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw-ARA3LdjM
Ray insisted they record with vintage microphones for that dusty feeling.
― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 17 August 2023 21:14 (eight months ago) link
xps I dunno, VGPS sounds fine to me in the sense that it's not unlike most British rock LP's I listen to from the '60s (a tube recording, usually mixed to mono with tons of compression).Yeah, and it reminds me of S.F. Sorrow just in terms of sonics; it’s definitely of its time. It sounds like there were a few bounce-downs from one 4-track to another, resulting in a lack of top end most noticeably on the drums. I know the Beatles used that technique too without it sounding like VGPS, but they were exponentially more concerned with, and involved in, the production of their records than anyone in the Kinks, Ray included.Production always seemed to be an afterthought with Ray, and I can’t think of another band of their era that would’ve benefited more from an outside producer. The only Kinks record where the production stands out (in a good way) is Give The People What They Want, which was apparently the blueprint for Albini’s approach to miking drums.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Thursday, 17 August 2023 22:04 (eight months ago) link