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Irony laced the career of The Kinks how else to describe
how during their most creative period they were banned from
playing in America causing their impact to be a shadow of
what it had been when "You Really Got Me" broke. Due to
all the of scuffles on stage between Dave Davies, Mick Avory
and Ray Davies (although it was primarily between Mick and
Dave), the Musicians Union banned The Kinks from playing
onstage in the United States during Ray's most fertile period
as a writer. It might have been for the best though as Ray
was having a hard time with the demands of fame, touring
and putting together new material for a minimum of one album
a year, singles and EP's as per the contract they signed
with Pye Records. Ray didn't want to put out albums with
filler; inspired by his primary rivals The Beatles and the
Stones (and The Who to a lesser extent), he wanted to put
out albums filled with brilliant songs and, if there was
to be filler, it should be HIS filler still rivaling the
best of most other bands. ***
Sanctuary Records started puttting together deluxe
editions of The Kinks albums with "The Village Green Preservation
Society" which received a three CD deluxe edition supervised
by the well known archivist Andrew Sandoval ("Zombie Heaven",
The Monkees back catalog, The Beau Brummels) back in 2008
and then stopped as they were sold to Universal. Resuming
where he left off, Andrew jumped into the past to do the
band's first three albums first "You Really Got Me", "Kinda
Kinks" and "The Kink Kontroversey" as two CD deluxe editions
featuring the mono (in many cases previously unreleased),
stereo versions where they still existed (or, if a true
stereo version was never created sticking with the mono)
of the albums as well as assorted singles, EP's and previously
unreleased demos/alternate/backing takes to create the most
komplete version of those albums to date. Yes, some of them
were missing a song here or there that appeared on the previous
1998 (mostly hated due to the mastering) deluxe reissues
but, on the whole, these were the most comprehensive look
back at one of England's seminal and most important bands
of the British Invasion. ***
Andrew moved on to the band's three most popular and
critically well regarded albums (except for "Village Green"
which, as mentioned had previously been released) "Face
to Face" which found The Kinks moving on to make more complete
and consistent albums with an underlying theme that dominated
most of the album, "Something Else" one of the band's most
experimental albums with its mix of vaudville, psychedelic,
folk-rock styles and "Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of
the British Empire") what could be argued was an early rock
opera. Each one of these new releases feature both the mono
and stereo versions of the albums and, as with the previously
reissued deluxe editions, outtakes, b-sides, singles, backing
tracks as well as the occasional remix by Sandoval where
the original multi-track tracks exist. ---
Sound:
The remastering for these reissues benefit from the
use of first generation mastertapes where possible for these
releases. In some cases as bonus tracks Andrew Sandoval
went back to the multitracks to remix some tracks improving
the stereo imagining for some by either widening it or narrowing
it (depending on whether or noth the tapes he had to work
with featured instruments on primarily on one track and
vocals on another) to smooth out the overall presentation
of the sound. He doesn't replace the original mixes though;
they are here in all their glory. ***
There is some peak limiting used to raise the over
all volume of the quieter moments of the tracks--a concession
to our iPod and mp3 driven world but that doesn't impact
the over all sound of the albums all that much; each album
has nice dynamic range and although not quite as dynamic
as their precedessors, they have sharper, better defined
detail with Mr. Sandoval working with better source tapes
when compared to previous editions in almost all cases.
The mastering isn't harsh unlike the 1998 remasters that
were despised by many audiophiles. These remasters although
not perfect from a sound perspective do not suffer from
the extreme compression/loudness that have become a hallmark
of most remasters and retain much of their dynamic range.
It was a tightrope to remaster these to be sure in these
times where the louder a remaster is, the better the marketing
department of a record label thinks the presentation is
(even if they are idiots and don't realize the damage done
to the music in the process). Andrew Sandoval and Dan Hirsch
do a very good job of walking that tightrope creating albums
that can appeal to hardcore Kinks fans. In many respects,
these reissues have much in common with The Beatles remasters
issued in 2009 with the big difference being that Sandoval
has, in many instances, handled this material with even
greater sensitivity to fans' wishes. ---
What's Different?: "Face to Face" as mentioned found
Ray Davies beginning to peak as a songwriter. Opening with
the one-two punch of Dave Davies' "Party Line" (incorrectly
attributed to Ray alonge here--Dave wrote it according to
his autobiography)and "Rosie Won't You Please Come Home",
"Face to Face" the fourth album by The Kinks is in many
respects Ray Davies "Rubber Soul" or "Aftermath" (if we
want to compare Ray to the two biggest bands of his era);
the detailed songwriting and the focus on the small details
of life in the U.K. as well as its strong English flavor
make this an essential album for Kinks fans. ***
The deluxe edition features both the mono (disc one)and
stereo (disc two) mixes of the album. Most Kinks fans prefer
the mono version of the album but both have their merit.
The mixes differ slightly and provide a unique experience
individually. The album sounds better than it ever has with
the original mastertapes used where possible. Audiophile
should keep in mind though that this is louder than previous
editions but still manages to be quite dynamic. ***
Disc one also features the following bonus tracks:
"Dead End Street", "Big Black Smoke", "This Is Where I Belong",
"She's Got Everything" (an essential b-side)all of which
were singles/b-sides and all presented in mono. The first
disc is rounded out with alternate takes of "Little Miss
Queen of Darkness" and "Dead End Street" (in fact this is
the first unreleased version and sounds like it was transferred
from an acetate). ***
Disc two rounds up "This Is Where I Belong", "She's
Got Everything" (previously released on the U.S. "The Kinks
Kronikles" 2 disc set but from an inferior copy), "Big Black
Smoke" all in stereo. We also get alternate mixes for "You're
Lookin' Fine", "Sunny Afternoon", "Fancy" (with the vocal
curiously located firmly in the right speaker as opposed
to the more balanced sounding stereo version on the proper
album), "Little Miss Queen of Darkness" and "Dandy" all
remixed from the original 3 track mastertapes by Sandoval.
***
The band's sound changed ever so slightly with the
addition of John Dalton as bassist who replaced Pete Quaife.
Quaife took a break from the band after a car accident and,
reluctant to return at first, was persauded to appear on
the band's next album "Something Else" but was gone by "Arthur".
Although Quaife ( who passed away two years ago) neither
sang lead vocals nor wrote any songs his bass playing and
harmonies were an essential part of The Kinks sound. ---
Although comparisons often are inexact one could argue
that "Something Else by The Kinks" was the band's "Revolver";
the album mixes a variety of styles and The Kinks master
each of them completely. Disc one features the entire mono
album as well as the single tracks "Act Nice and Genlte",
"Mr. Pleasant", "Susannah's Still Alive", "Autumn Almanac".
The remainder of the album is fleshed out by the following
BBC tracks; "Summy Afternoon", "Autumn Almanac", "Mr. Pleasant",
"Susannah's Still Alive" (duplicating the singles included),
"David Watts". We also get previously unreleased alternate
mixes/versions of "David Watts", "Harry Rag" and the rare
"Afternoon Tea" from the Canadian mono mix of the album.
***
The previously released BBC tracks also appear--"Love
Me Till The Sun Shines", "Death of a Clown", "Good Luck
Charm" and "Harry Rag". ***
Disc two consists of the entire album in stereo as
well as the single tracks "Susannah's Still Live", "Autumn
Almanac". "Sand in My Shoe" an early working version with
completely different lyrics and a different musical performance
of "Tin Soldier Man" as well as alternate mixes of "Afternoon
Tea", "Mr. Pleasant", "Lazy Old Sun", "Funny Face" all remixed
by Andrew Sandoval for stereo. We also get the rare German
stereo mix of "Afternoon Tea" and an alternative backing
track of "Tin Soldier Man" discovered by Andrew and remixed
for stereo. ***
There's a great booklet included that discusses the
making of the album, the various tracks and includes the
recording dates (where known) for the various tracks on
the album. I should note, however, that there are some problems
with the booklet--it features html code that occasionally
appears which is curious--you would expect that those who
printed these up would recognize this and correct the problem.
***
This deluxe edtion of "Something Else" puts the original
U.S. version on Reprise to shame and is a step up for Kinks
fans. It's a shame that this is only available as an import
(Reprise which is owned by Warner owns the U.S. rights to
the album and refuses to cooperate with the UK label allowing
them to put out their own version here). ---
"Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)"
remains one of the band's greatest albums and, in its own
unique groundbreaking way, The Kinks' "Pepper" or "Santanic
Majesties" although it is more consistent and a BETTER album
than either one of those classics by (respectively) The
Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Released the same year as
"Tommy" it is, arguable, one of the first "rock operas"
about an ordinary man named Arthur who decides to escape
the United Kingdom after serving in World War II to Australia
allowing us to see his experience at war, dealing with the
bureaucracy and his attempt to find happiness in the growing
suburan middle class. While it may lack the flash of "Tommy",
it's easily as great and consistent an album as The Who's
well known rock opera. ***
"Arthur" remains one of Ray Davies' masterpieces. It
didn't sell well in the U.S. but it gained a cult following
among everyone who cared about music. This deluxe edition
helps redress some of the issues that blocked this great
album from receiving its due back in 1969. ***
Andrew Sandoval went back to the original master tapes,
dug around in the archives and done a splendid job of remastering
what he found (with Dan Hersh)for this latest CD edition.
Audiophiles should note that this is louder than previous
editions but Sandoval has done a nice job of balancing the
needs of the marketplace to that of the music listener;
these are NOT brickwalled and have nice dynamics. ***
Disc one and two consist of the original (respectively)
mono and stereo versions of the album. Which one you prefer
will probably depend on which one you heard first but both
have some minor, subtle variations in their mixes that make
them both essential for hardcore Kinks fans. PLEASE NOTE:
On the mono version of "This Man He Weeps Tonight" there
appear to be clicks and pops as if the digital file was
corrupted somehow. Just be aware of it and hopefully Universal
will fix it in the next pressing. ***
Both discs are rounded out by a variety of single b-sides/alternate
takes/backing tracks and outtakes. Disc one includes the
single "Plastic Man" along with the Dave Davies penned songs
"This Man He Weeps Tonight", "Mindless Child of Motherhood"
(a b-side for an "Arthur" album track), "Creeping Jean",
"Lincoln County" and "Hold My Hand" all in their original
mono mixes. Added on are BBC tracks recorded to promote
the album in the U.K. including "Arthur", "Mr. Churchill
Says" and "Victoria" all of which have some subtle differences
from their album tracks (since the vocals were usually re-recorded
for the BBC and, in some cases, the entire track was recorded).
Curiously, "There Is No Life Without Love" the b-side to
the Dave Davies' single "Lincoln County" (included here)
is NOT included; according to Andrew Sandoval it is being
held for a "later release" (one can only assume that to
be "Lola vs. Powermanandmoneygoround" deluxe that is forthcoming)
because, from a chronological perspective, it didn't belong
there (again, according to an email response I received
fron Mr. Sandoval). ***
As with 1967 Dave was continuing to develop as a songwriter
and while his material didn't fit into Ray's vision for
"Arthur", Dave did record a number of songs destined for
singles and, eventually, a solo album (which eventually
appeared as "The Album That Never Was" consisting of previously
unreleased material as well as material for "Something Else"
and the b-sides of singles for the songs from "Arthur").
"Mindless Child of Motherhood" a brilliant b-side (for "Victoria")
demonstrated that Dave had found his own unique voice as
a songwriter. Although not as prolific as Ray he could,
at his very best, equal Ray as a very different songwriter
focusing on different themes and with a very different approach
to his writing compared to Ray. ***
Disc two features "Plastic Band", "This Man He Weeps
Tonight", "Mindless Child of Motherhood", "Hold My Hand"
(an alternate stereo mix), "Lincoln County" and an alternate
mix of "Mr. Shoemaker's Daughter" (also penned by Dave).
We also get an unreleased stereo mix of "Mr. Reporter" a
tune that Ray wrote for Dave's solo album which was ultimately
not released back in the 1960's. We get "Drivin'" in an
alternate mix that's fascinating to listen to and the backing
track for "Shangri La" at its full 5 minute plus length.
The latter two have never been released before. ***
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