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PO: Kinks - Kinks, Kinda Kinks, Kontroversy, Face to Face, Something Else, Village Green, Arthur


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I have quite a few of these, however the Village Green I own is the limited Green Splatter Mono / Stereo pressing, looks amazing however the sound quality leaves a great deal to be desired to say the least. 

 

No mention of Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One which is disappointing, my original Canadian pressing is in terrible shape and I would love a reissue with the original Apeman lyrics. 

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If you've never heard or don't own Village Green, your music collection will never be complete.

Something Else is better, but all of these are essential really.

It's seriously hard to choose. I'd have to say both of them are tied for me. They're both amazing albums.

By the way, I added up prices for Kontroversy all the way through Arthur (which is probably what I'll buy), and it comes out to about $165 USD, which is $33 per record. That seems a little high but a few of these reissues are long overdue.

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You're right, it's not easy. But Village Green is their Sgt. Pepper, it's sounds like nothing else they made. Something else is still that garage-y English beat sound.

True that. I think "Wicked Annabella" is one of the coolest Dave Davies songs in the entire discography.

I've got one of those Pye unofficial mono represses of Village Green. The copy I bought got damaged in the mail so this guy gave me another one for free. It sounds pretty good, to be honest... but sadly it doesn't have that awesome gatefold like Arthur does. So I'll probably buy the new repress to replace it.

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If anybody is a badass, you guys should buy this: 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201237933316?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

From Wiki:
 

The sessions for Village Green took place in a rough period for the group. In early 1968 legal and family issues slowed Ray Davies' songwriting and the song "Wonderboy", released in April, was the first single since The Kinks' success not to enter the NME Top 30.[4]The first songs recorded, in May[4] included "Misty Water" (an outtake), "Picture Book", and "Days", intended for the group's next single release.[4] After laying down versions of these the group departed for the Netherlands on 18 and 19 May[4] then returned to the studio to continue work on "Days".[11] On 27 May a new song, "Pictures In The Sand", was recorded and "Days" was revised to the final version, which was released on 24 July, backed with "She's Got Everything", an outtake from 1966 used due to a lack of newer finished material.[11] The single quickly climbed to number 14 on the NME chart.[12]
 

Shortly after, Dave Davies stated that the group's upcoming LP would be called Village Green and revolve around a town and its people. He added that it was to be "the best thing we've ever done."[11] In early August the band focused on completing the LP, tentatively titled "Village Green".[11]
 

With the exception of the early "Village Green", strings and woodwind were played on the Mellotron by Ray Davies and Nicky Hopkins. Hopkins contributed significantly to the album: he later stated that he provided "about seventy per cent of the work" on the keyboards, and developed a life-long grudge when Davies apparently credited himself for the majority of the keyboard playing.[13]
 

The last track was completed on 12 August and twelve mixed-down songs were delivered to Pye. Release was scheduled for 27 September.[14] Ray Davies then asked the label to postpone the album's release in order to rework songs and add new material,[11] wishing Pye to expand Village Green into a double album. Pye refused, but allowed Davies to produce a new fifteen-track edition.[14] Davies agreed and the band returned to the studio to lay down "Big Sky" and "Last of The Steam Powered Trains".[14]
 

By October mixing was complete for the expanded 15-track album, now named The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society,[11] and it was released on 22 November (the same day The Beatles released their The Beatles).[15] Andy Miller commented on these changes in his book about the album;

"Davies was a perfectionist, and by this stage his perfectionism was verging on the neurotic, indulged by a management and record company who hoped the Kinks' main man would soon recapture his hit making form. In a sense, he was also reluctant to finish the project, describing it as "a pet dream". The album was already highly personal; now it represented ... a decisive break in 'the hit machine'."

Pye had already shipped tapes to some of its foreign subsidiaries before Davies' revision so that a twelve-track LP was released in France, Italy, Sweden, Norway and New Zealand. These have since become rare and collectible.[14]

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  • 2 months later...

Not meaning to bring back "the dead" but did anybody pick these up? Just got some spare cash and I'm thinking of picking up Something Else.

 

Well, these are European issues, digitally cut on 140-gram vinyl, they supposedly sound fine, however there is less expensive NA issues coming soon according to my local store. These ones are currently $40.00 Canadian, the NA ones will be around $25.00 - 30.00. No information on weight however I assume they will be the same digital sourcing used on the European issues as well the 2012 RSD releases.  

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  • 6 months later...

By the way, the US versions are confirmed to be all analog.

 

You can tell if it's a US version if it has a black sticker and is priced around $23. I just bought these yesterday and they sound incredible.

 

They are also apparently cutting Something Else, VGPS, and Arthur this month. 

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