ALBUM: The Kinks, ‘The Essential Kinks’ and ‘Muswell Hillbillies (Legacy Edition)’
The holidays are finally over and I’m sure you’re all relieved. You’ve gotten all your awesome gifts (and I’m betting there’s some great music amongst your haul) and best of all, you don’t need to worry anymore about getting anyone anything. But perhaps you’ve got a few gift cards burning a hole in your wallet, or you’ve made a resolution to explore more music in 2015. Well then, this review is for you.
As your friendly REBEAT Kinks Correspondent (definitely going to put that on my future business card), I’m here to help you spend some of that post-holiday cash on something worthwhile. Legacy Recordings/Sony Music Entertainment has recently released two new CDs featuring those enigmatic North London lads they’re perfect for you or any Kinks-fan you might know.
The Essential Kinks is a new compilation of 48 songs spanning The Kinks’ career from their garage-rock beginnings with “You Really Got Me” in 1964 through their quiet conclusion (or is it?) in the 1990s with their Phobia album. Unlike previous compilations, which are often comprised only of singles or their radio hits, this album offers a broader and more complete repertoire for listeners. I remember when I first started listening to the Kinks, I was fond of The Ultimate Collection, but didn’t realize at the time that it was missing so much content, especially from some of the Kinks most prolific albums such as The Village Green Preservation Society and Muswell Hillbillies. This compilation not only includes many of the early pop-rock hits that made the Kinks household-names in the ’60s, but also features songs from many of the mid ’70s albums — often labelled as the band’s theatrical period — such as “Sweet Lady Genevieve” from Preservation Act 1 (a personal favorite) and “You Don’t Know My Name,” a Dave Davies tune off Everybody’s In Showbiz.
Since there are so many interesting inclusions on the album, the omissions become even more pronounced. Despite the lesser known tracks, Essential doesn’t touch the 1976 album Schoolboys In Disgrace, nor anything from Think Visual and UK Jive, their often ignored late ’80s works. I also found it interesting that “Lola,” arguably their biggest hit aside from “You Really Got Me,” is only featured as a live recording from 1980’s One For The Road. And in the usual vein, the compilation heavily favors compositions by Ray Davies rather than his younger brother. While I understand that Ray was undoubtedly the breadwinning songwriter of the band, I look forward to the day when a compliation might offer a few more Dave tracks.
The Essential Kinks is a great choice for the novice Kinks fan who only knows what they’ve heard on the radio. Let’s face it, most British Invasion fans know at least the hits; but perhaps now is the time to take the leap into discovering more of the band’s incredibly diverse discography. If you’re not quite ready to take the leap into Kinks albums, I highly recommend checking this album out. Of course, the album is also good for your typical Kinks completist, who will especially enjoy the liner notes full of commending quotes about the band by notable rock peers.
For the more seasoned Kinks aficionado, I would recommend looking into the latest reissue of 1972’s Muswell Hillbillies, this time in the form of a Legacy edition. Muswell Hillbillies, for those unfamiliar with this seminole work, is perhaps one of the band’s greatest achievments, combining rock ‘n’ roll with vaudeville and featuring biting, witty, and poignant commentary. Popular tracks from the album include “20th Century Man,” a rocking declaration of resistance with an Appalachian twang; “Have a Cuppa Tea,” a lighthearted ode to an English staple; and “Alcohol,” which laments the dangers of that liquid temptress.
Last year, a deluxe edition of the album was released, with two discs featuring the original remastered album and a collection of alternative versions and never-before-released songs and demos. This year’s Legacy Edition is admittedly much the 
same. In fact, there are fewer bonus tracks on this album than the deluxe version. But never fear, the best of the bunch are still included, such as “Lavender Lane,” the melody of which is a lovely throwback to one of their most beloved ’60s hits (I won’t spoil it for you, but do give it a listen) and a demo called “Nobody’s Fool.” The Legacy edition does have the addition of a radio spot, but the defining difference is the second disc, which is actually a DVD featuring two performances from the album on The Old Grey Whistle Test and a short concert titled The Kinks at the Rainbow, both from 1972. Although the footage is not new to most Kinks fans, we can appreciate the guilt-free enjoyment of watching the clips in decent quality compared to what’s available on YouTube. No buffering, no worrying about sync. The footage is yours to watch whenever you want.
In my personal opinion, these videos are also indicative of the band’s own quality, since I believe that the Muswell period was their best. The Rainbow concert in particular is a lovely example of the band’s excellent playing, humor, showmanship, and a short but sweet summary of their achievements up to that point of their career as a band, which would still span another 20 years. Acting as part-documentary, it provides some behind-the-scenes footage of the Kinks in-studio, a glimpse at the Davies brothers’ stomping grounds, and some of the motivation which led to one of the band’s most socio-political albums, such as the destruction of homes and the never-ceasing motion of post-war modernization. It’s a wonderful piece of footage to remind us of Ray Davies’ unparalleled songwriting and the band’s strong allegience to their heritage.
Plus just look at all that hair.
Muswell Hillibilies (Legacy Edition) is perfect for well-seasoned Kinks fans who just love to collect every reissue that comes out. But for the casual Kinks fan who is ready to dive into an album, this is an excellent starting point.
Are you a Muswell Hillbilly? Tell us your favorite Kinks tracks in the comments!
(Cover photo by Barrie Wentzell.)
