The Kinks - Album by Album (song by song)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mark winstanley, Apr 4, 2021.

  1. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I'm not sure how much anybody will have to say about these releases, but there do seem to be some interesting things about them. Also we have the unreleased track up there as well, which will not likely get too much attention, but some may want to pipe in about it.

    In order to not get too much cross talk, I am going to leave it there today, and post Face To Face tomorrow, so that it has its own space for discussion.

    I do wonder if these compilations were put out to keep the band in the public eye while Ray gathered himself and recovered.... also giving him time to get together some more songs in the meantime.

    Anyway a few interesting things to look at today with these releases, and to some degree, although of slightly lesser importance, it gives anyone lagging behind a chance to catch up for tomorrows discussion on Face To Face.

    I hope that's cool with everyone.

    Cheers
    Mark
     
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  2. FJFP

    FJFP Host for the 'Mixology' Mix Differences Podcast

    Looking over these releases, there's a few things to keep in mind:

    Dedicated Kinks - This EP is hard to pick up these days, which says a lot about it's sales. Labels would churn out EPs at random points, and this is no exception. I think some of these tracks must've seemed old hat by this time.

    Greatest Hits - A US only release, this has nothing to do with the band's decisions. It was very common for Greatest Hits for groups to be released frequently in the US it seems, going by the large amount of similar ones for other artists after about 1 year on the charts! Regardless, it's a nice little early hits collection, and there's something fascinating about the fake stereo processing on the whole LP, mostly with layers and layers of added echo. Well Respected Man at the bottom of the well? Sure!

    Well Respected Kinks - Pye started churning out these budget priced comps for their artists on their budget label Marble Arch, and they're great grab bags of a-sides, b-sides, and EP tracks, and always sound great in my experience, especially with only 5 tracks on each side. I'm sure these sold well as they cost far less than other Kinks LPs, which makes me wonder why LPs weren't just a bit cheaper in the UK to begin with. Very strange.
     
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  3. LX200GPS

    LX200GPS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Somewhere Else
    I held this album in my hands many times when browsing the record shops in the early 1970's but I never bought it. It was one of the few US imports along with VGPS, which I did buy, and Live Kinks, available at the time. I would imagine the sound is pretty dire. Anyone confirm?
     
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  4. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    I love that Dedicated Kinks sleeve, one of their better ones. (I know it's an adaptation of the Kontroversy art but it still looks good in it's own way). The pictures on the back are really cool too.. don't think I'd seen them before.
     
  5. ARL

    ARL Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    Yep - Face To Face will be great tomorrow - certainly better than introducing an album on the Saturday, leaving us itching to start discussing the tracks on the "day of rest"! :)

    It's quite possible that Well Respected Kinks was the first Kinks album I ever heard. I was in my first year at university in 1984, and discovered that the Student's Union had a record library. I got myself a portable record player for my room, and started discovering rock's back catalogue! Began with some 60s bands, and it's probable that Well Respected Kinks was one of first records I borrowed, knowing very little about them at the time. I obviously liked what I heard, as it progressed from there to owning a couple of compilations, to eventually owning all the Pye albums. Before I left university, some of the old library records were being sold off, so I actually own that copy of Well Respected Kinks to this day! Not in very good condition, as you might imagine.
     
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  6. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I thought it was a pretty good looking sleeve.
    The pipe on the back made me chuckle :)
     
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  7. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    A more than solid EP, I have the Australian equivalent.
     
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  8. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    I 'm not actually sure if the amendment was done before any UK singles with the original lyric had been pressed. It could be that just UK promos had the original lyric . Also I'm assuming the US/international versions of the single never had the Cherry Cola amendment. But I'm no expert on single variations. Anyone able to confirm?
     
  9. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    How about the mono copy though?
     
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  10. LX200GPS

    LX200GPS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Somewhere Else
    This is the odd one out of the series isn't it?

    1. A Well Respected Man wasn't a single in the UK.
    2. The album title wasn't named after the actual song like the other two in the series.

    What's Dave done to his hair?
     
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  11. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I'm sure we'll get plenty of chat about the Lola lyric (Kontoversy) when we get there :)
    I always thought it was an odd unnecessary change
     
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  12. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I have no idea there. I can only go by the info I find
     
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  13. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I don't know.
    Looking through some pic's of the era though, Dave seems to have followed a few unusual hair fashions during the sixties...
    He was still pretty young though, so it kind of makes sense that he would.
     
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  14. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    My US Mono copy purchased last year sounds fine.
     
  15. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    Re: US Greatest Hits LP (In Mono)
    Just thought it needs mention after all the electronically produced fake stereo talk may make people think it is their only choice for a vintage US LP.
     
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  16. LX200GPS

    LX200GPS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Somewhere Else
    I read an interview once when Ray was moaning about PYE releasing this stuff. He was saying that the band would release an album and then PYE would put out a cheap version and so the public would naturally opt for the cheaper album and leave the proper album on the shelf.

    I also read an interview where he praised PYE for their efficiency in selling product. I think the Kinks were the 3rd biggest seller on the label.
     
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  17. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Good call mate... when it comes to that kind of thing, I seriously rely on you guys to keep us informed :)
     
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  18. FJFP

    FJFP Host for the 'Mixology' Mix Differences Podcast

    Other two? Of the Marble Arch LPs, the three are:

    Well Respected Kinks
    Sunny Afternoon
    Kinda Kinks (re-issue of said album).

    Once they move to the budget Hallmark label is where the 'Lola' comp comes in, which duplicates some tracks from these previous albums - I see it as a separate chain.
     
  19. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    The record company policies on that kind of thing, really do seem to come down to the individual record companies...
    RCA had the Camden label for similar things..... budget albums that were available in supermarkets for impulse buying and such.....
    It can lead to a lot of sales, but not necessarily of the best albums. Elvis Presley is a prime example of this, with several budget albums selling a lot better than some classic albums....
    I guess that's just business....
     
  20. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Pathetically nerdy I know, but I always wish there had been a 3rd Marble Arch comp around about 1969 mopping up the 67-68 non LP tracks and some other orphan tracks like their first 2 did. Call it 'Waterloo Sunset' (got to sell it on the biggest hit!) and have a tracklisting like this:

    Waterloo Sunset
    Act Nice And Gentle
    Wonderboy
    Polly
    Who'll Be The Next In Line

    Mr Pleasant
    Autumn Almanac
    Everybody's Gonna Be Happy
    She's Got Everything
    Days
     
  21. FJFP

    FJFP Host for the 'Mixology' Mix Differences Podcast

    The dream
     
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  22. LX200GPS

    LX200GPS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Somewhere Else
    Thanks, I didn't realise Kinda was also a Marble Arch re-release. I have never seen that one and always assumed there were just the three with two of them named after the relevant hits.
     
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  23. LX200GPS

    LX200GPS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Somewhere Else
    You forgot Lola. That makes four.
     
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  24. FJFP

    FJFP Host for the 'Mixology' Mix Differences Podcast

    As noted, Lola was a Pickwick/Hallmark comp. I know it's just an evolution of the same label, but as it came out a few years later (1971) than the last Marble Arch comp, it feels like part of a different set to me: https://www.discogs.com/The-Kinks-Lola/release/492709
     
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  25. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Yeah.. interestingly, the 'Lola' album is pretty much compiled from the content of the 3 Marble Arch LPs with 'Lola' appended at the front to sell it as it was the recent hit.
     

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