The Kinks - The Anthology 1964-1971 (@320)

 

The Kinks - The Anthology 1964-1971

The Anthology 1964-1971 Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine.

There was a time when the Kinks had no box sets to their name, but that ended in 2008 when the career-spanning Picture Book appeared. Six years later, there have been two limited-edition boxes -- 2011's The Kinks in Mono, which rounded up CD mono replications of their '60s LPs for Pye, plus 2012's The Kinks at the BBC -- and a host of deluxe editions and other compilations that may wind up dampening the appetite for the five-disc The Anthology 1964-1971, a deep dive into the group's '60s peak. After this steady stream of reissues, it's hard for some Kinks diehards not to cast a wary eye on The Anthology, but this is an exceptional set that eclipses any previous Kinks box. A large part of the success of The Anthology 1964-1971 is due to its tight focus on the Pye years. Such specificity allows for the inclusion of plenty of interesting alternate mixes and studio excerpts -- tracks that appear at first glance to be nothing more than collector bait but don't play that way in context -- but the greater gift of this limited scale is that it allows compiler Andrew Sandoval go into detail as he traces a dramatic arc from the Kinks' raucous early rock & roll through their ornate middle period and ending with Ray Davies' groundbreaking conceptual work of the late '60s. The Anthology takes its time. It takes eight songs to get to "You Really Got Me," which is enough for that galvanizing opening riff, which has been dulled a bit through repetition, to regain its edge. Elsewhere, there are similar nifty tricks of sequencing, particularly as Ray's songwriting starts to come into focus on the second disc, and once the third disc kicks off with "Sunny Afternoon," there is no end to the riches to be heard. This run is one of the greatest in pop music history and it sounds even better here thanks to the inclusion of songs that were scuttled off to B-sides or bootlegs but are firmly part of the Kinks canon ("Good Luck Charm," "Misty Water," "Creeping Jean," "Berkeley Mews," "Where Did My Spring Go," "Lincoln County," "This Man He Weeps Tonight"). Add to this alternate mixes that have some serious kick and original single mixes for the big hits, and it becomes clear that this is the Kinks box that rises above all the others.

Tracklist:

Disc 1:

1. I Took My Baby Home

2. I'm A Hog For You, Baby

3. I Don't Need You Anymore (Demo)

4. Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy (Demo)

5. Long Tall Sally

6. You Still Want Me

7. You Do Something To Me

8. You Really Got Me (Remastered)

9. It's All Right (Remastered)

10. Beautiful Delilah (Alternate Mono Mix)

11. Just Can't Go To Sleep

12. I'm A Lover, Not A Fighter (Alternate Mono Mix)

13. Little Queenie (Live at the Playhouse Theatre, 1964)

14. Too Much Monkey Business (Alternate Take)

15. Stop Your Sobbing (Mono)

16. All Day And All Of The Night

17. I Gotta Move

18. I Gotta Go Now

19. I've Got That Feeling (Live at Piccadilly Studios, 1964)

20. Tired Of Waiting For You

21. Come On Now (Alternate Mix)

22. Look For Me Baby

23. Nothin' In The World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl

24. Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight

25. Don't Ever Change

26. You Shouldn't Be Sad

27. Something Better Beginning

28. Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy

29. Who'll Be The Next In Line (Session Excerpt - Backing Track Take One)

30. Who'll Be The Next In Line (Alternate Mix)

31. Set Me Free

32. I Need You

33. Interview: Clay Cole Meets The Kinks

 

Disc 2:

 

1. See My Friends

2. Never Met A Girl Like You Before

3. I Go To Sleep (Demo)

4. A Little Bit Of Sunlight (Demo)

5. Tell Me Now So I'll Know (Alternate Demo)

6. When I See That Girl Of Mine (Demo)

7. There's A New World Just Opening For Me (Demo)

8. This Strange Effect (Live at Aeolian Hall, 1965)

9. Hide And Seek (Live at Aeolian Hall, 1965)

10. A Well Respected Man

11. Such A Shame

12. Don't You Fret

13. Till The End Of The Day

14. Where Have All The Good Times Gone

15. Milk Cow Blues

16. I Am Free

17. The World Keeps Going Round

18. I'm On An Island

19. You Can't Win

20. Time Will Tell

21. Dedicated Follower Of Fashion (Session Excerpt - Takes 1-3)

22. Dedicated Follower Of Fashion (Single Version)

23. Sittin' On My Sofa

24. She's Got Everything (Backing Track Take Two)

25. She's Got Everything (Alternate Mono Mix)

26. Mr. Reporter (Version One)

27. All Night Stand (Demo)

 

Disc 3:

 

1. Sunny Afternoon (Mono)

2. I'm Not Like Everybody Else (Mono)

3. Dandy (Mono)

4. Party Line (Mono)

5. Rosy Won't You Please Come Home (Mono)

6. Too Much On My Mind (Mono)

7. Session Man (Mono)

8. Most Exclusive Residence For Sale (Mono)

9. Fancy (Mono)

10. Dead End Street (Stereo)

11. Big Black Smoke (Alternate Stereo Mix)

12. Mr. Pleasant (Stereo)

13. This Is Where I Belong (Stereo)

14. Village Green (Stereo)

15. Two Sisters (Stereo)

16. Waterloo Sunset (Session Excerpt - Backing Track Take Two) [Stereo]

17. Waterloo Sunset (Stereo)

18. Act Nice And Gentle (Stereo)

19. Harry Rag (Stereo) [Session Excerpt]

20. Harry Rag (Stereo)

21. Death Of A Clown (Stereo)

22. Love Me Till The Sun Shines (Stereo)

23. David Watts (Stereo)

24. Tin Soldier Man (Stereo)

25. Afternoon Tea (Alternate Stereo Mix)

26. Funny Face (Stereo)

27. Lazy Old Sun (Alternate Stereo Mix)

28. Susannah's Still Alive (stereo)

29. Good Luck Charm (Stereo)

 

Disc 4:

 

1. Autumn Almanac (Mono)

2. Lavender Hill (Mono)

3. Rosemary Rose (Stereo)

4. Wonderboy (Mono)

5. Polly (Mono)

6. Lincoln County (Stereo Single Version)

7. Did You See His Name? (Stereo with alternate ending)

8. Days (Session Excerpt)

9. Days (Stereo)

10. Misty Water (Alternate Mix)

11. Do You Remember Walter (Mono)

12. Picture Book (Mono)

13. Johnny Thunder (Session Excerpt)

14. Johnny Thunder (Stereo Remix)

15. Big Sky (Mono)

16. Animal Farm (Mono)

17. Starstruck (Stereo)

18. Pictures In The Sand (Mono)

19. People Take Pictures Of Each Other (European Stereo Mix)

20. Interview: Ray Davies talks about Village Green Preservation Society (Mono)

21. The Village Green Preservation Society (Live At The Playhouse Theatre, 1968) (Mono)

22. Hold My Hand (Stereo)

23. Creeping Jean (Stereo)

24. Berkeley Mews (Stereo)

25. Till Death Us Do Part (Mono)

26. When I Turn Off The Living Room Light (Mono)

27. Where Did My Spring Go (Mono)

28. Plastic Man (Stereo)

29. King Kong (Mono)

30. This Man He Weeps Tonight (Mono)

31. Reprise US Tour Spot (Stereo)

 

Disc 5:

 

1. Victoria (Stereo)

2. Some Mother's Son (Stereo)

3. Drivin' (Stereo)

4. Shangri-La (Stereo)

5. She's Bought A Hat Like Princess Marina (Stereo)

6. Young And Innocent Days (Stereo)

7. Mindless Child Of Motherhood (Stereo)

8. Lola (Remastered)

9. Apeman (Stereo)

10. Strangers (Remastered)

11. Get Back in Line

12. Anytime

13. This Time Tomorrow (Remastered)

14. A Long Way from Home

15. Powerman

16. Got to Be Free

17. Dreams

18. Moments

19. The Way Love Used to Be

20. God’s Children

****