Where's Picture Book on these lists? Props to @All Down The Line for including Big Sky. To me, those two are indispensable, but cutting to 25 is hard to be sure.
25 ain't enough! "Animal Farm" and "Do You Remember Walter?" stand out personally for me in the pantheon as Kwintessential Kinks Ksongs. The thing with my list is... I'd rather listen to ALL of VGPS and Arthur. Where as with the pre-Face-to-Face era, I'd rather listen to specific songs from Kinks, Kinda Kinks, and Kontroversy. So it's a bit more heavy on the earlier songs because of the "pick and choose" factor. Whereas later, just gimme the whole damn album. But then I'd take up all 25 spots with just VGPS and Arthur. I also realize I left off “Sunny Afternoon”. That needs to be there too. 25 is not enough…
Yes. I’ve adjusted my playlist philosophy (! if we’re talking heresy in this thread I may as well elevate my thought process to a philosophy) to a take-no-prisoners approach. I used to deliberately impose a cap; perhaps a six song maximum on a single album, and a few more on a double. Now, I’ll include anything I unequivocally like. If I hesitate...no. It doesn’t get included. So I have all but one song from Village Green firmly ensconced on my playlist. No more forced culling. I usually play on shuffle so that provides the difference (than just playing the album).
As far as the songs, rather than just a top 10, let me lay out my top 10 before we started this thread and the top 10 now, so we can see how my love for the kinks has changed thanks to the past few months of intense Kinks worship: Before: You Really Got Me Sunny afternoon Till the End of the Day Tired of Waiting for You All Day and All of the Night Victoria Set Me Free Days Stop Your Sobbing David Watts Obviously, mainly the biggest hits. How embarrassing! Now though: You Really Got Me (sorry, still #1, like Satisfaction, it may be overplayed but there is a reason, its just that great) Picture Book Dead End Street Time Will Tell I’m Not Like Everybody else Days Shangrila We Are The Village Green Preservation Society I Need You Waterloo Sunset Still focused on the hits to some extent, but that’s ok, sometimes the masses are not wrong. Not sure what this says other than, with only two holdovers from the original list, I am on a whole new level with my Kinks love affair!
Thanks to this great thread, I've been coming back to The Kinks recently and was struck (again) by the sheer genius of the mighty Ray.
Okay Okay you talk me into it I will rank: 1. FTF 2. (tied) the rest thru Lola But I will be thinking about Something Else By The KINKS next time in light of these discussions.
I almost typed an additional 12 songs following the 25 welcoming anyone to feel free to swap any of them into the original list so here it is: David Watts Picture Book Too Much On My Mind Where Have All The Good Times Gone Dead End Street Tired Of Waiting Village Green Yes Sir, No Sir I'll Remember This Is Where I Belong Afternoon Tea Big Black Smoke
I make it there are a clear 12 essentials thru 1968: You Really Got Me All Day Tired Of Waiting See My Friends Well Respected Man Dedicated Follower Sunny Afternoon Dead End Street Waterloo Sunset Autumn Almanac Wonderboy Days All on the Black Album
My top 25 of the 60s (in no particular order): See My Friend Come On Now I Need You This Strange Effect Too Much On My Mind Rainy Day in June Fancy Little Miss Queen of Darkness Dead End Street Big Black Smoke Two Sisters Situations Vacant Love Me Till the Sun Shines Lazy Old Sun Waterloo Sunset Lavender Hill Big Sky Johnny Thunder Wicked Annabella This Man He Weeps Tonight Mindless Child of Motherhood Some Mother’s Son Brainwashed Shangri-La Young and Innocent Days
My newly revised Face to Face tracklisting: This Is Where I Belong Rosie Won’t You Please Come Home? Dandy Too Much On My Mind Session Man Rainy Day in June A House In the Country Holiday In Waikiki Most Exclusive Residence For Sale Mr. Reporter [Ray version] Little Miss Queen Of Darkness I’m Not Like Everybody Else Sunny Afternoon Fancy Party Line EP Party Line You’re Looking Fine She’s Got Everything I’ll Remember
Ugh, those are hideous, but thanks for posting them! I agree that The Kinks Are Well Respected Men, good as it is, doesn't quite mop up all the fine songs that appeared on The Great Lost Kinks Album and Hidden Treasures (both of which I'm very glad to have), so if it were ever reissued in an expanded edition (even as part of a reimagined box set) perhaps it could do just that, but I'm not exactly holding my breath. I think if I were to take my "deep dive" over again, I might go the easier route for their studio stuff and just get the deluxe editions of the main albums where most of those stray tracks now apparently reside. While I did post a 10 favorites list earlier, I mentioned that my more comprehensive stab at a 25 "best of" might look a lot like Spotlight On The Kinks, which slightly tweaked ends up basically being: 1. You Really Got Me 2. Till The End Of The Day 3. Come On Now 4. Where Have All The Good Times Gone 5. See My Friends 6. All Day And All Of The Night 7. Tired Of Waiting 8. Dedicated Follower Of Fashion 9. Lazy Old Sun 10. Shangri-La 11. Do You Remember Walter? 12. Mr. Reporter 13. Sunny Afternoon 14. Dead End Street 15. Fancy 16. All of My Friends Were There 17. Well Respected Man 18. Waterloo Sunset 19. Rosemary Rose 20. Animal Farm 21. Rainy Day in June 22. She’s Got Everything 23. Big Sky 24. Autumn Almanac 25. Days
The rebroadcast of American Top 40 with Casey Kasem this weekend is from September 19, 1970 & "Lola" is at #36 this week, it's second week in the Top 40.
Here's another dive into the World Radio History website, this time from the Record Mirror. I'm limiting this to the 1960s since there are articles from the 70s & 80s. The first one is a wowser: https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/I...S-OCR-IDX-3.pdf#search="the kinks ray davies" https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/I...S-OCR-IDX-6.pdf#search="the kinks ray davies" https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/I...S-OCR-IDX-3.pdf#search="the kinks ray davies" https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/I...08-03-IDX-5.pdf#search="the kinks ray davies" https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/I...S-OCR-IDX-1.pdf#search="the kinks ray davies" https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/I...S-OCR-IDX-4.pdf#search="the kinks ray davies" https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/I...S-OCR-IDX-6.pdf#search="the kinks ray davies" https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/I...S-OCR-IDX-5.pdf#search="the kinks ray davies" https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/I...s-ocr-IDX-3.pdf#search="the kinks ray davies" https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/I...S-OCR-IDX-5.pdf#search="the kinks ray davies"
Here's some more Record Mirror articles: https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/I...08-31-IDX-7.pdf#search="the kinks ray davies" (Leapy Lee article) https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/I...S-OCR-IDX-3.pdf#search="the kinks ray davies" https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/I...-OCR-IDX-17.pdf#search="the kinks ray davies" https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/I...-OCR-IDX-16.pdf#search="the kinks ray davies"
Ray mentions that they have picked covers on a "couple occasions" from the "Authentic R&B" album. hm!! Indeed they have, in 1964. Slim Harpo's "I Got Love If You Want It", Lazy Lester's "I'm A Lover, Not A Fighter" and Jimmy Anderson's "Naggin' [Woman]" all come from this 1964 compilation on EMI's Stateside subsidiary label. Various - Authentic R & B
Telling us this without saying which songs you're taking out is cheating, pure and simple, and you know it !