The Kinks, whose heyday ran from the mid-’60s to the mid-’80s, broke up before the turn of the century. That didn’t stop the flow of albums, however. Recent years, for example, have witnessed the release of lavish boxed sets like Muswell Hillbillies/Everybody’s in Show-biz and The Anthology 1964–1971. There has also been a seemingly endless stream of one- and two-disc hits packages with titles like The Definitive Collection, The Singles Collection, The Ultimate Collection, The Essential Kinks, Greatest Hits and Compleat Collection.
It’s enough to keep a listener busy all day and all of the night. Still, The Kinks have recently come up with a new approach to anthologizing that might prompt serious fans to reopen their wallets. Called The Journey, this retrospective series of two-CD sets began with the March 2023 release of Part 1, which was followed in November by Part 2. No word yet on whether additional sets will follow.
The series stands out on several counts. First, its tracks have been newly remastered. Second, it sprinkles in a handful of rarely heard and previously unreleased versions, including mono and new mixes and alternate takes. Third, while featuring some of the group’s biggest hits, it focuses mostly on deep cuts. Fourth, the band members themselves selected the material for this series, and they comment on their choices in accompanying booklets. The songs in each set ostensibly tell a tale and are grouped into four sections, but the storylines are weak.
The music is not, however. On the 34-track Part 2, the Kinks offer such chart successes as “Till the End of the Day,” “A Well Respected Man,” “Lola,” “Sunny Afternoon” and “Dedicated Follower of Fashion,” all of which capture leader Ray Davies’ wit as well as his band’s ability to create succinct and memorable pop/rockers. Among the many lesser-known but equally enjoyable tracks are “No Return,” the original mono version of a folky acoustic number from 1967’s Something Else that sounds influenced by samba; the sprightly “Holiday Romance,” a highlight of 1975’s Soap Opera; and the live “New Victoria Suite,” which includes two compositions whose studio versions also first surfaced on Soap Opera.
Related: Our Album Rewind of The Great Lost Kinks Album
The hits are fine, but here’s proof, for anyone who still needs it, that the Kinks were much more than a singles band.
The Journey – Part 2 is available for order in the U.S. here and the U.K. here.
A top editor at leading consumer and trade magazines for more than 40 years, Jeff has interviewed dozens of musical luminaries, including Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Wolfman Jack, Tommy James, Tom Waits, the Righteous Brothers, and the members of Steely Dan.
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Jump into a conversationThe Kinks are fantastic no matter how you bundle them up!