This album still grows on me every time I listen to it! In the title track the Kinks sing 'God save Donald Duck, Vaudeville and Variety' and in this collection they do their best to immortalise all kinds of things. If all the world's music except for this album were suddenly to disappear the Kinks would single-handedly have preserved some simple but catchy pop tunes ("Johnny Thunder" and "Animal Farm"), Vaudeville (in the form of "Sitting By The Riverside") and Music Hall ("All Of My Friends Were There") as well as the Village Green. Quite an achievement. But they don't stop there. They capture the sound of The Grateful Dead and Dylan on "Last Of The Steam-Powered Trains" and is that Hendrix I hear in "Big Sky"? Then there's the darkly psychedelic "Wicked Annabella" and the latin "Monica". They do their own take on the "Under My Thumb" Rolling Stones theme in "Starstruck" and the ridiculous in "Phenomenal Cat" (who sounds as if he's all set to eat the equally ridiculous Donald D). Is there no end to their conserving? "Picture Book" and "People Take Pictures Of Each Other" make sure that our nearest and dearest aren't forgotten. Rest assured - we're in safe hands. Taken on their own, many of the songs are rather simple. But put together I believe they amount to an artistic masterpiece - a preserved musical and poetic patchwork of past and present, itself reflecting the patchwork of the countryside that is home to many a village green. –Jim
Jim -
ReplyDeleteAmen, dude. Absolutely one of the best albums of the 60s. "Starstruck", "Village Green", "Picture Book" and "Animal Farm" are all classics. Lyrically, I think it's quite a bit past the Rolling Stones stuff of the period (which doesn't mean I like the Kinks better - they're both great), but the Kinks are more like the Talking Heads or something -- refreshingly smart and funny.
The Kinks are also, to me the most British of the brit bands. Lots of funny lingo in their work, like Harry Rag, and how many songs did they write about tea? Gotta love The Kinks.