Kinda Kinks Kinda Great
Penguin Egg | London, England | 06/09/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"These 3 CDs each contain approximately just 25 minutes of music; but what music - blistering rock blasts such as Till The End of the Day and You Really Got Me; wonderful character sketches such as A Well Respected Man and Dedicated Follower Of Fashion; and precise and (often) witty vignettes such as Sunny Afternoon and Deadend Street. The songs show just what a great songwriter Ray Davies was, both musically and lyrically. At just under three minutes (no pop song should be over that), every song has a great melody that lingers forever in your mind - and that is true whether it is the deceptively lazy Sunny Afternoon or the prototype punk of All Day And All Of The Night. His lyrics are exercises in economy, precision, observation and wit. Anyone attempting to become a songwriter will learn something from listening to Ray Davies. He is truly one of the great songwriters. Credit must also go to the band. They have a wonderfully tight and together rhythm section from Mick Avory and Pete Quaife; but it is Dave Davies, brother of Ray, who excels. He lays down some of the most menacing and brooding riffs since Link Wray - and I do not make such comparisons lightly. Just listen to Sittin' On The Sofa to see what I mean. The band perfectly complement Ray's excellent voice. This is what all rock music should aspire to be.This is a wonderfully packaged selection- I especially love the fold out Kinks Pop Chronicle! This may not contain every single one of their sixties classics, - get The Ultimate Collection for that- but it has a good selection of them and it is the rarities such as Sittin' On The Sofa, Naggin' Woman, and Louie Louie that makes this such a find. Every single track in this collection is an aural delight. I might add that in this image conscious age of ours, The Kinks were the best-dressed band in the land - and in the swinging 60s, that was quite something! Undoubtedly, James Barry had something to do with that -and you will have to read the Kinks Pop Chronicle to understand what I am talking about."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1