Kinks
Soap Opera - RCA 1975
Tracks: 1. Everybody's a Star / 2. Ordinary People / 3. Rush Hour Blues / 4. Nine to Five / 5. When Work Is Over / 6. Have Another Drink / 7. Underneath the Neon Sign / 8. Holiday Romance / 9. You Make It All Worthwhile / 10. Ducks on the Wall / 11. Face in the Crowd / 12. You Can't Stop the Music / 13. Everybody's a Star [*] / 14. Ordinary People [*] / 15. You Make It All Worthwhile [*] / 16. Underneath the Neon Sign [*]
Comments:
"When "Soap Opera" was first released in 1975 the Kinks were my undisputed number one favourite band. Having recently seen the group live twice ( once performing Preservation Act ) I had a hard time waiting for the release of their next album. And as big fans rarely are, I wasn't disappointed when it finally appeared in the local record store. In the beginning I particularly enjoyed the melodic ballads such as "Nine to Five", "You Make it All Worthwhile" and "A Face in the Crowd". It was disappointing, though, that none of the singles taken from the album managed to bring the Kinks back to the top of the charts. Another frustration was that none of my friends seemed to share my enthusiasm with the album, a fact that I could not really understand.
Now, years later, I realize that "Soap Opera" is far from being one of the Kinks' greatest albums, and though most the music still sound great, it's obvious that only few songs work outside the context of the "Soap Opera Story". Actually, my originally least favourite song "Holiday Romance" may be the one track that has such quality. Great melody and a charming humouristic story; I have often imagined Mickey Mouse as the charmer dancing with Lavinia.
The story itself may appear not very interesting today, but there is a great sense of sarcasm and humour in many of the songs, so I still feel well entertained when listening to the album.
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