Why weren't the Kinks ever knighted? My goodness, they are far and...what? Oh, Ray Davies was? Nevermind. Anyway, anyone who doesn't love and adore the Kinks doesn't know this album. It contains everything that makes them Britain's second-greatest band ever.
Or third. My point is that this is well worth having in your collection for "Sunny Afternoon" alone. But here Sir Ray was way over the hard-rocking Kinks thing and onto something new – skewering English suburban life and values as only he can do. This poorly selling album was the beginning of my favorite period of the Kinks, which includes all albums up until they had a hit again in 1971 with "Lola." This album was cut in 1966, the beginning of what I call the "nobody's-paying-any-attention-to-the-Kinks-anymore" period. But I've got all those albums, and this one is the best.
So make haste to your local vinyl purveyor tomorrow, wear something polyester and somewhat gamey, and show your support for US petroleum industry by-products!
