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yeah. you may very well be right, as i really haven't heard that much of them until recently

and from what i've heard, nothing really sounded too out there. but i can definitely hear their quirkiness.

another thing is i'm slowly realizing how bad this compilation i have is. it's not the '89 Ultimate Collection release, thats for sure.

i'll just have to listen to their albums and draw a conclusion then.

There are some fine compilations...The Kink Kronicles is excellent I think. Very representative of the Reprise years.

 

See we do agree somewhat, I also think the Kinks are kinda kinky. They are not your typical blues/rockabilly/rock outfit from England, they are more sophisticated and somewhat more strange than that.

 

LouieB

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yeah. you may very well be right, as i really haven't heard that much of them until recently

and from what i've heard, nothing really sounded too out there. but i can definitely hear their quirkiness.

another thing is i'm slowly realizing how bad this compilation i have is. it's not the '89 Ultimate Collection release, thats for sure.

i'll just have to listen to their albums and draw a conclusion then.

 

The Kinks are incredibly British (or certainly their best stuff is), and their music is very character based, so you might have to be British to understand fully all of the content. I don't know; I am British, so I can't say for sure - cos I understand it all, but growing up in a village in the south east of England even in the 1980s, I can say that this music is dearer to my heart and more representative of my life than any other British Invasion band. I think you'd probably have to look to The Smiths before you find something similar in British music. Anyway, that's why I'd put them above The Beatles and The Stones. Their production was never as good as some of the bigger bands, but that's cos they didn't have the money and record company backing to spend months in the studio - if you listen to Waterloo Sunset for example, it's probably one of the cheapest sounding classics ever put to tape - it's still a classic though, which shows how great a song writer Ray was.

 

You might want to get The Village Green Preservation Society first, if you're getting their albums.

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That is exactly what I was going to say, that the true draw of the Kinks is songwriting. And I don't even catch all the colloquialisms, growing up in the states and all.

 

I actually love the "vintage" sound of the Kinks. Shows you what kind of aesthetic having no money can achieve!

 

I second the nod to "The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society"

and then once you get into all the late 60's stuff, check out some of the rock opera stuff Davies got into in the 70's. Amazing it all came from the same guy!

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That is exactly what I was going to say, that the true draw of the Kinks is songwriting. And I don't even catch all the colloquialisms, growing up in the states and all.

 

I actually love the "vintage" sound of the Kinks. Shows you what kind of aesthetic having no money can achieve!

 

I second the nod to "The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society"

and then once you get into all the late 60's stuff, check out some of the rock opera stuff Davies got into in the 70's. Amazing it all came from the same guy!

 

Exactly. I'm a fan of the sound too, but I think if people are expecting their albums to sound like Sgt Pepper or something, then they're gonna be a bit underwhelmed by what they hear on first listen.

 

Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround, pt. 1 is a great album. One of my all-time favorites.

 

That's the album where their production became bigger and better, in my book; it definately got a lot more bottom end into the mix. One of my favourites too.

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I don't think you can go wrong with any of these albums by the Kinks:

 

Something Else

The Village Green Preservation Society

Arthur

Lola vs. the Powerman

Muswell Hillbillies

Sleepwalker

Misfits

 

I also happen to be very fond of Soap Opera and Schoolboys in Disgrace but lots of people will tell you they suck, so be warned.

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I think as far as British Invasion bands go, the Zombies rank fairly high.

 

I know no one else would agree with this, but as far as I'm concerned, it would go thusly:

 

The Beatles > The Rolling Stones > The Kinks > The Zombies > The Who

 

A few others are missing...

 

The Small Faces, The Action, The Creation, The Move, Pink Floyd... :)

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Okay, I'll add them in...

 

The Beatles > The Rolling Stones > The Kinks > The Zombies > The Small Faces > The Creation > probably some other bands > the Action go somewhere in here (I don't think I've ever heard them) > I don't think I've ever heard the Move either > everyone else > Pink Floyd

 

Couldn't help it.

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I don't think you can go wrong with any of these albums by the Kinks:

 

Something Else

The Village Green Preservation Society

Arthur

Lola vs. the Powerman

Muswell Hillbillies

Sleepwalker

Misfits

 

Face to Face is solid

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First time I heard "Time of the Season" (with O & O), it reminded me of a song from Grease (I think), I can't remember the title...

 

At first I thought it was the least interesting song from Odessey, but upon several listens, it became my favourite, right after Hang up on a Dream

 

O & O is a strong album, but also a bit too precious to me. And "Care of Cell" is a Beach Boys imitation, imo.

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I don't think you can go wrong with any of these albums by the Kinks:

 

Something Else

The Village Green Preservation Society

Arthur

Lola vs. the Powerman

Muswell Hillbillies

Sleepwalker

Misfits

 

I also happen to be very fond of Soap Opera and Schoolboys in Disgrace but lots of people will tell you they suck, so be warned.

 

I love Soap Opera - especially Ducks On The Wall, You Make It All Worthwhile & Have Another Drink.

 

Face to Face is solid

 

Also, Percy (which is an original soundtrack - from a movie about a man that gets a penis replacement) is great too - and comes in between Lola and Muswell Hillbillies in the release order.

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Okay, I'll add them in...

 

The Beatles > The Rolling Stones > The Kinks > The Zombies > The Small Faces > The Creation > probably some other bands > the Action go somewhere in here (I don't think I've ever heard them) > I don't think I've ever heard the Move either > everyone else > Pink Floyd

 

Couldn't help it.

 

of course I was thinking of the first one with Syd Barrett...

 

and the Yardbirds? :wave

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what about The Left Banke?

 

you probably know Walk Away Renee. they were a short lived chamber pop band that was great. unfortunately a CD with all their record output is out of print and very high on eBay.

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what about The Left Banke?

 

you probably know Walk Away Renee. they were a short lived chamber pop band that was great. unfortunately a CD with all their record output is out of print and very high on eBay.

The Left Banke was from the US of A, not Britain, but certainly was in a long line of bands taking British music, that was based on US music and making it American again.

 

Walk Away Rene is one of the greatest songs ever.

 

LouieB

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I listened to the famous Zombies album yesterday (well the first half) and I think I need to give it many more spins.....It sounds interesting, but not yet the masterpeice I was expecting.

 

LouieB

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