Soap Opera (album)

Soap Opera
Studio album by The Kinks
Released	May 16, 1975
Recorded	August 1974 - October 1974 at Konk Studios, London
Genre	Rock
Length	37:30
Label	RCA
Producer	Ray Davies
The Kinks chronology
Preservation Act 2 (1974) Soap Opera (1975) Schoolboys in Disgrace (1975)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Blender
Robert Christgau	C+
Rolling Stone	(unfavourable)

Soap Opera or The Kinks Present a Soap Opera is a 1975 concept album by The Kinks.

It tells the story of a musician named Starmaker who changes places with an "ordinary man" named Norman in order to better understand life. The album is the third concept album in the band's "theatrical period". Starmaker goes to bed with Norman's wife Andrea and then goes to work the next day, getting caught in the rush hour. He works 9 to 5, then goes down to the bar for a few drinks before making his way home. He then is greeted by Andrea whom he tells is "making it all worthwhile". By this point Starmaker has lost his grip on reality, he doesn't know who he is anymore. In the end he settles down with Andrea, accepting that he is now just "a face in the crowd". The album finishes by saying that although rock stars may fade, their music lives on.

The Starmaker is a parallel exaggeration of Ray Davies, he would often use his name in the stage version on Soap Opera and perform previous top Kinks songs as examples of his work as a star to explain that he is not Norman.^{[citation needed]}

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Ray Davies. 

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)"	2:57
2.	"Ordinary People"	3:49
3.	"Rush Hour Blues"	4:27
4.	"Nine to Five"	1:48
5.	"When Work Is Over"	2:06
6.	"Have Another Drink"	2:41

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Underneath the Neon Sign"	3:53
2.	"Holiday Romance"	3:10
3.	"You Make It All Worthwhile"	3:49
4.	"Ducks on the Wall"	3:20
5.	"(A) Face in the Crowd"	2:17
6.	"You Can't Stop the Music"	3:12

1998 CD reissue bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
13.	"Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)" (single version)	2:54
14.	"Ordinary People" (live)	3:44
15.	"You Make It All Worthwhile" (live)	4:17
16.	"Underneath the Neon Sign" (live)	4:05

Personnel

• Ray Davies - vocals, guitar
• Dave Davies - guitar, vocals
• John Dalton - bass
• John Gosling - keyboards
• Mick Avory - drums

References

• Kinks, The – Soap Opera at Discogs (list of releases)