Listen to some music here: podcasts.progrock.com/2023/05/09/sea-of-tranquilitys-ranking-the-albums-the-kinks/?fbclid=IwAR1_DuZyJnQUaMV1DEcKCPWW_U1IEPGYT1BtJ6nKXJkM9jlWQvjtKZmhMx8
That album, muswell hillbillies, misfits, Lola versus powerman and the money-go-round part 1, Celluloid Heroes... They were probably my favorite Kinks albums. There's a couple more but I'm not going to name them all. I just named the ones that are still on a usual rotation.
@@kascausevic7502 I never get tired of "Lola" and I when I do listen to it, you can be guaranteed that I'll have many rewinds in there. Since 1976 I've tended to be the one that determines what I listen to so I _never_ get a chance to get sick of songs.
Don’t be silly! 😂 The Kinks are a fantastic band though. The Beatles are not 4th best out of those bands, thats just you being contrary. Not a Beatles fanboy by any means.
@@jimmycampbell78 For me they are. Definitely the most commercial and pop-sounding of the groups. The hysteria of baby boomers overshadows their actual musical abilities.
@@jimmycampbell78 Beatles fanboys (and especially fangirls) get under my skin a lot. Under every Beatles music video or song there is just memes and more memes. Its really bad and I actually stopped listening to the Beatles for a good while because of those teenage losers that ruined the community and fanbase (same thing happened with Queen and its way worse)
I agree. What makes it more a travesty is when the album was released it didn't sell and in the U.S. where I grew up, to get the album I had to special order it and it took 3 months to arrive!
Gawd, Pete. You made us wait for this. 1) "Arthur" - THE greatest concept album of all time. It was supposed to be made into a TV show but got cancelled. "Shangri-la", "Victoria", "Young and Innocent Days", "Some Mother's Son", the list goes on. Just an amazing album. 2) "The Village Green..." - The quintessential album of English country life. 3) "Sleepwalker" - After the "theatrical" period of disappointing albums, Ray Davies came back with a bang. This is great. "Sleepwalker", "Stormy "Sky", Life On The Road". 4) "Something Else" - "David Watts", "Death Of A Clown" and the greatest Kinks song of all time ""Waterloo Sunset". 5) "Lola vs Powerman" - Some of the songs were used in a TV play "The Last Train Through Harecastle Tunnel". "Powerman" and "Lola" are brilliant.
I am in 100% agreement with your top 5. Sleepwalker is great and you are the only person I've seen rank it exactly like I do, right after Arthur 1 and Village 2, then Something Else and Lola. Very astute!
I know a lot of their fellow musicians cite The Village Green Preservation Society as one of the most influential albums ever. It was released during the period the band were banned (!) from touring America and as a result is quintessentially English. I would say it’s my favourite Kinks album.
@@brandenhaynes4617 They were banned from 1965-1969 from laying and touring in the USA by the American Federation of Musicians. Ray pissed off a senior representative and he banned them from touring for 5 years.
“Arthur” is their masterpiece, and has always been my favourite Kinks LP. When I first took up guitar in the late 1970s, I bought an original songbook of sheet music for the album (still have it today). “Shangri-la” was one of the first songs I ever learned on guitar. “Lola VS the Money-go-Round” and “Village Green Preservation Society” are my second and third Kinks faves.
I still play "Arthur" regularly, although I own most Kinks albums and saw them play live more than any other band, this is the one that's stuck in my head forever.
@@rethink62 that (Mr. Churchill Says and Yes, sir, no sir... I think are lesser known but brilliant deep cuts off of Arthur. Also, although blatantly sentimental, Some Mother's Son is simply the best gut punchingly honest and true denunciation of War ever recorded. Melodically beautiful too.
10 Reasons to be a Kinks Fan: 1. They have lots of music: 24 studio albums and 5 live albums. 2. They cover 4 decades: sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties. 3. They have many popular songs: 26 Top 40 hits. 4. They have a wide variety of music styles: rock, pop, R&B, ballad, music hall, hard rock. 5. They have concept albums! 6. They were key members of the British Invasion of the mid 60s 7. Dave Davies: inventor of the “hard rock guitar riff”. 8. Ray Davies: master of social commentary and hero of the working class. 9. You can dance to The Kinks! 10. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.
11. They have rock, blues, jazzy, vaudeville, country, ballads, hard rock, grand father of punk, rock and roll, theather, etc...very very a great musical catalog,,
My favorites: 1. The Village Green Preservation Society 2. Something Else 3. Give the People What They Want 4. Face to Face Also recommend: The Kink Kronikles
It's encouraging to see a metalhead like Pete acknowledging the more light - hearted approach of The Kinks. In high school, girls went for The Kinks but dudes scoffed at their dandy approach. Over time, as one learns about vaudeville and dixieland, the beauty of Ray Davies' songwriting shines through. Two best examples are " Village Green " and " Something Else ".🇬🇧
In my opinion, The Kinks are best represented by: 1. " Village Green "; 2. " Muswell Hillbillies "; 3. " Something Else "; 4. " Preservation Acts 1 & 2 "; 5. " Face To Face "; 6. albums from 1965, various configurations; 7. " Everybody's In Showbiz "; 8. " Lola "; 9. " Arthur "; 10. " Picture Book " .🎶
@@davidgreenberg5517 When the other British R&B groups were going psychedelic or becoming Jam bands, the Kinks were getting into their British heritage, and music hall entertainment. This was a hit in the UK, but in the US people didn't get it. Of course, releasing "Village Green" the same day as the Beatles' "White Album" didn't help. This guy (Pete) should hear "Autumn Almanac" the next time he's raking leaves.
Pete I’m 47 until about 5-7 years ago I never really listened to them .but in the last 5 years I’ve come to realize how good they are ..muswell hillbies is a masterpiece..
Yours is pretty close to mine. 1. Lola vs Powerman, 2. Arthur, 3. Village Green. Something else would probably be next at #4. I really enjoyed hearing his take on the Kinks. I also knew it would be a surprise because that is precisely the beauty of the Kinks. There is no consensus opinion.
StamfordBridge, Very Similar to mine, I love those three and Kink Kontroversy. I understand that a hardrocker or a punk will prefer the late seventees material or even Lola. But all these 4 albums we comment are pretty quintessential.
I guess you were in your mid late teen years in the mid late 60s 🤩. I was but “Low Budget” “One for the Road “ “Give the People…” shook me but “Arthur “ is the best!!
Yes and no. It's a songwriting masterpiece top to bottom the way Abbey Road is, but it doesn't have any big radio hits on it like Abbey Road does. It's also not as stylistically diverse as Abbey Road. (Of course, you could chalk that up to The Beatles having 3 songwriters, whereas The Kinks really only had one songwriter.) It's hard to believe now, but at the time of its released Village Green was a commercial flop everywhere in the world, including England.
Yeah the way he just glossed over one of the greatest pop songs ever created made me think this guy is so American he doesn't get what the Kinks were all about.
I'm a huge Kinks fan so here's my full list for what it's worth: 1. Village Green Preservation Society 2. Arthur 3. Something Else 4. Face To face 5. Low Budget 6. Give The People What They Want 7. Lola Vs. Powerman 8. Misfits 9. UK Jive 10. Think Visual 11. Soap Opera 12. Kink Kontroversy 13. Percy 14. Kinda Kinks 15. Everybody's In Showbiz 16. Muswell Hillbillies 17. Prerservation Act I 18. State Of Confusion 19. Sleepwalker 20. Word Of Mouth 21. Schoolboys In Disgrace 22. Phobia 23. Kinks 24. Preservation Act II
Don’t agree with those bottom 2, I’d probably have Soap Opera or Percy bottom and Muswell Hillbillies and Everbodys In Showbiz are both top 10 Kinks albums for me, way better than the first two I mentioned
You're one of the few who put The Kinks Arista era records deep into their top 10. Thank you! I'm a year older and that's exactly the time I got into them in a big way!
To me Face To Face is their Rubber Soul. It was the first time they put out a cohesive album of original songs instead of just a collection of tracks. I read that the LP was supposed to have sound effects between each track but the idea got lost in the recording. There are still some on there (intros to Party Line, Holiday In Waikiki, Rainy Day In June) though. I can't remember if they recorded End Of The Season at that time and held it back for Something Else (as they held back Village Green for VGPS) but it has a sound effect intro of birds singing too, so maybe. Following on Something Else I think of as their Revolver as they were experimenting in the studio rather than just getting it down. Ray was getting into producing by that stage. VGPS I see as their Sgt Pepper's- Ray's first concept LP. So many different styles and memorable songs. He was really going for it with that one. I'm a fan of everything they released on Pye but I go off them after that. I think Ray needed Dave to give his songs a kick but as time went Dave was increasingly sidelined in the band. Just my 2 cents. Thanks for the video.
Poor taste this guy has. Arguably their greatest album, that or "Something Else by the Kinks" imho having a little more musi-density than Arthur or Village Green. Still, let's say that, like Rubber Soul, it finishes with a poorish (in terms of relativity) track, "I'll Remember"
I was taken aback when you ranked Aftermath & Between the Buttons so low in your Rolling Stones video, but your Kinks album rankings are truly mind boggling. The Kinks strongest period was 1966-1971.
The list is o.k. But if we talking from masterpiece no one is talking from presavation act 2. Can someone imagine to create such a story in his mind. Ray was on top of his creativity. It is much more complex then village green.
The Kinks made many great albums over 32 plus years. Hearing someone ranking Low Budget as their best work is phenomenal. It is a great album. Just one of many great albums by the Kinks.
@@hihiaurelnarmadashankar4334 I love the Flash song's especially 'Here comes Flash', 'Flash's Dream' & 'Confession'! There the trippiest Kinks songs & i'm still loving the psychedelic 60's & 70's. We went back to psychedelia in the 90's too!~
@@hihiaurelnarmadashankar4334 Complexity doesn't always translate to enjoyable. Plus musically Village Green is vastly superior, though you are right that preservation has some great songs. But to me there is a feeling. I suppose it mostly is nostalgia if you had to boil it down that runs through Village Green that is really an archetypal thing. It done so spectacularly that those who love that record REALLY LOVE THAT RECORD!
On their late 60s concept albums, the Pretty Things & The Small Faces had a song called *The Journey* with the Who weighing in with *Amazing Journey* on _their_ late 60s concept album ! No prizes for guessing what all three albums were influenced by !
1 - Something Else 2 - Village Green Preservation Society 3 - Muswell Hillibillies 4 - Lola Versus Powerman 5 - Face to face Also Kink Kronikles is such a fantastic compilation which along with some of their biggest hits, contains some great singles and B sides.
Here's a question for you guys: Why do the Kinks have a song called "Moving Pictures" and another song called "Permanent Waves"? And was a certain band listening to the Kinks at the time?
Can't say I agree with your initial statement that The Kinks lacked the definitive album. I feel their run of albums from 67 to 72 are as strong as any band outside the Beatles. Here is my partial ranking. 1. Arthur 2. Village Green Preservation Society 3. Lola 4. Something Else 5. Muswell Hillbillies 6. Face to Face 7. Everybody's in Showbiz 8. Sleepwalker 9. State of Confusion 10. Low Budget I'm a huge Kinks fan from way back. I love the quirky very British style of mid 60s to early 70s. I found the mid 70s theatrical albums to be much weaker songwriting. The late 70s early 80s arena rock period is quite enjoyable, but a bit "generic" compared to their 66-72 albums. I really enjoyed their last album Phobia. It may be overstuffed and not up to their classic standards, but it is linked to some happy times and positive associations. I encourage serious Kinks fans to pick up the Arthur deluxe 50th anniversary box set from last year. It's a treasure trove of Kinky goodness. Cheers!
I can definitely agree with that @Cats of Sherman as well. Pete does a fantastic job with the rankings but from 67-72 they were heavyweights! To me, Arthur was a top 10 or even top 6 of all of 69'. Long Live The Kinks!!
@@tdunph4250 I think you guys are missing my point here. When I say The Kinks lacked that 'definitive/legendary' album, I don't mean among Kinks fans. I'm talking amongst ALL music fans. Out of 24 albums, they had only 2 GOLD albums here in the US, nothing higher, and not one GOLD or Platinum album in the UK. Their first 3 albums were top 10 in the UK, none achieved anything higher after that, and most never made it anywhere near the top of the charts. Their albums barely dented the US charts until 1979. Yes, they had some very popular singles in the UK, but most did nothing here in the States. So, I get that Kinks fans and real rock fans know and love them well (and I'm not knocking their influence at all, as I am a fan) but as far as comparing their albums to the classics from the Stones, Who, Beatles, etc, they pale in comparison when you talk about general knowledge, sales, etc amongst the general public. That's really what I was referring to. You walk up to most rock fans in the street and you ask them to name a couple albums by the Stones, Who, and the Beatles, they can probably easily do it as well as name a batch of songs. The Kinks? Most would struggle. That's kinda where I'm coming from. What a big Kinks fan would say is a definitive album of their, a general rock fan would probably have no clue.
@@seaoftranquilityprog I did miss your point. It makes perfect sense when you put it that way. You weren't commenting on quality, just notoriety. It's a real shame that 99% of general population have never heard them. The Village Green album does have a reputation as an obscure classic amongst the rock history intelligentsia much like Forever Changes by Love. I've personally turned a lot of people on to that stuff.
@@catsofsherman1316 Exactly. Not a quality issue at all. If you look at many of the comments here, you'll see what I mean, especially from US viewers who really don't know much about the band at all.
I play in a Kinks tribute band. Interesting fact right there. My top 6 are... 1. Village Green 2. Lola 3. Something Else 4. Arthur 5. Face to Face 6. Muswell Hillbillies... The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society is right up there with anything the Beatles, Who or Stones ever produced. One of those albums I never tire of hearing.
And Wes Anderson used three songs from the Lola album in his film The Darjeeling Limited and of course used “There’s Nothing In This World Stop Me Thinking ‘Bout That Girl” in his classic film Rushmore.
i was in a newsstand a few years ago and The Kinks were playing over the sound system. When i went up to pay for my magazine i asked the young lady behind the counter if she liked The Kinks. She looked at me like I was nuts and I realized that was totally unfamiliar with the band but thought i was some weirdo pervert asking about her sexual preferences. That'll teach me.
Thank you for doing a feature on the Kinks. I appreciate that you covered and clearly were familiar with their large catalog of studio albums. But the review is completely devoid of any historical context and any appreciation of their immense musical influence on rockers and on Brit-Pop, for example. The review also doesn't reflect any awareness of a certain critical consensus. As someone mentioned, the albums from 1966 to 1971, beginning with Face-to-Face and ending with Muswell Hillbillies, are widely perceived to be their classic material. Those six albums are all masterpieces that rank with the very best of the Who or the Stones. Pete Townsend has often sung the praises of Ray Davies and the Kinks. It is perfectly fine to go against the grain and reject the critical consensus, but a lack of awareness is problematic. Sleepwalker and Misfits have a special place in my heart because they came out when I was a teen. I still love them and your comments resonated with me. Kinks Kronikles is a phenomenal compilation as great as Hot Rocks or Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy, which I love. On the other hand, "It's the Kinks" is a low-budget (quasi-legitimate) compilation not worth mentioning. There are perhaps a dozen similar ones that include the same songs. I appreciate that the Kinks are a little bit outside the scope of music that you tend to feature on SOT, and I'm grateful you gave them some attention.
It didn't work for Pete but the comments here support the view that Something Else was the Kinks at their best. Every track is a gem. Probably they are the hardest of all bands to categorise or classify. It was just wonderful they offered something for everyone.
Could be, but I've never heard of any of their albums being referred that high among 'legendary album classics'...doesn't mean they aren't, I just in my life have never heard that.
@@seaoftranquilityprog In the future, you may think better of the Kinks - many do. Too bad "Village Green" was released the same day as The White Album! You can't overcome that kind of competition. I saw them in 1970 in Cincinnati - first tour of the States in years, and every song they did was 10 minutes, with a long jam in the middle. Great show. Humble Pie opened - with Frampton. (also great)
@@seaoftranquilityprog in uk village green is often by regarded by music critics as a masterpiece maybe there lyrics are to british and as you say pete maybe they rest of the world dont get the vaudevile thing
@@CharlieMessing I think pretty well of them right now, don't think I need to wait for the future. My statements are more of the general perception among the majority of rock fans-if you were to ask most casual rock fans to name 5 songs and 3 albums each from the Beatles, Stones, and the Who, most would have no issue doing that, but ask them about the Kinks, and I'll bet the majority would struggle. I know Kinks fans and real serious rock music fans know and love them well, but other than that, not so much. That's kind of the point I was making. To most: Beatles 'Abbey Road', Stones 'Sticky Fingers', The Who 'Who's Next' or 'Tommy', Eagles 'Hotel California', Led Zeppelin, etc, etc...all have that 'definitive' album that everyone knows. The Kinks? Again, among hardcore followers, certainly, amongst most, I don't think so. Great band nonetheless.
@@seaoftranquilityprog We can only rate albums from our own perspective and I totally get it, Pete, the Kinks to you are defined by the arena rock period that you enjoyed and that's cool. Us Brits generally preferred the 1967-1970 era of the band when they became in UK terms an albums band. That's why you will see so many shouts for Arthur, Village Green, Something Else and Lola as album classics. Understand totally that they are parochial and don't travel as well as the Who and the Stones.
I agree with you that the Kinks never had a truly defining album like other bands did. However, one of the contributing factors to their status in the U.S. is that they were banned from performing in the States from mid-1965 to 1969. It's hard to build a following if you can't tour. The Beatles, The Stones, The Who built a loyal fan base in the U.S. during that time.
Loved the Kinks in high school (64-67) but Face to Face then Something Else cemented them to me as the greatest band I ever saw. Saw them in ‘68, then about 5 times thru the 70’s.
My 5 favorite Kinks' albums. 1. Lola vs. Powerman & the Moneygoround Part 1 2. Muswell Hillbillies 3. Something Else 4. Everybody's in Showbiz 5. Low Budget
Arguably "invented" riff-driven rock with You Really Got Me and All Day and All of The Night. assaulted my very young ears when released and was a fan instantly. very British and in particular,London-centric.(muswell hill being their manor in North London)
Very diverse band! I really like their late 60' s material. I've heard it described as Baroque pop? My top 3 3. Face to Face 2. Something Else 1. Village Green Preservation Society
That was my first Kinks album too. I knew them from the early British invasion hits but didn’t realize they were a going concern. Loved this collection of amazing songs, most of which I had never heard before.
The Kinks are among the earliest musical experiences I can remember. I loved and sang along to their songs before I even knew their name. My mama sang Stop Your Sobbing to me and with me if there was a need. Tired of Waiting, Sunny Afternoon, See My Friends, All Day and All of the Night were there with Mr Tambourine Man or Paint it Black or House of the Rising Sun (the Animals version) as my childhood soundtrack. Pete, I fully understand your reasoning about their albums. I can easily list 25+ top notch tunes from the Kinks and still think I missed a whole bunch, something that only happens with the Stones or Dylan and a few other. Their albums are a different story, they even made bad albums. Still they are a band I will always love and that have songs that I would not miss. And their best albums are great ones, one would have been my top 1968 album if Astral Weeks had not existed. 1. Something Else (Simplicity is not trivial, these are songs that are with me since 50 years, sometimes a melody or lyric line pop up from one's subconsciousness and when I trace it back it may be a Kinks tune. There is not s single bad note on this album, one of the most underrated gems in rock history. And if I hear Waterloo Sunset for the 5000th time I will still be moved by it.) 2. Muswell Hillbillies (Muswell Hill is the part of London where the original members grew up) 3. Low Budget (This one fits with where we are in the "Album per Year" series that runs here on the channel in parallel. As punk/post punk + new wave arrived, all these new bands payed tribute to the Kinks, they were like the blueprint band this new generation wanted to sound like. And somehow it returned the Kinks themselves to their own roots again.) 4. Face to Face (the first "real album" they made as an album, all earlier ones were the typical 60s releases of take some singles + add some covers + put some fillers, this time Ray Davies had an album in mind) 5. State of Confusion 6. Give the People What They Want 7. Everybody's in Showbiz 8. Village Green Preservation Society (only the Kinks could take such a topic - this is meant to be a concept album, right? - and make it interesting. I am not British.) 9. Arthur 10. Misfits 11. Word of Mouth 12. Lola vs Powerman (Sorry, as much as I love the Kinks as much do I hate Lola + Powerman, This Time Tomorrow however is classic Kinks stuff) 13. Think Visual 14. Sleepwalker 15. Kink Kontroversy 16. Preservation, Act 1 (Sweet Lady Genevieve is one of my best loved Kinks songs, Sitting in the Midday Sun is another classic, they save the album that is otherwise forgettable) 17. Schoolboys in Disgrace (Here is where their catalogue stops for me, this and the following albums are those I probably may not listen to ever again. Like I said, as much as I love the Kinks they did bad albums as well.) 18. Kinda Kinks (Look for 1989s Rhino Greatest Hits, you get all of the early stuff you need without the fillers - I'm Not Like Everybody Else invented punk more than a decade before the event) 19. First 20. UK Jive 21. Soap Opera 22. Phobia 23. Preservation, Act 2 24. Percy
@@isaacgabrielvalbuena2896 I do not like the cabaret/music hall period of the band at all. The songs have no flow to them and the concept of these concept albums seemed forced.
I was disappointed you didn't mention "Sweet Lady Genevieve" from Preservation Act 1, one of my all time favorite Kinks songs. I'd find it impossible to rate all their albums --- you should definitely do a Top 20 or 25 Kinks songs. There would be a tremendous amount of variety for sure.
In England the 65-72 albums are the highest rated ones.After that they started to try and break America which made them too similar to generic rock acts.Best albums.1.Village Green.2.Arthur.3.Something Else.4.Lola.5.Face to Face.6.muswell.
Yay! You finally did a video on my favorite band of all time! Thank you! I think Ray Davies is the most underrated composer in rock. His lyrics were insightful, funny, and poignant and his music covered so many different styles! He wrote some really catchy sing-a-long stuff (Lola) and some just plain beautiful melodies (Days and Waterloo Sunset). I first got into them after getting the One for the Road album as a high school graduation gift. I started buying the early albums to see what the original versions of some of the songs sounded like. The first tour I saw them on was for Give The People What They Want. I saw them a total of 20 times over the years. An amazing live band and Ray is the consummate showman!
I am enjoying your rundown, Pete. Catch Me Now, I'm Fallin' is my favorite song from the Kinks. Out of all the rock bands that ventured into disco type beats for an album in the latter part of the 70s, I think Low Budget is the best and one of the less dated albums.
@@johnman3272 Correct. Most of the rock bands that ventured into it only had a few songs. I don't believe the bands wanted to go full hog. Record companies probably pressured them to put some songs on their albums in that era.
My top ten; 1 Schoolboys In Disgrace 2 Low Budget 3 Lola Vs. Powerman 4 Sleepwalker 5 Everybody's In Showbiz 6 State Of Confusion 7 Give The People What They Want 8 Kinks 9 The Kink Kontroversy 10 Kinda Kinks “Schoolboys in Disgrace” is the only Kinks album that I like every song. Five favorite songs are “No More Looking Back”, “You Really Got Me”, “Sunny Afternoon”, “Celluloid Heroes” & “(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman”.
Celluloid Heroes is probably the greatest song I will ever hear. And yes "No More Looking Back" is a wonderful song as well. Very overlooked too, definitely one of their best.
Pete`s and my rankings of albums are usually pretty close, with a few minor differences. But Pete and I differ big time on ranking the Kinks! Face to Face, Something Else, Arthur, and Village Green would be very high on my list. I do agree the concept era albums(Preservation Act, etc...) are a little more interesting than the first couple of albums. I think they really started finding they`re way with Face To Face, that`s when I think they`re albums started getting really good...
The Kinks are like the poster boys for bands that scream 'make your own compilation' because almost every album has at least 2 or 3 fabulous songs. That works for me anyways. I love 'Sleepwalker' since it just flows so well, sweet & to the point and 'Muswell Hillbillies' [for "Oklahoma" alone, one of top 3 Kinks songs for me] and those are the albums I'll go to when I don't do the compilation. Your right about the album covers too Pete.
Totally agree with you that GTPWTW and Low Budget were awesome rock albums and often snubbed by die hard fans. Very consistent and all the songs fit well together. State of Confusion may have had hits but it didn't hold together well as an album - the songs were all over the place and it was difficult to listen to end to end. Same story for Word of Mouth. Their last few albums didn't have many hits but the songs fit together well.
1. Arthur: An early concept album. It is about a man - Arthur - who looks at himself and his family, and the world changing before him. Besides the creativity of the album, it has one of the greatest album covers EVER!!!! 2. Muswell Hillbillies. 3. Sleepwalker: The arena rock period, showcasing the underrated Dave Davies and his tasty guitar chops on title pieace and Juke Box Music. Periods: 64-66 British invasion period...Decent albums, but none stand out over the others. 72-75 Vaudevillian period...I thought Pete called that exactly!...Show biz my fav, here. 76 - 79 Arena rock...I include Schoolboys here. There is a bigger sound, thanks to Dave; and he does sound good! 80's - Commercial period...'Think Visual' the best here, IMO.
I think Village Green and Arthur stack up against Sticky Fingers and Sgt Pepper. All four albums show their respected bands at some kind of artistic peak (even if they may have recorded better records), all feature some of their most iconic songs and all feature a couple of duds (even if they're still enjoyable duds). I can see what you mean about Lola possibly being the Kinks' big record due to the hit song, though in England you're more likely to see people coming together for a track like Waterloo Sunset, Days or Sunny Afternoon, songs that are almost English anthems in a similar way to what Bruce Springsteen is to New Jersey and Billy Joel to New York
Good points. I think the only things that separate the Beatles and the Kinks are that the Beatles were better singers and their albums were recorded better. Song for song they are right there with the fabs. At least in their classic period.
@@catsofsherman1316 I think where the Beatles will always beat their 60s rivals is in having 3 absolute monarch songwriters, therefore their quantity of songs was always heftier than the rest. In terms of quality, the Kinks are the Beatles' equals, if one weighs up the best of both. It's just that the Beatles had _so much_ high quality at their disposal ! The Beatles were also much more varied in terms of how their songs were presented so there was a lot of genre crossing.
I think Thick As A Brick and Village Green are perhaps the two greatest concept albums of all time, and what I like about Village Green is it is so naturally a concept album, not like someone set out to create a concept album, but it just naturally turned out that way. It really shows Ray Davies to be a great song writing talent.
For me, not many bands had a run of 6 consecutive great albums like the Kinks did from Sleepwalker in '77 thru Word of Mouth in '84. I gotta go with Low Budget as my #1. Thanks, Pete. (BTW - I'm listening to Unleashed in the East as I watch this video)
@@RegMartin Yes indeed. I guess that just goes to show the Kinks are the only one of those great 60's British bands to have two sets of 6 consecutive great albums!
Thank you for acknowledging the greatest band in Rock history. My only criticism is you misunderstood The KinKs. They are not a " songs" band. The KinKs are an album band. Each KinKs album from 1966 Face to Face through 1986 Think Visual is a theme in itself. They are all individual works of art. In order to truly appreciate their genius, you have to listen to each album, uninterrupted, from start to finish. No other band has accomplished the level of artistry Ray Davies and The KinKs have created. Not even close. I suggest you go back and listen specifically to the albums from the period of 1966 to 1986 and you may change your rankings. However, great job. I enjoyed watching. God Save The KinKs
I Saw The Kinks in 1980 what a fantastic show. They were every bit as good as the Rolling Stones when I saw them in 1972. What a musical treasure that band was. Muswell Hillbillies Arthur the decline and fall of the British Empire the Celluloid Heroes song. And many many many many more! Blessings stay safe
1964-1966 Garage Rock R&B influenced era 1967-1971 British Era/Golden Age era 1972-1975 Broadway/Concept Albums era 1977-1983 Hard Rock/Pop era 1984-1989 80s rock era 1993- No ideas era
"Preservation Act" is the exquisite cult operetta performed by Ray Davies. Specifically "Preservation Act 2" is the most musically interesting work of the band in the decade of the 70s.
Quintessentially English band, in fact quintessentially North London, although Waterloo is south of the river. Every time I walk over Waterloo Bridge towards the station I hear The Kinks. Watching the sunset from there is as good as it gets.
The Kinks had so many different eras in their music, and I have loved many songs from their entire career, but I just LOVE the full albums of Face to Face, Something Else By The Kinks, Village Green Preservation Society and especially Arthur. Those are the four I go to most often. Also have my own compilation of about 70 songs from all their eras.
Interesting observation: the Kinks had song titles on consecutive albums that became titles of consecutive albums by Rush a couple of years later: Permanent Waves on 1978s Misfit and Moving Pictures on 1979s Low Budget. Coincidence?
Hello Pete, long-time viewer here, although I do not comment much. But I just wanted to say I really love your recent best of the Year videos. But this video in particular is very close to my heart, since I am a very big Kinks fan. I must say my list and your list pretty much match up exactly! I think the only major difference from me would be that I would move the album Phobia from 1993 a bit higher. I know it's a long album with probably a few too many songs, but when you really get down to it...it is a great way to finish off their long and storied career. Also want to thank you for your channel, you were one of the Inspirations for me starting my own channel. So I thank you. Take care and all the best to you and your family. Cheers, Matthew Street
At the time I really liked Low-Budget, Give the People What they Want, Misfits and Sleepwalker but once I heard albums like Arthur, Lola, and especially Something Else and Village Green I could not help thinking that the later albums did not hold a candle to those masterworks, even though yeah still quite good.
Long time Kinks fan! My faves: 1. Something Else 2. The Village Green Preservation Society 3. Lola vs Powerman 4. Kink Kinkdom 5. Face To Face 6. Arthur 7. Everybody's In Showbiz
Thanks for this, Pete ! Everybody can love the Kinks: whatever music you like, there's a Kinks album for you. My favorite: Arthur, and I love the early 70s albums.
Much of the reason they ended up sounding so "British" is that they were unable to enter the US for 4 years following their 1965 tour. They did not pick up the influences of late 60s America that other British Invasion bands did and therefore Ray started using domestic situations for inspiration. The double album compilation The Kink Kronikles covers this period well, from 1966 (Face to Face) to 1970 (Lola).
1. Village Green 2. Lola 3. Arthur 4. Muswell Hillbillies 5. Something Else 6. Give the People What They Want 7. Misfits 8. Low Budget 9. Face To Face 10. Kontroversy Also need to mention The Great Lost Kinks Album, which is fantastic.
I am a long time original Kinks fan (from the 60's). Your assessment that while they are a great band and have a ton of great songs I agree that no one album is a 100% excellent all the way through. It was usually a 60/40 split between very good songs and meh songs. "School Boys in Disgrace" and "Preservation 1-2" were the albums where they lost their audience (these would be at the bottom of my list). I saw the Kinks live several times during that era (Capital Theater- Passaic NJ, Byrne Arena-NJ, Schaffer Music Festival NYC Central Park etc.). My top picks are below. On any given day the order could change. 1. Village Green 2. Misfits 3. Arthur 4. Lola VS the Powerman 5. Sleepwalker 6. Everybody's in Showbiz
I actually liked School Boys. It was technically the last of their concept albums, but the concept doesn't overwhelm the music like it did at times on those Preservation albums. It also has some great rockers that paved the way for their next release, the non-concept back to basics Sleepwalker record.
Hi, I follow your channel with a lot of interest.. but concerning the Kinks, I think you just miss the point (as I see it). The great albums are definitively the late sixties albums... They were banned from America and the albums they released were so british and they created sommething really different from the other bands... They will be remembered for these albums... I don't think that "low budget" will really be remembered (at least not in the UK)... But I get it : The who's "Face Dances " is a favourite of mine because it's the first album I ever bought!!!. So Here's my top five : -Something else by the kinks -Village green -Face to Face -Arthur -The Kink Kontroversy (for dedicated follower of fashion) And one really needs to have the singles of all the Pye Years : so many classic songs were just singles.
"concerning the Kinks, I think you just miss the point (as I see it)" How can he be missing the point when he's doing his own ranking and explaining his viewpoint ? There isn't really a point to miss.
Low Budget is a decidedly America focused album. That's probably why it's so popular among American Kinks fans. It would be in my top 3 or 5 KinKs albums.
I've always loved the Kinks. Being 10 years older than Pete I'm more partial to their 60's & early 70's stuff but there's no doubt that the late 70's Kinks comeback as a harder rock band was very impressive.
Good one Pete! Love the Kinks! You have to understand that when the Davies boys were growing up their parents would have piano song alongs, mainly old English shows tunes from the music halls. They were unapologetic British. They were also blacklisted by the stage unions here in the states due to bad behavior! This lasted for about 4 years where they did not tour here. If you get a chance check out a video of Apeman with a gorilla playing the piano. Ray doesn’t miss a beat while singing to this live on TV. It’s funny. Ray Davies was the best songwriter of the period I think. So underrated. Thanks for your videos. Peace!
I think 'Face To Face' through 'Lola Vs Powerman' is one of the strongest 5 album runs by anybody, with 'Something Else' being my favorite Kinks album. I also believe that 'Village Green' is pretty much universally regarded as their biggest album. Oh well, what do I know?
You can tell the Kinks were a great band when a classic like Village Green Preservation Society comes in only at number SEVEN among their albums. Most bands would kill to have ONE album that good (although I would personally rank it higher).
One of the coolest, most interesting, most prolific and risky stages of The Kinks is undoubtedly that of RCA. It's supposed to be a stage for high level listeners and not so conventional listeners. That is why it is an undervalued and misunderstood time. Great stage of the RCA.
I'm a big Kinks fan, but really feel like their quintessential period was from 1968-1973. If you really like any of their albums in that period, you should check all of them out. I wanted to give a little shout out in favor of the soundtrack to Percy. To me it fits right in with that period. It's at the bottom of the pile for that time period in their catalog, but to me I enjoy it a good bit more than some of their later albums. If you are looking for a particular song to check out from Percy, give the song "Moments" a listen. I feel if that song was on one of their other studio albums in that period, it would be much more known, and could have even been a minor "hit". In my mind, it's almost as good (and beautiful) as Waterloo Sunset. If you are a Kinks fan, and don't know it, give it a listen.
I think "The Village Green Preservation Society" is most definitely the band's greatest achievement and I'd put it up there with all of those iconic legendary albums Pete mentioned at the beginning. 01 The Village Green Preservation Society 02 Something Else 03 Face To Face 04 Kinda Kinks 05 Arthur 06 Soap Opera 07 Muswell Hilbillies 08 Lola vs Powerman & The Moneygoround 09 The Kinks 10 Everybody's In Showbiz 11 Preservation: Part Two 12 Preservation: Part One 13 Kinks Kontroversy 14 Phobia 15 Low Budget 16 Schoolboys In Disgrace 17 Misfits 18 Think Visual 19 State Of Confusion 20 Sleepwalker 21 Word Of Mouth 22 UK Jive 23 Give The People What They Want 24 Percy
My top 10 of The Kinks albums: 10. Give The People What They Want (1981) 9. Kinda Kinks (1965) 8. Muswell Hillbillies (1971) 7. The Kink Kontroversy (1965) 6. Everybody's In Show-Biz (1972) 5. Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One (1970) 4. Face To Face (1966) 3. Something Else By The Kinks (1967) 2. Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire) (1969) 1. The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (1968) God Save The Kinks!!!
My surprise was no mention of Kinks Klassics: From Percy: "God's Children" and "The Way Love Used To Be"; Sleepwalker: the background vocals alone in "Full Moon" are worth the price of admission - great song and most underrated; Schoolboys In Disgrace: great album, top 3...again, the background vocals on "Headmaster" worth the price of admission...there's no "B" side on this album; Soap Opera: who else but Ray writes a line: "What's the point of cracking up all because of Shepherd's Pie?"; Their GOAT: "Victoria" - not just a single...watch their live video from the 1979 tour;
Being the ultimate Kinks fan, I love ALL their music. The reason the Kinks wern't as big as the other groups you mentioned was 'cause they were banned from the states for the most important years in music history
Although many have pointed this out, I think it's seriously overhyped. The Stones didn't tour the USA from '66 to '69. Furthermore, the Kinks had a further 40 years to make it in the USA. Sometimes, that connection with a country or a town or the people of an era just isn't there. And there is rarely just one explanation, it's usually a combination of things.
For what it's worth, according to Spotify, The Kinks are my favorite band. Even the lowest album on your list, Percy, has two memorable songs: God's Children and The Way Love Used to Be
good list...some of my favorite l.p.'s are...'schoolboys in disgrace'...'everybody's in show-biz'...and 'village green preservation society'...but i do agree that each album has songs you don't want to miss....nice job...stay well pete...
The Kinks were the band that got me into rock right around the Give the People What they Want album. I've got them all and love them all. It's cool to see you rank Misfits so high. I thought I was the only Kinks fan that ranked that one towards the top!
Listen to some music here: podcasts.progrock.com/2023/05/09/sea-of-tranquilitys-ranking-the-albums-the-kinks/?fbclid=IwAR1_DuZyJnQUaMV1DEcKCPWW_U1IEPGYT1BtJ6nKXJkM9jlWQvjtKZmhMx8
Village Green Preservation Society is a classic album masterpiece
Yes. Too bad it was released the same day as The White Album!
That album, muswell hillbillies, misfits, Lola versus powerman and the money-go-round part 1, Celluloid Heroes... They were probably my favorite Kinks albums. There's a couple more but I'm not going to name them all. I just named the ones that are still on a usual rotation.
Village Green is up there with being the greatest albums of all time.
You betcha. Arthur too!
That album is phenomenal
Absolutely, my favourite.
Also I think "Lola" is a great song by a great band that I never want to hear again.
I couldn't agree with you any more! It's a work of musical art.
@@kascausevic7502 I never get tired of "Lola" and I when I do listen to it, you can be guaranteed that I'll have many rewinds in there. Since 1976 I've tended to be the one that determines what I listen to so I _never_ get a chance to get sick of songs.
Q:The Beatles or the Stones?
A: The Kinks
I've always thought that they were better than both
IMO:
1. The Stones
2. The Kinks
3. The Who
4. The Beatles
Don’t be silly! 😂 The Kinks are a fantastic band though. The Beatles are not 4th best out of those bands, thats just you being contrary. Not a Beatles fanboy by any means.
@@jimmycampbell78 For me they are. Definitely the most commercial and pop-sounding of the groups. The hysteria of baby boomers overshadows their actual musical abilities.
@@jimmycampbell78 Beatles fanboys (and especially fangirls) get under my skin a lot. Under every Beatles music video or song there is just memes and more memes. Its really bad and I actually stopped listening to the Beatles for a good while because of those teenage losers that ruined the community and fanbase (same thing happened with Queen and its way worse)
Village Green is every bit the masterpiece that Who’s next or Abbey Road are Just not as widely known.
Agreed!
@@favoriteandcuriousmusic4389 I think it adds to the homespun feel of that album
Great say ....for many on internet it's the #1 1969 album
I agree. What makes it more a travesty is when the album was released it didn't sell and in the U.S. where I grew up, to get the album I had to special order it and it took 3 months to arrive!
The Kinks are criminally overlooked
Gawd, Pete. You made us wait for this.
1) "Arthur" - THE greatest concept album of all time. It was supposed to be made into a TV show but got cancelled. "Shangri-la", "Victoria", "Young and Innocent Days", "Some Mother's Son", the list goes on. Just an amazing album.
2) "The Village Green..." - The quintessential album of English country life.
3) "Sleepwalker" - After the "theatrical" period of disappointing albums, Ray Davies came back with a bang. This is great. "Sleepwalker", "Stormy "Sky", Life On The Road".
4) "Something Else" - "David Watts", "Death Of A Clown" and the greatest Kinks song of all time ""Waterloo Sunset".
5) "Lola vs Powerman" - Some of the songs were used in a TV play "The Last Train Through Harecastle Tunnel". "Powerman" and "Lola" are brilliant.
Agree that Arthur is tops. Such an underappreciated masterpiece. Have you heard the 50th anniversary box set? Pretty great.
Victoria is such a great song. Uniquely British without being affected, slyly satirical and a fantastic tune.
Totally love Arthur. My favorite Kinks album. Great concept album with no bad songs at all.
I am in 100% agreement with your top 5. Sleepwalker is great and you are the only person I've seen rank it exactly like I do, right after Arthur 1 and Village 2, then Something Else and Lola. Very astute!
Great Top 5 list... I have the same albums in mine but maybe not in the same order
I know a lot of their fellow musicians cite The Village Green Preservation Society as one of the most influential albums ever.
It was released during the period the band were banned (!) from touring America and as a result is quintessentially English.
I would say it’s my favourite Kinks album.
Thanks Paul, I didn’t know that they were banned from touring America. Makes sense now.
@@brandenhaynes4617 They were
banned from 1965-1969 from laying and touring in the USA by the American Federation of Musicians. Ray pissed off a senior representative and he banned them from touring for 5 years.
“Arthur” is their masterpiece, and has always been my favourite Kinks LP. When I first took up guitar in the late 1970s, I bought an original songbook of sheet music for the album (still have it today). “Shangri-la” was one of the first songs I ever learned on guitar. “Lola VS the Money-go-Round” and “Village Green Preservation Society” are my second and third Kinks faves.
I still play "Arthur" regularly, although I own most Kinks albums and saw them play live more than any other band, this is the one that's stuck in my head forever.
Shangri-La is one of my favorite Kinks tracks. And Arthur is is def top 5 albums.
Mr Churchill Says
Love it
@@rethink62 that (Mr. Churchill Says and Yes, sir, no sir... I think are lesser known but brilliant deep cuts off of Arthur. Also, although blatantly sentimental, Some Mother's Son is simply the best gut punchingly honest and true denunciation of War ever recorded. Melodically beautiful too.
@@etamommy
Agreed
10 Reasons to be a Kinks Fan:
1. They have lots of music: 24 studio albums and 5 live albums.
2. They cover 4 decades: sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties.
3. They have many popular songs: 26 Top 40 hits.
4. They have a wide variety of music styles: rock, pop, R&B, ballad, music hall, hard rock.
5. They have concept albums!
6. They were key members of the British Invasion of the mid 60s
7. Dave Davies: inventor of the “hard rock guitar riff”.
8. Ray Davies: master of social commentary and hero of the working class.
9. You can dance to The Kinks!
10. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.
no 11 they can make you smile or cry in the same song
I won't hold the hall of fame thing against them.
11. They have rock, blues, jazzy, vaudeville, country, ballads, hard rock, grand father of punk, rock and roll, theather, etc...very very a great musical catalog,,
Think they woulda been bigger if they hadn't gotten busted while reaching their peak..
11, They wrote Celluloid Heroes
My favorites:
1. The Village Green Preservation Society
2. Something Else
3. Give the People What They Want
4. Face to Face
Also recommend:
The Kink Kronikles
Leif Siklossy Great list, Arthur is my number 1.
It's encouraging to see a metalhead like Pete acknowledging the more light - hearted approach of The Kinks. In high school, girls went for The Kinks but dudes scoffed at their dandy approach. Over time, as one learns about vaudeville and dixieland, the beauty of Ray Davies' songwriting shines through. Two best examples are " Village Green " and " Something Else ".🇬🇧
For you hard rockers, don't forget Van Halen covered " You Really Got Me " and " Where Have All The Good Times Gone ".
In my opinion, The Kinks are best represented by: 1. " Village Green "; 2. " Muswell Hillbillies "; 3. " Something Else "; 4. " Preservation Acts 1 & 2 "; 5. " Face To Face "; 6. albums from 1965, various configurations; 7. " Everybody's In Showbiz "; 8. " Lola "; 9. " Arthur "; 10. " Picture Book " .🎶
@@davidgreenberg5517 When the other British R&B groups were going psychedelic or becoming Jam bands, the Kinks were getting into their British heritage, and music hall entertainment. This was a hit in the UK, but in the US people didn't get it. Of course, releasing "Village Green" the same day as the Beatles' "White Album" didn't help. This guy (Pete) should hear "Autumn Almanac" the next time he's raking leaves.
Pete I’m 47 until about 5-7 years ago I never really listened to them .but in the last 5 years I’ve come to realize how good they are ..muswell hillbies is a masterpiece..
it's an underrated classic to be sure
I love hearing you "young" people discovering the Kinks for the first time. God Save The Kinks!
Charles Murphy Welcome to the klub!
Muswell Hillbillies would come very high on my list; some beautiful songs on that one. Thanks Pete.
Indeed, it's my favorite.
Standout track to me is "Oklahoma"...great melody and lyrics
Take me back to those Black Hills that I ain't never seen.
Classic
I agree. Muswell Hillbillies is in my top 5.
For me, this is your most surprising ranking so far. My top three:
1. Something Else
2. Arthur
3. Village Green Preservation Society
Yours is pretty close to mine. 1. Lola vs Powerman, 2. Arthur, 3. Village Green. Something else would probably be next at #4. I really enjoyed hearing his take on the Kinks. I also knew it would be a surprise because that is precisely the beauty of the Kinks. There is no consensus opinion.
StamfordBridge, Very Similar to mine, I love those three and Kink Kontroversy. I understand that a hardrocker or a punk will prefer the late seventees material or even Lola. But all these 4 albums we comment are pretty quintessential.
I love Kinks Kontroversy too!.
And Something Else, then Village Green
I guess you were in your mid late teen years in the mid late 60s 🤩. I was but “Low Budget” “One for the Road “ “Give the People…” shook me but “Arthur “ is the best!!
Village Green IS their Abbey Road. But I totally respect your opinion, Pete
Yes and no. It's a songwriting masterpiece top to bottom the way Abbey Road is, but it doesn't have any big radio hits on it like Abbey Road does. It's also not as stylistically diverse as Abbey Road. (Of course, you could chalk that up to The Beatles having 3 songwriters, whereas The Kinks really only had one songwriter.) It's hard to believe now, but at the time of its released Village Green was a commercial flop everywhere in the world, including England.
@@AbbeyRoadkill1disagree.
1. Village Green
2. Arthur
3. Something Else
4. Face to Face
5. Kink Kontroversy
Much closer to my list as well
Same. I find the Seventies Kinks uninteresting.
You nailed it. I might move "Arthur" to 5 using your list and move the others up.... But only about half the time. These are the big 5.
I like your list much better! Misfits? Bull.
My personal favorites
1. Village Green
2. Arthur
3. Something Else
4. Muswell Hillbillies
5.Face to Face
Waterloo sunset is a masterpiece.
Millions of people, swarming like flies round, Waterloo Underground... brilliant stuff
Yeah the way he just glossed over one of the greatest pop songs ever created made me think this guy is so American he doesn't get what the Kinks were all about.
I'm a huge Kinks fan so here's my full list for what it's worth:
1. Village Green Preservation Society
2. Arthur
3. Something Else
4. Face To face
5. Low Budget
6. Give The People What They Want
7. Lola Vs. Powerman
8. Misfits
9. UK Jive
10. Think Visual
11. Soap Opera
12. Kink Kontroversy
13. Percy
14. Kinda Kinks
15. Everybody's In Showbiz
16. Muswell Hillbillies
17. Prerservation Act I
18. State Of Confusion
19. Sleepwalker
20. Word Of Mouth
21. Schoolboys In Disgrace
22. Phobia
23. Kinks
24. Preservation Act II
Much closer to my list as well
It’s insane how many albums they have when I first dived into their catalogue I kinda freaked out
Kinkdom is a good early one that was he didn't rank. It has "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" and "I Need You" as well as some other classics on it.
Don’t agree with those bottom 2, I’d probably have Soap Opera or Percy bottom and Muswell Hillbillies and Everbodys In Showbiz are both top 10 Kinks albums for me, way better than the first two I mentioned
Kinks in 23 is crazy
You're one of the few who put The Kinks Arista era records deep into their top 10. Thank you! I'm a year older and that's exactly the time I got into them in a big way!
To me Face To Face is their Rubber Soul. It was the first time they put out a cohesive album of original songs instead of just a collection of tracks. I read that the LP was supposed to have sound effects between each track but the idea got lost in the recording. There are still some on there (intros to Party Line, Holiday In Waikiki, Rainy Day In June) though. I can't remember if they recorded End Of The Season at that time and held it back for Something Else (as they held back Village Green for VGPS) but it has a sound effect intro of birds singing too, so maybe.
Following on Something Else I think of as their Revolver as they were experimenting in the studio rather than just getting it down. Ray was getting into producing by that stage.
VGPS I see as their Sgt Pepper's- Ray's first concept LP. So many different styles and memorable songs. He was really going for it with that one.
I'm a fan of everything they released on Pye but I go off them after that. I think Ray needed Dave to give his songs a kick but as time went Dave was increasingly sidelined in the band.
Just my 2 cents.
Thanks for the video.
Poor taste this guy has. Arguably their greatest album, that or "Something Else by the Kinks" imho having a little more musi-density than Arthur or Village Green. Still, let's say that, like Rubber Soul, it finishes with a poorish (in terms of relativity) track, "I'll Remember"
I was taken aback when you ranked Aftermath & Between the Buttons so low in your Rolling Stones video, but your Kinks album rankings are truly mind boggling. The Kinks strongest period was 1966-1971.
The list is o.k.
But if we talking from masterpiece no one is talking from presavation act 2.
Can someone imagine to create such a story in his mind.
Ray was on top of his creativity.
It is much more complex then village green.
The Kinks made many great albums over 32 plus years. Hearing someone ranking Low Budget as their best work is phenomenal. It is a great album. Just one of many great albums by the Kinks.
@@hihiaurelnarmadashankar4334 I love the Flash song's especially 'Here comes Flash', 'Flash's Dream' & 'Confession'! There the trippiest Kinks songs & i'm still loving the psychedelic 60's & 70's. We went back to psychedelia in the 90's too!~
@@hihiaurelnarmadashankar4334 Complexity doesn't always translate to enjoyable. Plus musically Village Green is vastly superior, though you are right that preservation has some great songs. But to me there is a feeling. I suppose it mostly is nostalgia if you had to boil it down that runs through Village Green that is really an archetypal thing. It done so spectacularly that those who love that record REALLY LOVE THAT RECORD!
Agree. Village Green is sublime.
Three bands had a hit called "Do It Again".
The Beach Boys
Steely Dan
The Kinks
All are great songs imo.
jasonpp1973 Four if you count ‘Let’s Do It Again’ by The Staple Singers.
Good catch! All 3 are great songs.
On their late 60s concept albums, the Pretty Things & The Small Faces had a song called *The Journey* with the Who weighing in with *Amazing Journey* on _their_ late 60s concept album ! No prizes for guessing what all three albums were influenced by !
Good observation. You are correct. All great.
1 - Something Else
2 - Village Green Preservation Society
3 - Muswell Hillibillies
4 - Lola Versus Powerman
5 - Face to face
Also Kink Kronikles is such a fantastic compilation which along with some of their biggest hits, contains some great singles and B sides.
Damn right!
@Noble Failures agree
Here's a question for you guys:
Why do the Kinks have a song called "Moving Pictures" and another song called "Permanent Waves"?
And was a certain band listening to the Kinks at the time?
I was wondering about that too. Right around the same time period.
Can't say I agree with your initial statement that The Kinks lacked the definitive album. I feel their run of albums from 67 to 72 are as strong as any band outside the Beatles. Here is my partial ranking.
1. Arthur
2. Village Green Preservation Society
3. Lola
4. Something Else
5. Muswell Hillbillies
6. Face to Face
7. Everybody's in Showbiz
8. Sleepwalker
9. State of Confusion
10. Low Budget
I'm a huge Kinks fan from way back. I love the quirky very British style of mid 60s to early 70s. I found the mid 70s theatrical albums to be much weaker songwriting. The late 70s early 80s arena rock period is quite enjoyable, but a bit "generic" compared to their 66-72 albums. I really enjoyed their last album Phobia. It may be overstuffed and not up to their classic standards, but it is linked to some happy times and positive associations. I encourage serious Kinks fans to pick up the Arthur deluxe 50th anniversary box set from last year. It's a treasure trove of Kinky goodness. Cheers!
Agree.
I can definitely agree with that @Cats of Sherman as well. Pete does a fantastic job with the rankings but from 67-72 they were heavyweights! To me, Arthur was a top 10 or even top 6 of all of 69'. Long Live The Kinks!!
@@tdunph4250 I think you guys are missing my point here. When I say The Kinks lacked that 'definitive/legendary' album, I don't mean among Kinks fans. I'm talking amongst ALL music fans. Out of 24 albums, they had only 2 GOLD albums here in the US, nothing higher, and not one GOLD or Platinum album in the UK. Their first 3 albums were top 10 in the UK, none achieved anything higher after that, and most never made it anywhere near the top of the charts. Their albums barely dented the US charts until 1979. Yes, they had some very popular singles in the UK, but most did nothing here in the States. So, I get that Kinks fans and real rock fans know and love them well (and I'm not knocking their influence at all, as I am a fan) but as far as comparing their albums to the classics from the Stones, Who, Beatles, etc, they pale in comparison when you talk about general knowledge, sales, etc amongst the general public. That's really what I was referring to. You walk up to most rock fans in the street and you ask them to name a couple albums by the Stones, Who, and the Beatles, they can probably easily do it as well as name a batch of songs. The Kinks? Most would struggle. That's kinda where I'm coming from. What a big Kinks fan would say is a definitive album of their, a general rock fan would probably have no clue.
@@seaoftranquilityprog I did miss your point. It makes perfect sense when you put it that way. You weren't commenting on quality, just notoriety. It's a real shame that 99% of general population have never heard them. The Village Green album does have a reputation as an obscure classic amongst the rock history intelligentsia much like Forever Changes by Love. I've personally turned a lot of people on to that stuff.
@@catsofsherman1316 Exactly. Not a quality issue at all. If you look at many of the comments here, you'll see what I mean, especially from US viewers who really don't know much about the band at all.
I play in a Kinks tribute band. Interesting fact right there.
My top 6 are...
1. Village Green
2. Lola
3. Something Else
4. Arthur
5. Face to Face
6. Muswell Hillbillies...
The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society is right up there with anything the Beatles, Who or Stones ever produced. One of those albums I never tire of hearing.
Wtf?? Living on a Thin Line is an amazing song!
Definitely in my top ten Kinks songs!
Yes it is. Was featured in epuside of the Sopranos
@@catsofsherman1316 Didn't know that!
And Wes Anderson used three songs from the Lola album in his film The Darjeeling Limited and of course used “There’s Nothing In This World Stop Me Thinking ‘Bout That Girl” in his classic film Rushmore.
@@powrnap i want to see those movies just for that. Avengers Endgame used Supersonic Rocket Ship.
i was in a newsstand a few years ago and The Kinks were playing over the sound system. When i went up to pay for my magazine i asked the young lady behind the counter if she liked The Kinks. She looked at me like I was nuts and I realized that was totally unfamiliar with the band but thought i was some weirdo pervert asking about her sexual preferences. That'll teach me.
Thank you for doing a feature on the Kinks. I appreciate that you covered and clearly were familiar with their large catalog of studio albums. But the review is completely devoid of any historical context and any appreciation of their immense musical influence on rockers and on Brit-Pop, for example. The review also doesn't reflect any awareness of a certain critical consensus. As someone mentioned, the albums from 1966 to 1971, beginning with Face-to-Face and ending with Muswell Hillbillies, are widely perceived to be their classic material. Those six albums are all masterpieces that rank with the very best of the Who or the Stones. Pete Townsend has often sung the praises of Ray Davies and the Kinks. It is perfectly fine to go against the grain and reject the critical consensus, but a lack of awareness is problematic. Sleepwalker and Misfits have a special place in my heart because they came out when I was a teen. I still love them and your comments resonated with me. Kinks Kronikles is a phenomenal compilation as great as Hot Rocks or Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy, which I love. On the other hand, "It's the Kinks" is a low-budget (quasi-legitimate) compilation not worth mentioning. There are perhaps a dozen similar ones that include the same songs. I appreciate that the Kinks are a little bit outside the scope of music that you tend to feature on SOT, and I'm grateful you gave them some attention.
It didn't work for Pete but the comments here support the view that Something Else was the Kinks at their best. Every track is a gem. Probably they are the hardest of all bands to categorise or classify. It was just wonderful they offered something for everyone.
Actually, Village Green seems to be referred to as their Who's Next or Sgt. Pepper.
Could be, but I've never heard of any of their albums being referred that high among 'legendary album classics'...doesn't mean they aren't, I just in my life have never heard that.
@@seaoftranquilityprog In the future, you may think better of the Kinks - many do. Too bad "Village Green" was released the same day as The White Album! You can't overcome that kind of competition. I saw them in 1970 in Cincinnati - first tour of the States in years, and every song they did was 10 minutes, with a long jam in the middle. Great show. Humble Pie opened - with Frampton. (also great)
@@seaoftranquilityprog in uk village green is often by regarded by music critics as a masterpiece maybe there lyrics are to british and as you say pete maybe they rest of the world dont get the vaudevile thing
@@CharlieMessing I think pretty well of them right now, don't think I need to wait for the future. My statements are more of the general perception among the majority of rock fans-if you were to ask most casual rock fans to name 5 songs and 3 albums each from the Beatles, Stones, and the Who, most would have no issue doing that, but ask them about the Kinks, and I'll bet the majority would struggle. I know Kinks fans and real serious rock music fans know and love them well, but other than that, not so much. That's kind of the point I was making. To most: Beatles 'Abbey Road', Stones 'Sticky Fingers', The Who 'Who's Next' or 'Tommy', Eagles 'Hotel California', Led Zeppelin, etc, etc...all have that 'definitive' album that everyone knows. The Kinks? Again, among hardcore followers, certainly, amongst most, I don't think so. Great band nonetheless.
@@seaoftranquilityprog We can only rate albums from our own perspective and I totally get it, Pete, the Kinks to you are defined by the arena rock period that you enjoyed and that's cool. Us Brits generally preferred the 1967-1970 era of the band when they became in UK terms an albums band. That's why you will see so many shouts for Arthur, Village Green, Something Else and Lola as album classics. Understand totally that they are parochial and don't travel as well as the Who and the Stones.
I agree with you that the Kinks never had a truly defining album like other bands did. However, one of the contributing factors to their status in the U.S. is that they were banned from performing in the States from mid-1965 to 1969. It's hard to build a following if you can't tour. The Beatles, The Stones, The Who built a loyal fan base in the U.S. during that time.
I’m a something else guy. Whole album is great.
"Afternoon tea" is probably the one Kinks song I'd take to a desert island if I was forced to choose only one. {I'd sneak the rest in though !}
Loved the Kinks in high school (64-67) but Face to Face then Something Else cemented them to me as the greatest band I ever saw. Saw them in ‘68, then about 5 times thru the 70’s.
+1
One for the Road was their defining album, I think - that live album was huge and everyone I knew had a copy
My 5 favorite Kinks' albums.
1. Lola vs. Powerman & the Moneygoround Part 1
2. Muswell Hillbillies
3. Something Else
4. Everybody's in Showbiz
5. Low Budget
Arguably "invented" riff-driven rock with You Really Got Me and All Day and All of The Night.
assaulted my very young ears when released and was a fan instantly.
very British and in particular,London-centric.(muswell hill being their manor in North London)
Very diverse band! I really like their late 60' s material. I've heard it described as Baroque pop? My top 3
3. Face to Face
2. Something Else
1. Village Green Preservation Society
I also recommend "The Kink Kronikles"...an excellent and interesting compilation album
Yup, that's the one that I started with. Instant fan after that!
That was my first Kinks album too. I knew them from the early British invasion hits but didn’t realize they were a going concern. Loved this collection of amazing songs, most of which I had never heard before.
The Kinks are among the earliest musical experiences I can remember. I loved and sang along to their songs before I even knew their name. My mama sang Stop Your Sobbing to me and with me if there was a need. Tired of Waiting, Sunny Afternoon, See My Friends, All Day and All of the Night were there with Mr Tambourine Man or Paint it Black or House of the Rising Sun (the Animals version) as my childhood soundtrack.
Pete, I fully understand your reasoning about their albums. I can easily list 25+ top notch tunes from the Kinks and still think I missed a whole bunch, something that only happens with the Stones or Dylan and a few other. Their albums are a different story, they even made bad albums. Still they are a band I will always love and that have songs that I would not miss. And their best albums are great ones, one would have been my top 1968 album if Astral Weeks had not existed.
1. Something Else (Simplicity is not trivial, these are songs that are with me since 50 years, sometimes a melody or lyric line pop up from one's subconsciousness and when I trace it back it may be a Kinks tune. There is not s single bad note on this album, one of the most underrated gems in rock history. And if I hear Waterloo Sunset for the 5000th time I will still be moved by it.)
2. Muswell Hillbillies (Muswell Hill is the part of London where the original members grew up)
3. Low Budget (This one fits with where we are in the "Album per Year" series that runs here on the channel in parallel. As punk/post punk + new wave arrived, all these new bands payed tribute to the Kinks, they were like the blueprint band this new generation wanted to sound like. And somehow it returned the Kinks themselves to their own roots again.)
4. Face to Face (the first "real album" they made as an album, all earlier ones were the typical 60s releases of take some singles + add some covers + put some fillers, this time Ray Davies had an album in mind)
5. State of Confusion
6. Give the People What They Want
7. Everybody's in Showbiz
8. Village Green Preservation Society (only the Kinks could take such a topic - this is meant to be a concept album, right? - and make it interesting. I am not British.)
9. Arthur
10. Misfits
11. Word of Mouth
12. Lola vs Powerman (Sorry, as much as I love the Kinks as much do I hate Lola + Powerman, This Time Tomorrow however is classic Kinks stuff)
13. Think Visual
14. Sleepwalker
15. Kink Kontroversy
16. Preservation, Act 1 (Sweet Lady Genevieve is one of my best loved Kinks songs, Sitting in the Midday Sun is another classic, they save the album that is otherwise forgettable)
17. Schoolboys in Disgrace (Here is where their catalogue stops for me, this and the following albums are those I probably may not listen to ever again. Like I said, as much as I love the Kinks they did bad albums as well.)
18. Kinda Kinks (Look for 1989s Rhino Greatest Hits, you get all of the early stuff you need without the fillers - I'm Not Like Everybody Else invented punk more than a decade before the event)
19. First
20. UK Jive
21. Soap Opera
22. Phobia
23. Preservation, Act 2
24. Percy
The Pretenders did a great version of Stop Your Sobbing.
Why don't you like Soap Opera?
@@isaacgabrielvalbuena2896 I do not like the cabaret/music hall period of the band at all. The songs have no flow to them and the concept of these concept albums seemed forced.
That was beautifully thoughtful, Roxanne.
I was disappointed you didn't mention "Sweet Lady Genevieve" from Preservation Act 1, one of my all time favorite Kinks songs. I'd find it impossible to rate all their albums --- you should definitely do a Top 20 or 25 Kinks songs. There would be a tremendous amount of variety for sure.
Great song!
Bump! Great tunes on that album. Esp. Lady Genevieve.
Once under a starry sky...
In England the 65-72 albums are the highest rated ones.After that they started to try and break America which made them too similar to generic rock acts.Best albums.1.Village Green.2.Arthur.3.Something Else.4.Lola.5.Face to Face.6.muswell.
Agree.
Yay! You finally did a video on my favorite band of all time! Thank you! I think Ray Davies is the most underrated composer in rock. His lyrics were insightful, funny, and poignant and his music covered so many different styles! He wrote some really catchy sing-a-long stuff (Lola) and some just plain beautiful melodies (Days and Waterloo Sunset). I first got into them after getting the One for the Road album as a high school graduation gift. I started buying the early albums to see what the original versions of some of the songs sounded like. The first tour I saw them on was for Give The People What They Want. I saw them a total of 20 times over the years. An amazing live band and Ray is the consummate showman!
I have all the Kinks albums, but sadly never saw them live. I did see Dave on solo tour in a club which was great
@@catsofsherman1316 I never saw Dave solo, but I did catch Ray on a couple of his "Storyteller" tours.
I am enjoying your rundown, Pete. Catch Me Now, I'm Fallin' is my favorite song from the Kinks.
Out of all the rock bands that ventured into disco type beats for an album in the latter part of the 70s, I think Low Budget is the best and one of the less dated albums.
Is anybody here on a Low Budget?
Only "Superman" and "Moving Pictures" could be called "disco".
@@independenceltd. What did you say???
@@johnman3272 Correct. Most of the rock bands that ventured into it only had a few songs. I don't believe the bands wanted to go full hog. Record companies probably pressured them to put some songs on their albums in that era.
"Come Dancing" is a wonderful song -- about his sister.
My top ten;
1 Schoolboys In Disgrace
2 Low Budget
3 Lola Vs. Powerman
4 Sleepwalker
5 Everybody's In Showbiz
6 State Of Confusion
7 Give The People What They Want
8 Kinks
9 The Kink Kontroversy
10 Kinda Kinks
“Schoolboys in Disgrace” is the only Kinks album that I like every song. Five favorite songs are “No More Looking Back”, “You Really Got Me”, “Sunny Afternoon”, “Celluloid Heroes” & “(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman”.
Celluloid Heroes is probably the greatest song I will ever hear. And yes "No More Looking Back" is a wonderful song as well. Very overlooked too, definitely one of their best.
Pete`s and my rankings of albums are usually pretty close, with a few minor differences. But Pete and I differ big time on ranking the Kinks! Face to Face, Something Else, Arthur, and Village Green would be very high on my list. I do agree the concept era albums(Preservation Act, etc...) are a little more interesting than the first couple of albums. I think they really started finding they`re way with Face To Face, that`s when I think they`re albums started getting really good...
The Kinks are like the poster boys for bands that scream 'make your own compilation' because almost every album has at least 2 or 3 fabulous songs. That works for me anyways. I love 'Sleepwalker' since it just flows so well, sweet & to the point and 'Muswell Hillbillies' [for "Oklahoma" alone, one of top 3 Kinks songs for me] and those are the albums I'll go to when I don't do the compilation. Your right about the album covers too Pete.
I feel like it all came together on “Arthur”. My fav, anyway.
Epic. Check out the 50th anniversary box set.
Thanks. Will do!
Totally agree with you that GTPWTW and Low Budget were awesome rock albums and often snubbed by die hard fans. Very consistent and all the songs fit well together. State of Confusion may have had hits but it didn't hold together well as an album - the songs were all over the place and it was difficult to listen to end to end. Same story for Word of Mouth. Their last few albums didn't have many hits but the songs fit together well.
Enjoyed that. Thanks Pete. My own Top 3 would be:
1. Village Green Preservation Society
2. Something Else
3. Arthur
Snap!!
Yep.
Great choices!
Hey, I just posted the same top three.
@@StamfordBridge Great minds ...
1. Arthur: An early concept album. It is about a man - Arthur - who looks at himself and his family, and the world changing before him. Besides the creativity of the album, it has one of the greatest album covers EVER!!!!
2. Muswell Hillbillies.
3. Sleepwalker: The arena rock period, showcasing the underrated Dave Davies and his tasty guitar chops on title pieace and Juke Box Music.
Periods:
64-66 British invasion period...Decent albums, but none stand out over the others.
72-75 Vaudevillian period...I thought Pete called that exactly!...Show biz my fav, here.
76 - 79 Arena rock...I include Schoolboys here. There is a bigger sound, thanks to Dave; and he does sound good!
80's - Commercial period...'Think Visual' the best here, IMO.
I think Village Green and Arthur stack up against Sticky Fingers and Sgt Pepper. All four albums show their respected bands at some kind of artistic peak (even if they may have recorded better records), all feature some of their most iconic songs and all feature a couple of duds (even if they're still enjoyable duds). I can see what you mean about Lola possibly being the Kinks' big record due to the hit song, though in England you're more likely to see people coming together for a track like Waterloo Sunset, Days or Sunny Afternoon, songs that are almost English anthems in a similar way to what Bruce Springsteen is to New Jersey and Billy Joel to New York
Good points. I think the only things that separate the Beatles and the Kinks are that the Beatles were better singers and their albums were recorded better. Song for song they are right there with the fabs. At least in their classic period.
@@catsofsherman1316 I think where the Beatles will always beat their 60s rivals is in having 3 absolute monarch songwriters, therefore their quantity of songs was always heftier than the rest. In terms of quality, the Kinks are the Beatles' equals, if one weighs up the best of both. It's just that the Beatles had _so much_ high quality at their disposal !
The Beatles were also much more varied in terms of how their songs were presented so there was a lot of genre crossing.
And Something Else is another classic! One of the better albums of 1967 in fact.
I think Thick As A Brick and Village Green are perhaps the two greatest concept albums of all time, and what I like about Village Green is it is so naturally a concept album, not like someone set out to create a concept album, but it just naturally turned out that way. It really shows Ray Davies to be a great song writing talent.
Muswell Hillbillies is a fantastic Kinks album. My favourite. A true classic!
For me, not many bands had a run of 6 consecutive great albums like the Kinks did from Sleepwalker in '77 thru Word of Mouth in '84. I gotta go with Low Budget as my #1. Thanks, Pete. (BTW - I'm listening to Unleashed in the East as I watch this video)
Heh. When you said 6 consecutive I was certain you were going to say Face to Face - Muswell Hillbillies. :)
@@RegMartin Yes indeed. I guess that just goes to show the Kinks are the only one of those great 60's British bands to have two sets of 6 consecutive great albums!
Thank you so much for that explanation, that is very helpful. They put out so many albums!
Thank you for acknowledging the greatest band in Rock history. My only criticism is you misunderstood The KinKs. They are not a " songs" band. The KinKs are an album band. Each KinKs album from 1966 Face to Face through 1986 Think Visual is a theme in itself. They are all individual works of art. In order to truly appreciate their genius, you have to listen to each album, uninterrupted, from start to finish. No other band has accomplished the level of artistry Ray Davies and The KinKs have created. Not even close. I suggest you go back and listen specifically to the albums from the period of 1966 to 1986 and you may change your rankings.
However, great job. I enjoyed watching.
God Save The KinKs
I Saw The Kinks in 1980 what a fantastic show. They were every bit as good as the Rolling Stones when I saw them in 1972. What a musical treasure that band was. Muswell Hillbillies Arthur the decline and fall of the British Empire the Celluloid Heroes song. And many many many many more! Blessings stay safe
The kinks kronikles! Great comp!
1964-1966 Garage Rock R&B influenced era
1967-1971 British Era/Golden Age era
1972-1975 Broadway/Concept Albums era
1977-1983 Hard Rock/Pop era
1984-1989 80s rock era
1993- No ideas era
"Preservation Act" is the exquisite cult operetta performed by Ray Davies. Specifically "Preservation Act 2" is the most musically interesting work of the band in the decade of the 70s.
Quintessentially English band, in fact quintessentially North London, although Waterloo is south of the river. Every time I walk over Waterloo Bridge towards the station I hear The Kinks. Watching the sunset from there is as good as it gets.
God Save The Kinks!
The Kinks had so many different eras in their music, and I have loved many songs from their entire career, but I just LOVE the full albums of Face to Face, Something Else By The Kinks, Village Green Preservation Society and especially Arthur. Those are the four I go to most often. Also have my own compilation of about 70 songs from all their eras.
Interesting observation: the Kinks had song titles on consecutive albums that became titles of consecutive albums by Rush a couple of years later: Permanent Waves on 1978s Misfit and Moving Pictures on 1979s Low Budget. Coincidence?
That's a nice fact! Underrated for what i see. Props to you
Hello Pete, long-time viewer here, although I do not comment much. But I just wanted to say I really love your recent best of the Year videos. But this video in particular is very close to my heart, since I am a very big Kinks fan. I must say my list and your list pretty much match up exactly! I think the only major difference from me would be that I would move the album Phobia from 1993 a bit higher. I know it's a long album with probably a few too many songs, but when you really get down to it...it is a great way to finish off their long and storied career. Also want to thank you for your channel, you were one of the Inspirations for me starting my own channel. So I thank you. Take care and all the best to you and your family. Cheers, Matthew Street
I wish i could fly like superman i had the 12' single on blue vinal years a go it had a disco mix of it 👍
At the time I really liked Low-Budget, Give the People What they Want, Misfits and Sleepwalker but once I heard albums like Arthur, Lola, and especially Something Else and Village Green I could not help thinking that the later albums did not hold a candle to those masterworks, even though yeah still quite good.
Long time Kinks fan! My faves:
1. Something Else
2. The Village Green Preservation Society
3. Lola vs Powerman
4. Kink Kinkdom
5. Face To Face
6. Arthur
7. Everybody's In Showbiz
I align with your picks.
I would include Muswell Hillbillies somehow.
Great to see an American loving the Kinks and Other great British institutions! Nothing gets past this guy!
Thanks for this, Pete ! Everybody can love the Kinks: whatever music you like, there's a Kinks album for you. My favorite: Arthur, and I love the early 70s albums.
Much of the reason they ended up sounding so "British" is that they were unable to enter the US for 4 years following their 1965 tour. They did not pick up the influences of late 60s America that other British Invasion bands did and therefore Ray started using domestic situations for inspiration. The double album compilation The Kink Kronikles covers this period well, from 1966 (Face to Face) to 1970 (Lola).
Very surprised that Low Budget was #1 for you Pete.
My top 3
#1 - One For The Road
#2 - Low Budget
#3 - Give The People Want They Want
1. Village Green
2. Lola
3. Arthur
4. Muswell Hillbillies
5. Something Else
6. Give the People What They Want
7. Misfits
8. Low Budget
9. Face To Face
10. Kontroversy
Also need to mention The Great Lost Kinks Album, which is fantastic.
I am a long time original Kinks fan (from the 60's). Your assessment that while they are a great band and have a ton of great songs I agree that no one album is a 100% excellent all the way through. It was usually a 60/40 split between very good songs and meh songs. "School Boys in Disgrace" and "Preservation 1-2" were the albums where they lost their audience (these would be at the bottom of my list). I saw the Kinks live several times during that era (Capital Theater- Passaic NJ, Byrne Arena-NJ, Schaffer Music Festival NYC Central Park etc.). My top picks are below. On any given day the order could change.
1. Village Green
2. Misfits
3. Arthur
4. Lola VS the Powerman
5. Sleepwalker
6. Everybody's in Showbiz
I actually liked School Boys. It was technically the last of their concept albums, but the concept doesn't overwhelm the music like it did at times on those Preservation albums. It also has some great rockers that paved the way for their next release, the non-concept back to basics Sleepwalker record.
Hi, I follow your channel with a lot of interest.. but concerning the Kinks, I think you just miss the point (as I see it). The great albums are definitively the late sixties albums... They were banned from America and the albums they released were so british and they created sommething really different from the other bands... They will be remembered for these albums... I don't think that "low budget" will really be remembered (at least not in the UK)... But I get it : The who's "Face Dances " is a favourite of mine because it's the first album I ever bought!!!.
So Here's my top five :
-Something else by the kinks
-Village green
-Face to Face
-Arthur
-The Kink Kontroversy (for dedicated follower of fashion)
And one really needs to have the singles of all the Pye Years : so many classic songs were just singles.
Totally agree with your comments. Americans never understood this.
"concerning the Kinks, I think you just miss the point (as I see it)"
How can he be missing the point when he's doing his own ranking and explaining his viewpoint ? There isn't really a point to miss.
Low Budget is a decidedly America focused album. That's probably why it's so popular among American Kinks fans. It would be in my top 3 or 5 KinKs albums.
I've always loved the Kinks. Being 10 years older than Pete I'm more partial to their 60's & early 70's stuff but there's no doubt that the late 70's Kinks comeback as a harder rock band was very impressive.
village green, arthur, muswell hill, lola v powerman, something else are the 5 best 4 me
Thank you for ranking the Kinks.🎤🎸🥁🎵
Good one Pete! Love the Kinks! You have to understand that when the Davies boys were growing up their parents would have piano song alongs, mainly old English shows tunes from the music halls. They were unapologetic British. They were also blacklisted by the stage unions here in the states due to bad behavior! This lasted for about 4 years where they did not tour here. If you get a chance check out a video of Apeman with a gorilla playing the piano. Ray doesn’t miss a beat while singing to this live on TV. It’s funny. Ray Davies was the best songwriter of the period I think. So underrated. Thanks for your videos. Peace!
Love the kinks one of my favorite songs Celluloid heroes
Love this Band!! Very underrated!!
I think 'Face To Face' through 'Lola Vs Powerman' is one of the strongest 5 album runs by anybody, with 'Something Else' being my favorite Kinks album. I also believe that 'Village Green' is pretty much universally regarded as their biggest album. Oh well, what do I know?
You can tell the Kinks were a great band when a classic like Village Green Preservation Society comes in only at number SEVEN among their albums. Most bands would kill to have ONE album that good (although I would personally rank it higher).
One of the coolest, most interesting, most prolific and risky stages of The Kinks is undoubtedly that of RCA. It's supposed to be a stage for high level listeners and not so conventional listeners. That is why it is an undervalued and misunderstood time. Great stage of the RCA.
The Kink Kronikles..... my fav records... amazing list of songs....
I have watched so many of these and just now came across this episode about my favorite band the kinks!!
I'm a big Kinks fan, but really feel like their quintessential period was from 1968-1973. If you really like any of their albums in that period, you should check all of them out. I wanted to give a little shout out in favor of the soundtrack to Percy. To me it fits right in with that period. It's at the bottom of the pile for that time period in their catalog, but to me I enjoy it a good bit more than some of their later albums. If you are looking for a particular song to check out from Percy, give the song "Moments" a listen. I feel if that song was on one of their other studio albums in that period, it would be much more known, and could have even been a minor "hit". In my mind, it's almost as good (and beautiful) as Waterloo Sunset. If you are a Kinks fan, and don't know it, give it a listen.
I think "The Village Green Preservation Society" is most definitely the band's greatest achievement and I'd put it up there with all of those iconic legendary albums Pete mentioned at the beginning.
01 The Village Green Preservation Society
02 Something Else
03 Face To Face
04 Kinda Kinks
05 Arthur
06 Soap Opera
07 Muswell Hilbillies
08 Lola vs Powerman & The Moneygoround
09 The Kinks
10 Everybody's In Showbiz
11 Preservation: Part Two
12 Preservation: Part One
13 Kinks Kontroversy
14 Phobia
15 Low Budget
16 Schoolboys In Disgrace
17 Misfits
18 Think Visual
19 State Of Confusion
20 Sleepwalker
21 Word Of Mouth
22 UK Jive
23 Give The People What They Want
24 Percy
I haven’t heard all of the albums, but my favorite and one of my favorite albums of all time is Lola vs Powerman and The Moneygoround.
Hmm, interesting. I kinda liked Word of Mouth, Think Visual and State of Confusion.
I think Word of Mouth and Think Visual get a bad rap. I like Phobia too...even if it's a bit too long.
Those are all decent, but not really during their prime.
@@Jamie.Laszlo Great to hear I'm not the only fan of Phobia!
My top 10 of The Kinks albums:
10. Give The People What They Want (1981)
9. Kinda Kinks (1965)
8. Muswell Hillbillies (1971)
7. The Kink Kontroversy (1965)
6. Everybody's In Show-Biz (1972)
5. Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One (1970)
4. Face To Face (1966)
3. Something Else By The Kinks (1967)
2. Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire) (1969)
1. The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (1968)
God Save The Kinks!!!
My surprise was no mention of Kinks Klassics: From Percy: "God's Children" and "The Way Love Used To Be"; Sleepwalker: the background vocals alone in "Full Moon" are worth the price of admission - great song and most underrated; Schoolboys In Disgrace: great album, top 3...again, the background vocals on "Headmaster" worth the price of admission...there's no "B" side on this album; Soap Opera: who else but Ray writes a line: "What's the point of cracking up all because of Shepherd's Pie?"; Their GOAT: "Victoria" - not just a single...watch their live video from the 1979 tour;
Really helpful. I will have a look in my local record store when it opens again.
Being the ultimate Kinks fan, I love ALL their music. The reason the Kinks wern't as big as the other groups you mentioned was 'cause they were banned from the states for the most important years in music history
Although many have pointed this out, I think it's seriously overhyped. The Stones didn't tour the USA from '66 to '69. Furthermore, the Kinks had a further 40 years to make it in the USA. Sometimes, that connection with a country or a town or the people of an era just isn't there. And there is rarely just one explanation, it's usually a combination of things.
For what it's worth, according to Spotify, The Kinks are my favorite band. Even the lowest album on your list, Percy, has two memorable songs: God's Children and The Way Love Used to Be
also Moments and Dreams
good list...some of my favorite l.p.'s are...'schoolboys in disgrace'...'everybody's in show-biz'...and 'village green preservation society'...but i do agree that each album has songs you don't want to miss....nice job...stay well pete...
The Kinks were the band that got me into rock right around the Give the People What they Want album. I've got them all and love them all. It's cool to see you rank Misfits so high. I thought I was the only Kinks fan that ranked that one towards the top!
Village Green preservation society and muswell Hillbillies
My 1 and 2 as well