1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - #97. The Kinks - Something Else By The Kinks (1967)

The Kinks - Something Else By The Kinks (1967)

Label – Pye
Producer – Ray Davies and Shel Talmy
Art Direction – Pye Records Studios
Nationality –UK
Running Time –36:26

Track Listing (standout tracks listed in bold)

1. David Watts
2. Death Of A Clown
3. Two Sisters
4. No Return
5. Harry Rag
6. Tin Soldier Man
7. Situation Vacant
8. Love Me Till The Sun Shines
9. Lazy Old Sun
10. Afternoon Tea
11. Funny Face
12. End Of The Season
13. Waterloo Sunset

Now this was a great record!! 13 classic British pop songs from the Kinks. The Kinks never rock very hard on the album, preferring acoustic ballads, music hall numbers, and tempered R&B to full-out guitar attacks. Part of the album's power lies in its calm music, since it provides an elegant support for Davies' character portraits. From the stomp of "David Watts" to "Waterloo Sunset," there is really not a weak track on the record. "Two Sisters," "End of the Season," the rolling "Lazy Old Sun," and "Situation Vacant" -- are all just great tracks. “Something Else” is a fascinating album with the emergence of Dave Davies as a truly talented songwriter. These are not your standard songs trying to be hit singles. In fact, the album title may come from Davies' appeal to the Kinks' management in the summer of 1967 that he wanted to do "something else" besides writing hit singles. It also marks the final involvement of American producer Shel Talmy in the Kinks' 1960s studio recordings, and from this point on Ray Davies would assume recording production credits.
The album sold poorly in the UK, and not to be outdone, it also sold poorly in the United States. The record does have a strong British theme and also the group was still the subject of a U.S. ban on live and television performances. Critics at the time mainly gave the record very positive reviews. Many years on in 2003, the album was ranked number 288 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, finally getting some overdue recognition. It is HIGHLY recommended.

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You can purchase the CD here.

ABSOLUTE ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR APRIL 24
Doug Clifford of Creedence Clearwater Revival is 64; Glen Cornick of Jethro Tull is 62; Boris Williams of the Cure is 52; Billy Gould of Faith No More is 46; Aaron Comess of the Spin Doctors is 41;

ON THIS DATE
1961 Bob Dylan plays harmonica on Harry Belafonte’s “Midnight Special” earning $50
1970 Grace Slick is invited to the White House by Tricia Nixon. She is escorted by Abbie Hoffman, who is not allowed by the Secret Service to enter, therefore they leave
1984 Jerry Lee Lewis marries Kerrie McCarver, his sixth wife
1989 Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty is released
1992 David Bowie marries fashion model Iman

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