As I previously explained, Golden Hour was a budget record label releasing cheap 60-minute compilations in the 70's, by bands that were either relatively unknown or -like The Kinks, at the time- outdated. They released three such compilations by The Kinks, totaling an impressive 99 tracks. Golden Hour Vol.1 contained the hits, Vol.2 the early stuff, while this double LP gathered most of the rest. The artwork and title are an awkward way to inform buyers that this comp contains a wide selection of tracks from the following albums: Face To Face (1966), Something Else By The Kinks (1967), The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (1968), Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround (1970), Percy (1971) and the Apeman 1970 single. Basically you get something like 80% of the aforementioned LP's - minus, of course, the hits which are mostly included on Golden Hour Vol.1. If one already owned Vol.1, they could purchase this cheap supplement and get most of The Kinks' discography between 1966-1971, which consists of a wonderful and idiosyncratic body of work to rival any other in classic rock. Despite the absence of some hits, there's still an embarrassment of riches ranging from 1966's plain rocker "Party Line" to the classic gender-confusion story "Lola", Dave Davis' hit single "Death Of A Clown", and the lament for old England that was "The Village Green Preservation Society". And then there's Ray Davis' acute observational humor on songs like "Dandy" and "People Take Pictures Of Each Other" ("...just to prove that they really existed"). Just replace "pictures of each other" with "selfies" and you've described one of the biggest plights of our decade. At 44 tacks, it's impossible to give a detailed analysis, I'll go into the specific songs when I present the individual albums - suffice it to say that there are some real gems, and even what was considered filler at the time (which you also get here) shows at least some marks of Ray Davis' songwriting genius. So there's absolutely no faulting the contents of this collection, but there are many other reasons why I wouldn't recommend its purchase: Firstly, by removing even a few of their hits from that period, the compilation isn't representative of that phase in The Kinks' evolution. Secondly, by that time The Kinks' LPs were not mere collections of songs but concept albums each revolving around a specific idea. While some of the songs from Village Green, Lola and Percy were successful as stand-alone singles, others just don't work as well when taken out of context as it happens here. Thirdly, there are too many songs on each side; in terms of duration, it feels like you're listening to a CD. You may ask whether it is any better to have to get up every 15 minutes to change side? The answer is that there's nothing wrong with long LP's, except that your attention may start slipping away after 20-25 minutes. Some will tell you that 30 minutes of music per side is too much for a vinyl LP and that sound quality suffers greatly as a result, but I wouldn't go that far. Sure, listening to this LP is not an audiophile experience but I've heard much worse. If you're used to streaming, MP3, or just the average CD sound quality, you won't be bothered by it. Lastly -and that may seem superficial, but it can also be a dealbreaker- the packaging is ugly, and the title is just ridiculous. On the other hand...collect all 3 Golden Hour Kinks compilations, and you've got yourselves more or less their entire 60's output on vinyl for an unbeatable price. Tempting, isn't it?
***** for Lola, The Village Green Preservation Society, Love Me Till The Sun Shines, Dandy, Death Of A Clown, David Watts, People Take Pictures Of Each Other, Village Green, Apeman, Harry Rag
**** for Wonder Boy, Rainy Day In June, Party Line, Rosy Won't You Please Come Home, Wicked Annabella, Tin Soldier Man, Two Sisters, Funny Face, Moments, Sitting By The Riverside, Johnny Thunder, Picture Book, You're Looking Fine, God's Children, Afternoon Tea, The Last Of The Steam Powered Trains, House In The Country, Situation Vacant, Holiday In Waikiki, Session Man, Most Exclusive Residence For Sale, Lazy Old Sun, End Of The Season, No Return, Starstruck, The Way Love Used To Be, Big Sky
*** for Little Miss Queen Of Darkness, Dreams, Do You Remember Walter, All Of My Friends Were There, Too Much On My Mind, Animals In The Zoo, Phenomenal Cat
No comments:
Post a Comment