The Kinks

6-25-13          The Kinks

6/25/83 Yello “I Love You” 45 charts at No. 61 in England.

Listening to Steve Goodman right now, “Lincoln Park Pirates”.

Played “The Kinks’ Greatest Hits” recently (Reprise RS 6217), 10 songs – this US concoction only runs bout 24 minutes in total!  Insult to injury: Most (all?) are in re-processed stereo!

Looks to me that Reprise Records were a tad early to the barbecue.  I mean, this LP was released before “Sunny Afternoon”!  Was there even an original 60’s Kinks GH LP released on Pye Records in England?

I am equally amazed at another Reprise US Kinks’ LP – “The Live Kinks” (subtitled “An orgy for ears”)  Approx. 31 minutes, liner notes by Andy Wickham.  I wonder, is this the same LP as “Live at Kelvin Hall”?  Despite the “over a minute” of cheering, clapping on Side 1, at least it’s actually in stereo!  (I do detect reverb).  This one included a version of “Sunny Afternoon”, but not the 45 version of it, alas (they do play it live with a certain amount of ‘gusto’).

I think the first album I ever got by The Kinks was “Face to Face”, which remains my favorite (I think it’s in mono, as well – Shel Talmy) – known to US fans are the album where you could find “Sunny Afternoon”.

I was likely pre-occupied with The Who when it would’ve been time to buy late 60’s Kinks records.  Not certain that my “Lola” 45 says ‘coca cola’ instead of ‘cherry cola’ (I do have that lyric variant on a Japanese collection LP!) But the “Preservation Society” and “Money-go-round” would have to wait a long while to reach my ears.  After progressive rock, after punk rock, after new wave, after grunge, after electronica etc.

I don’t necessarily buy into the whole ethos of Ray Davies – I read a Kinks book that said he married his eastern European girlfriend and that was that.

And after The Kinks left Pye / Reprise – they lost me for good, in the early 70’s.  They even made SA-CD’s of those albums, and I can’t be bothered!  And never mind the Arista albums, please.

When Pye got sold (80’s?), it spawned an international clump of bizarre Kinks’ re-issues.  And the CD era definitely brought in much: paper sleeve CD’s, Japanese compilation CD’s, all their EP’s released as CD’s, boxed sets etc.

I’d still probably buy Kinks UK LP’s, 45’s and EP’s – if I could find them!  I’ve got some of them already; I misplaced some of my UK Pye 45’s, but they’ll turn – everything eventually does!