The Kink Kontroversy - what a great album!

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by LeBon Bush, Feb 13, 2019.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. LeBon Bush

    LeBon Bush Hound of Love Thread Starter

    Location:
    Austria
    Okay, so this is a spontaneous outburst of joy from my side because I finally got round to critically listening to The Kinks' oft-overlooked 1965 effort "The Kink Kontroversy" and all I can say is: Wow! What a fantastic album this is. It's a great fusion of Stones and Beatles influences, but the LP also captures Ray Davies' (then) growing confidence and skill as a songwriter.

    This is notably evident on the rather thoughtful "The World Keeps Going Round", a ditty that strays far from other hits of the same year like "Satisfaction" (not meaning to degrade any of the mentioned bands, they all were/are fantastic musicians) and that comes to the conclusion that all those worries about heartbreak - among other things - might not be all that relevant at all. A bit clunky still, but nonetheless quite unusual for a band in the mid-60s that already was some kind of famous. In my opinion at least.

    I can even hear some traces of what would become the sound of CCR on "Where Have All The Good Times Gone", a cut which is also reminiscent of Bob Dylan's style of singing. Along with "The World Keeps Going Round", "Gotta Get the First Plane Home" and "I'm On An Island", this is my favorite on the album. But as a matter of fact, all the tracks are excellent.

    So what do y'all think of this particular album?
     
  2. abzach

    abzach Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sweden
    Great album!
     
  3. Trainspotting

    Trainspotting Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    A lot of folks love it, I think I read somewhere that it's Steven Van Zandt's fave LP. I like it, but Face to Face is better...
     
    Bobsblkwax, Hombre, allbrosca and 4 others like this.
  4. LeBon Bush

    LeBon Bush Hound of Love Thread Starter

    Location:
    Austria
    After I wrote this thread draft (which I then somehow forgot for three days until five minutes ago :laugh:), I listened to Face To Face and THAT one is even better than Kontroversy, I agree with you :righton: I'm on a Kinks discovery now, listened to Village Green Preservation Society today and love it already.
     
    AXN6834, Favre508, Revolver and 4 others like this.
  5. LeBon Bush

    LeBon Bush Hound of Love Thread Starter

    Location:
    Austria
    Absolutely :agree:
     
    AXN6834, The MEZ and abzach like this.
  6. Somerset Scholar

    Somerset Scholar Ace of Spades

    Location:
    Bath
    Hugely enjoyable. Unpretentious. I'm a bigger and bigger fan of their early stuff as time goes by. Love all the early albums but Kinda Kinks is my favourite.
     
    LeBon Bush and The MEZ like this.
  7. LeBon Bush

    LeBon Bush Hound of Love Thread Starter

    Location:
    Austria
    I need to examine Kinda Kinks. Looking forward to that!
     
  8. MikeM

    MikeM Senior Member

    Location:
    Youngstown, Ohio
    I've always loved The Kinks Kontroversy, even the tracks that seldom get mentioned like "What's in Store for Me" and "You Can't Win." And check out the live shows available on YouTube from around this time frame. While so much focus is rightly on Ray's songwriting, from the very beginning they were a tight, powerful band.

    Nevertheless, I also find Face to Face to be my all-time favorite Kinks LP — though several others are right behind it.
     
  9. LeBon Bush

    LeBon Bush Hound of Love Thread Starter

    Location:
    Austria
    There are shows on YouTube? Insta-check! :cool:
     
  10. breakingglass

    breakingglass Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta

    Don’t forget about Something Else, Lola and Arthur too!
     
  11. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    If you're just getting into them, you have a lot of great stuff ahead.
    Love all the albums mentioned. I think my favourite Kinks album is Muswell Hillbillies ... but apparently that makes me an odd sock
     
  12. Elliottmarx

    Elliottmarx Always in the mood for Burt Bacharach

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Let me strongly urge you to keep digging. Unlike virtually any other band from that era, The Kinks continue to be excellent up through 1984 or so. I'm glad that The Kinks get any love, and it seems that people continue to discover the early stuff. It is wonderful and essential, and constantly compiled and reissued, so it is easy to find and appreciate. Let me confirm though, that their output in the 1970s is also truly great - perhaps too many concept albums in a row, but they are all interesting and well played. You are about to undertake a great adventure. Enjoy!
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2019
  13. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    This is a true statement
     
    allbrosca and Elliottmarx like this.
  14. Beatledust

    Beatledust Forum Resident

    Location:
    Salt Lake City, UT
    To me, The Kink Kontroversy was the beginning of their golden age. Face To Face, Village Green and Something Else are my favorites from that era.
     
    AXN6834, Brian Kelly, Rock66 and 6 others like this.
  15. tug_of_war

    tug_of_war Unable to tolerate bass solos

    Their first great album. :love:
     
  16. joeym3

    joeym3 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I agree, The Kink Kontroversy is great, and I think Ray mentions this is a favorite of his. For me, every Kinks album has great songs. And don't believe 'em if they say it's all downhill after Muswell Hillbillies. They were such a fun live band. Even at the end, I saw at least a handful of Kinks shows in '93 & '95, and they were still amazing. If I don't always like the production in the 80's, I still love the songs. And Dave's way of playing plus his tone, and extremely underrated backing vocals, plus the way his voice blends with Ray is amazing. Not to mention Dave's wrote many great songs like I Am Free, Strangers or Livin' on a Thin Line. I have favorites from every album like Looney Balloon from UK Jive or Scattered from Phobia. Today, my favorites from The Kink Kontroversy are Ring the Bells and When I See That Girl of Mine.
     
    AXN6834 and william r small like this.
  17. Dylancat

    Dylancat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cincinnati, OH
    Yes
    It’s a good ‘un.
     
  18. Mal

    Mal Phorum Physicist

    [​IMG]

     
    cwitt1980 and tug_of_war like this.
  19. Glenn Christense

    Glenn Christense Foremost Beatles expert... on my block

    My Kinks grand slam of releases (in order of release )
    Face To Face
    Something Else
    The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
    Arthur

    I may be among the few, the proud here who bought all these albums when originally released along with two really oddball releases, The Live Kinks and The Great Lost Kinks Album .
    I can’t imagine these releases sold much back in the day.

    I would direct the OP to check out the deluxe edition of the Kinks Kontroversy and .. the other deluxe editions for their plethora of bonus tracks .
     
  20. Hombre

    Hombre Forum Resident

    The Kink Kontroversy showed clear advances, but in my opinion it does not belong to the string of golden classics: Face To Face (1966), Something Else (1967), The Village Green Preservation Society (1968), Arthur (1969), Lola (1970) and Muswell Hillbillies (1971).
     
  21. This album is where their golden/peak era begins!! It is there first, full length work of true greatness!! (you could also consider the U.S. only "Kinks Kinkdom", but it's more a cobbled together comp )...

    From this one through "Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One" they had as great a run as there has ever been (and all the non album cuts on "Kink Kronikles" & The Great Lost Kinks Album" too)
    "Mushwell Hillbillies" just misses those heights, but is close & head & shoulders better than anything that came later- which are some good albums & some great songs... but not like this/these (and some less than good albums too)
     
    william r small, LeBon Bush and MikeM like this.
  22. Adam9

    Adam9 Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй.

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    I think it's pretty good. ;)

    Actually, I think it's the first good album by them. It is eclipsed by the next 6 (except for Percy which doesn't really count in a way).
    It's a lot of fun, kicking off with their best cover song and flowing nicely until the very end. The single and B-side taken from the record is my favourite two-sided Kinks single. "The World Keeps Goin' Round" and "I'm On An Island" are very good. Even the weakest track IMO, "Gotta Get The First Plane Home" rocks along nicely.
    It was a hard album to find in the 70s. I finally found a U.S. Reprise copy for $1.50 (!). Those Reprise copies sound bassy in a good way.
    I now listen to it on the analogue sourced vinyl reissue (same one as in the Mono Box) and the PRT CD which sounds very similar. The Deluxe 2CD Edition sounds decent too and has a lot of neat previously unreleased songs.
    On the other hand the 1998 Sanctuary CD reissue is the worst sounding mastering I've ever heard - very tinny, screechy and bass-deficient. Avoid.
     
    Hombre and LeBon Bush like this.
  23. MikeM

    MikeM Senior Member

    Location:
    Youngstown, Ohio
    I could have written every one of the statements above. You've pretty much nailed exactly my take on The Kinks (outside of the selected even earlier songs I love, and there are many — plus all the great non-LP tracks on The Kinks Kronikles and The Great Lost Kinks Album). I too start to waver with Muswell Hillbillies and Everybody's in Show Biz, although they too have their fine moments.

    I respect those who feel differently, but I got off the bus with the rock operas. That plus 70s/80s production values ended it for me, but I'm passionate about all that came before.
     
    linclink likes this.
  24. vanhooserd

    vanhooserd Senior Member

    Location:
    Nashville,TN
    Great album. A bit raw & sloppy, but great. My 1999 Castle Music CD sounds terrible. Maybe it's the same as the 1998 Sanctuary. My 2001 Sanctuary CD of Kinda Kinks sounds considerably better.
     
    Nick Dunning likes this.
  25. Absolutely adore lots of songs on the earlier albums too!!! Just think this was their first full fledged great album.

    "Preservation Act I" has 3 or 4 great songs, but the decline already happening (starting with the still half truly great, last gasp of "Mushwell Hillbillies") goes into overdrive after that - with maybe a single great, or very good, song on lots of just not so good albums...

    ... and although I can put together a great comp CD-R/playlist of the best stuff from "Sleepwalker" to "Word Od Mouth"- it's still like with "Preservation Act I"- where we're talking about a few great songs on what are still just lesser (albeit better than what preceeded them) albums with so much also ran/filler material... though the high points alsi tend to be higher (as well as more frequent) than during the bottoming out stage/concept years or the sad trio of final albums.

    I dug Ray's 2 solo albums from the '00 decade much more than I expected to!! Both well worth it.... especially since the final 3 Kinks albums were as bad (if not worse) as any of their previous worst efforts. The most recent two Ray solo albums have some better songs, but aren't anywhere near the two I was so thrilled to really enjoy.
     
    Last edited: Feb 14, 2019
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine