Well, it's OK. There are better tracks though.
― Geir Hongro, Sunday, 7 October 2007 12:56 (sixteen years ago) link
3 people voted for "Phenomenal Cat."
― da croupier, Sunday, 7 October 2007 13:16 (sixteen years ago) link
Yay!
― dlp9001, Sunday, 7 October 2007 14:41 (sixteen years ago) link
― da croupier, Sunday, October 7, 2007 9:16 AM (2 years ago) Bookmark
i heart ILM sometimes
(not that i would've voted for "phenomenal cat")
― I have nine Carmine Lupertazzis under my subspecies (Eisbaer), Saturday, 23 January 2010 07:08 (fourteen years ago) link
Write-in for single-around-the-time-of-the-album: "Days" blows this whole record out of the water. And that takes some doing.
― Did you say you were going to mangle the light? (staggerlee), Saturday, 23 January 2010 16:32 (fourteen years ago) link
"People Take Pictures of Each Other" – 2:10 1
I'm surprised, and surprised that no-one else was.
― Mark G, Monday, 15 February 2010 14:41 (fourteen years ago) link
That's probly my fav. It pops into my head all of the time. I hate people who think that just b/c they have a digital camera they've suddenly been appointed documenter(documentarian?) of every goddamn social event.
Also, did anyone else notice this?:
This is really difficult, but I ended up voting for "Village Green".― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, October 2, 2007 4:49 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, October 2, 2007 4:49 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark
As always, the lurkers vote for the hit.― Geir Hongro, Saturday, October 6, 2007 12:33 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalinkthat's because the hit is the fuckin bomb― roxymuzak, Sunday, October 7, 2007 7:52 AM (2 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban PermalinkWell, it's OK. There are better tracks though.― Geir Hongro, Sunday, October 7, 2007 7:56 AM (2 years ago) Bookmark
― Geir Hongro, Saturday, October 6, 2007 12:33 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
that's because the hit is the fuckin bomb
― roxymuzak, Sunday, October 7, 2007 7:52 AM (2 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
― Geir Hongro, Sunday, October 7, 2007 7:56 AM (2 years ago) Bookmark
― Fetchboy, Monday, 15 February 2010 14:55 (fourteen years ago) link
"Village Green" came seventh.
― Mark G, Monday, 15 February 2010 14:58 (fourteen years ago) link
Ha! Song name mixup! My bad!
― Fetchboy, Monday, 15 February 2010 15:02 (fourteen years ago) link
Title track is easily my least favourite.
― PaulTMA, Monday, 15 February 2010 15:45 (fourteen years ago) link
I like these:"Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" – 4:03 1"Monica" – 2:13 1"People Take Pictures of Each Other" – 2:10 1
more than these: The Village Green Preservation Society" – 2:45 11"Big Sky" – 2:49 8"Animal Farm" – 2:57 7
― iatee, Monday, 15 February 2010 17:22 (fourteen years ago) link
Disgraceful. I've always liked the Fiddler On the Roof vibe of this song.
― Tom D (Tom D.), Tuesday, 16 February 2010 14:53 (fourteen years ago) link
I never reckoned much on this album back in the day, as it was supposed to be all about British Village Life as such.
Yet, line two is "God bless Donald Duck" which is USA, so I got the impression the whole album was sarcasm. Which put me off.
Eventually, I got a nice copy of the mono album (the opening track has an edge warp, which just about plays OK if the turntable is in a good mood), and enjoyed it more.
Then, "People take pictures" was on some ad, and it prompted me to dig it out again. (That track wouls have been a hit single, reckons I)
Then I managed to get the 10CD Kinks boxset for £25 or suchlike (see pollthread)
― Mark G, Tuesday, 16 February 2010 15:23 (fourteen years ago) link
I think Ray Davies what knew about 'British Village Life' would probably have fitted on the back of a postage stamp. Unless Muswell Hill counts as a village.
― Tom D (Tom D.), Tuesday, 16 February 2010 15:27 (fourteen years ago) link
Would have voted for either 'Big Sky' or 'Animal Farm', with 'Monica' and 'People Take Pictures of Each Other' being the two I like but don't love as much as the rest of the album. Superb record though, easily one of the finest albums to come out of the UK in 1968.
― Gholdfish Killah (Turrican), Tuesday, 7 November 2017 20:21 (six years ago) link
title trackwalterstarstrucksitting by the riversidesteam powered train
one of these^
― brimstead, Wednesday, 8 November 2017 23:16 (six years ago) link
or village green
― brimstead, Wednesday, 8 November 2017 23:18 (six years ago) link
I love the instrumental break on 'Last of the Steam Powered Trains', and I was surprised to learn that 'Village Green' was recorded a couple of years before the album but yet they didn't do anything with it until '68.
― Gholdfish Killah (Turrican), Wednesday, 8 November 2017 23:27 (six years ago) link
I love this album. Definitely one of the best 60s pop albums (up there with Pet Sounds, Revolver...).The flow of fantastic melodies is unstoppable and the sound is warmer and fuller than on their previous output.I'm surprised by the winner of the poll, though.It's a good and fun song but nowhere near many of the other tracks.I would have said "Animal Farm" or "Village Green".
― AlXTC from Paris, Thursday, 9 November 2017 10:43 (six years ago) link
"Walter", definitely.
― Terry Micawber (Tom D.), Thursday, 9 November 2017 10:50 (six years ago) link
Also, "King Kong" from that time is such a prelude to T-Rex !
― AlXTC from Paris, Thursday, 9 November 2017 11:14 (six years ago) link
I'm surprised by the winner of the poll, though.It's a good and fun song but nowhere near many of the other tracks.
I agree - I love the track but see it more as an extended intro to the LP.
― Gholdfish Killah (Turrican), Thursday, 9 November 2017 14:43 (six years ago) link
honestly think this is one of the best albums ever made. hard to pick a favorite but "Animal Farm" bounced around in my head for a very very long time.
― frogbs, Thursday, 9 November 2017 14:50 (six years ago) link
this thread reminded me to listen to this beautiful album again, good job guys
― bodak horseman (voodoo chili), Thursday, 9 November 2017 16:08 (six years ago) link
They were on fire from 1966-1971 ... they had an excellent singles discography from 'You Still Want Me' onwards, of course (their cover of 'Long Tall Sally' is a bit meh) but I love pretty much almost everything they put out 1966-1971.
― Gholdfish Killah (Turrican), Friday, 10 November 2017 07:21 (six years ago) link
The six albums from Kink Kontroversy to Lola are a fantastic run. Who has done better than that besides Frank Sinatra in the 1950s?
― Josefa, Friday, 10 November 2017 07:41 (six years ago) link
impossible to choose, really, but i'd have gone with "walter" which always makes me melancholy. prob my favorite album of the decade.
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Friday, 10 November 2017 08:31 (six years ago) link
Yeah they were incredible during that period. I must say I don't know much about their post Lola albums.As for the Village Green album, I thought there might be something lacking for all its perfect pop : there's not really an emotional song, like "Waterloo Sunset" or "Don't Talk" or "God Only Knows" for Pet Sounds or "For No One" for Revolver, for instance.It's mostly all pure upbeat pop. "Village Green" might be close to that kind of emotional song but it's not exactly that. There's more distance (in the songwriting and the arrangements).
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 10 November 2017 09:03 (six years ago) link
AIXTC - some versions of this album include 'Days', which should be that emotional song you're looking for.
I have this album in mono and stereo edition, all on one disc, which has the original tracks as well as additions like Days. Lots of greatness.
I could go with the winner of the poll, but Last of the Steam-Powered Trains is another of my favourites here.(But if Days would be eligible, it'd be Days!)
― Valentijn, Friday, 10 November 2017 11:02 (six years ago) link
The fact that 'Days' (one of my favourite songs of all time) isn't on the album yet the album is still incredible says a lot about how strong the songwriting is.
― Gholdfish Killah (Turrican), Friday, 10 November 2017 15:04 (six years ago) link
the Kink Kronikles compilation that covers this period is insanely good as well, and includes a lot of the awesome singles that weren't on the albums
― frogbs, Friday, 10 November 2017 15:08 (six years ago) link
― Josefa, Friday, November 10, 2017 2:41 AM (seven hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
The Percy soundtrack, though...
I mean, it's not awful, but it's hardly on the level of the records that came before and after.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 10 November 2017 15:22 (six years ago) link
Wikip has Percy coming after "Lola" i.e. it's the last Pye album
― Mark G, Friday, 10 November 2017 15:32 (six years ago) link
Percy did have one great song on it though. I think it's called "God's Children". Given that it's a soundtrack and they did do the excellent Muswell Hillbillies the next year I guess I can forgive them for it.
― frogbs, Friday, 10 November 2017 15:35 (six years ago) link
wait, not the next year. the same year. though MH was clearly a different sound that doesn't really jive with the Pye era. it's probably the only great album they did outside it.
― frogbs, Friday, 10 November 2017 15:36 (six years ago) link
"The Way Loved Used to Be", "Moments" and "Dreams" are all excellent too, re: Percy soundtrack
― Terry Micawber (Tom D.), Friday, 10 November 2017 16:13 (six years ago) link
Those three and "God's Children" are better than most of "Muswell Hillbillies".
"God's Children" is an incredible song, was a long time before I heard it
― Οὖτις, Friday, 10 November 2017 16:42 (six years ago) link
― Mark G, Friday, November 10, 2017 10:32 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
D'oh, you are correct! I probably misread your post as "Kontroversy through Muswell Hillbillies," which is often pointed to as The Flawless Run.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 10 November 2017 16:49 (six years ago) link
That wasn't me.
― Mark G, Friday, 10 November 2017 17:10 (six years ago) link
the Kink Kronikles compilation that covers this period is insanely good as well
and the great lost kinks album, which came out a year later and is every bit as good, compiling b-sides, unreleased miscellany, etc., from the same insanely good era.
― fact checking cuz, Friday, 10 November 2017 18:54 (six years ago) link
I'd say The Kinks and Small Faces are my two favourite '60s bands from the UK. Just so much great music, a lot of which has still not been overplayed to death.
― Gholdfish Killah (Turrican), Friday, 10 November 2017 19:03 (six years ago) link
(I'd put The Zombies in third place for Odessey and Oracle alone)
― Gholdfish Killah (Turrican), Friday, 10 November 2017 19:04 (six years ago) link
Highly recommend y'all grab this 1969 performance: http://bbchron.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/kinks-1969-11-27-san-francisco-fillmore.html
― Isi, Saturday, 11 November 2017 08:19 (six years ago) link
Big Box Set Coming: https://www.musicglue.com/the-kinks/browse/the-kinks-usa/products/the-kinks-are-the-village-green-preservation-society-super-deluxe-box-set
― Ubering With The King (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 15 August 2018 20:30 (five years ago) link
one of my favorite albums ever but man, I've already got the 3 disc version and the 180g vinyl, what else do you need
― frogbs, Wednesday, 15 August 2018 20:36 (five years ago) link
From what I've read, there's maybe 1-2 unreleased songs. Here's one of them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOBjwkaW-T0
It sounds like this was recorded in 1973, as was (supposedly) the other unreleased song. I think they re-recorded some of the VGPS stuff then, to be used as part of a Preservation production. Most of the "unreleased" material on this set is in the form of backing tracks, alternate mixes, and radio/tv appearances.
This also has some Ray solo 2010 live recordings, for some reason. So basically, this is pretty barrel-scrapey, but comes with all sorts of vinyl doodads and posters and things.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 15 August 2018 20:48 (five years ago) link
― bodak horseman (voodoo chili), Thursday, November 9, 2017 11:08 AM (one year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Oh hey I’m listening again. When I’m thinking about this album, and not listening, I often focus on the lyrics and forget about how hard it rocks.
― twin sinema (voodoo chili), Monday, 19 November 2018 04:19 (five years ago) link
It fucking rocks.
Thunder and liiightning!!
― twin sinema (voodoo chili), Monday, 19 November 2018 04:20 (five years ago) link
I always think that Wicked Annabella gets very Beatlesque at the end, in an I Am The Walrus/Yer Blues kinda way, until I remember that the Kinks were contemporaries of the Beatles, and that Village Green probably predates some of the Beatles stuff it reminds me of...
― henry s, Monday, 19 November 2018 04:29 (five years ago) link