Kinks - Come Dancing Best of Kinks 197786 Hybr Dig (18 tracks) +Album Reviews

The best collection of the Kinks' second half.

M J Heilbron Jr. | Long Beach, CA United States | 04/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A scintillating remaster of a terrific collection of songs, "Come Dancing" sounds glorious.

For a group that usually comes in fourth on the list of the greatest British rock bands (Beatles, Stones, Who...), this disc collates their later period.

As you'll see, however, they manage to "cover" their earlier hits as well.

They have a number of killer singles here, opening with "Come Dancing". The Kinks have always excelled in bringing witty little 'slices of life' to their tunes, in a way we didn't see until the earlier Squeeze records.

Their rock songs have a surprising crunch to them, and it is a testament to their quality that Green Day could cover "Do It Again" note for note, and the youngsters in the crowd wouldn't know the difference.

Then again, The Kinks sorta cover themselves throughout this disc. There are the live versions of "Lola" and "You Really Got Me". Then there are the chords from the aforementioned "Do It Again"...

...but it reaches an apex with "Destroyer", which cribs liberally from "All Day and All of The Night", mentions "Lola" and pretty much introduces the Sixties half of the Kinks' career to the Seventies' fans...

...it's a total party of a song...

"Low Budget", "Misfits", "Don't Forget To Dance"...all great spins.

And then we get "Father Christmas"! One of the great modern Christmas rockers.

Sweet liner notes and a gatefold LP-like cover make this uncommonly easy to recommend."

They always delivered the goods

Scott B. Saul | COOPER CITY, FL USA | 08/22/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The 70's-80's Kink era was considered the weaker material but when you listen to this compilation, they still put out lots of quality material.

Their sound and approach changed a bit, they obviously went more commercial, and they lacked some of their original identity yet these are still great songs. 30 years later, this was not a weak era and they put out a lot more good stuff then most other bands.

Rock and Roll fantasy, Detroyer, Celluloid Heroes, Don't forger to dance, Superman are all killer songs.

I would like to see one day when they get a boxed set w/You Really Got me era, Lola era and their hard rocking Destroyer era."

Preservation, The Arista Years.

Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 08/01/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Clive Davis personally signed the Kinks to his then relatively new Arista label, when he was trying to establish a rock and roll foothold. Till then, Arista was known primarily as a home to the likes of Barry Manilow and The Bay City Rollers. The Kinks, under Davis' tutelage, staged a comeback that brought them to a whole new audience who looked at Ray and Dave Davies as Punk Rock Godfathers, even as the band suddenly found themselves successful enough to tour American Sports Arenas.

"Sleepwalker" was the first album of that batch, and heralded that The Kinks were back. In retrospect, the songs sound very much of their time, heavy on the synths and radio friendly. When "Misfits" arrived, it contained a bonafide Davies' masterpiece, the melancholy "A Rock and Roll Fantasy." It singled the introspective streak that became a running strength for the following albums.

In between was the successful "Low Budget." It had an almost hit with the disco-fied "Superman," even if the title track and "A Gallon Of Gas" sound dated. But is sure was weird hearing The Kinks in dance clubs along with The Bee Gees. "Give the People What They Want" was the radio breakthrough, as Album Rockers began giving heavy spins to "Destroyer." Quoting the riff from "All The Day and All Of The Night" and referencing "Lola," it brought fans old and new to the band. But even better is "Better Things," which even Davies lamented had not become a more well known song.

Radio and MTV really came forth when "State of Confusion" arrived. "Come Dancing" became the biggest hit The Kinks had on Arista, and it was followed by the nostalgic "Don't Forget To Dance." They were the lightest songs on an album filled with anger and disillusionment. Ray was ending a marriage and Dave was having problems. By "Word of Mouth," Mick Avory had left and the album sounded disjointed. The terrific "Do It Again" still sounds great (and it would have been nice to have "Summer's Gone"), but that was it for this era.

"Come Dancing With The Kinks" gets a few bonus licks in via a pair of live cuts. Both "Lola" and "You Really Got Me" from "One for the Road" fill in an earlier chapter. The anti-Christmas classic "Father Christmas" is here, too. All in all, a solid package."

Great compilation of Hits for a great British band

ARMANDO R. VENEGAS | Lima, Peru | 11/29/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Kinks may not have had the same overwhelming media coverage that other extraordinary British bands (i.e. Beatles, Stones, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Who, Pink Floyd et al) had in their moments of biggest glory, but even though they're a very good band.

This Come Dancing is a nice compilation of their greatest hits, including their Tour De Force live performance of "Lola", as well as "Come Dancing" and a nice Rock piece "Destroyer", among other great songs.

Nice cover, full detailed booklet... This album is worth to be included in any serious Brit Rock fan collection."

Search - Kinks :: Come Dancing: Best of Kinks 1977-86 (Hybr) (Dig)

CD Details

Similarly Requested CDs

Member CD Reviews

CD Reviews