Kinks
The Village Green Preservation Society - Pye 1968
Tracks: Village Green Preservation Society / 2. Do You Remember Walter / 3. Picture Book /4. Johnny Thunder / 5. Last Of The Steam Powered Trains / 6. Big Sky / 7. Sitting By The Riverside / 8. Animal Farm / 9. Village Green / 10. Starstruck / 11. Phenominal Cat / 12. All Of My Friends Were There / 13. Wicked Annabella / 14. Monica / 15. People Take Pictures Of Each Other // 16. Village Green Preservation Society / 17. She's Got Everything / 18. Mr. Songbird / 19. Polly / 20. Berkley Mews / 21. Did You See His Name / 22. Days / 23. Mr Songbird / 24. Misty Water / 25. Easy Come, There You Went / 26. There Is No Life Without Love / 27. Mick Avory's Underpants / 28. Lavender Hill / 29. Rosemary's Rose / 30. Spotty Grotty Anna / 31. Til Death Us Do Part / 32. Where Did My Spring Go + lots a alternate / stero / mono versions of these songs. ( the extended version - of course!!)
Comments:
When heard about the deleuxe version of this great album I was really thrilled. Finally all those great songs that never found their way onto the original album would see the light of day, in the right context on an official Kinks release.
The original album is a classic in itself and it is featured in versions with their different tracklistings - mono and stereo versions. These great songs have never sounded better.
Real excitement for me, though, comes with the extensive list of the bonus tracks and rarities. Many of the well-known songs are found in previously unreleased versions, and quite a few have never been released on CD or even vinyl before.
In early 1968 the Kinks had an album ready for the American market called "Four More Respected Gentlemen". The album was cancelled, and some of these songs were never released on an official Kinks album. Now they are here. Great songs like "Berkely Mews", "Mr Songbird", "Rosemary Rose", "Misty Water", "Did You See His Name" e
tc.
Some rarities come from TV-series, Dave Davies' unreleased album or singles; and a few are simply outtakes that have never been finished for release. Most of these gems are of the same high standards as the original "Village Green" songs. It`s incredible how Ray Davies managed to write such an amount of great songs over such a short period of time, and that the Kinks managed to arrange and record them.
There is a fine informative booklet with recent interview-comments from the Kinks and notes to all the bonus tracks.
This is not meant as a negative comment, but there are still quite a few Kinks rarities that have not yet been released; some of them would have fitted in nicely on this release. Maybe some day there will be another Kinks deluxe edition, where songs like "Pictures in the Sand", "Till Death Do Us Part", "When I Turn Off the Living Room Light" and the unreleased Dave Davies songs would fit in.
Anyway, this is a timeless classic at any rate
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