MINT CLEAN 1971 ORIG THE KINKS MUSWELL HILLBILLIES SONG CRAFT GEM

$

35

      ORIGINAL 1971  FIRST PRESS       ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..                          
       

THE KINKS

MUSWELL HILLBILLIES

•             ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..                   
•        USA - RCA RECORDS - LSP 4644              
  
• 
  
• 
  

• Original 1971 first pressing in gatefold cover of one of the Kinks most underestimated albums - and one that completely grows in leaps and bounds with repeat listens::::

  The LP was criminally ignored when bands like Sabbath & Zeppelin ruled the day...collectors back then didn't even give the mighty KINKS a chance for a listen.....

  This 1971 aggregation stands as one of the pivotal titles in the group's extensive oeuvre. Check out the cover for a sense where this collection is rooted: the five longhaired lads mill about at a sunlit working-class pub where the regulars go about their libationary affairs. The album's keynote tracks--"20th Century Man," "Holiday," "Here Come the People in Grey"--focus on proletariat proceedings that were familiar to frontman Ray Davies and his guitar-slinging brother, Dave.

  Ray Davies called this album his "existentialist-type record," noting that he resisted the temptation to design a radio-friendly single to succeed "Lola" in favor of devising a conceptual collection of tunes.

  Following the international success of "Lola", RCA signed the Kinks to a record deal, anticipating more smash hit singles. What they got was something quite different.

  Ray Davies had already produced some fine concept albums ("Village Green Preservation Society" and "Arthur") in the late 60s for the Reprise label, and "Muswell Hillbillies" returns to some of those themes: the ordinary man or woman, caught up in forces beyond their control "Holloway Jail", "Uncle Son"; the good old days before technology ("Twentieth Century Man", "Complicated Life"). In passing the Kinks comment on fad diets ("Skin and Bone"), addiction ("Alcohol") and bureaucracy ("Here Come the People in Gray").

  There's not a false note or a weak song to be found on this elegant and touching album. The overarching theme is a whimsical view of British fascination with the mythical America of movies ("Take me back to those black hills/That I have never seen", sings Ray in the title track). However, this is not the three-chord power rock of the Kinks' early singles; nor is it the para-metal of their later hits like "Low Budget". While their hard rock albums sold much better, our preference is for the lighter, more whimsical Kinks, alka "Face to Face" with their uniquely British perspective on pop music. We rate this as one the Kinks' four or five best records.

• 
  

1. 20th Century Man
2. 
   
3.             Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues