Interesting observations... I never pay much attention to this period in the Kinks' long and celebrated history - I start at the front, then skip right to Misfits, Sleepwalker & Low Budget from the 70's. These are albums that should've sealed it as far as the Kinks being the great lost rock 'n' roll band of the Englis hInvasion vintage. This Village Green stuff is way too... English for my appreciation.

The parallel with the Modern Lovers also intrigues me - I saw J. Richman once in the mid 80's, and he was such a unique performer, I couldn't tell if he was a rock 'n' roller or not until he called out a table full of jocks who were throwing ice cubes at the dancers at the front of the stage - "Step outside - if you're man enough!" or something along those lines, which shut 'em up. He themfollowed that by singing "Abominable Snowman in the Supermarket" or some such tune. But The Modern Lovers' first album in the 70's - what a firecracker!

Oops - life is calling/ G2G

Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole! I'm straight. Hippy Johnny. Great album. His lyrics were so against the grain of the time. Saw him live here in Montreal a couple of years back. Wasn't he in the tree on 'There's Something about Mary?'

Nice review. It must be hard for someone your age to imagine the context this album was released in - acid, Hendrix, endless stupid guitar solos in EVERY song, drum solos in every OTHER song, 3 chord blues over and over etc. Unimaginative, self-indulgent navel-gazing - Grateful Dead come to mind (so shoot me). Wilson, the Beatles, Zappa etc. were the visionaries, the others just followed along. I'll always remember the day I bought this album. It had 14 songs (most albums had no more than 10), no guitar solos, no fuzz boxes, no wah-wah padals, no songs about sex and/or drugs. The vocals were filled with 'la-la-las' and none of the songs had more than 5 chords. In other words, the Kinks were a bunch of bubblegum fags who couldn't play worth a shit and what in the hell were they singing about? Most people hated the record, but a few of us loved it because it was refreshing and small and interesting and smart and English. It didn't chart anyplace and no one knew anything about it and that made it more special.

It's still their best album. Ray Davies will never be as isolated as he was when he made it so there won't be another one; everyone expects too much from him now. He loves the record. So do I. Screw Brian Wilson and the Beatles. The Kinks were the bravest and this album shows why.

God Save the Kinks!

As another geezer fan who remembers buying this album when it first came out, I've long contended that this is the quintessential Kinks album. Great to see that it's still being appreciated by new listeners . . .

Mr. Sherman that was one thorough journey into The Kinks. I suggest people take a ride into your link. Question: Did the concept album in fact ruin rock? Where does Rush fit in all this? Mr. Blackmon, you raise an interesting point. There does seem to be an aura of pretension around some famous singers. There's no shame in liking non-complex music. Is pre-bebop jazz (big band) to be dismissed because it wasn't as intellectual? Same with rock Chuck Berry or Bob Dylan? It's all good to me.

Sorry - stuff happens.

In any case, my line of thinking is that maybe Ray Davies, like Jonathan Richman, isn't always a rocker after all - a rocker is simply a costume they can put when they need to. I believe the Ramones fit a similar description to the one of the Kinks supplied by Mr. Blackmon (my edit here):"....none of the songs had more than 5 chords... a bunch of bubblegum fags who couldn't play worth a shit and what in the hell were they singing about? Most people hated the record, but a few of us loved it because it was refreshing and small and interesting and smart..."

Which makes them minimalist artists of a sort. But the same description fits the Monkees too, and so we see the hard ass rocker is a character that was already a stock character in the Comme de l'Atre du Roque est Roule. I don't know if Davies or Richman were really going against the grain - they each found their niche, and knew there would be a small market for their particular brand of punishing obsession.

So for me, as I said, I pick & choose & skip around with regards to the Kinks. Village Green isn't my cup of tea, but Sleepwalker, and the song R 'n'Roll Fantasy from Misfits - these are songs that dig deep into the psyche & soul & heart of r'n'roll - "Don't wanna spend my life living in a rock and roll fantasy / Don't wanna spend my life living on the edge of reality..." This sentiment I can understand, & I don't even need to be English - heck, I don't even need to be from the '60's.

V.

v, can you send me your email again?

Will do.

You can't get much more rock 'n' roll than being banned from performing in the United States for four years due part to on-stage rowdiness. It forced the Kinks to become more provincial, and Ray Davies to become an even greater songwriter, wielding wit, insight, and Brit-centered craftsmanship that had a lot of perhaps inexplicable appeal to me, a Southern California Beach Boys fan--who as a result became a little less provincial.

I love 'Village Green' but my favorite album is the next year's 'Arthur,' an even more "British" album that made me even more of an anglophile--I learned a more about Village-Green society and a little about Winston Churchill, too. And, as much as you can debatably value "rock" over melodic wit, "Victoria" retains all those qualities while it rocks as much as "You Really Got Me"--and anything off of "Sleepwalker" or "Low Budget," for the matter.

This album is a great one, but of the late '60's work of the Kinks, I prefer "Arthur". It's an album that takes an unprecedented look at a Postwar Great Britain in the sunset of its empire.

true - the Davies' boys used to go at it pretty hard, didn't they?

I dunno - maybe I need to give that era of the Kinks a second (maybe third) listen. But did you ever notice they rarely have albums that chart high (if at all) on lists of great albums of all time?

Vern: Though I would prefer "Arthur" instead, I've seen "Village Green" pretty much consistently on greatest album lists--for example, I'm thinking top 25 status within the most recent Rolling Stone Top 100, but it may be lower. But you're right in that there seem to be no other Kinks albums showing up on these lists (except for perhaps "Something Else").

For the record, the Kinks don't show up on Rolling Stones' Top 500 until #231 for Kinks Kronikles (a great compilation, my first Kinks album) and "Village Green" at #255). A travesty!

I'm not sure I give a lot of credibility to their list, though--Here's what else didn't make the Top 100: Television's "Marquee Moon" and Elvis Costello's "This Year's Model." And I would've put "Revolver" over "Sgt. Pepper" for the top spot.

Revolver is right up there in contention for #1 with Exile on Main Street; Marquee Moon is Top 20 material; TYM is fine, but I prefer Get Happy! when I need my Elvis fix.

Village Green in the top half of the top 100? Hmm... guess I am gonna have to check this out again. If I'm listening to old Kinks, I think it's Kinks Kontroversy - whichever it is that has Milk Cow Blues on it. The Chocolate Watchband lifted their version from the Kinks from the sounds of it; Aersomith did too I'd guess.

Rolling Stone? Didn't they lose their way? Aren't they pop now?

Rolling Stones? I believe they're GRAND-pops now!

Seriouso - the mag started turning pop years ago - did their darnedest to cultivate a younger reading audience while keeping their old (and aging) readers. I dunno - does the 18 - 25 year old crowd in general read today unless it's on the net?

does the 18 - 25 year old crowd in general read today unless it's on the net?

c'mon you youngsters, we wanna know the answer to this!

about Rolling Stone, i watched a show about photographer Annie Leibovitz last night. amazing to see how that magazine was run early on.

True. I let my subscription to Rolling Stone lapse years ago, but I'll pick up an issue now and then. Though with iffy issues like Top 500 albums, maybe I'll give that up. too.

Same here. Pick up the odd issue. They probably lost old time readers and gained little young ones. I have no proof but that's my hunch. It was probably easier to run mags back then. The proliferation of the Internet is probably having the same effect televsion had on radio. Radio had to reinvent itself and so will print media. It's how you adapt that will ensure your survival.

When I do pick up that odd copy, only about half of it interests me - I'm not that interested in current cultural phenoms like Jessica Simpson or Paris Hilton. But I'm sure most younger readers don't care about what aging rockers are doing - well, Ray Davies, for instance. It's the fragmentation / Balkanization of pop music and the manipulation of culture for profit by the powers that be - hey - this thread is sounding mighty familiar...(!)

i probably should have taken this as a sign that i should have gone into writing way back when (despite not being able to write for crap when i was 20), but i used to spend hours hanging out in the microfilm reading old copies of Rolling Stone. lots of cool stuff to read. also, this was back when they gave away a free roach clip with new subscriptions. hilarious. the text at the top of the subscription ad? "Dig It!"

hilarious.

Not being on the "greatest ever" lists means nothing (although in fact VGPS does show up on those occasionally) -- the Kinks have never gotten their due. Like most Kinks albums, it's hard to fully appreciate on the first or even the second listening, and face it, most critics prefer to toss something aside after one cursory listen. Village Green is one of the most brilliant albums ever made -- funny, poignant, quirky, melodic, satiric, and provocative, but always with a subtlety that the casual listener can all too easily miss. An astonishing range of musical influences filters through these songs, performed with skill and refreshing restraint (thank god, no bombastic guitar solos). My personal favorite Kinks albums is "Muswell Hillbillies", which I think is right up with VGPS and Arthur in terms of excellent songwriting.

To talk about Ray Davies with such surprise that his lyrics are profound and timeless is inexcusible if you are writing about the history of music.

To those in the know, Ray Davies is a lyrical genius. No surprises here.

Inexcusable? Hardly. Sometimes you discover something along the path of life. I wasn't around when he played. I was minus four years old. I had to discover him like I discovered Dante. I think it the fact that it comes up in a blogging forum - of all places- speaks volumes about his depth. Historical figures fall in and out favour with writers and people in general. Some are forgotten and others are rediscovered. Using the 'in the know' line reeks of snobbery. Of course, there are people who know much more about music then others. Those who consider Ray Davies' genius to be self-evident. Some take a little longer to realize this. There's no shame in this. I merely bought a CD that I had no idea was a landmark. I was ignorant. But I made up for it. It impressed me so much that I wrote about it. Result? People then offered their own thoughts. What better way to celebrate his music? So if this appreciation is inexcusable so be it.