Search - Kinks :: Ultimate Collection

Glorious!!

Barry McGloin | Canberra, Australia | 01/11/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well this has been released for some years now and anyone who has wanted to revisit The Kinks has probably bought it, but if you are thinking of getting yourself a copy don't hesitate, it is undoubtedly the best collection, both in terms of sound quality and songs. The Singles Collection is a fine CD, but go the extra distance with this which includes some later material and you won't be disappointed. The 2008 UK released Picture Book Box Set does not appear to be available as yet in the US.



I was checking Kinks' reviews and noticed there were some differences of opinion re the band being originators of heavy metal, not that it really matters after all, being the originators of such a plodding dinosaur is hardly noteworthy. The early singles You Really Got Me and All Day And All of the Night did promote heavy chording with a raw in your face production (which Ray Davies had to fight for) but these singles exhibited much faster beat and were far more spirited than most heavy metal, which by definition is lugubrious and loud. I should also point out that Louie Louie, a song which also used staccato chording was in the Kinks early repetoire. The original version was played by Hannibal & The Headhunters from 1958; maybe they are the rosetta stone of heavy metal? Hardly, but for early metal progenitors check out Jeff Beck's Truth (1967) and Zep's first album (1968), although both discs had more to offer than heavy (base) metal.



I do think however that you could safely attribute the Kinks to having heavily influenced that basic, some might say inept, performance of minimalist r 'n b songs now called garage rock,. It was so basic you could describe it as punk in attitude and execution and many three chord Charlies, myself included, saw themselves as maestros of the genre, anyone could do it and many did. Check out the garage bands series of albums called Nuggets, issued now by Rhino.



The Kinks' first album had many examples of basic R 'n B which thankfully, for my taste, are not included although excellent rock numbers are here. It wasn't long before Ray Davies' artistic vision began to assert itself in terms of lyrics, music, arrangements and sometime later in the 60s, production, although the band retained its ability to rock out with its rawness and that somewhat shakey edge. It was an unusual combination, a loose, sometimes rough feel yet highly sophisticated arrangements - revisit Autumn Almanac, it is astounding - check out Shangri-La! I think that Mick Avory's drumming and Pete Quaife's bass playing served the band well, as did brother Dave's guitar when he was on form.



The Kinks had such a large output of good material and I can think of songs which I might have included - Two Sisters, Harry Rag, It's Alright, Alcohol, Don't You Fret, Last of the Steam Powered Trains, Animal Farm, Monica, Village Green, Do You Remember Walter? As you might guess I'm not so familiar with the later material, although the later tracks which are included are very good. When you think that the band had primarily one writer, as opposed to other units of the time, Ray's output in terms of quality and quantity was phenominal. Grab yourself a glorious slice of rock history from primal pulse to pastoral eloquence, from lusty bravado to incisive observation, and thank them for the Days.

























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