The Village Green Preservation Society

This album is so imaginative and so wildly different than what the rest of the British Invasion survivors were putting out, and I love every minute of it. Ray Davies loves hyperbolic irony and took great pleasure in skewering British imperialism and culture, but all the while using English colloquialism and flipping things on their head. Other than "All of My Friends Were There", this is a desert island disc. Fav Tracks: Big Sky, Starstruck, Monica, Picture Book and The Last of the Steam-Powered Train

I adore traditional pop songwriting so it's really a no-brainer. It's like Rubber Soul x Sgt. Pepper's and all of the lyrics sound like In My Life.

Considered a flop at time of release, this is basically a more upbeat Belle & Sebastian album. It's great.

This album made me want to listen to The Kinks more. The only thing I didn't like about this album is that some of the songs weren't particularly memorable but there aren't any songs that I would say are bad. This album also features a lot of interesting composition and chord progressions that are fairly unique and recognizable (like Johnny Thunder for example). The whole album describes a happy, ignorat upper-middle class lifestyle in a way that is at times satirical. Phenominal Cat is a song about a fat cat and honestly Andre Lloyd Webber wishes he could have written something as good as this. The only part of this album that I dislike is the verse of All of My Friends Were There because it feels a little too cheesy. Wicked Anabella reminds me of Maxwell's Silver Hammer in that it's a 60s song about an evil person and it SLAPS. Pictures of Each Other seems even more relevant today with lyrics such as "People take pictures of each other, just to prove that they really existed." I think The Kinks roasted Instagram 42 years before it existed. Favorite songs: Picture Book, Last of the Steam-Power Trains, Sitting By the Riverside, Animal Farm, Village Green, Phenomenal Cat, Wicked Annabella, People Take Pictures of Each Other Least Favorite Song: All of My Friends Were There Light 9/10

An early concept album, on the notion of an Englishness that even in 68 was already gone... If it ever existed. Packed with different genres from music hall to psychedelia but always sounds like The Kinks. Elements which would influence ELO, early Bowie, Pink Floyd...

I love this album, front-to-back. It's the Kinks at their most self-consciously uncool. The backwards-looking approach gives it a unique place in the 60s pantheon. The sidestep from psychadelia, prog, and heavier rock coming into vogue pre-sages decades of power pop to follow. While, in some senses, the Kinks music would become more vaudeville and theatrical in years to follow, this concept record hits a sweet spot of thematic consistency, playfulness, and exquisitely melodic songwriting. Favourite songs: Picture Book, Starstruck, Monica

Nothing to hate here. Very solid representation of a time and place. There's some ... we'll call it "experimental" engineering choices on this album that didn't exactly work out all that great but, overall, it's a chill, fun, 60s britrock album.

I just...can't. It just doesn't work in my brain.

❤️❤️❤️. Part of why I moved to the town where I live is that they have a centuries-old Village Improvement Society and so I assumed they continuously broadcasted this album on loudspeakers everywhere. Turns out I was wrong. Missed opportunity! The Kinks are sort of The Beatles for life's losers. People like me and perhaps you. Their natural posture lyrically is to sing from the perspective of little people with very little agency over their lives and with a focus on how helplessly desperate they are. I think this is a big part of why they have for 6 decades now held a lot of appeal to punk rockers and cultural subversives generally, despite their super Britishness that you might think would limit their appeal to the UK. I assume NY Doll and punk rock pioneer Johnny Thunders got his name from the song on this album. Also, in the only song written by underground guitar god Peter Laughner that escaped into anything close to the mainstream, Pere Ubu's "Life Stinks," they sing: Life stinks I'm seeing pink I can't wink I can't blink I like the Kinks I need a drink I can't think I like the Kinks Life stinks. Van Halen made hits out of two Kinks songs (You really got me and Where have all the good times gone). Now, admittedly VH was the opposite of underground - in fact they kinda defined above ground rock n roll for a good while there - but they do have the other thing that links all of these artists: deep alcoholism. The Kinks are great drinking music, and they were legendary drinkers themselves. Perhaps still are... Anyway, this album is peak Kinks and if you don't love it then you should be pleased with what a well-adjusted person you are. Bravo! I am happy for you. But get the fuck outta here - your smile is bringing me down. And be a good chap and buy a round before you go, pls. Cheers!

I listened to the opening track like 7 times, I cannot believe how catchy it was. The whole album was a fun time, and it was among one of my favorite ones I have listened to so far. HELL YEAH VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY.

The best way in which I can describe the Kinks is that they sound like the Beatles, but happier. The best way in which I can describe "The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society" is that it has perfect mixing (how can a 50+ year album sound this bloody good?) beautiful harmonies and a delightfully gleeful sense of nostalgia. Ray Davies refers to this record as as an affectionate acknowledgement of his culture, a statement on changes in life and memories that remain, and the search for new things to give meaning and enjoyment to living. In my case, I think the Kinks got it just right. 4/5.

underground beatles. a little goofy but also very standard. instrumentation standard. Opening track is great. more substance than majority of beatles songs. beatles for the hipster in your life. Adding this to a list of albums I would return to.

Old England. Rural retreats, vast swathes of farmland, friendly neighbourhoods, tea parties, Victorian music hall, the village green. Almost fifty years before this kind of nostalgia exposed itself as a complicated, damaging, Brexit-leaning force, Ray Davies was reading Dylan Thomas and reflecting on The Kinks having been banned from touring the US. What did his country mean to him? How was it changing with more and more technological advances? What was going to happen to it? Could the British Invasion go both ways, with the increasing Americanisation of his beloved home turf? The result is The Kinks’ maturation into one of the most versatile and singular bands of the 1960s, and Ray Davies’ blossoming into the next in a great line of romantic English poets pining for the pastoral. The title track of this album, “The Village Green Preservation Society”, is a perfect distillation of these ideals: a seemingly nonsensical lyric mostly comprises jumbled pop culture references from Davies’ childhood and beyond, expressed freely with little fuss or force. Desperate Dan, Sherlock Holmes, Mrs Mopps, Dracula, Donald Duck and many more sit side by side in a cozy, Utopian vision, as Davies searches for one group or another to feel part of. The music- gently strummed acoustic guitar, ramshackle piano intro, a hypnotic backbeat, short and simple riffs on electric guitar and whistling organ, breezy vocal harmonies- is absolutely spellbinding, perfectly capturing a naive innocence which grows more desperate with every key change. The album never quite surpasses its opener, but the themes of nostalgia, memories, change and aging are returned to again and again with a range of interesting perspectives and far more nuance than most of Davies’ contemporaries would have been able to muster. “Picture Book” and the ready-made-for-the-2020s “People Take Pictures of Each Other” consider our obsession with cataloguing memories, and the forlorn hope that a picture could somehow bring it all back. In “Do You Remember Walter”, a childhood friend may be fat, married and sedate, but “memories of people can remain”. Later, “Big Sky” and “Animal Farm” are pure joys of escapism in the face of an indifferent, unfeeling world. Then there’s the astonishing album-centrepiece, “Last of the Steam-Powered Trains”, in which Davies imagines himself as a train, all soot and scum, the voice of a missing-link generation. The album is at most threat of collapsing when the Kinks dial up the whimsy and branch into “When I’m 64”-style vaudeville. “Phenomenal Cat” is a sleepy Mellotron-led number which isn’t quite as clever or timeless as it wants to be. “Sitting by the Riverside” is pleasant but doesn’t quite land its cheap attempts at “Day in the Life” style crescendos. “Wicked Annabella” feels like an early-era Kinks track tacked on towards the end. But it’s easy to overlook these half-decent songs in favour of the brilliant ones. “The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society” is never unlistenable, and at its best it is transcendent. It also deserves points for having much more of a valid hold on the “early concept album” tag than Sgt. Pepper, or Pet Sounds. This is Davies making a full set of songs out of Brian Wilson’s “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times”. Peerless and unique songwriting, pitch-perfect performances… it’s superb.

Quintessentially English. Top notch!

Great! Funny and interesting songs. Up there with some of the most legendary beatles albums from that time.

I LOVE THE KINKS!!!!!!!!!!!

the greatest album EVER

Well, I just spent all morning discovering the Kinks and their long history through decades and genres. I hope there are more of their albums on this list. A 5.

I know the Kinks for the hits, but I don't know this album, and it doesn't have any of the big hits. But it's still solid musically, hard to fault. Pretty standard '60s rock, but nothing special really. Favorite tracks: Village Green Preservation Society, Big Sky, Picture Book. Album art: Cool band photo, love the swirly neon colors. Title is a mouthful though. 3.5/5

Absolute banger

This is the sort of album that’d make me proud to be English. If I was so afflicted. A cool, trippy album. With a wealth of awesome tracks. The Kinks were the coolest band around at the time, and still are. 5.0/5.0 Best Song: Village Green

Just unbelievable song, no one encapsulates the ridiculous of being English better than Ray Davies. Its a perfect album, and could very well be one of the best of the 60's. Its so beautiful and funny and playful and sad, its the whole range of what should be good about music. The Kinks will always have such a big part of my heart, and this album has a lot to do with it. Best Song: The village green preservation society, but special mention for Picture Book and Animal Farm, also Big Sky is insane..... and Starstruck and Last of the Steam powered trains

Ah, les Kinks et ce n'est pas une mince affaire. C'est le troisième album des frères Davies que je me mets entre les oreilles pour ce projet, et mon Dieu, quel parcours sinueux. J'ai d'abord eu droit à "Face to Face" (1966), un 3 sur 5 honorable. Un album un peu bancal, mais on sentait le génie poindre sous la surface. Ensuite, est venu "Something Else by the Kinks" (1967) et là, on montait d'un cran : un solide 4 sur 5, ne serait-ce que pour l'immense "Waterloo Sunset". J'étais séduit. Mais il manquait encore ce "truc". Ce déclic qui sépare un très bon album d'un chef-d'œuvre intemporel. Et puis, arrive "The Village Green Preservation Society" (1968). Et là, on touche au divin, nous y voilà, le 5 sur 5, l'album parfait des Kinks. Ce disque est un miracle, un anachronisme total, un doigt d'honneur si poli et si bien élevé que personne ne l'a remarqué à l'époque. Mais remettons-nous dans le contexte. 1968, c'est l'année de toutes les révolutions. Le monde est à feu et à sang, les étudiants sont dans la rue, de Paris à Berkeley. Hendrix brûle sa guitare, les Doors invoquent le Roi Lézard, les Beatles sortent le "White Album", testament chaotique d'un groupe en pleine explosion. Les Stones sortent "Beggars Banquet", satanique et boueux. Le psychédélisme est partout, l'acide coule à flots, on veut du bruit, du sexe, de la fureur, on veut faire tomber le système. Et Ray Davies ? Que fait Ray Davies pendant ce temps ? Il boit une tasse de thé. Il regarde par la fenêtre de sa petite maison de Muswell Hill et il s'inquiète pour la vieille épicerie du coin qui va fermer, remplacée par un supermarché. Il s'inquiète pour les locomotives à vapeur, il s'inquiète pour la confiture de fraise maison et les tasses en porcelaine. Alors que le monde entier hurle "FORWARD !", Ray Davies murmure "STOP !". "The Village Green Preservation Society" est l'album le plus radicalement hors-sujet de 1968. Et c'est précisément ce qui en fait un chef-d'œuvre absolu. C'est un album conceptuel, mais le concept est si délicat qu'il pourrait se briser au moindre courant d'air. Le concept ? La préservation. La préservation d'une petite Angleterre imaginaire, pastorale, excentrique, celle des jardins bien entretenus, des vieilles dames, des chats errants et des souvenirs d'enfance. "God save Donald Duck, Vaudeville and Variety"... "God save strawberry jam and all the different varieties". Sérieusement ? En 1968 ? Le mec nous parle de sauver Donald Duck et la confiture de fraise ? C'est d'une subversion totale. "The Village Green Preservation Society" n'est pas un album de rock, c'est un album de folk baroque, de pop de chambre, de vignettes pastorales. C'est le son d'un homme qui, voyant le monde moderne arriver comme un bulldozer, décide de construire une cabane dans un arbre avec des bouts de ficelle et des souvenirs. Le plus triste, c'est que le village qu'il essaie de préserver n'a probablement jamais existé. C'est une utopie nostalgique où la mélancolie suinte de chaque sillon. Il ne chante pas la gloire de ce village, il chante sa disparition imminente. Ce n'est pas un disque réactionnaire ; c'est un disque de deuil. Bon il faut être honnête, commercialement, ce fut un bide monumental. Un four, un désastre. Car personne n'a compris ou peut être qu'en 1968, personne ne voulait écouter des chansons sur des animaux de ferme, des tasses de thé ou des photos de vacances. L'album a disparu sans faire de bruit. Jusqu'à ce que les années 90 arrivent. Et là, révélation. Toute la Britpop est venue picorer ici. Car "The Village Green Preservation Society" n'est un album, c'est le putain de garde-manger de Damon Albarn. "Parklife" de Blur, c'est "VGPS" avec des synthés et des courses de lévriers. Les vignettes sociales de Pulp ? Du pur Ray Davies. Les mélodies d'Oasis ? Les Kinks, encore et toujours. Tous ces jeunes blancs-becs qui prétendaient réinventer la pop anglaise n'ont fait que piller l'œuvre d'un homme qui, 25 ans plus tôt, avait déjà tout dit. Cet album, c'est le Ground Zero de la pop anglaise moderne. C'est le son de l'Angleterre qui se regarde le nombril, et qui trouve ça à la fois magnifique et terriblement triste. Le voyage avec les Kinks pour ce projet 1001 a été progressif. Un 3/5, un 4/5... et maintenant, ce 5/5 indiscutable. La patience a payé. C'est l'album parfait pour un dimanche après-midi pluvieux, c'est l'album parfait pour se rappeler que parfois, le geste le plus punk n'est pas de tout casser, mais de refuser obstinément de participer à la fête.

Beatles vs Stones. The correct and only answer...the Kinks. Musically yes. But more importantly the Kinks would also kick their collective asses in a street fight. I may not get all the references but it sure does make me what to visit.

The Village Green Preservation Society I fully jumped on the wagon when this became a rediscovered hidden gem 10 or 20 years ago, and I still think it’s superb, and fully deserving of its critical reappraisal. While sounding very Kinks-ian, it's stylistically very eclectic, taking in rock, psychedelic, musichall, pop, folk, baroque and blues, and using some interesting instrumentation to wrap it up with a classical/rock opera feel. Among the harpsichords, strings, brass and mellotrons there is some characteristic Dave Davies guitar playing, but Pete Quaife’s bass playing is noticeably good, with some very Macca-esque melodic playing, particularly as he uses the same device of plugging his Rick directly in to the mixing desk. Song wise it’s uniformly great too, with some fantastic melodies and tunes. Animal Farm in particular I love, the pastoral tinge to it is just lovely, and the title track is great of course. I love Do You Remember Walter with its distant horns in the left channel, and Johnny Thunder carries a great energetic wistfulness. Big Sky is also superb, combining some great Dave Davies playing with some ethereal Sgt Pepper-esque passages and more musichall sections. Village Green’s baroque pop with a sinister feel, married to the pastoral, melancholic description of a fictionalised past is a great combination. Wicked Annabella has more great guitar and bass, and I love the creepiness of the riff, echoing the witchy theme. In fact I don’t think there’s a dud on the album, Phenomenal Cat might be a little throwaway but its is still interesting with a great organ coda, and the Calypso-isms of Monica might invoke Mr Moonlight too closely but I like the Ayay Ayay part, and thematically and lyrically they more than make up for any shortcomings. And thematically of course is where it also excels, and you can easily see why it's such a touchstone for later bands, particularly and obviously Blur, with its mix of pen portraits and laments for ideas of Englishness. While a lot of the album focuses on nostalgia, I don’t necessarily feel it’s welded to the past he describes, it feels more like Ray Davies wants to find a way to move forward without throwing away the past, but without getting weighed down and stuck in a retrospective cul de sac. And the recurring reference to taking pictures is a really interesting and cleverly used motif, playing with the idea of wanting to record a moment, but what you actually get isn’t real, and is just as easily forgotten and disposed of. It does sound a little rough round the edges production wise, like a lot of their albums. Often that works for them and the spiky tension between the brothers, but in the hands of a more technically skilled producer it feels like on this album sound could have married even more cohesively with the overall concept. But that is a minor gripe really, it’s a superb album, and completely deserving of its reputation. 🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢 Playlist submission: Animal Farm

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1001 ALBUMS- # 50 We are the village green….one of the greatest albums there’s ever been! 🥰 Quite a treat to have this land as my 50th on the listening list, man do I ever love The Kinks. Ever overshadowed by the exhaustingly overrated Beatles, Ray Davies pop rock sensibilities really do rival that of Lennon & McCartney, and for my money this album ranks among the very best of the era. The album is a nostalgic reflection of English life, captured through the contemplative lens of Davies. Every song on Village Green feels like a scene from a faded photo album. Wistfully reflecting on childhood memories with the theme of what becomes unrecognizable after the passing of time. Jaunty and melodic, yet underneath catchy choruses lie a quiet ache — tracks with emotional range, tackling isolation and disillusionment with both irony and empathy. 🎧 Classic Track: Starstruck 🎧 Deep Cut Gem: Sitting By The Riverside 🎧 Memorable Standout: Johnny Thunder 🎧 Personal Favorite: Animal Farm Musically, the album leans on baroque pop, British folk, and music hall, forgoing the heavy amplification of their early hits. The arrangements are intricate but never overbearing, often relying on acoustic textures, harpsichords, and rich vocal harmonies. There’s a clear sense of craft in each track, as if every chord and lyric has been carefully placed to serve the album’s overarching mood. The album’s quiet, poetic songwriting is what likely led to middling sales upon its release, however in the years since its release, Village Green has properly received its due as It’s now widely considered not just one of The Kinks’ finest works, but one of the great albums of the 1960s. 🖼️ Album Artwork: Hypnotic lure Its influence can be heard in the modern work of artists like Blur, Belle and Sebastian, and even modern Americana bands who find similar beauty in place and tradition. Have a listen to Green Day’s ‘Warning’ and tell me that song isn’t directly reimagined from ‘Picture Book’ 📖 .

All I know is ELO stole the opening riff of Mr. Blue Sky from Do You Remember Walter? and that's my initial reaction. This one did remind me of Sgt. Pepper quite a bit. Not sure why but this felt like an especially Beatle-esque album. I really enjoyed this album and I only knew two of the songs, which were Picture Book and Starstruck, but there were a lot of other really catchy and well-written songs on here. When I reviewed the last Kinks album I said I was looking forward to hearing more the Kinks albums. That still applies, as I would like to see if there is an album that I find to be not as great. The songs on here that are good are too numerous to list, so I would suggest all of the tracks are worthy of a listen.

i loved this one, great vibes very funky

The Kinks previously were just a very popular and influential 60's Rock band being at the forefront of both Garage Rock and Psychedelic Pop Rock and they did have some well known and big songs like Waterloo Sunset or You Really Got Me but they were missing a full on project that would cement them just barely behind the Beatles in the 60's Pop Rock hall of fame. Luckily, that album was near as this 1968 release did exactly that. Not only was it somewhat of conceptual album (which they later adapted much stronger) but it was as consistent as they ever been at this point. The entire album is full of fun, well produced and well delivered Pop Rock songs that include different genres from Baroque Pop to Folk neatlessly. It is without a doubt, their biggest and arguably best achievement in their entire career. The album starts with the mellow and calm but fun and happy 'The Village Green Preservation Society' which is a beautiful Folk Pop song that not only starts the album off beautifully but also brings on one of the most memorable songs and hooks that the album can offer. It's quirky with silly but well incorporated references to for example Donald Duck. A pretty much perfect song to start the album with. The quirkiness stays with 'Do You Remember Walter?' which gets much more Rock while still being definitely Pop music but most interestingly, this sounds pretty similar to some of their older Mod stuff. The song is really great but a couple moments in the bridge do feel a little left alone which is kind of bumping the song down a little bit. But still, this is an incredible track. Luckily, 'Picture Book' makes up for that. The songwriting here is absolutely phenomenal. It builds enough tension to be interesting while still being easily enjoyable as a Pop Rock song. The happy energy it releases with the nostalgic instrumental and lyrical delivery is just amazing. The song is silly, very silly, but in the best way possible. It's fun and when it ends I even wished that it'd be longer. What can I say, this is simply perfection and easily one of the best songs in their entire catalogue. 'Johnny Thunder' sounds very much like a mix of the Beatles and the Beach Boys but still with own originality within. The song has a very strong hook and the background vocals add a ton of enjoyment to the already great song. The entirety is simply another maginificant track and again, this should've been longer. A big genre swith happens on 'Last of the Steam Powered Trains' which is not only the albums longest song at over 4 minutes but it adds a lot of Blues Rock as well as Country, Freakbeat and even a little bit of British Rythmn & Blues to the Pop Rock sound. It's an energetic and diverse song that doesn't linger too long on on part or another as it moves from guitar riff to vocals into the bridge and so on. It also speeds up at one point, adding even more energy to the song. And while I am not the biggest fan of Blues Rock, this song is very much how all of Blues Rock should aspire to sound like. It's not perfect but it's very close. The sitar inspired guitar as well as the Spoken Word vocals on 'Big Sky' are resulting in on of the albums weirdest but also most psychedelic moments. It's weird and even if it works and has great songwriting, it still leaves you with mixed feelings. Mixed feelings of if you heard the track the right way or not. It is weird but the mastered that perfectly and this song is doing exactly what it's supposed to do. Some moments though, feel a little bit overlooked and pale which is why the song as a whole is "just" incredible. The accordion on 'Sitting by the Riverside' adds a very French touch to the song. The song is also very theatrical in the delivery of the vocals. It's very psychedelic and lush and closes the albums first half with another incredible track that is just absolutely amazing. The B side of the album opens with 'Animal Farm', a beautiful Folk Rock song with wonderful lyrics and even better songwriting. The song feels like it achieves a lot of what some Country tries to do with its sounds and styles. It's genuinely a masterpiece in every sense of the word: not only the songwriting but the vocal delivery, all performances, the mellow strings and other arrangements added. It all results in a song that's simply beautiful and even a little bit nostalgic. 'Village Green' is pretty much a result of a perfect combination of the Beach Boys and the Kinks in both of the best things they bring to the table. The beautiful arrangements that feel like they were made up when both Davies and Brian Wilson worked together while on LSD and then added incredible songwriting and lyrics on top. Incredible!, perfect even! 'Starstruck' is much rawer and simpler in terms of ideas and execution. The songwriting is still incredible and the performances are wonderful but the song feels pretty simple compared to the rest. It's definitely another incredible song but it feels a little "outdated" when held side by side against the other songs. The experimental sides of 'Phenomenal Cat' with the pitched vocals, the interesting flutes added as well as the vocal delivery result in another pretty weird and slightly haunting song while still being very much a Kinks Pop Rock song, just a little bit less of a happy sunshine Pop song. It's great but one of the "weaker" songs on the album. The few moments of theatrical deliveries are pushed to their biggest extend on 'All of My Friends Were There' and while it was a nice touch on the other songs, here it actually harms the song a little bit. I do like the additional instruments and the music itself but some of the verses do feel a little over the top in terms of delivery. It's still a great track but again, weaker. 'Wicked Annabella' gets very heavy with loud bass and down-tuned guitars that result in something that if it was pushed even further might be enough to be called Proto-Metal but in the way it is finalised here, it's just some well performed Heavy Psych with energetic and haunting deliveries from all members. Sonically this very much stands out but not so much with quality. They were definitely trying something but as what they tried wasn't really a thing and also not what they usually do, the result is great and interesting but not much more. The exotic inspirations that very much feel like something you'd hear in South/Middle America together with the typical Pop Rock is certainly interesting but not really all that well made. The song has it's moments but falls a little bit flat. It's still pretty good. The Ska approach on 'People Take Pictures of Each Other' definitely ends the album in a very funny and enjoyable way when it comes to what they did musically and in terms of songwriting. The vocal delivery absolutely ruins this song. Well it doesn't "ruin" it but it harms it a lot. The song is groovy and it is fun but I cannot enjoy it to the extend that I'd want to when listening to these vocals. The song could've been incredible but it ends up being just a pretty good closing track. favourites: Picture Book, The Village Green Preservation Society, Animal Farm, Village Green, Johnny Thunder least favourites: Monica, People Take Pictures of Each Other Rating: decent 9 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

I’ve been pecking at this album every few years for the last twenty, aware of its importance while struggling to obtain purchase, reminded of successors that slapped on their nostalgia for Davies’s real nostalgia, creating a simulacrum of nostalgia, a double-fake of a world that preceded these faux-nostalgists - have you ever been to a carnival? have you heard music hall in a music hall? do you think that rations are something that Solid Snake picks up to recoup HP? - which proved the avant garde of Brexit and the pints of Spitfires and blue passports in their train. And after writing that, I stopped, wondered what I’d say besides “Blur” if someone asked me to name one of these bands. And I quite like some Blur. I blame the power of this album’s nostalgia, which is portable and can be passed around. Pick it up and you feel it, regardless of the century you were born in. On return, every hook reveals to have been embedded deep: this is almighty, and also pleasingly sinister, often seedy, which it should be. What finally persuaded me over this listen is the tiny repetitive interstitial guitar riff that pedals “…Walter” along its last few seconds. They’re a accoutrement that makes the song, driving, sleazy and anxious at the same time. They’re so memorable that I was sure they played throughout the entire song, shocking me just now when I went back and found they only come in at the death, two up-down repetitions and then done. “Monica”’s throwaway calypso is my favourite, at least this evening.

Love it, listen to it frequently, not a bad song on it and many top tunes including two or three of their best. Wonderful album [EDIT - and the lyrics throughout! So ahead of its time, could be repurposed by a cynical Gen Z'er to illustrate our contemporary shitshow with minimal edits]

The best album by a brilliant band.

This is, hands down, on of the best albums ever.

Hugely biased mega-Kinks fan here. But if anyone knows a better written, better performed album of quintessentially English popular music, let me know. And I'll tell you why you're wrong. ;)

It's a rare quality for a band to be almost universally mood-improving, but the Kinks really are, at least for me. Even their more introspective songs, like "Do You Remember Walter" are jaunty - so jaunty, in fact, that it's the basis for one of the all-time upbeat songs, ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky". And of course Green Day took the riff from "Picture Book" for "Warning", one of their most upbeat, Major Key songs. But what makes VGPS special is that its sonic and thematic cohesiveness is not really replicated anywhere else in The Kinks' discography. It's also the final album they made during a yearslong ban from the United States, which gives the album such a deeply English sensibility that it became a sort of ur-text for Britpop.

I would not hesitate to put this on a list of my 10 favourite albums ever.

Since it’s a Sunday during a three day holiday weekend and I’ve got zero pressing responsibilities today, I’m listening to Village Green on vinyl, rather than streaming from my platform of choice. I’ve got a nice, clean 1975 Reprise US pressing that I found at Double Decker Records in Allentown, PA back in 2016 or so. Shout out to Double Decker, the best record store on the East Coast. The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society is a concept album of sorts, reflecting Ray Davies’ desire to preserve the culture and traditions of England’s past…or, at least, his recollection of traditions and culture past. I think most of us can relate to that sentiment: we might look back fondly on the decade(s) and culture in which we came of age and hope for a return, but for others, those times might have been miserable and worth leaving behind. In that regard, “Picture Book”, the third track on Village Green, might act as a mission statement for the record: “Picture book of people with each other…To prove they love each other, a long time ago”. Almost as though Ray Davies is saying, “Those were the days, weren’t they? Luckily we were able to preserve them, as reminder that things used to be better”. It may be a pessimistic take on my part, I know, but after the last few years on this planet, it’s hard not to look back fondly on the days where everything was simpler and more worry-free. Despite the nostalgic concept of the record, musically, Village Green is quite forward-thinking. The songs here feel like a blueprint, written and waiting to be uncovered and referenced by a thousand punk and indie rock bands 10, 20 or 30 years in the future. Not to harp on “Picture Book”, but I recall its use in a commercial in the early aughts and thinking it could be a Shins (or similar) song. Not that it’s surprising, even the Kinks earliest songs had an edge to their sound that the Beatles and Stones lacked, it’s unsurprising that their influence would be just as long lasting. I’m not going sit here and try and convince you that the Kinks were a better band than the Beatles or the Stones. I think they are, at least for their late 60’s/early 70’s output, but that’s a realization and personal preference that you’ll have to come to on your own…or not. I’m just saying that for some fans of punk and indie rock, the Kinks’ records might resonate stronger than the Beatles or the Stones do…and I am one of those people.

God shit

"CAUTION POLICE LINE YOU BETTER NOT CROSS"

Love the kinks.

Felt like a walk through the park on a sunny day with a good buddy

A lot of songs I had not heard. All in all I liked it.

A breezy lil charmer.

The Kinks were pioneers. In 1964 they gave us early rock/punk classics “You Really Got Me” and “All Day and All of the Night.” Banned from touring the US, they didn’t get to enjoy all the advantages of their fellow British Invaders but have a solid discography. This is a good album that would be more impressive if it had been released 2 years earlier. By 1968, the Beatles were offering the white album and the Stones, Beggar’s Banquet. This may be intentionally a throwback but it’s a throwback nevertheless. The Kinks and this album deserve more attention. Wish I could give it 5/5 but I think this is a strong 3 or a 4.

This is the first album I've listened to before getting the prompt for it! It's hilarious how two days ago we got "Arthur", and I thought that "Village Green" was the better of the two Kinks albums I've listened to. Anyway, having listened to "Village Green" multiple times in the past couple of days - to compare it to "Arthur" and now for this prompt - I still stand by that. This is an excellent album - all the tracks are strong from start to finish. It also reminded me a lot of Vampire Weekend's work (especially the first half of their discography, which I absolutely love) - it's clear that they were influenced by this album.

a nostalgic album about what England once was. no hits on here really except for a couple of songs later used in Hot Fuzz. not commercially successful at the time. (also released the same day as The Beatles White Album).

The Kinks are really underrated in my opinion. Sure, they have a couple of mega-hits but if you delve deeper into their catalog they have a bunch of super catchy, iconic songs that no one seems to have noticed. Picture Book is a great example - I only became aware of it because it was used in a commercial awhile back. What an awesome song! Great album all around. 4 stars.

Everybody wanna make their own Sgt. Pepper but not everybody should make their own Sgt. Pepper. Not saying this album is bad, there's a couple songs I liked, but I don't see myself listening to this again.

Alright. I do love defending the village green. But can we do it in a more exiting way?

Good album!

Ok. It's the kinks. Always good. Rarely outstanding on this album.

I would benefit from a deeper dive or song explainer documentary to better appreciate the lyrics and meaning. As it was, I passively listened to the album (both in real-time in Norway and a month later playing catchup) and came away thinking it was a decent enough baroque pop Beatles knockoff. I can't help but feel I'm missing something that fans are seeing, so I'll be generous and give it a 3.

Good enough for the time. This album could be the background music for any vignette of the time without taking away from the scene. It is almost a characature of 60's pop. Three stars because there's no 3.5 option

Je ne me souviens plus de l'album alors je vais vous raconter ma journée. Vers 9h, je sors de mon lit et vais prendre mon café. Une fois mes mails du jour attentivement lus, je décide d'annoncer à la personne qui m'avait fait passer un entretien vendredi dernier que j'ai finalement accepté une autre offre que la sienne, tout en lui souhaitant de trouver le candidat qu'elle recherche. S'ensuit un black out de 25 heures et un état de conscience repris à l'instant. Affaire à suivre.

I was running errands the first time I listened to this & thought it stunk - unfocused quasi psychedelic folk with sophomoric lyrics. But then I heard the third-last song, Wicked Annabella, & I thought that Spotify had moved me to a 90s playlist, so I decided to give it another try. I like the Village Green track - I'm sure I can hear a harpischord in there somewhere and the other tracks now fall into place, though at times they sound a bit like a jug band. It's hard to believe this came out 4 years after You Really Got Me! I appreciate the fact that Davies didn't sucumb to pressure to produce another hit and stuck to the obscure.

lite intetsägande men lite kul att lyssna på ändå. tvåa eller trea.

As with some of the other Kinks songs I have heard before - admittedly, they are "mainstream", unlike most of this entire album -, they give off a lot of innovation, and appear as something which I can entirely see as world changing relative to their contemporary artists. Something like Wicked Annabella, for example - a chugging riff, with dissonance and harmonics? That's an entire genre of music nowadays, and they made this in '68, unreal! That being said, we are not in '68 any more, and overarching their fun aspects is a very obvious aging to everything they do, especially the vocals, both in lyrics and mixing. For me personally, this is not appealing, but I absolutely don't mind listening to this passively, or as an exploration of music history.

Number 100!!!!!!! The kinks , while fun in bits and catchy at times , suffer from a lack of substance and instrumental creativity over the span of an album . Enjoyed a couple of tracks but overall uninspired

After you, no after you. I'm sorry are we facilitating a conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image? Tea anyone

First song of the album all I think of is "Hot Fuzz" lol. Not really my jam but some of the songs weren't bad. Wouldn't actively listen to it but wouldn't mind if it was on. 2.5/5

If you happen to be in desperate need for some music for your retro style kids’ show, you might get some ideas from this album. Everyone else need not apply.

Great record. I listened to the mojo version which is the marginally better version. I love that at a time when music was most forward thinking the Kinks manage to sound of the time whilst being nostalgic. It reminds me of the UK of my childhood. Or maybe my parent’s childhood because I wasn’t born when this was released. Lyrics are cool. Even the obligatory blues influenced song, which the 60’s guys found so hard to ditch takes a fresh perspective - the last steam powered train in a museum. Actually thanks to the organisations like the ones in the title many steam powered trains run.

God Save the Kinks.

Ez chad music

Stone cold classic

Fantastic.

Love this. Must own this album.

I have not listened to this as a whole album before although I am familiar with a number of the songs. I really enjoyed it. There are some really great catchy pop hooks and it hangs together well as a concept album (unlike many others on this list). Fascinating to see how English nostalgia was already a thing in 1968 and compare it to current times and how many people would bite your arm off just to get back to the 60's,,,,

A true cultural British time capsule with excellent song writing from start to finish

RIP Ozzy

Great album.

Fire

I really enjoyed this album. the lyrics were both silly and profound.

One of my favorite concept albums, The Kinks knock it out of the park as songwriters over and over again. Really beautiful, funny, cheeky, and sincere. Great lyrics, lots of different flavours of songs to be had.

Idk this was so fun. Really easy to listen to, good vibes, fun sounds. Loved!

The kinks at their best

Released in 1968, at the hight of psychedelia, the Kink's "The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society" eschews that sound and trend, and instead focusses on songs based around the concept of the vanishing, idealised English pastoral life. Musically, it is quite eclectic and draws on British music hall and folk influences. The production could be a little crisper and full, and the album artwork is truly awful, almost daring you to buy the album! Apparently, this was a deliberate artistic choice to contrast to albums released just prior, the most notable ones being "Sgt. Pepper's", "Disraeli Gears", and "Axis: Bold as Love". On that front it succeeds greatly, but I think it's a shame. Stand out tracks for me are "The Village Green Preservation Society" , "Do You Remember Walter", "Picture Book", "Animal Farm" and "Phenomenal Cat" . But really just listen to the whole album from start to finish. It flows excellently. "The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society" is Ray Davies's and The Kinks finest album, and a double album to boot! It is a quite delightful listen, and one of the finest albums of the 1960s and indeed beyond. The whole album has a wistful and nostalgic hue to it, without that ever being over-bearing or saccharine. Oh, and the wonderful song "Days" was a non-album single from this time! Superb - Five stars. Side one 1. "The Village Green Preservation Society"  (5/5) 2. "Do You Remember Walter"  (5/5) 3. "Picture Book" (5/5) 4. "Johnny Thunder"  (4/5) 5. "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains"  (5/5) 6. "Big Sky"  (4/5) 7. "Sitting by the Riverside" (5/5) Side two 1. "Animal Farm"  (5/5) 2. "Village Green" (5/5) 3. "Starstruck" (4/5) 4. "Phenomenal Cat"  (5/5) 5. "All of My Friends Were There" (5/5) 6. "Wicked Annabella" (5/5) 7. "Monica"  (3/5) 8. "People Take Pictures of Each Other"  (5/5) Total - 70 Average - 4.67 131/1001 68/131 albums reviewed were new to me.

Enjoyed the album. While I was in a state of stress, each song calmed me down to a mellow state. Great improvement from yesterday's album I can't even remember since it was terrible and I want to purge it from my mind.

9.2/10 another banger from the kinks. if i’m being honest i have listened to this album before but i had no issue listening again. one of my favorites

Kickass. Is this the Kinks' Sgt. Pepper? Deserved a little better recording but these are awesome tracks. 4.6

I enjoyed this album. I like The Kinks but I'm more familar with their music from the 80's. I'll listen to this one again.

One of my all time favorite albums. Incredible.

Funky, psychedelic, funny, catchy and a little bit gritty. I thought I knew The Kinks as a 60's pop band. This album has that but I feel like offers a whole bunch more too. Really dig the sound.

The only Kinks song I knew coming into this was Lola, which is a great song, but has pretty much become a classic rock cliche at this point. It's an absolute shame I hadn't explored these guys earlier because this is fantastic! Incredibly catchy songs, immaculate production, some weird 60s psychedelic experimentation. It kind of feels somewhere in between Bob Dylan and the Beatles. Thoroughly enjoyed this and I'm excited to check out more!

I've railed against similar sounding albums by UK acts from this time period for being too twee, daft, irritating, folksy, fantastical, fanciful etc. But for some reason Village Green hits different. This record rules. The songs are so fun. They don't grate the way tracks on Ogden's Nut Gone do. Great stuff, front to back. An easy 5/5.

I absolutely love this. This is album is a reminder that I should probably listen to more of these albums in stereo and/or through good quality headphones .

I can dig it ☮️ Fav songs: Picture Book, Phenomenal Cat

Excellent

I’ve heard very few albums that are this fun to listen to. I definitely see why this is so beloved

VRH VRH VRH. jednostavno predobro, 15 fenomenalnih pjesama jedna za drugom. najdraže: do you remember walter, last of the steam-powered trains, animal farm, monica, people take pictures of each other

all time great

Loved it

I don’t know why I’m so fascinated by this album. But I am. And I’ve listened to it three times in the past 24 hours. So it’s a different type of 5, but a 5 nonetheless.

More sardonic fun from The Kinks.

5/5. This just gushes with creativity, masters of their craft while still sounding fresh and new, even by today's standard. I sometimes try to avoid uppity-British albums, as there is a sort of pretentiousness to it but this one, and the kinks in general, feel almost punkish? Hard to tell but it feels like they actually want to say something, which is always commendable, even if it's something small. I wouldn't say this is a perfect album but it's damn near perfect so I'll give it that bump. Best Song: The Village Green Preservation Society, Picture Book, People Take Pictures of Each Other

Very fun classic rock. Great listen.

Well written and well made a very nice album

I really like the Kinks and have this album. So ruddy fantastic. So many songs on one album causing me absolute joy. From the rising arpeggios of Picture Book to the spoken word on Big Sky and as usual, jaunty melodies over reflective dark lyrics. This is what excellence smells like and I am breathing in deep.

Well, this is definitely a great album. It took a number of listens, though. You need to get into it. There are a big number of typical Ray Davies jewels to be enjoyed. 'Animal farm' and 'Village Green' - starring a prominent oboe and a harpsichord - are maybe the highlights. A couple of weaker songs as well. It's sentimental as hell. Put it on and drown in sentimentality, for which there is much more reason nowadays.

This is a very interesting album not appreciated by the masses but still it has a poignancy that shows off Ray Davies poetic style and obtuse song writing. While other bands were thundering away, The Kinks went in a very different direction. He is a master of subtlety and showing off the underside of British life. It deserves more attention than it got!