This very affordable collection has reminded me of how much fun the seventies were. Unaccountably, the listening public, with rare exceptions, failed to accept these groundbreaking offerings, and they were met with indifference. I just don't get it. The beauty of the individual song CELLULOID HEROES, the totality of MUSWELL HILLBILLIES, the comedic genius of SOAP OPERA, and the on-going adventure and political drama of SCHOOLBOYS IN DISGRACE and the two PRESERVATION ACT albums combine to make contemporary music seem boring. As a true fan of Ray Davies and the Kinks, I can only hope that this set will lead to a few adventurous listeners to discover how creative and artistic music can be.
Normally I would not bash another reviewer, but her comments are uninformed and foolish. This download contains six complete albums, in order, covering everything The Kinks released while they were signed to RCA. It really is a steal for the price. I owned most of these on vinyl when they were released and purchased the few that were available on CD later. For Kinks fans (like myself) to get all six in one download is great. These recordings represent much of the (already begun) second phase of The Kinks career, so it is a complete re-invention from the brit-invasion, pop sound.
By the way, for phase three: Corporate/Arena rock, get The Kinks Arista Years (another great deal).
These are mostly theatrical concept albums. Since each track is moving a story forward, there are not a lot of songs that work as stand-alone singles. So yes, they are not very commercial and therefore unknown and under-appreciated by some (like Katherine), but they are by no means junk.
If you give these albums a chance, you'll find the same superb, clever lyrics that The Kinks are known for. The tunes are well crafted. The production values are solid.
The download simply lists them as disc one, two, three... Here is what you are actually getting:
Disc 1 - Muswell Hillbillies
Disc 2 - Everybody's in Showbiz (half studio, half live concert)
Disc 3 - Preservation Act One
Disc 4 - Preservation Act Two
Disc 5 - Soap Opera
Disc 6 - Schoolboys in Disgrace
The Kinks have been a very prolific band throughout the years and this download is an excellent value. I say, "Get it."
This is a collection of probably the worst songs the Kinks ever recorded. Covering the seventies and eighties, the cd coordinator managed to find obscure songs not worth hearing to recognizable dial changers. Huge waste of money. Once you open it you're stuck with it.
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