THE KINKS/LOW BUDGET AB 4240 (-79) US DJ COPY

                                                                                  

 To my taste Kinks was one of the catchiest bands of the sixties and early seventies. After that I lost close contact, but curious to hear what came later on. This was their eighteeth studio album. It did well in the US, reaching #11 on Billboard, but not that ok in UK. As I've been told earlier it's a mix of punk and arena rock which might be fine, but I'm also interested if it has some of the old style gripping stories and melodies. Listening though now this is not The Kinks I expected from 1979. Gone are the sweet melodies and the empathic lyrics, instead I get something harder hitting, not offering an excess of catchy moments, but it sure makes me sit straight in the listening chair. Far from elaborate masterpieces as "Village Green..." or "Muswell Hillbillies", instead back to basics with some reminding of the early days and stuff that eventually would earn them epithets as "first hard rock band" or "fathers of punk". Much of it up-tempo rock and even if not as downright catchy as before certainly good listening. Also the audio is excellent allowing me to get in. It all sticks very well together, but if to choose some favorite tracks it'd be  "Attitude", "Moving Pictures" and "Low Budget".  Issued and reissued pretty much all over the world on vinyl and CD through the years, also as US, reel, cassette and 8-track. Japan 2013 CD on Konk (UICY-25364) came with three extended edits as bonus. This US DJ copy differs a little from the official ones I've seen since it is without tracklisting on rear sleeve. Maybe an early draft, then changed for stock ones. It should also have a lyric inner, sadly missing with this copy. (YZÄ*)  (KYX*)