I suspect I'll be in the minority here. I was in high school 1979-1983 and, I knew all of The Kinks popular radio singles, but I'd never heard an album straight-through. (I was just getting into albums then.) The first album I listened to start-to-finish was Give the People What They Want, which I still love - it might just be nostalgia but the combination of smart writing and punky attitude won me over. "Art Lover" is REALLY scary until you know what Ray's actually singing about. And "Better Things" is beautiful.
I subsequently made a long journey through The Kinks' catalog. I prefer the Sleepwalker through State of Confusion era (including One for the Road). I can listen to Misfits, Low Budget and GtPWTW at any time. I jumped off after SoC although I've heard Word of Mouth (OK), Road (meh) and To the Bone (pretty good). I also liked Ray's Other Peoples' Lives quite a bit.
I never listen to the first three (UK versions) but the singles from that era are stellar.
Face to Face gets a lot of praise but I never warmed to it. That said..."Sunny Afternoon" is probably my favorite Kinks song.
I like Something Else but IMO Village Green is the strongest, most satisfying thing The Kinks came out with up to that point. I don't dislike any of the songs and and I love how pastoral it is in light of the big psychedelic happenings going down at the time.
I have to confess I haven't spent a lot of time with Arthur or Lola. (This thread will help me rectify that!) Lola is worth the price for "Apeman" alone.
I get hugely back on-board with The Kinks on Muswell Hillibillies - there's no song that I skip when I listen to it. Ray sounds pretty close to the edge, lyrically, but he always keeps this wry, fragile, charming but dark-edged veneer to his songs.
I was much older when I found out about the theatrical concept albums. I've heard each several times. They're flawed, no question, and probably over-ambitious, but I honestly was and still am impressed but what the band did in that four album run - a true adventure into making "progressive" music. Adding the horns was a stroke of genius. The albums deserve way more consideration than they get. My favorite is probably Schoolboys.
I'll try to rank the albums (top ten) but it's hard.
Give the People What They Want
Misfits
Muswell Hillbillies
Village Green
Low Budget
Something Else
State of Confusion
Sleepwalker
Schoolboys in Disgrace
Lola
I've never listened to a Kinks album that didn't make me come away happy about something on it...
Bookmarks