The Kink Kontroversy
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The Kink Kontroversy is the third studio album by English rock band The Kinks, released on 26 November 1965. It is a transitional work, with elements of both the earlier Kinks' styles (heavily blues-influenced songs such as "Milk Cow Blues", and variations on the band's hits from 1964-65 such as "Till the End of the Day") and early indications of the future direction of Ray Davies' songwriting styles ("The World Keeps Going Round" and "I'm On an Island").
Background
The album's title is a mocking reference to the notorious reputation the band had developed over the previous year, including onstage fights and concert riots in Europe, which led to a ban on the group's concerts in the US.
"Where Have All the Good Times Gone" makes several references and/or allusions to Beatles and Rolling Stones songs.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Ray Davies, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Milk Cow Blues" | Sleepy John Estes; arranged by The Kinks | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Ring the Bells" | 2:21 | |
| 3. | "Gotta Get the First Plane Home" | 1:49 | |
| 4. | "When I See That Girl of Mine" | 2:12 | |
| 5. | "I Am Free" | Dave Davies | 2:32 |
| 6. | "Till the End of the Day" | 2:21 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The World Keeps Going Round" | 2:36 |
| 2. | "I'm On an Island" | 2:19 |
| 3. | "Where Have All the Good Times Gone" | 2:53 |
| 4. | "It's Too Late" | 2:37 |
| 5. | "What's in Store for Me" | 2:06 |
| 6. | "You Can't Win" | 2:42 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" | 3:05 |
| 14. | "Sittin' on My Sofa" | 3:08 |
| 15. | "When I See That Girl of Mine (Demo version)" | 2:01 |
| 16. | "Dedicated Follower of Fashion (Alternate stereo take)" | 3:01 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" | 3:04 |
| 2. | "Sittin' on My Sofa" | 3:09 |
| 3. | "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" | 3:30 |
| 4. | "Mr. Reporter (Outtake)" | 3:58 |
| 5. | "Dedicated Follower of Fashion (Alternate take)" (Different take from previous CD reissue and the Picture Book boxset) | 2:54 |
| 6. | "Time Will Tell (Outtake)" | 2:46 |
| 7. | "And I Will Love You (Unissued EP track)" | 2:26 |
| 8. | "I'm Not Like Everybody Else (Alternate vocal version)" | 3:33 |
| 9. | "All Night Stand (Ray Davies solo demo)" | 1:54 |
| 10. | "Milk Cow Blues (BBC performance)" | 2:47 |
| 11. | "Ray Talks about Songwriting (BBC) (Spoken word)" | 1:02 |
| 12. | "Never Met a Girl Like You Before (BBC performance)" | 2:01 |
| 13. | "Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight (BBC performance)" | 1:49 |
| 14. | "Pete Talks about Records (BBC) (Spoken word)" | 1:17 |
| 15. | "Till the End of the Day (BBC performance)" | 2:19 |
| 16. | "A Well Respected Man (BBC performance)" | 2:41 |
| 17. | "Where Have All the Good Times Gone (BBC performance)" | 2:46 |
Release
In both the US and UK, The Kink Kontroversy was only released in mono, as no stereo mix was ever made.
The single "Till the End of the Day" was a major hit, reaching #8 in the UK[1] and #50 in the US, spending eight weeks or more in each chart.[2]
American singer Bobby Rydell covered "When I See That Girl of Mine", which was released as a single in the US a full month before the Kinks' version was made public.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
Allmusic praised the album as the Kinks' coming-of-age, commenting that their raw early material was being replaced by more thoughtful and sophisticated songs. They pointed out "I'm On an Island", "Where Have All the Good Times Gone", "Ring the Bells", "The World Keeps Going Round", and "I Am Free" as particularly strong examples of this.[3]
Personnel
- Ray Davies – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica
- Dave Davies – lead guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "I Am Free" and "What's in Store for Me", shared lead vocals on "Milk Cow Blues" and "You Can't Win"
- Pete Quaife – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Mick Avory – drums (tracks 1, 2 and 9), percussion
- Clem Cattini – drums (tracks 3-8, 10-12)
- Nicky Hopkins – keyboards
- Rasa Davies – backing vocals (track 6)
Legacy
American indie rock band Sleater-Kinney used the same album cover layout as an homage for their 1997 album Dig Me Out.
References
- ^ "Kinks | Artist | Official Charts". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ^ "Billboard – Music Charts, Music News – The Kinks | Billboard". billboard.com. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ^ a b Unterberger, Richie. "The Kink Kontroversy – The Kinks : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
