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[Ovi]

I'm experimenting new music about every single day and even though I'm a very tolerant person, there are very few albums that REALLY impressed me. By impressing me, I mean giving me a different state of mind, much more than simply entertaining me. It's also the albums that I can listen to forever and ever without getting bored of. Because even though I heard the songs thousands of times, that feeling is still there on the record and will never go away. There are four records that had this kind of impact on me : "Sgt. Pepper's", "Abbey Road", "The Dark Side of The Moon" and "Pet Sounds".

I have been waiting since the summer ended for another record to fill in the empty space so that I could have five, let's say "all-time favourite records". That finally happened with The Kinks' "Village Preservation Society". What a great record that is, I listened to it daily or even 2,3 times a day for the last week. It's so nostalgic, so sincere, yet very interesting and quite different from what I've heard before. There isn't a bad song there. Even though the songs are kind of varied both musically and lyrically (we have songs about weird and lonely people, songs about lost friends and/or memories or about technology) they all seem to fit perfectly together. It's so pleasant, the "lazy sunday afternoon listen" kind of record. It also has a bit of humour here and there. All in all, it's been stuck in my head and in my playlsit and is definetly the record of the moment for me.

Any othere opinions on the 1968 record?

[Hombre_de_ningun_lugar]

I'm a huge fan of the Kinks and I think that The Village Green Preservation Society is their best album. The songwriting there is just excellent. The Kinks were one of the few bands that weren't ripping off the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's at the time (maybe that explains the lack of success of the record when it was released). I think their next album, Arthur, is musically more ambitious, but I find Village Green as a slightly better record, especially because of the songwriting (and Arthur still has great songs!). Usually people fall in one of two categories: they love the Kinks or don't know anything of them at all.

[BeatlesForever]

I'm a huge fan of THE KINKS also, I love THE KINKS ARE THE VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY album! I just heard it this last weekend. Here's one of the tracks from the album.

The Kinks - Wicked Annabella

 

[BeatlesForever]

Here's one from THE KINKS!

The Kinks - Father Christmas - HQ AUDIO / Christmas Version

[tkitna]

I'm another Kinks fan and I also love 'VGPS'. Many fans of the Kinks and music alike consider this to be their best album (although i'm partial to 'Something Else'), and it delivers. The great thing about the album is that its very interesting and enjoyable, but if I have any negative things to say about it, they would be that it sounds dated for 1968 and that its a bit sloppy musically and production speaking, as most Kinks efforts are. Other bands were making albums in 1968 that were leaps and bounds ahead of this one in my opinion (Beatles, Pretty Things, The Band, Zombies, Stones, Van Morrison, etc,,), but yet, I enjoy VGPS a bunch. Great record.

[Ovi]

I'm another Kinks fan and I also love 'VGPS'. Many fans of the Kinks and music alike consider this to be their best album (although i'm partial to 'Something Else'), and it delivers.

"Something Else" is a good album, too. It was my first Kinks album, but the truth is, it never really impressed me in such a manner as VGPS did. It's a wonderful collection of songs, with no weak one, but in my opinion it lacks that great atmosphere and feeling you get while listening to the '68 record.However, I like "Something Else" for having compositions and lead vocals(more than one) from both Ray and Dave Davies.

The great thing about the album is that its very interesting and enjoyable, but if I have any negative things to say about it, they would be that it sounds dated for 1968 and that its a bit sloppy musically and production speaking, as most Kinks efforts are. Other bands were making albums in 1968 that were leaps and bounds ahead of this one in my opinion (Beatles, Pretty Things, The Band, Zombies, Stones, Van Morrison, etc,,), but yet, I enjoy VGPS a bunch. Great record.

I agree, but wasn't that the whole point? Weren't The Kinks trying to make a somehow old fashioned album that would celebrate the old and peaceful village life?

[Ovi]

"Girl, it's a hard, hard world, if it gets you down
Dreams often fade and die in a bad, bad world.
Ill take you where real animals are playing"

"Walter, you are just an echo of a world I knew so long ago
If you saw me now you wouldn't even know my name.
I bet you're fat and married and you're always home in bed by half-past eight,
And if I talked about the old times you'd get bored and you'll have nothing more to say."

Wonderful lyrics.

[BeatlesForever]

Here's one from THE KINKS, lets rock out!

The Kinks - You really Got me (live) ! !

[Ovi]

I'm a huge fan of the Kinks

Hombre, I got a chance to explore their records a bit more since I made this thread. What do you think of their later albums? I like 'Athur' very much (almost as much as Village Green PS) and I think 'Lola' and 'Muswell Hillbillies' are great too. Recently, I listened to those Preservation Acts (1 and 2) convincing myself that they couldn't be that bad since I'm kind of a lyrics guy. After all those bad reviews I've read, I was pleasantly surprised. I really like the second act. But what's worth exploring beyond those albums? Have you listened to anything say, post 'Sleepwalker' ?

[Hombre_de_ningun_lugar]

Hombre, I got a chance to explore their records a bit more since I made this thread. What do you think of their later albums? I like 'Athur' very much (almost as much as Village Green PS) and I think 'Lola' and 'Muswell Hillbillies' are great too. Recently, I listened to those Preservation Acts (1 and 2) convincing myself that they couldn't be that bad since I'm kind of a lyrics guy. After all those bad reviews I've read, I was pleasantly surprised. I really like the second act. But what's worth exploring beyond those albums? Have you listened to anything say, post 'Sleepwalker' ?

Hi 5th Beatle. Despite being a fan of the Kinks, I must say that I've not listened to post-Muswell Hillbillies records, so I cannot help you there, sorry. Perhaps because of the bad reviews or the fact that I pay little attention to post-60's records (though the Kinks got my ears until 1971!). Few bands made me explore them beyond the 1960's; the Who is an exception (I love everything they did until 1978 and dig some stuff from early-80's), and even post-1972 Stones' records doesn't exist in my music world.

[peterbell1]

"Village Green" is a fabulous album - as 5th Beatle said in the original post ....it's an "album that I can listen to forever and ever without getting bored".
It's like The White Album - there is so much variety, both musical and lyrical.
And I love the whole "English-ness" of the songs, like Ray Davies is trying to invoke a sort of 1940s England - not just in the title song but through the whole album.

[Ovi]

Hi 5th Beatle. Despite being a fan of the Kinks, I must say that I've not listened to post-Muswell Hillbillies records, so I cannot help you there, sorry. Perhaps because of the bad reviews or the fact that I pay little attention to post-60's records (though the Kinks got my ears until 1971!). Few bands made me explore them beyond the 1960's; the Who is an exception (I love everything they did until 1978 and dig some stuff from early-80's), and even post-1972 Stones' records doesn't exist in my music world.

No problem, Hombre. I forgot you were a 60's guy.

"Village Green" is a fabulous album - as 5th Beatle said in the original post ....it's an "album that I can listen to forever and ever without getting bored".
It's like The White Album - there is so much variety, both musical and lyrical.
And I love the whole "English-ness" of the songs, like Ray Davies is trying to invoke a sort of 1940s England - not just in the title song but through the whole album.

I agree. And I'm still not bored with the album.

[Sir John Johns]

Love it, Love it, Love it - It just pips Face To Face as my favourite Kinks album.