01. Beautiful Delilah (Chuck Berry) - 2:06
02. So Mystifying (Ray Davies) - 2:50
03. Just Can't Go To Sleep (Ray Davies) - 1:56
04. Long Tall Shorty (Don Covay/Herb Abramson) - 2:49
05. I Took My Baby Home (Ray Davies) - 1:46
06. I'm A Lover Not A Fighter (Joseph Denton "Jay" Miller) - 2:02
07. You Really Got Me (Ray Davies) - 2:11
08. Cadillac (Ellas McDaniel) - 2:43
09. Bald Headed Woman (Traditional/arr.by Shel Talmy) - 2:40
10. Revenge (Ray Davies/Larry Page) - 1:28
11. Too Much Monkey Business (Chuck Berry) - 2:14
12. I've Been Driving On Bald Mountain (Traditional/arr.by Shel Talmy) - 2:02
13. Stop Your Sobbing (Ray Davies) - 2:04
14. Got Love If You Want It (James Moore) - 3:44

Personnel:
- Ray Davies – rhythm guitar, harmonica, lead vocals
- Dave Davies – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Pete Quaife – bass, backing vocals
- Mick Avory – tambourine, drums
+
- Bobby Graham – drums
- Perry Ford - piano
- Jon Lord – organ
- Arthur Greenslade – piano

Ah, the poor Kinks. They didn't have such a great start, did they? They were certainly one of the great bands of the '60s who single-handedly pioneered Brit-pop, and here they are in 1964 as some below-average, dime-a-dozen rock band. The only reason they were allowed to record this album is because they stumbled upon a new sound and a hit single called "You Really Got Me." This sound, as it turns out, produced the first hard rock song. It's funny that the Kinks would be writing sissy songs and Americana in the late '60s and early '70s far from hard-rock during that genre's explosion (in the late 1960s and early 1970s).

If it was 1964 and you just bought this album right when it came on the stands, it'd be fair for you to assume that the Kinks were just a two-bit one hit wonder who accidentally made one or two great songs. The only song on here that even approaches greatness is "You Really Got Me." In fact that one is so freakishly excellent that you'd wonder how the same band could surround it with such miserable knock-offs. It's a shame! But you have to feel at least somewhat forgiving --- everyone has to start somewhere.

Basically, there's no reason to own this album unless you're a huge Kinks fan. You can purchase "You Really Got Me" from iTunes. However, if you must buy this album, you'd might as well hold out to get the version with the whopping 12 bonus tracks. It's a shame that version is hard to come by these days, but that's the version real Kinks fans need. As it turns out, these bonus tracks contain another song that you ought to own: "All Day and All of the Night." It's another memorable, catchy hard-rock song that really compliments "You Really Got Me" well.

So, I think I've basically said it all. There's 26 tracks in this super-expanded bonus edition of The Kinks and only two of them are actually great! You heard it from me first. OK maybe you didn't. I'm just agreeing with everybody else. --- donignacio.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to gett

back

01. Victoria – 3:38
02. Yes Sir, No Sir – 3:44
03. Some Mother's Son – 3:23
04. Drivin' – 3:18
05. Brain Washed – 2:32
06. Australia – 6:44
07. Shangri La – 5:18
08. Mr. Churchill Says – 4:40
09. She's Bought A Hat Like Princess Marina – 3:05
10. Young And Innocent Days – 3:19
11. Nothing To Say – 3:06
12. Arthur – 5:25

Personnel:
- Ray Davies - vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, producer
- Dave Davies - lead guitar, backing vocals
- John Dalton - bass, backing vocals
- Mick Avory - drums, percussion

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) extends the British-oriented themes of Village Green Preservation Society, telling the story of a London man's decision to move to Australia during the aftermath of World War II. It's a detailed and loving song cycle, capturing the minutiae of suburban life, the numbing effect of bureaucracy, and the horrors of war. On paper, Arthur sounds like a pretentious mess, but Ray Davies' lyrics and insights have rarely been so graceful or deftly executed, and the music is remarkable. An edgier and harder-rocking affair than Village Green, Arthur is as multi-layered musically as it is lyrically. "Shangri-La" evolves from English folk to hard rock, "Drivin'" has a lazy grace, "Young and Innocent Days" is a lovely, wistful ballad, "Some Mother's Son" is one of the most uncompromising antiwar songs ever recorded, while "Victoria" and "Arthur" rock with simple glee. The music makes the words cut deeper, and the songs never stray too far from the album's subject, making Arthur one of the most effective concept albums in rock history, as well as one of the best and most influential British pop records of its era. --- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to gett

back

01. You Really Got Me (2:12)
02. I Need You (2:24)
03. I Gotta Move (2:22)
04. Tired of Waiting for You (2:30)
05. Stop Your Sobbing (2:05)
06. See My Friends (2:45)
07. Till the End of the Day (2:18)
08. Sittin' On My Sofa (3:05)
09. Dead End Street (3:22)
10. Where Have All The Good Times Gone (2:49)
11. Dandy (2:11)
12. Sunny Afternoon (3:34)
13. Too Much On My Mind (2:28)
14. David Watts (2:37)
15. Waterloo Sunset (3:16)
16. Death of a Clown (3:10)
17. Wonderboy (2:49)
18. Days (2:52)
19. Picture Book (2:34)
20. Drivin' (3:20)
21. Victoria (3:38)
22. Lola (Remastered) (3:59)
23. Strangers (Remastered) (3:18)
24. This Time Tomorrow (Remastered) (3:22)
25. God's Children (3:17)

What can you say? The Kinks never got the recognition or success they deserved, possible because they were too adventurous in their song writing and performances. A great compilation on this album. --- Michael A. Shields, amazon.com

The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential British groups of all time, with millions of record sales and countless awards and accolades to their name. From their explosive beginnings as part of the British Beat movement to forays into concept albums, stadium rock and acoustic balladeering, The Kinks have left an unimpeachable legacy of classic songs, many of which form the building blocks of popular music as we know it today.

Hailing from Muswell Hill in north London, The Kinks were formed by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. Calling themselves The Ravens, an early line-up saw them playing a combination of R&B and rock and roll with friend Peter Quaife on bass. A self-produced demo tape reached record producer Shel Talmy who helped the band land a contract with Pye Records in 1964. Before signing, the group replaced their drummer with Mick Avory and renamed themselves The Kinks.

With the classic line-up in place, music history was about to be written when the group’s third, You Really Got Me, stormed to the top of the UK charts. Written by Ray in their parents’ front room, the song has since been cited as the inspiration for garage rock, punk, heavy metal and on contempories The Who. An album, The Kinks, was hastily assembled in the aftermath of the monster hit and was, in turn, swiftly followed by a second Top 10 single, All Day and All Of the Night.

Between 1965-1967, The Kinks enjoyed their first commercial peak, scoring nine British and seven US chart hits. 1965′s Tired Of Waiting For You displayed Ray’s world-weary vocal style while Dave came up with a then innovatory Indian style drone guitar on See My Friends. As Ray’s songwriting developed, he emerged as a witty, compassionate social commentator, chronicling the absurdities and aspirations of English life. He took stabs at fashion victims with Dedicated Follower Of Fashion and his fellow nouveau rich pop star peers on Sunny Afternoon. He even created a hymn to the Thames on the peerless Waterloo Sunset.

Despite the Kinks’ commercial success at home, an unresolved dispute with the American Federation of Musicians during a 1965 tour, led to a ban on US appearances which lasted until 1969. So, with most UK bands looking to America’s burgeoning flower power revolution for inspiration, Ray looked no further than his back garden for his own concept album, 1968′s Village Green Preservation Society. On the album Ray developed the major themes of his work, a lament for the traditions of a near-mythical England lost among modernity. The album was overlooked by the British record-buying public and one of the Kinks’ most artistically successful albums slipped away. Fortunately, subsequent years have seen it grow in stature and it’s now recognised as one of the most important British albums ever released.

The loftily named follow up, Arthur – The Decline and Fall of the British Empire, addressed similar themes, portraying an English family looking back over their experiences before emigrating to Australia featuring the oft-covered Victoria. The mood lightened a little with the monster 1970 hit single Lola. 1971′s Muswell Hillbillies album echoed Village Green’s collection of storybook vignettes and the single Supersonic Rocketship from Everybody’s In Showbiz went Top 20 in 1972 while Celluloid Heroes from the same album became a live favourite . The remainder of the ’70s found our heroes tackling a dazzling array of real-life themes and situations with the bands four concept albums, Preservation Act 1, Preservation Act 2, Soap Opera and Schoolboys in Disgrace. While the UK hits dried up, their sizeable following in the US brought them commercial rewards and, in 1977, a Top 30 album in the form of Sleepwalker.

Two years later the band released the hard rock Low Budget album and became belated rock stars in America, gaining a sizeable chunk of the stadium rock circuit, selling out Madison Square Gardens. The Americans also lapped up early 80′s albums Give The People What they Want and State Of Confusion which featured the hit singles Better Things and Destroyer. The Kinks even found themselves back in the UK charts with 1983ís, Come Dancing. For many years The Kinks had been receiving reverential nods from the rock fraternity, all of which increased their cachet with wave after wave of new bands and musicians. In 1978 The Jam had covered David Watts while The Pretenders had their first UK hit with a version of Stop Your Sobbing. Biggest of all was Kirsty McColl’s breathtaking take on Days.

Through the 90s, The Kinks garnered a whole new generation of fans as yet another wave of British musicians paid tribute to the band. Blur’s Damon Albarn in particular acknowledged Davies as a key influence as did Noel and Liam from Oasis. With The Kinks on hiatus since 1996 Ray and Dave Davies continued to record and tour their own acclaimed solo albums.

Despite intermittent rumours to the contrary throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, ill-health scuppered plans for a reunion of the original line-up. Sadly, Peter Quaife, who had been receiving kidney dialysis for more than ten years, died on 23rd June 2010. Ray Davies dedicated his June 27th performance at the Glastonbury festival to his honour, telling the crowd, “I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him”. --- thekinks.info

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex cloudmailru mediafire uloz.to gett

back

01. You Really Got Me (Live) 03:37
02. Destroyer 03:47
03. (Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman 03:36
04. Juke Box Music 03:46
05. A Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy 05:00
06. Come Dancing 03:55
07. Do It Again 04:11
08. Better Things 02:58
09. Lola (Live) 05:39
10. Low Budget 03:49
11. Long Distance 05:23
12. Heart Of Gold 04:03
13. Don't Forget To Dance 04:40
14. Living On A Thin Line 04:10
15. Father Christmas 03:43
16. Celluloid Heroes (Live) 07:25

Bass – Jim Rodford 
Drums – Mick Avory 
Keyboards – Ian Gibbons, John Gosling, Ray Davies 
Keyboards [Additional] – Nick Newell 
Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals – Dave Davies
Lead Vocals, Guitar – Ray Davies
Saxophone – Nick Newell
Synthesizer, Piano – Ray Davies 

Originally released as a double-album set in 1986, just after the Kinks had their last run at chart success, Come Dancing With the Kinks (The Best of the Kinks 1977-1986) does an excellent job of summarizing their stadium rock and AOR radio favorites on Arista. It leaves no single or radio favorite behind, while adding such terrific obscurities as "Long Distance" (originally only released as a bonus track on the State of Confusion cassette; the early '80s were a completely different world than the late '80s), the non-LP single "Father Christmas," the wonderfully sentimental album track "Better Things" (a close, upbeat cousin to Dylan's "Forever Young"), and the charming "Heart of Gold." In addition to these, there are live takes of "You Really Got Me" and "Lola" taken from the fine One From the Road album. It winds up being a representative selection of the Kinks' time as stadium warriors. They may have released some good albums during this period -- and Misfits and Low Budget are close to great -- but listeners looking for the bare essentials from this period will not be disappointed with this first-rate collection. [Three songs -- "Catch Me Now I'm Falling" plus the title tracks to Misfits and Sleepwalker -- were dropped from the CD reissue of Come Dancing in order to have it fit the running time of a late-'80s compact disc.] --- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire cloudmailru ge.tt

back

A1 	David Watts 	
A2 	Death Of A Clown 	
A3 	Two Sisters 	
A4 	No Return 	
A5 	Harry Rag 	
A6 	Tin Soldier Man 	
A7 	Situation Vacant 	
B1 	Love Me Till The Sun Shines 	
B2 	Lazy Old Sun 	
B3 	Afternoon Tea 	
B4 	Funny Face 	
B5 	End Of The Season 	
B6 	Waterloo Sunset

Dave Davies - Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboards, Vocals
Ray Davies - Guitar, Vocals 
Peter Quaife - Bass 
Mick Avory - Drums 

Face to Face was a remarkable record, but its follow-up, Something Else, expands its accomplishments, offering 13 classic British pop songs. As Ray Davies' songwriting becomes more refined, he becomes more nostalgic and sentimental, retreating from the psychedelic and mod posturings that had dominated the rock world. Indeed, Something Else sounds like nothing else from 1967. The Kinks never rock very hard on the album, preferring acoustic ballads, music hall numbers, and tempered R&B to full-out guitar attacks. Part of the album's power lies in its calm music, since it provides an elegant support for Davies' character portraits and vignettes. From the martial stomp of "David Watts" to the lovely, shimmering "Waterloo Sunset," there's not a weak song on the record, and several -- such as the allegorical "Two Sisters," the Noël Coward-esque "End of the Season," the rolling "Lazy Old Sun," and the wry "Situation Vacant" -- are stunners. And just as impressive is the emergence of Dave Davies as a songwriter. His Dylanesque "Death of a Clown" and bluesy rocker "Love Me Till the Sun Shines" hold their own against Ray's masterpieces, and help make Something Else the endlessly fascinating album that it is. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire ulozto gett

back

Side A
1. 	"Til Death Do Us Part[Release 1]" (mono) 	  	3:12
2. 	"There Is No Life Without Love[Release 2]" (mono)	1:55
3. 	"Lavender Hill[Release 3]" (mono) 	  	2:53
4. 	"Groovy Movies[Release 3]" (stereo) 	  	2:30		play
5. 	"Rosemary Rose[Release 3]" (mono) 	  	1:43
6. 	"Misty Water[Release 3]" (stereo) 	  	3:01
7. 	"Mister Songbird[Release 3]" (stereo) 	  	2:24

Side B
1. 	"When I Turn off the Living Room Light[Release 4]" (mono) 	  	2:17
2. 	"The Way Love Used to Be[Release 5]" (stereo) 	  	2:11
3. 	"I'm Not Like Everybody Else[Release 2]" (mono) 	  	3:29
4. 	"Plastic Man[Release 6]" (mono) 	  	3:00		play
5. 	"This Man He Weeps Tonight[Release 6]" (stereo) 		2:38
6. 	"Pictures in the Sand[Release 1]" (mono) 	  	2:45
7. 	"Where Did the Spring Go?[Release 3]" (mono) 	  	2:10

Musicians:
Mick Avory  - Drums
Dave Davies - Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboards, Vocals
Ray Davies - Composer, Guitar, Vocals

An aptly titled collection; out of print for many years, there are even some Kinks cultists who have never been able to hear this ragtag but worthy collection of late-'60s and early-'70s outtakes and rarities. Most of these were recorded around the same time as the 1968 LP Village Green Preservation Society; these low-key, wry, bouncy tunes would have fit in well with that record. Lyrically, they're on the whole slighter than much of their late-'60s work, perhaps accounting for why the group did not deign to release them at the time. Still, songs like "Rosemary Rose," "Misty Water," and "Mr. Songbird" would have hardly embarrassed the group, and rank as the highlights of this anthology. Besides 1969-era outtakes, it includes the single "Plastic Man," a couple of okay, way-obscure B-sides featuring Dave Davies, and some songs penned for long-forgotten film and television productions. It also has the dynamite 1966 B-side "I'm Not Like Everybody Else," though that's easily available on reissue these days. That's not the case for most of the rest of this album; Kinks fans will find it quite worthwhile, and should be on the lookout for it in the used bins. --- Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com

download (mp3 @VBR kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to gett

back

CD1:
1. Milk Cow Blues (3:41)			play
2. Ring the Bells (2:18)
3. Gotta Get the First Plane Home (1:47)
4. When I See That Girl of Mine (2:10)
5. I Am Free (2:28)
6. Till the End of the Day (2:20)
7. The World Keeps Going Round (2:35)
8. I'm on an Island (2:15)
9. Where Have All the Good Times Gone (2:50)
10. It's Too Late (2:33)
11. What's in Store for Me (2:05)
12. You Can't Win (2:42)

CD2:
1. Dedicated Follower of Fashion (mono single) (3:01)
2. Sittin' on My Sofa (mono single) (3:07)
3. I'm Not Like Everybody Else (mono single) (3:28)
4. Mr. Reporter (outtake) (3:56)
5. Dedicated Follower of Fashion (alternative take) (2:34)
6. Time Will Tell (outtake) (2:43)
7. And I Will Love You (unissued EP track) (2:23)
8. I'm Not Like Everybody Else (alternative vocal) (3:30)
9. All Night Stand (demo) (1:50)
10. Milk Cow Blues (live) (2:46)
11. Ray Talks About Songwriting (live) (1:02)
12. Never Met a Girl Like You Before (live) (2:00)
13. Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight (live) (1:49)
14. Pete Talks About Records (live) (1:17)
15. Till the End of the Day (live) (2:18)
16. A Well Respected Man (live) (2:40)
17. Where Have All the Good Times Gone (live) (2:46)	play

Ray Davies - Lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Dave Davies - guitar, vocals, lead vocal on "I Am Free", "Milk Cow Blues" and "What's in Store for Me"
Peter Quaife - bass
Mick Avory - drums
Nicky Hopkins – keyboards, piano

The Kinks came into their own as album artists -- and Ray Davies fully matured as a songwriter -- with The Kink Kontroversy, which bridged their raw early British Invasion sound with more sophisticated lyrics and thoughtful production. There are still powerful ravers like the hit "Til the End of the Day" (utilizing yet another "You Really Got Me"-type riff) and the abrasive, Dave Davies-sung cover of "Milk Cow Blues," but tracks like the calypso pastiche "I'm on an Island," where Ray sings of isolation with a forlorn yet merry bite, were far more indicative of their future direction. Other great songs on this underrated album include the uneasy nostalgia of "Where Have All the Good Times Gone?," the plaintive, almost fatalistic ballads "Ring the Bells" and "The World Keeps Going Round," and the Dave Davies-sung declaration of independence "I Am Free." ---Richie Unterberger, AllMusic Review

download (mp3 @256 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to gett

back

1 	Look For Me Baby 	
2 	Got My Feet On The Ground 	
3 	Nothin' In The World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl 	
4 	Naggin' Woman 	
5 	Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight 	
6 	Tired Of Waiting For You 	
7 	Dancing In The Street 	
8 	Don't Ever Change 	
9 	Come On Now 	
10 	So Long 	
11 	You Shouldn't Be Sad 	
12 	Something Better Beginning 	
	Bonus Tracks
13 	Everybody's Gonna Be Happy 	
14 	Who'll Be The Next In Line 	
15 	Set Me Free 	
16 	I Need You 	
17 	See My Friends 	
18 	Never Met A Girl Like You Before 	
19 	Wait Till The Summer Comes Along 	
20 	Such A Shame 	
21 	A Well Respected Man 	
22 	Don't You Fret 	
23 	I Go To Sleep (Unreleased Demo Recording)

Backing Vocals – Rasa Davies
Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals – Pete Quaife
Drums, Percussion – Mick Avory
Drums – Mitch Mitchell (23)
Vocals, Guitar – Dave Davies
Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Harmonica – Ray Davies 

Although their October 1964 eponymous debut album contains the immortal You Really Got Me and the sweet Stop Your Sobbing, Kinda Kinks is really the first proper Kinks album.

The significant progress made by the north London quartet in just five months is shown in the new dominance of original compositions. Whereas that debut was stuffed with covers, with the exception of Naggin' Woman and Dancing in the Street, their second album is all written by the band’s frontman Ray Davies (assisted by little brother lead guitarist Dave on one track).

The covers here are, in fact, almost laughable. With its reedy, ingénue vocal, Naggin' Woman is shorn of all blues belligerence, sounding comedic, if pleasantly so. The rinky-dink arrangement given Dancing in the Street, meanwhile, is cringe-worthy in light of the sensual Motown original.

Not that new songs always equates with great songs. On tracks like the generic R&B Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight and the insubstantial noodle So Long, Ray Davies’ own popcraft is clearly evolving but is not quite there. He is more successful in his snatching for greatness in the haunted acoustic blues-pop Nothin' in the World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl and Don't Ever Change, a knowing pop song with a thunderous bottom end. With Tired of Waiting for You – a lovely wisp of melancholia – the achievement is unequivocal, although this is not all due to Davies: the leisurely drum rolls of session man Bobby Graham are exquisite. The cascades of guitar, cooing backing vocals and swelling arrangement in closer Something Better Beginning assert that the sublime melody and acute personal vision of the peak period of Davies and his cohorts is just around the corner.

That peak period is partly represented by the bonus tracks on the various expanded versions of this album released on CD down the years. The cache of singles, B sides, EP tracks and demos recorded in the months after the material on Kinda Kinks is peppered with great songs like Set Me Free, See My Friends, I Need You and I Go to Sleep. They demonstrate the little-observed fact that in 1965 – when The Rolling Stones were a year away from self-reliance – The Kinks only had The Beatles in front of them in the UK pop pack. ---Sean Egan, BBC Review

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire ulozto gett bayfiles

back

[01]. You Really Got Me
[02]. All Day And All Of The Night
[03]. Tired Of Waiting For You
[04]. Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy
[05]. Set Me Free
[06]. See My Friends
[07]. Till The End Of The Day
[08]. Dedicated Follower Of Fashion
[09]. Sunny Afternoon
[10]. Dead End Street
[11]. Waterloo Sunset
[12]. Autumn Almanac
[13]. Wonder Boy
[14]. Days
[15]. Plastic Man
[16]. Victoria
[17]. [CENSORED]
[18]. Apeman
[19]. David Watts
[20]. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
[21]. Well Respected Man
[22]. I'm Not Like Everybody Else
[23]. End Of The Season
[24]. Death Of A Clown
[25]. Suzannah's Still Aliv

The Kinks (1963–1996) were a British rock group that came out of the British R&B/Garage Rock scene of the early 1960s.

Formed in 1963 in London, UK, they first gained prominence on the heels of the well-received and highly influential single You Really Got Me (1964). The group originally consisted of lead singer/guitarist Ray Davies, his brother lead guitarist Dave Davies, drummer Mick Avory and bassist Peter Quaife. Quaife left (twice) in the late 1960s, and Avory finally left in 1984 due to a long-running dispute with Dave Davies, leaving only the Davies brothers as the core of the original group.

With Ray’s splendid songwriting skills and unashamedly English voices, Dave’s impressive guitar work and Avory’s tight and steady drumming, the band became one of the best and most influential groups of British rock and the “british invasion” of America, lasting longer than any of their competitors, apart from The Rolling Stones, as they broke up in 1996. Their impressive back catalogue of songs have been covered by Van Halen, The Pretenders, The Black Keys, The Stranglers and Queens of the Stone Age to name but a few.

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to gett

back

01. Misfits - 4:40
02. Hay Fever - 3:21
03. Live Life - 3:09
04. A Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy - 4:58
05. In A Foreign Land - 3:02
06. Permanent Waves - 3:48
07. Black Messiah - 3:23
08. Out Of The Wardrobe  - 3:35
09. Trust Your Heart (Dave Davies) - 4:10
10. Get Up - 3:19

- Ray Davies - lead vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizer, producer
- Dave Davies - lead guitar, lead vocals (09)
- John Gosling - piano, organ, synthesizer
- Andy Pyle - bass guitar except as noted
- Mick Avory - drums except as noted
+
- John Dalton - bass guitar (05)
- Ron Lawrence - bass guitar (03,04,10)
- Nick Trevisick - drums (04,09,10)
- Zaine Griff - bass guitar overdubs
- Clem Cattini - drum overdubs
- John Beecham - trombone (07)
- Nick Newall - clarinet (07)
- Mike Cotton - trumpet (07)

The Kinks became arena rockers with Sleepwalker, and its follow-up, Misfits, follows in the same vein, but it's a considerable improvement on its predecessor. Ray Davies has learned how to write within the confines of the arena rock formula, and Misfits is one of rock & roll's great mid-life crisis albums, finding Davies considering whether he should even go on performing. "Misfits," a classic outsider rallying cry, and "Rock and Roll Fantasy" provide the two touchstones for the album -- Davies admits that he and the Kinks will never be embraced by the rock & roll mainstream, but after Elvis' death, he's not even sure if rock & roll is something for mature adults to do. Over the course of Misfits, he finds answers to the question, both in his lyrics and through the band's muscular music. Eventually, he discovers that it is worth his time, but the search itself is superbly affecting -- even songs like the musichall shuffle "Hay Fever," which appear as filler at first, have an idiosyncratic quirk that make them cut deeper. Although Ray would return to camp on their next album, Misfits is a moving record that manages to convey deep emotions while rocking hard. The Kinks hadn't made a record this good since Muswell Hillbillies. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to gett

back