The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society

Untitled

The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society is a pop-rock album released by the English music group The Kinks on 22 November 1968.

Production

Songwriter and band leader Ray Davies crafted the concept album as a gentle homage to English hamlet life and, by extension, to the innocence and idealization of past times and people. The songs were assembled from material recorded over a two year period prior to the album's release, as Davies moved away from producing commercial hit singles and into a more personal, nostalgic style of songwriting. Many of the songs recorded prior to the early summer of 1968 may have originally been intended for a Ray Davies solo album and/or stage show related to the loose "village green" theme, because Davies was unsure whether they fit the Kinks' musical image and style. But as the concept progressed, and as the Kinks' commercial fortunes declined in 1968, the album was completed as a full-fledged Kinks project. Davies tinkered with the album until the last possible minute; he even halted the production of an early release version to revamp the song selection.

Template:Sound sample box align leftTemplate:Sample box end The album theme was inspired by a track recorded by the band in November 1966, "Village Green", which was inspired by the Kinks' performances near rustic Devon, England in late 1966 (Davies has also stated that Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood was an indirect inspiration for the concept). This song neatly sums up the album's broad theme: "I miss the village green, and all the simple people..." In addition to nostalgia, the album's songs touch on a wide range of emotions and experiences, from lost friends ("Do You Remember Walter"), memories ("People Take Pictures of Each Other", "Picture Book"), bucolic escape ("Animal Farm"), social marginalization ("Johnny Thunder", "Wicked Annabella"), public embarrassment ("All of My Friends Were There"), childlike fantasy ("Phenomenal Cat"), straying from home ("Starstruck") and stoical acceptance of life ("Big Sky", "Sitting By the Riverside"). Davies did not compose many of the songs to fit the predetermined theme of the album, rather their commonality developed naturally from his nostalgic songwriting interests at the time. The title track, one of the last written and recorded (in August 1968), effectively unifies the songs through an appeal to preserve a litany of sentimental objects, experiences, and fictional characters from progress and modern indifference: "God save little shops, china cups, and virginity". This last lyric inspired the slogan, "God save the Kinks" which was used in the US promotion for the album, and was associated with the band through the 1970s.

Session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins contributed significantly to the album. With the exception of true orchestral backing on the early "Village Green" track, the string and woodwind backings on such tracks as "Animal Farm", "Days", "Starstruck" and "Phenomenal Cat" were simulated by the Mellotron, played by both Hopkins and Ray Davies.

Reception

The record sold poorly upon its initial release and was ignored by pop music audiences. A contributing factor was that none of the album's songs proved viable as a single ("Days", a modest UK hit for the band in the summer of 1968, was originally intended for inclusion in the album but was released independently after the failed single "Wonderboy"). The album was also stylistically out of step with the music trends of the day and its failure was indicative of the Kinks' commercial decline during this period.

However, the record soon achieved a cult status as one of the band's best and most loved albums. Davies' timing with the album's nostalgic concept proved to be just out of step, but it soon gained a much greater mainstream appeal.

Follow-up

From its inception, Davies seems to have considered the album for stage presentation and its general theme served to inspire the Kink's more ambitious, but less popular, two-part theatrical work "Preservation" in 1972–1974. A 2004 three-disc reissue package of the album includes a history of the evolution of the record and a wealth of alternate mixes, bonus tracks and rare material. The album was also the subject of a 2003 book by Andy Miller.

Track listing

All songs by Ray Davies, unless otherwise noted.

UK and U.S. version

Side one

1. "The Village Green Preservation Society" – 2:45
2. "Do You Remember, Walter?" – 2:23
3. "Picture Book" – 2:34
4. "Johnny Thunder" – 2:28
5. "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" – 4:03
6. "Big Sky" – 2:49
7. "Sitting by the Riverside" – 2:21

Side two

1. "Animal Farm" – 2:57
2. "Village Green" – 2:08
3. "Starstruck" – 2:18
4. "Phenomenal Cat" (misspelled "Phenominal" on the LP sleeve) – 2:34
5. "All of My Friends Were There" – 2:23
6. "Wicked Annabella" – 2:40
7. "Monica" – 2:13
8. "People Take Pictures of Each Other" – 2:10

Original European 12-song version

Side one

1. "The Village Green Preservation Society"
2. "Do You Remember Walter?"
3. "Picture Book"
4. "Johnny Thunder"
5. "Phenomenal Cat"
6. "Days"

Side two

1. "Village Green"
2. "Mr. Songbird"
3. "Wicked Annabella"
4. "Starstruck"
5. "Monica"
6. "People Take Pictures of Each Other"

This 12-song version was Ray's initial intended release for the European market. It was released in France, Sweden and Norway in October 1968; it was also released in New Zealand (December 1968) and Italy (January 1969).[1] Ray and Pye had it withdrawn before it was manufactured for UK release and the re-jigged 15-song version was released there (22 November 1968) and in the U.S. (January 1969). Apart from sequencing, this early version differs by the absence of "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains", "Big Sky", "Sitting by the Riverside", "Animal Farm" and "All of My Friends Were There"; and the inclusion of "Mr. Songbird" and "Days" (the latter a #12 hit single in the UK released in June 1968). The stereo mixes of "Do You Remember Walter" and "People Take Pictures of Each Other" were slightly different.

The unreleased Four More Respected Gentlemen

In parallel with the 12-song European version, Ray and Reprise Records (the band's US label) initially intended to release an 11-song album for the American market called Four More Respected Gentlemen. The unreleased album was even given a Reprise serial number (RS 6309). However, Reprise at some point decided that the 15-track UK "Village Green" album was suitable for the US market and cancelled plans for this album. The track listing would have consisted of:

Side one

1. "She's Got Everything"
2. "Monica"
3. "Mr. Songbird"
4. "Johnny Thunder"
5. "Polly"
6. "Days"

Side two

1. "Animal Farm"
2. "Berkeley Mews"
3. "Picture Book"
4. "Phenomenal Cat"
5. "Misty Water"

When originally sent to Reprise, the album was also to include the following tracks:

1. "Autumn Almanac"
2. "Did You See His Name"
3. "There Is No Life Without Love"
4. "Susannah’s Still Alive"

These songs, however, were pulled from the album before the final master was compiled.

1998 Castle Communications Release

This was released in 1998 on Essential ESM CD 481 (Essential is a subdivision of Castle Communications plc). Tracks 1-15 were released on 22 November 1968 on Pye NPL 18233 and tracks 16-27 were scheduled for release on 27 September 1968 on Pye NPSL 18233 (stereo). Track 28 is the mono single version of "Days".

1. "The Village Green Preservation Society"
2. "Do You Remember Walter?"
3. "Picture Book"
4. "Johnny Thunder"
5. "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains"
6. "Big Sky"
7. "Sitting by the Riverside"
8. "Animal Farm"
9. "Village Green"
10. "Starstruck"
11. "Phenomenal Cat"
12. "All of My Friends Were There"
13. "Wicked Annabella"
14. "Monica"
15. "People Take Pictures of Each Other"
16. "The Village Green Preservation Society"
17. "Do You Remember Walter?"
18. "Picture Book"
19. "Johnny Thunder"
20. "Monica"
21. "Days"
22. "Village Green"
23. "Mr. Songbird"
24. "Wicked Annabella"
25. "Starstruck"
26. "Phenomenal Cat"
27. "People Take Pictures of Each Other"
28. "Days" (mono single)

2004 Sanctuary Records special deluxe edition

Disc one (stereo)

1. "The Village Green Preservation Society"
2. "Do You Remember Walter?"
3. "Picture Book"
4. "Johnny Thunder"
5. "Last of the Steam Powered Trains"
6. "Big Sky"
7. "Sitting by the Riverside"
8. "Animal Farm"
9. "Village Green"
10. "Starstruck"
11. "Phenomenal Cat"
12. "All of My Friends Were There"
13. "Wicked Annabella"
14. "Monica"
15. "People Take Pictures of Each Other"
16. "Mr. Songbird" (bonus track, from 12 track edition)
17. "Days" (bonus track, from Single & 12 track edition)
18. "Do You Remember Walter?" (bonus track, original stereo mix from 12 track edition)
19. "People Take Pictures of Each Other" (bonus track, original stereo mix from 12 track edition)

Disc two (mono)

1. "The Village Green Preservation Society"
2. "Do You Remember Walter?"
3. "Picture Book"
4. "Johnny Thunder"
5. "Last of the Steam Powered Trains"
6. "Big Sky"
7. "Sitting by the Riverside"
8. "Animal Farm"
9. "Village Green"
10. "Starstruck"
11. "Phenomenal Cat"
12. "All of My Friends Were There"
13. "Wicked Annabella"
14. "Monica"
15. "People Take Pictures of Each Other"
16. "Days" (bonus track)
17. "Mr. Songbird" (bonus track)
18. "Polly" (bonus track)
19. "Wonderboy" (bonus track)
20. "Berkeley Mews" (bonus track)
21. "Village Green" (bonus track, no strings version)

Disc three (rarities)

1. "Village Green" (orchestra overdub, previously unreleased)
2. "Misty Water" (stereo)
3. "Berkeley Mews" (stereo)
4. "Easy Come, There You Went" (stereo, previously unreleased)
5. "Polly" (stereo)
6. "Animal Farm" (alternate stereo mix, previously unreleased)
7. "Phenomenal Cat" (mono instrumental, previously unreleased)
8. "Johnny Thunder" (stereo remix, previously unreleased)
9. "Did You See His Name" (previously unreleased)
10. "Mick Avory's Underpants" (previously unreleased)
11. "Lavender Hill"
12. "Rosemary Rose"
13. "Wonderboy" (stereo)
14. "Spotty Grotty Anna"
15. "Where Did My Spring Go"
16. "Groovie Movies"
17. "Creeping Jean" (Dave Davies) (previously unreleased)
18. "King Kong"
19. "Misty Water" (mono, previously unreleased)
20. "Do You Remember Walter" (BBC session remix, previously unreleased)
21. "Animal Farm" (BBC session remix, previously unreleased)
22. "Days" (BBC session remix, previously unreleased)

Song and album notes

In late summer of 1968, the Kinks had hoped to release the album as a two-record set with 20 tracks, but Pye Records rejected this plan. A twelve-track version of the album was released in September 1968 throughout certain European markets; these are now valuable collector's items. Production of this version was quickly halted at Ray Davies's insistence and the final revamped fifteen-track version was released in the UK in November 1968.

US record label Reprise had intended to release many of album's tracks on a separate Kinks album titled Four More Respected Gentlemen sometime in mid-1968 to fulfil a contractual album obligation. This was in the final stages of pre-production when Reprise dropped all plans to issue it, based on the strength of the forthcoming "Village Green" album.

"Starstruck" was released as a single in the US and Europe, but did not chart. A promotional film shot for this release in late 1968 is the last surviving footage of the original 1960's Kinks lineup, before Pete Quaife's March 1969 resignation from the band.

The photography used for the album art was shot in August 1968 on Parliament Hill, a part of Hampstead Heath, North London.

Out of print for years, today the album is reported to be the best-selling non-compilation album in the Kinks' catalogue. Ray Davies has recently referred to it as the "most successful flop of all time".

"Picture Book", not one of the singles from the album, became popular after it was used in a 2004 television commercial for Hewlett-Packard digital imaging products.

"Big Sky" is covered on Yo La Tengo's debut Ride the Tiger (album).

The eponymous opening track appears in the film Hot Fuzz as well as on the soundtrack. "Village Green" is also featured in the film, but not on the soundtrack album.

A cover of "The Village Green Preservation Society" by folk singer Kate Rusby is used as the theme song for BBC sitcom Jam & Jerusalem.

The American punk band Green Day "borrowed" the main riff from "Picture Book" for their song "Warning".

Personnel

• Ray Davies – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica
• Dave Davies – lead guitar, backup vocals, lead vocals on "Wicked Annabella"
• Pete Quaife – bass, backup vocals
• Mick Avory – drums, percussion
• Nicky Hopkins – keyboards, mellotron
• Rasa Davies – backup vocals
• Personnel as credited in the album:

I are Michael Charles Avory – drummer
I be Peter Alexander Greenlaw Quaife – bass player
I is David Russell Gordon Davies – guitarist and singer
I am Raymond Douglas Davies – guitarist, keyboard player and singer
They are Brian Humphries, Alan Mackenzie who contributed

You are our friends for playing the record.