SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE KINKS – THE JOURNEY – PART 1

The Kinks
The Journey – Part 1
BMG

The Kinks officially formed in 1963, hence the 60th Anniversary celebration that is happening for the band this year. To honour this classic, timeless, and brilliant band, two box sets are being released, The Journey – Part 1 and The Journey – Part 2. Part 1 is the first to be released and it is a thumbnail sketch of this incredible band. The first thing the listener has to do is throw away any ideas that this is a chronological exploration of the band. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Over the four sides of the double album set, each side has a theme and the songs on that particular side reflect that theme. For my money, I prefer compilations to be chronological as it demonstrates how a band grows throughout their career, but for this collection, I kept an open mind. Of course, The Kinks are built around two founding members Ray Davies and his brother Dave. Ray Davies of course wrote the majority of the material for the band, but Dave also turned in some classics.

What is interesting is how songs from different decades of The Kinks can sit comfortably beside each other. This clearly demonstrates that The Kinks see their career as one long body of work and it all fits together for them. Side one, titled “Songs about becoming a man, the search for adventure, finding an identity and a girl” focuses on music from 1964 and 1965. Here one gets a lot of their biggest hits, from “You Really Got Me” to “Tired Of Waiting For You” (1964 and 1965 respectively). It is interesting that they opted out of putting their debut single in the collection (a cover of “Long Tall Sally”) but the song is available elsewhere for those who need to collect it. Side One is a rocking side showing The Kinks ability to match any of The British Invasion bands and hold their own. For fans of the obscure, there is a track from 1968, “She’s Got Everything”, which was the non album B-side to “Days” (which one will find on side three).

Side two, titled “Songs of ambition achieved, bitter taste of success, loss of friends, the past comes back and bites you in the backside” delves into Ray Davies’ more cynical view of the cost of fame. Here the listener is treated to three stunning tracks from The Kinks Present Schoolboys In Disgrace (“The Hard Way”, “School Days” and one of The Kinks best songs, “I’m A Disgrace), which surely must present a case for that album to be given the deluxe treatment. “Dead End Street” (1965) opens the side, and closes with the charming “Do You Remember Walter” from 1968’s The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society. A beautiful gem from a classic album.

Side three is given the title “Days and nights of a lost soul, songs of regret and reflection of happier times”, which provides room for such classics as “Days” and “Where Have All The Good Times Gone” (both from 1965). But there is so much more for new fans to discover, such as the wonderful Dave Davies song “Strangers” (1970). The side closes with 1973’s “Sitting In The Midday Sun”. an unknown classic, except to fans of the band. It is worth checking out Preservation Act 1, from which the song comes, for other brilliant tracks.

Side four brings the first anthology collection to a close with the title “A new start, a new love, but have you really changed? Still haunted by the quest and the girl” which opens with one of the most incredible songs ever written “Waterloo Sunset” (1966). In true fashion, they keep the best for last. “Death Of A Clown” (originally a solo Dave Davies record from 1967), “No More Looking Back” (1975, Schoolboys again), and a song that grew into a classic, “Celluloid Heroes” (from 1972’s Everybody’s In Show Biz).

Perhaps that is the point of the album, to lure new fans in with the hits and hit them with more deep cuts from The Kinks vast catalogue. It works, as each side has its own distinct flow, and listening to the collection is pure bliss. I guess it does not need to be chronological to see how the band developed over the years to become the classic band they are. And the songs collected here provide the strong case that they are a classic band and have provided some of the most incredible music over the past six decades.

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