Kinks - Live at Kelvin Hall (9 tracks) +Album Reviews

The Genre Of Screaming Girls And London 1960s Prior To Their

Original Mixed Up-Kid | New York United States | 08/15/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great collectors CD showcasing the great Kinks live at home in the outrageous 60's at thir heyday..Similiarly like the Stones,Got Live If You Want It CD,(in feel,not actual technical recording issues) these live documents are made for collectors and for ravers because the sound is usually average at best.When it comes to great sounding live cd's overdubs are a natural..

It is nice to hear both mono and stereo versions of the CD and to know this is live..the book and photos are nice..like the remaining Pye re releases on their early catalogue you won't be dissapointed as to the quality and sound.

The song selections are good and the era is the Face To Face period when the Kinks began experimenting with a bit of Indian Music,a touch less blues, more introspective sounds and lyrics, getting ready for their defining greatness to be found on such classic releases such as Something Else,We Are The Village Green, Arthur,Lola,Muswell Hillbillies etc. when the Kinks started to morph in earnest into the less angry more interior band they became.

"

Kinks on the Rise

Pit O'Maley | Alameda, Ca United States | 08/12/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the earliest live capture of the Kinks' original line-up, before egos and in-fighting, even before their masterpiece, "Arthur," and their many break-ups. What must have been crude recording, the band plays note-by-note versions of their early "hits," to a wild, unruly audience that seems to scream forever and take little notice to Ray and Dave's cheeky remarks. Since the Stones came out first with a "simulated" live recording, fans were slow to pick up on this rare gem. After hearing it a few times you realize Lennon was right when he said fans didn't care about their performances live. However, I've known this all this time, what a rare gem it was to hear the Kinks on their rise."

On With the Show

directions | Space Time Foam | 05/15/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have to disagree with anyone who feels that this recording is bootleg quality because this album sounds a hell of a lot better than recordings, official or otherwise that are sourced from an audience recording. The issue is that live recordings were in their infancy at the time so naturally you are not going to get the same quality as a modern live concert. That said it is a fascinating recording. The more rocking numbers such as "You Really Got Me" come off better than the more introspective songs. The Kinks did put on a good live show but live they were not all that different from in the studio (unlike say the Who, who would turn songs into extended jams live). Live at Kelvin Hall was recorded as the Kinks were ending their pre-punk phase and entering their most interesting period, 1966-70 where they rightfully deserved the title of the English equivalent of Bob Dylan, rather than the insufferable Donovan. Obviously, one of the drawbacks of the recording is the audience of screaming fans who just won't let up. The Kinks at this point obviously tired of concert goers who were idol worshippers instead of actual fans (but didn't have the clout of the Beatles or the Stones to stop touring)decide to have some fun on "Sunny Afternoon" and ask the audience to sing along (which they do). Two years later, the Kinks would regain the right to tour in the U.S. again (which they had lost due to conflicts on the 1965 tour) and by then they would be a more sophisticated and "well respected" band but that's another story..."

WARNING: NOT THE K2-REMASTER RELEASED IN 2000

BOB | LOS ANGELES, CA | 09/13/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"In 2007, there were two Kinks catalog Japan mini-sleeve releases, one in July and another in September. The July release were JVC K2HD remastered discs. Chronologically, these started at "Muswell Hillbillies" and continued thru the end of the Kinks catalog.

However, the September release, and this is despite the text of at least one Japanese on-line retailer, are NOT JVC or K2/K2HD remastered discs. These were issued by BMG. The discs themselves have a "Made In Hong Kong" stamp on the inner ring.

The BMG titles are: The Kinks (1st album), Kinda Kinks, Kontroversy, Face To Face, Something Else, Live At Kelvin Hall, The Village Green Preservation Society, Arthur Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire, Lola Vs. Powerman And The Money-Go-Round Part 1 and Percy.

After A/B comparison, these are the 1998 Castle/Essential remasters. These also contain the same same booklets as those releases. The Castle discs have the benefit of an absolute plethora of bonus tracks on each, which do not appear on the 2000 Japan K2 remasters.

WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?

Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.

Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 135MM X 135MM cardboard precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, anything contained in the original LP, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and/or die cuts, are precisely replicated and included. An English-language lyric sheet is always included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.

Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2/K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.

Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "obi" ("oh-bee"), a removable Japan-language promotional strip. The obi lists the Japan street date of that particular release, the catalog number, the mastering info, and often the original album's release date. Bonus tracks are only listed on the obi, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork. The obi's are collectable, and should not be discarded.

All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common (again, not always). The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake mini-sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs."

Save me from this squeeze...

Mark H. | Hanson, MA USA | 12/10/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Man, sometimes it is really difficult being a fan or a completist of a band's work - you have to have everything! Especially when one of the cornerstones to your collection is a crappy live album from the `60's. It really blows my mind that bands and their managers were thinking that their fans would want to hear girls scream more than the actual music. Both the Kinks and the Stones put out live records around the same time period (and they both suck, at least the Stones didn't release theirs in the UK initially). The worst part about `Live at Kelvin Hall', apart of course from the sound quality is that chronologically the Kinks were well beyond old school PA systems and screaming teenagers and in the middle of their classic era of conceptual ENGLISH rock albums. This record was already an anachronism upon release and the years have not been kind. The song selection isn't the problem as the Kinks feature singles, EP cuts and album tracks (key highlights are from the `Face to Face' record, "Dandy" in particular). The Castle reissue does include both mono and stereo versions of the album which can get annoying if you listen to the whole disc from start to finish. You have to believe Ray was annoyed when he had another classic album in the can ('Something Else')while the US label couldn't wait to issue `Kelvin Hall' first! Oh well, only for the Kinks committed, others don't bother."

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