Search - The Kinks :: Muswell Hillbillies (Legacy Edition)

CD/DVD version of the acclaimed British band s first album for RCA Records. It
features nine bonus tracks and 12 previously-unreleased live performances on DVD previously unreleased in the US.

Muswell Hillbillies, one of the signature albums from British rock band The Kinks, will be reissued and expanded this year as a new CD/DVD Legacy Edition.

Anchored by lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Ray Davies and his brother, lead guitarist/vocalist Dave Davies, The Kinks became one of the highest-regarded English rock bands thanks to immortal singles like You Really Got Me, All Day and All of the Night and Lola. Ray Davies evocative lyrical gifts and the band s simple, relentless musical style influenced countless bands throughout the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in the nascent genre of heavy metal.

Released in 1971, Muswell Hillbillies, their first album for the RCA label, was a vivid portrait of working class life in the band s North London home; Rolling Stone called it Ray Davies "signature statement" as a songwriter. Sonically, Muswell Hillbillies was a marked departure from the band s rough-and-tumble approach of the 60s, taking influence from turn-of-the-century British music hall and country styles, with expanded arrangements thanks to the brass section The Mike Cotton Sound. (The Kinks would explore more diverse styles as the 1970s wore on, experimenting with concept albums and theatrical staging.)

While Muswell Hillbillies did not enjoy the same commercial success of its predecessors, it remains one of the most acclaimed studio albums in the band s 50-year history. This expanded presentation of the album adds to its legend, featuring nine rare bonus tracks from the recording sessions for the album plus a DVD featuring live performances from the BBC archives previously unreleased in the US, including a set at the famed Rainbow Theatre in London.

MUSWELL HILLBILLIES: LEGACY EDITION (CD/DVD)