Why hasn't there been a Kinks Box Set?

haha, yeah maybe. so no one's going to rep for the later stuff? it can't all be bad right? i think literally the only 80s Kinks song I know is "Come Dancing".

I don't know this, but I strongly suspect that the Kinks' stadium set in the early 80's would have included a fair few of their 60's classics.

Yeah, I'm sure! That's sort of what I mean -- did the latter-day Kinks' popularity in the States have to do with the records they were putting out then, or did have to do with them being 60s survivors, the dudes who do "You Really Got Me." I know, very important stuff I'm wrestling with here! :)

Fair few = "You really got me", "All day", 'Lola' and maybe one other.

That's sort of what I mean -- did the latter-day Kinks' popularity in the States have to do with the records they were putting out then, or did have to do with them being 60s survivors, the dudes who do "You Really Got Me." I know, very important stuff I'm wrestling with here! :)

The Sleepwalker album was their highest charting album up to that point, at #21 (previous highest was Lola at #35), and subsequent Arista albums did better. Low Budget was a pretty big FM-radio hit (charted at #11), as was "Destroyer" from Give The People What They Want (#15). After the peak of "Come Dancing"/State of Confusion, they dropped off a cliff, and they were as unarrestable in the US as they were in the UK (I don't think UK Jive or Phobia even charted). But as late as 1989 they could still do decent arena business in the US without hit records.

Their US appeal right at this moment seems mostly based on love for the '66-'71 era.

I might be the only person in America who looks at this tracklisting and says "I wish there were more Word of Mouth." What can I say -- I played that record about a thousand times (mostly while working on HS science fair projects if I remember correctly) and it seems a perfect example of the kind of record it is.

got "Picture Book" for christmas -- thanks mom! haven't gone through it all yet, but goddam, the Kinks! Great band, am I right?

they're alright.

they are great. first "rarity" type thing that is blowing my mind from this set: "I Go To Sleep," a demo from the Kinda Kinks era. Guess it was released on a late 90s reissue of that album, but it's new to me! Lovely.

So, who has shelled out for the mono box? I'm sorely tempted because I didn't shell out the big bucks for all those "deluxe editions" that have come out in the past year. I love my Beatles mono box so much and assume The Kinks discs would likewise gain in punch and immediacy in mono.

http://www.israbox.com/uploads/posts/2010-06/1276514589_500.jpg

This is the one I got.

I have that too, but it's a weird mix of stereo and mono releases. I was looking at the new one that pfork reviewed the other day: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16161-kinks-in-mono/

I guess these are taken from the mono remastering done for the double discs?

I have Picture Book too - I'm just a sucker for The Kinks, I guess.

yeah I had that phase where the Kinks were the only band I could listen to (just the 1966-1972 stuff though)

Yeah, I love them through Muswell Hillbillies. If that album ever gets a two-disc special edition (pairing it with a live show from the era would be great) I'll buy it on the day of release.

i think that was the point where the real Ray Davies was murdered and replaced with a Pod Person?

Pod person could still pull out some great tunes. Just not with the regularity of the preceding six years.

Hard to think of many songwriters with that level of consistency and sheer volume of work. He burned out (and based on some of those Muswell era interviews he burned out all the way to the core).

that picture book set cherrypicks some great stuff from the post-Muswell era, though.

totally! I'm happy I have it for that reason alone. Lots of hidden gems amidst the dross.

I have the "Come Dancing" set that's like the best of the post-"bad concept album" period but I've never heard any of those albums in full. I'm still surprised that the "old" Ray Davies never really came back. The stuff on VGPS never seemed that hard to write!

I have the "Come Dancing" set that's like the best of the post-"bad concept album" period

It doesn't cover that period at all!

it's 1977-1986. the 'bad concept album' period was 1972-1975 wasnt it?

'76?

I suspect that era's too painful for Ray to spend too much time on it

So...has anyone heard this mono box? I'm very tempted, even though I don't listen to those super early albums much...

I haven't heard the mono box, but Castle/Sanctuary reissued every album (and most of the bonus tracks) through Village Green... in mono back in the late 90s, and they sound excellent. I imagine this new set could sound slightly better, but I've got the old discs and if I want to hear mono Arthur... I'll just shell out for the deluxe edition. That box is expensive!

In related Kinks reissue news, I'm digging that Dave Hidden Treasures collection.

Which category do Misfits and Sleepwalker fall into? Both of those have some pretty good stuff on them.

I love Sleepwalker. "Full Moon" is up there with the best of the '66-'72 material.

I have some of the recent deluxe editions, and the mono versions sound a lot punchier than the stereo. Would definitely recommend. Except for Arthur, which sounds more suited to stereo, but the mono is still ok.

xp that's kind of more in the late 70's and beyond "trying hard for a hit single" period. now that I think of it I definitely have heard Sleepwalker and Low Budget, both of which I thought were quite good but nowhere near the classic stuff

Wish you woudn't mention those two in the same breath.

That mono box *is* expensive.

I was repping for that "Pye" box (see pic above) as being 'cheaper', but I then searched for it on ebay, and there ain't none. (not for less than £100 anyway)

It is on Amazon.co.uk for £33.

That's about what I paid on ebay, back..

the mono box is allegedly basically the same masters as the ones used on the double disc sets that came out over the past year or two, yes, with a few differences here and there mostly having to do with bonus tracks, from what I read. I guess if you like the mono versons of these albums it is worth buying, although, if you don't want all of these, you could just buy the double disc sets and get pretty much the same thing.

Any thoughts on the recent 5cd Pye-era Anthology?

it's good, though the packaging is a little bit less than deluxe. brief, not very interesting essay, some good memorabilia/press clippings.
music is totally wonderful, of course -- pretty well chosen. sounds about as good as I've ever heard it, remastering-wise.

Fucking hell, how prolific were this band from 1964-1971? The singles, album tracks and B-sides are one thing, but there must be a zillion outtakes from that period.