Been relistening to The Kinks' RCA albums lately, and am surprised by how good they sound to me today. Much better than I remember them. I used to sort of tolerate these releases in The Kinks' katalogue ... I skipped around when playing them, sticking to the songs that stood more on their own and being a little irritated by the lyrics referring to a larger story that I wasn't terribly interested in. But for whatever reason, those albums suddenly sound quite nice now, and I've enjoyed sitting through the entire "shows" and getting the full experience. They're the work of a mature group at a high level of creativity and musicianship, but they're also a lot more raw and sharp than the slick arena sound the band later developed for their Arista period.
What is the ICE consensus on The Kinks' RCA years? Thumbs up or down?
For me, it's still a mixed bag. Muswell Hillbillies is one of my favorite Kinks albums, and I rank Schoolboys up high too. I really love Everybody’s in Show-Biz, but still dislike Soap Opera and the Preservation albums.
_________________ ~Dean~
If I had a million thumbs I'd twiddle, twiddle. But I just have two.
I love all of them, far more than the Arista albums. The lyrics are often pedantic and over explanatory, but I love the showtuney melodies, and the increased instrumental diversity, particularly on Soap Opera and Preservation. Vastly underrated albums.
Soap Opera is in my top 10 favorite Kinks albums (roughly in the 8-10 range). I like Preservation 1 and Schoolboys In Disgrace. Preservation 2 needed more listens, but it grew on me. This is a great underrated period in Kinks history. I wish I would've been old enough to see the concerts surrounding these albums.
Schoolboys hit me at just the right time, the year I graduated from high school. My brother (Dr. Jack) and I listened to it together, a lot. And it rocked solidly, presaging the Arista years.
Worked my way backwards from there, thanks to the cutout bins. I like Soap Opera. Never really got into the Preservation Act albums, still largely unfamiliar to me. "Celluloid Heroes" is an eternal classic, but the rest of the studio half of Everybody's in Show Biz is up and down, and I always felt cheated that the live record has about 1 minute's worth of "Lola," if that much. And I really enjoy Muswell Hillbillies these days.
_________________ "It's only rock & roll, but I like it!"
I like Muswell Hillbillies and Preservation 1 a lot. Preservation 2 has a few clunkers but overall I like it. I'm about half and half on Soap Opera and Schoolboys. Except for "Celluloid Heroes" and "Hot Potatoes" I don't care for ...Showbiz.
The whole koncept thing didn't really do much for me. I did see them a few times live when they did Preservation, and those shows were very good.
_________________ "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers
The Perservation lps are great - so it Schoolboys (I remember seeing them in Waterbury doing that lp in it's entirity. The only one I wasn't crazy about was Soap Opera - maybe my least favorite Kinks lps.
_________________ The Yankees win, THE YANKEES WINNNNN!!!! Most people wouldn't know music if it came up and bit them on the ass. FZ "Well, that kind of puts a damper on even a Yankee win." -- Yankees announcer Phil Rizzuto after reading a bulletin that Pope Paul VI had died
Schoolboys hit me at just the right time, the year I graduated from high school. My brother (Dr. Jack) and I listened to it together, a lot. And it rocked solidly, presaging the Arista years.
Worked my way backwards from there, thanks to the cutout bins.
Not a fan at the time, but like Jimbo, I kaught up with them during the latter part of the 80's through the bargain section. Muswell remains a kontender, and "Celluloid Heroes" is one of my all-time favorite Ray songs ever (although I often prefer the live version found on One For The Road). Overall, I usually listen to a kompilation of the RCA years more than the albums themselves.
And, I may be in the minority here, but I really like the Arista era of The Kinks -- lots of klassiks to be found there
Schoolboys hit me at just the right time, the year I graduated from high school. My brother (Dr. Jack) and I listened to it together, a lot. And it rocked solidly, presaging the Arista years.
Worked my way backwards from there, thanks to the cutout bins.
Not a fan at the time, but like Jimbo, I kaught up with them during the latter part of the 80's through the bargain section. Muswell remains a kontender, and "Celluloid Heroes" is one of my all-time favorite Ray songs ever (although I often prefer the live version found on One For The Road). Overall, I usually listen to a kompilation of the RCA years more than the albums themselves.
And, I may be in the minority here, but I really like the Arista era of The Kinks -- lots of klassiks to be found there
I find these RCA albums a tough listen and the Preservation albums are the worst to me.
There are some quality songs on each record, but they are not a fun listen (for me).
I LOVE the Arista years and I rank those albums very highly. For me, the Kinks 1964-71 and 1977-84 are the glory days.
_________________ "We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors."—College Basketball player Weldon Drew
Soap Opera is in my top 10 favorite Kinks albums (roughly in the 8-10 range). I like Preservation 1 and Schoolboys In Disgrace. Preservation 2 needed more listens, but it grew on me. This is a great underrated period in Kinks history. I wish I would've been old enough to see the concerts surrounding these albums.
Not the same as being there, but there are some live videos from that era. This is the best quality, an in-studio performance of Soap Opera done as a British television special called Starmaker:
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum
