Post by Brian on Jul 28, 2022 23:37:54 GMT -8
If each page view weighed a pound, my threads about the first three 50th anniversary deluxe box sets by the Kinks are nearing a ton of clicks, amazing for this message board. The three albums that anchored the box sets representing 1968 to 1970 are not only among Ray and Dave Davies' finest work, they also bear the longest titles in their group's catalog, so I'll refer to each of them by their nicknames: Village Green, their greatest achievement; Arthur, the first rock story album (not "Tommy" by the Who); and Lola, which justly returned the Kinks to the top of the pops on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. I think those threads hold up well -- and very few of the You Tube video embeds I posted have been taken down so far.
After the success of "Lola," the Kinks handed their British and American labels a mostly instrumental soundtrack album, "Percy," to fulfill their contracts then signed with RCA Records. "Muswell Hillbillies," their first RCA release in 1971, was a surprise because it sounded like some English dudes had made a Pure Prairie League album, but I've come to adore it over the decades. The next album marked the beginning of a steep decline in Ray's songwriting powers. The only thing still worth hearing on "Everybody's in Show-Biz - Everybody's a Star" is "Celluloid Heroes," one of Ray's most popular songs.
BMG released this "brand new edit" of the U.S. single version on Wednesday.
I'm trying to figure out whether there is any reason to buy this monstrosity on preorder by September 9. BMG's website offers little guidance -- and no track lists for the many redundant LP's and CD's:
store.thekinks.info/browse/the-kinks-usa/products/muswell-hillbillies-slash-everybodys-in-show-biz-everybodys-a-star-deluxe-box-set
After the success of "Lola," the Kinks handed their British and American labels a mostly instrumental soundtrack album, "Percy," to fulfill their contracts then signed with RCA Records. "Muswell Hillbillies," their first RCA release in 1971, was a surprise because it sounded like some English dudes had made a Pure Prairie League album, but I've come to adore it over the decades. The next album marked the beginning of a steep decline in Ray's songwriting powers. The only thing still worth hearing on "Everybody's in Show-Biz - Everybody's a Star" is "Celluloid Heroes," one of Ray's most popular songs.
BMG released this "brand new edit" of the U.S. single version on Wednesday.
I'm trying to figure out whether there is any reason to buy this monstrosity on preorder by September 9. BMG's website offers little guidance -- and no track lists for the many redundant LP's and CD's:
store.thekinks.info/browse/the-kinks-usa/products/muswell-hillbillies-slash-everybodys-in-show-biz-everybodys-a-star-deluxe-box-set