Their eleventh studio album. It wasn't well recieved by critics and sold poorly, not charting in UK and only reaching #177 in US. Even Kinks fans slandered it for being too theatrical and not enough rock'n'roll. I don't understand any of that. It's the same old Kinks in very good shape. Thematically it's a continuation of "Village Green", while the represented genres, audio and atmosphere are a lot like on "Muswell Hillbillies" or "Everybody's In Showbiz". Ray Davies was one of Britains best songwriters at the time and here's no exception. Touching melodies and insightful lyrics about life in England then and before. At a time when guitar riffs and custom made hits started to rule the charts, aiming at the public's lower instincts, Davies persisted in writing personal songs about real people and real problems from an insiders point of veiw. When recording the previous "Muswell Hillbillies" and "Everybody's In Showbiz" 10 year old microphones were used to get a more antique feel. I get the same cozy audio here, so it's probably the same set-up. Much of the backing is acoustic and some of the tracks are accompanied in a traditional British brassband style, giving it an almost ageless quality. Fans and critics may have considered it out of time back then, but fortyone years later it still sounds fresh and inviting so I guess time has caught up. Favorite tracks - "Daylight", "Where Are They Now?" and "Sitting In The Mid-Day Sun". First US on RCA (LPL-1 5002). CD issues on Velvel/Konk came with single edits as bonus cuts. Premiere UK had label as shown here and thin matt cover. (KYX*)
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