The Village Green Preservation Society

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this one. I used to love the kinks, but as I grew older their knowingly ironic twee-ness started to grate on me. Listening to this whole thing now, I can't really deny that the music is infectious. Ray is a great songwriter and Dave is an excellent guitarist. Perhaps the most underrated player of the 60s. Props also to Mick Avory on the drums. Maybe it is time for the Kinks to have a renaissance in my listening habbits.

Interessant

This isn't me hating on this album, because it's pretty good, but why do a band like the Kinks have 4 albums on this list??

The album that properly got me into the Kinks - some of it goes a little bit music hall for my liking, but the title track, Picture Book, and a few others are all time Kinks.

A fairly recent find for me. I really rate The Kinks.

This is why I enjoy 1001 so much! Heard the title track and people say "great album", and never would have thought to give it a go. :) It felt sad and nostalgic, in a way that maybe gets more heavy as the album ages, as there's two layers of nostalgia? Wow, and I could hear 90s Britpop all over this album too, so that was neat. :)

Fun and enjoyable, every song feels like a different genre or experiment that kept me interested Best: Loved All of My Friend Were There Starstruck

I now know why I overlooked this album

I really liked this! easy brit-pop from way back in the day, melodic and super easy to listen to.

It's very sweet. I'm not particularly fond of sweets.

All of the Kinks albums on this list are phenomenal, and I think this is probably the best one out of the bunch. Truly a Ray Davies masterpiece. To me, this is right up there with Sgt. Pepper’s and Pet Sounds as one of the most innovative albums of the 60s, it’s a whole 45 minutes of pure creativity and fun, I love it.

Kinda forgettable but okay overall

Usually I'm not a fan of whatever type of genre this is, but this was pretty decent. Not extraordinary, but I actually like a few songs from this album.

I really really enjoyed this. I'm a bit of a sucker for this era of 60's music and was ready familiar with The Kinks. Had never listened to this album in full though. Lots to love however some tracks really didn't land for me and stopped me giving this a 5. Really, what were they thinking with "All my friends were there." Truly awful. Doesn't stop this from being a great but not quite perfect album.

Gentle, doesn't have the best the kinks have to offer if you ask me

i love the kinks but this is not their best imo

I was not in the mood for this 5/10

2.2/5 It was ok I guess. Another album I don't see the hype for it.

Honestly I can understand the hype around the album but it really wasn't my type of music and reminded me of the really old beatles.

The beatles: mid edition Fav song: picture book

Spectacular from start to finish. One of the most generous albums ever made.

Another classic from the golden period of rock, the 60s Favorite track: picture book other picks: animal farm, village preservation society, do you remember walter

pretty cool, funky, sometimes country and a bit rock, some nice jams, mostly prefer some of their bigger songs than anything on this album tho

Although I listened to this a good month ago and failed to review, I do recall my growing annoyance with the album - a late ‘60s quirky concept album just not my jam these days. It got too wee and twee in parts, despite some good rock sounds in others, and I ultimately didn’t care to follow the story.

Ok

Every time I hear this album I’m in paradise.

Helt ok tidstypisk pop-rock.

Started off decent and devolved as time went on. It's generic 60s.

I liked it! Very happy sound!

I think the Kinks have better stuff

Лучшее, из того, что я слышала подобного рода

Charmingly English

Muy bueno, me gustó

Very similar to the style of The Beatles but with their own sound. Incredible harmonies, lovely summery vibe with the majority of the tracks. It had a very whimsical and almost soft, psychedelic vibe to it. Some of the tracks I recognise from watching Hot Fuzz. Favourite songs: The Village Green Preservation Society, Big Sky, Village Green, Starstruck, Wicked Annabella.

Ray Davies was always one for a bit of nostalgia, and The Village Green Preservation Society is peak nostalgia for an England that Davies most likely plucked from his imagination. Wherever Davies found his inspiration, the results were heady stuff indeed - but not a huge success when it was released. Probably because songs about Mum and Dad’s photo albums and steam trains weren’t quite the thing at the time - at the height of multi-coloured psychedelia, The Kinks were soaking their songs in tea-stained sepia. It matters not a whit. The Village Green Preservation Society is a wonderful collection of songs; its charms are timeless and thoroughly rejects a modernity based on pie-crust promises – a Mary Poppins reference there for the cool kids. Top tracks: the title track obviously, plus “Picture Book”, “Last Of The Steam-Powered Trains”, “Big Sky”, “Village Green”, etc. etc. etc. 10/10

Picture Book

I already like the Kinks but only knew Days and Picture Book (because Green Day plagiarised it) from this album, so this was a treat. I enjoyed the baroque pop sensibility and nostalgic lyrics.

Actually had good melody’s and whatnot and wasn't just look at us were super high on drugs which for the amount of late 60's on the list isn't a given. I enjoyed it. 8/10

I never thought before about how much The Kinks must have been an influence on a young Peter Gabriel. This is conceptual but less proggy than early Genesis but with a similar focus on Englishness. I like how the album sounds and Ray Davies' commitment to writing away from the usual lyrical concerns. But I mistrust anything that seems to wallow in this much nostalgia and an idealised version of England. The melodies mostly aren't that immediate but I like the variety of approaches and the different textures.

Maybe you had to be there? It wasn't bad but didn't capture me at all.

p133. 1968. 3 stars. Proof that The Kinks were always more of a singles band. This isn't dreadful by any means, with sharp lyrics and sly asides - but there's a lot of filler. It's all a bit tired and twee to be honest.

- Just some fun, whimsical, feel good listening

Very hippie, British, early mid 60s. Reminds me of Spinal Tap the early years, but that is my only frame of reference.

Love the kinks

On the surface, this album sounds just like other British bands from that era, such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. But The Kinks manage to insert a few darker undertones in their otherwise happy music and thus make for a more varied and interesting listening experience. Best songs are The Village Green Preservation Society and Wicked Annabella. 7/10, just like British cuisine, their music is better with more spices.

I'll show these guys a kink or two

Good album!

Halt beatles in nöd so guet

Gonna be an unpopular opinion because I know this is a lot of people's favorite album, but I bounced back and forth from really enjoying some songs ( Last of the Steam-Powered Trains, Wicked Annabella, Picture Book) to absolutely hating some of them (All of My Friends Were There, Phenomenal Cat, The Village Green Preservation Society). I honestly think the kind of almost whispery, sing-songy , whimsicality of the vocals on some of the songs got on my nerves after a bit. I enjoyed the instrumentals way more than the singing. It's a British Invasion album, what can I say. It's got enough high points and interesting songs/ guitar riffs that it kept me engaged *almost* the whole album, but the lows were low.

I'm gonna be real, this is way too British for me. It's kind of like a more annoying knockoff of The Beatles' low points. Psychedelic without the "rock" just kind of sucks. Wicked Annabella is the closest thing to an actual rock song. The rest can be best described as musings set to music and I really don't connect with it.

Visai nieko, bet nieko nepamenu. Bet taip pat aš ne visai sąmoninga, tai nežinau.

Pretty interesting experiment in a variety of genres. But I can see why the kinks have largely been left behind while contemporary such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones continue to be relevant.

I thought if the Kinks as one of those bands where I liked the singles but not the rest. But this is really good despite not having anything as catchy as their hits. The style is pretty variable, often touching on things I usually find pretentious (baroque rock), but here they manage to make it work. Impressive effort

4 macht irgendwie Spaß

Perfect encapsulation of the era

Three solid standouts but very samey for me....still good tho

5* for me, love the Kinks' songwriting - every song here is 4* + and around 10 of them are 5* songs. The record also has great theming/cohesion and gets bonus points for being a quirky British record overtly criticising Britishness (lightly although very clear thematically, Arthur is the more obviously critical record of the two)

This album feels like opening a slightly dusty storybook and realizing the stories still matter. It’s gentle, observant, and a little wistful without slipping into pure nostalgia. The songs are small on the surface but carefully built, full of melodic turns and lyrical details that reward attention. Nothing here is trying to overwhelm you. Instead, it creates a quiet world of ordinary people, fading traditions, and affectionate satire. That restraint is part of the charm, though it also means the record can feel modest to a fault if you’re craving big emotional peaks. Still, the warmth lingers. It’s thoughtful, humane songwriting that grows on you the longer you sit with it.

None of their biggest hits. Not unpleasant just not scintillating for me.

RE LARGO MAAAN

I'm clearly predjudiced. I've given this album 4 listens over 3 days and that's not the same goodwill I would give many other bands. But this is The Kinks and I think I've been rewarded. Although it is almost like the soundrack of a West End musical, with many of the tunes being more like dittys than deep meaningful opuses, all the songs are growers. So with apologies to other acts that I might dismiss on first listen, this has grown to a 4

My favorite Kinks album loaded with songs that show how great a songwriter Ray Davies is. I first got to know the Kinks through their late 70's, early 80's albums when they were arena rock stars. So to discover this one, which was recorded in the midst of their most creative period, was a revelation. Incredibly melodic, nostalgic, and yearning for a simpler, more meaningful time that may never have been. My favorites are the title track, "Picture Book," "Do You Remember Walter?," "People Take Pictures of Each Other"....actually, they're all good. I especially love the weirder songs toward the end like "Phenomenal Cat" and "Arabella." I put this album right there along with the best of the 60's. Of course, they followed it up with "Arthur," so the later period Kinks was something special.

Great psych-pop album from the second best British Invasion band (I don't count the Stones because their best stuff might as well be American.) I think it must be really hard to be so consistently creative while remaining pretty accessible to a large audience. These guys never lost their soul as a band, and this was their golden era. Love Last of the Steam Powered Trains, Village Green, and Starstruck especially.

it was ao comforting and homely, almost nostalgic too

I’ve listened to the kinks before I don’t mind the band and the album is alright but they have better music available so not their best but by no means bad

What a curious mixture of songs. The album is lighthearted and easy to listen to, I loved all the funky elements throughout the album. This is a strong 3.5 for me.

Isn't It A Shame The Way Our Little World Has Changed? 1001 Albums Generator 246 (3/12/2026) I totally get the Beatles comparisons, but there is some sort of inexplicable sheen of nostalgia over this whole album that gives it its own unique feel. I can't believe that The Kinks were the British band left to east of the Atlantic. The Beatles, Stones, even The Who, made their way over to the U.S., but you'll never hear someone here talking about the Kinks, even though they are way better than The Who and probably even better the The Rolling Stones. I mean these guys could write a freaking pop tune. The first three songs are all pop perfection. Last of the Steam-Powered Trains has a riff that it sounds like The Black Keys stole for Lonely Boy. Nearly every song here is a different flavor of pop/rock, from blues to folk to sunshine to psychedelic to everything in between. A few of the songs are a bit silly for me, but The Village Green Preservation Society is a great album. 4/5. Favs: The Village Green Preservation Society Do You Remember Walter? Picture Book Least Fav: Phenomenal Cat

The Kinks by now have established that they are pretty much master songwriters and performers, with a hefty collection of hit records and timeless classics under their belt, their 6th record is probably their best of the bunch even if it didn't do well upon initial release. The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society is a concept record about recalling the good ol' days of old British culture and ways of living before modernization and Americanization of their ways of life. The title track is essentially this record's mission statement on that front, declaring all of the "British" things that they still want to hold on to and to preserve. Village Greens being the main focus, for those who are not familiar, Village Greens were communal parks and areas where the village could gather to socialize or relax. These became less common as Britain became more and more modern. The record itself is a wonderful batch of the catchiest pop music you will ever hear from this period. Ray Davies has managed to come up with a sound and way of playing that perfectly evokes the sense of nostalgia in not just the lyrics but in the music as well. Each song tells a tale relating to the old ways, whether it be legendary icons (Johnny Thunder, Monica, Wicked Annabell) or looking back on memories (Picture Book, People Take Pictures of Each Other, Village Green) there's a wistful yet happy nature to the songs. Refreshingly pleasant I might add, as I am used to nostalgic tunes having an air bittersweet melancholy, these tunes all have a nice optimistic pleasantry to them which I find wonderful. The first half of this record is spectacular with one great song after the other, while I felt the second half wasn't as stand out in comparison, and the finishing track wasn't very climactic or conclusive either. In a way though, this almost works to the album's benefit I feel. Even if the material isn't as strong on it's own, when listening all together the atmosphere created by side A continues on into Side B and helps keep the sense of longing and wonderment, and the last song just begs you to start the album again right as it's over. This is probably my favorite Kinks record, it's just so cheerfully pleasant and makes me nostalgic for things that were never really relevant to me to begin with. When something like that happens you know that this is something special.

I'd never even heard of this album but as a fan of a lot of Kinks deep cuts this sounded pretty good: "lauded by contemporary critics for its songwriting. It was embraced by America's new underground rock press, completing the Kinks' transformation from mid-1960s pop hitmakers to critically favoured cult band." but it didn't really hit like i was expecting. Decent but no songs really grabbed me.

Unmemorable but groovy.

This is my favorite Kinks album, and I love at least 3 of their albums as some of the greatest rock (especially British Rock) albums of all time. This album was so influential to so many things that came after, especially Brit Rock, but even American rock. It's a very special album that stands up against "Pet Sound" and "Sgt Pepper's" and others of that ilk!

This is the same band that wrote "You Really Got Me" ? I'll pass, thanks. Too cute for me - I'm not really interested in full album's worth of nostalgia for an English village.

No thanks, this sounds like the a bad Beatles tribute band. Much rather hear, "You Really Got Me" or "Come Dancing" really almost any other Kinks music than this.

First time with a Kinks album. It's a blind spot for me. Man, another great record and by a band that feels WAY ahead of their time. Pop with some weird teeth and they know it. At this point though, the only draw back I can find is how the album doesn't feel completely cohesive. Really enjoyed this otherwise.

Classic

A really remarkable album, reminded me of Beatles and classic 60s pop with more evocative lyrics and incredible vocal hooks. "Do You Remember Walter" and "Picture Book" are particular highlights

Are these australian guys pretending to be pining for the old British homeland? Distracting 60s "stereo tricks" take away from might be decent tracks otherwise.

I love the Kinks but the album prior is better for mine. This might be too culturally specific to really resonate and not of interest enough to hold my attention and learn. Love Mick Avory’s drum sound and drumming.

music is love

Boring

A few good riffs not enough to save this proto-prog

A great song or two, but most of the album is bland.

Jag giller verkligen The Kinks jättemycket, men 3-4 år tidigare "All of the day...", “You really got me“, "Dedicated follower of fashion" och den prylen, då är man minst lika bra som The Beatles. Men det här? Här har man ju gått vilse och blivit totalt orelevanta. Ray Davies är i grunden en utmärkt låtskrivare men det märks inte alls här. Ett par år senare kom"Lola" och den grejen, då hade han hittat rätt igen. Så psykadelia åren är nån slags passus som aldrig klädde The Kinks alls, det är ofattbart att den är med här.

På frågan ”Beatles eller Stones” är svaret The Kinks. Ray Davies skrev och sjöng några av 60-talets snyggaste popmelodier. På den här skivan bäst manifesterat på Big sky, Animal farm och titelspåret. Mer tröttsamt är Kinks fäbless för varietépop, vilket i olika grad hörs i exempelvis Sitting by the riverside och All of my friends were there. Och att en av deras bästa låtar någonsin, Days, spelades in i samma session men aldrig kom med på albumet är obegripligt.

Tyvärr! Det ger mig ingenting. Rakt igen dåligt försök till något som ska likna popmusik. Musikalisk undermåligt. Textmässigt är det inte bättre. Ibland kan man tro att är ett barn (medelmåttiga sådant) som skrivit. Låtar som Phenomenal cat är som Lidbom skulle sagt ”Trams!”. Dessutom uselt trams.

Det låter 60-tals pop. Några fina melodier här och där, putslustiga texter och något enstaka groove. Det finns inget här som gör ett bestående intryck på mig.

One of the only bad things about this album is that is was followed, less than a year later, by "Arthur", which is in the running for my favourite album of all time, so I inevitably compare them. The other bad thing is that it's a bit rough and uneven, with a handful of clunkers especially on the second half (ex. "Phenomenal Cat").

Really interesting to see this as an early concept album. I can see how this album would have inspired acts like The Who and Electric Light Orchestra as well. In some ways, I can relate to "Preserving the old ways from being abused" and "Protecting the new ways for me and for you." This kind of nostalgia, especially driven by fear of the influence of external entities (in this case, America and European cultures), is a little too much glorification of an imagined "golden past" for my liking. Maybe it's just the current political climate making me take this perspective on "The Village Green Preservation Society," but the general concept of this album being about protecting/preserving English society rang some bells for me. Interestingly, this album was written and recorded during a period of liberalization in England, with the abolition of capital punishment in 1965, and the legalization of abortion and homosexual marriage in 1967. This was also during a shift away from conservatism, with the Labour Party gaining power, led by Prime Minister Harold Wilson from 1964 to 1970. I doubt this was what The Kinks were referring to as encroaching modernization, but it's always interesting to have some context – this album didn't just fall out of a coconut tree, so to speak. Musically, I really enjoyed "The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society." I thought I was sick of Brit rock by this point, but there's something about this album in particular that just sounds like the band had a lot of fun recording it, and that comes through in the music to me. Just some good old pop rock.

This is a simple and fun album, but it just doesn't grab me.

First time listening to the kinks as far as I’m aware. They sound a lot like the Beatles and pink Floyd did a joint project.

This was pretty good! Enjoyed it.

Such a fun, boppy, concept album. Love.

Okej album, ali ništa posebno zanimljiv. 2/5, 3/10

Another solid effort from THE KINKS. Frankly I don't know much about these cats but I think this my favorite album from them so far. This album had a real bounce to it. These dudes keep it moving...

I almost always read the Wikipedia entry for each record we review. This one has got to be the longest I've ever seen. Just the footnotes take forever to get through. Three hundred thirty listed references? You betcha, pal! Anyway... this album is fine. Maybe a little too "British" for my taste.

This is an all time great for me. It makes me pine for my childhood, growing up in 1950s England.

Overall, it wasn’t my favorite. Some tracks were good, but others felt repeated and dull. Also, I get that it was the same time, but it felt a lot like The Beatles but different. The production wasn’t as crisp as I’d like it to be, but it wasn’t too bad. Don’t get me wrong, it was pretty solid, and had a few good tracks, but was not a good well-rounded album. Could have been so much better! Best tracks: Animal Farm, Wicked Annabella, Sitting by the Riverside. Not the best.

The Kinks seem like they are for kind of depressed people, there I said it.

A really nice record. Several memorable, hummable tunes, and lots of fun pop songs in between. Very good.

Nothing special

It is day 30. The troops are exhausted. We have been stationed in the trenches of male dominated bands for far too long. The reconnaissance is grim. Out of the last thirty engagements, 29 have been identical bloodbaths with the same enemy: men, from across the centuries, whining in our ears. The psychological warfare is reaching a breaking point. We have endured endless feedback loops, lyrics about not being ok (WE GET IT OK???) and the relentless bombardment with nasal vocals. Morale is at an all-time low. The tactical repetition of men-calling-their-own-chaos-art has caused a sensory overload. Our ears are bleeding from the sheer monotony of hearing another man process his basic emotions over a distorted power chord. We are exhausted. We are outnumbered. The ratio of 29-to-1 is not a discography, it’s a siege. Send reinforcements. Send melody. SEND MORE WOMEN. God be with us! As for the Kinks…. I don’t find them all too kinky.

Hört sich immer noch an wie die Beatles

Really surprising that they weren’t equally famous as The Beatles. So so similar. I guess it’s that touch of edginess that makes them just a touch more obscure.

favs: last of the steam powered trains sitting by the riverside rating 0.5/5

7.2

8/10 Great album and great songwriting. Picture Book, VGPS and Last of the Steam Powered Trains were faves. Thier weakness is the lapses into a weaker British vaudeville nonsense, sometimes giving a tinge of novelty and end-of-pier naffness. But by and large, it's excellent

I've had a friend that's urged me to listen to The Kinks for years, and now I see why. The Village Green Preservation Society is a really great blend of 60's British pop rock and folk. The folk doesn't really take shape until the second half of the album, but when it does, it's really amazing. Some beautiful songwriting that I wouldn't have expected out of a "Beatles but better" as I've heard some people online call them. Out of that part of the album, I really enjoyed "Village Green". It was at that point when I realized that this album deserves a 5. That's not to mean that the first part of the album is bad, it's pretty good, but doesn't really do much in terms of innovation. It just mainly refines the already existing pop rock sound of the time. Out of that portion, I enjoyed "The Village Green Preservation Society" the most. Favorite Song: "Village Green"

I felt sorry cuz I only listened to them by the hits

Hasta ahora escucho algo de ellos en esta época. Pero puedo decir que tienen muy buenas canciones y que en medida comparten algo del estilo de The Beatles, sin embargo los de The Kinks son un poco más "recatados" que los otros Favorita sería The Village Green Preservation Society Menos favorita sería Allá My Friends Were There 3.5

Nowadays, I find this stale music. Where is Lola?

The Kinks were very popular in the 60s as part of the British invasion, although this album produced no hit singles. This is the first I’ve heard any of these songs. This is a concept album, focusing on nostalgia and the way England used to be. The focus is on the lyrics. The music, while typical Kinks-ish, is wide ranging from pop to psychedelic. I always enjoyed the Kinks, so this album gets four stars.

Some fun little lines in here. Not enough people are talking about "God save strawberry jam and all the different varieties". Lotta sky talk. I feel very similarly about this as I did with the previous two Kinks albums. I do like it, but do we really need all 3? Just like the previous albums, this falls somewhere between a 3 and 4 -- pleasant and poppy, but old. Wait, hold on -- 'Picture Book' is where Green Day's 'Warning' comes from!?? OK, I take it back, having this album was valuable. It's like Funkadelic x 'Rill Rill' all over again! History is a thick tapestry! Kinda funny that according to Davies, 'People Take Pictures of Each Other' is about how photos "encourage nostalgia" when this entire album is a celebration of nostalgia, right? Highlights: 'Animal Farm', 'Phenomenal Cat' (naturally) Lowlight: 'Last of the Steam-Powered Trains' (supposedly a parody of other bands, but a bad joke is still bad) Also a Dominion Card: 'Village Green'

big meh

Enjoyable. Good band. What an era of music. Better than Green Onions....

Was ok. A lot of songs I've never heard before. Didn't really give it proper attention though.

Can't really find much to fault this record for, other than nothing really stuck out to me as something extraordinarily special. A solid, easy listen. 3.5

Never heard any of these songs before but I liked it.

Not super memorable to me.

Not what I expected from The Kinks. Very different to their radio stuff.

Шестидесятые на солнечно-чилловых вайбах, бесконечное лето любви

#869. Not a one hit wonder, but we're keeping with the plot of this book in choosing an album at random from an artist's library instead of an album that anyone has heard of. 3/5: acceptable

Fairly dull album. Enjoyed some Kinks on previous days, but this album did nothing for me really.

I enjoyed this. It's was almost good enough for me to overlook the fact that it's partially to blame for the abomination that was Blur's comedy Cockney phase.

This has not dated well and sounds so very 60s that is almost a pastiche like the Ruttles, but with out the charm Almost my first 1 star , it got worse as the album dragged on . Just enough redeeming features to scrape a 2

Copia dei Beatles, noisetto

Definitly a product of 60s British rock. Has a bit of the Beatles sound in it, but different enough that it stands out. Fun album with a decent theme of preserving old ways along with the new. Best Song: The Last of the Steam-Powered Trains

I went into this somewhat biased against The Kinks. Last time I really listened to them was in 2020. Not vibing with the first few songs but then it clicked. Really liked this actually. Surprising.

Clever stuff for 1968 from a very prolific band but I find it depressing for reasons I can't and don't necessarily want to really articulate.

I have always like The Kinks sound. They are a highly under rated band IMHO.

MUY BUENO

literalmente el mejor álbum de la historia

Reconozco que es un buen álbum, pero a mi no me gustó, no lo escucharía. Me gustan temas de The Kinks, pero este álbum no es mi estilo.

Fornøyelig nok

A concept album about nostalgia, memory, and disappearing culture. The best of the The Kinks albums on the list (even better than ‘Arthur’) with concise, direct songwriting and strong hooks throughout. ‘Yes, people often change, but memories of people can remain’.

Listened to work. A perfectly pleasant but forgettable album. Surely there's more to these guys than this one?

Any day I get to listen to the Kinks is a good day. They are one of the most underrated bands of the British invasion. They were ahead of their time in so many ways, and this album is brilliant.

I love these guys but hadn't heard anything on here before. Very sweet.

(6/7) cheery and delightful god did save "strawberry jam and all the different varieties". the jelly aisle these days is insane

Good one

No se si es un álbum que volvería a escuchar de principio a fin. Algunas canciones me gustaron muchísimo y me hicieron acordar a canciones del álbum at home de shockin blue, que se lanzó un año después que este. Las primeras canciones me hicieron pensar que no era un álbum para mí, algunas ni siquiera las quería terminar de escuchar. Escuché el álbum por 2da vez y recién ahí empecé a encontrar su encanto y algunas canciones que me guardé para seguir escuchando. Tiene letras muy buenas y algunas progresiones de acordes que me quedaron dando vueltas. Canciones favoritas: 1. Last of the steamed-powered trains 2. Picture book 3. Big sky 4. Wicked anabella 5. People take pictures of each other 6. Phenomenal cat

Basic rock. Earlier (lighter) han I expected. Not bad. Nothing to write home about.

1968, the peak of the American-Vietnam conflict for the US. A time of extreme liberalization and progressive cultural transition and the extreme corruption of the UK government. Rock music was thriving, people were partying, life was a blast. The Kinks were regionally popular and their music was similar to the kingpin group The Beatles but was more experimental, more boundary pushing, more alternative. This album is considered one of the first "concept albums" and has prevailing themes connecting each song to each other. The opening track and namesake of the album is very good. A couple stand outs like "Last of the Steam Powered Trains", "Big Sky" and "Picture Book" are above average songs on this album. Unfortunately, the good songs are contrasted to flavorless bland tracks that act as filler and back-end weight. Overall the album is above average and deserving of a 6/10.

Ganz nice aber kein kauf

Yes.

aight

high 4 i was worried this would be a bit underdeveloped, under produced and lacking in seriously good songs. i was proven wrong a bit but not entirely. hopefully my rating only goes up

This is ok

Ok listening

super fun! sounds like a walk in the park and comes from a wonderful time period for music. the 2018 remaster makes everything sound larger than life.

I liked "do you rememeber walter" and "big sky" I liked the first half of the album more than the second one

Наконец-то выпали одни из моих любимцев. Интересно, сколько их альбомов будет в этом списке, так как этот далеко не единственный культурно значимый. Но точно один из лучших, вышедший в разгар их пикового периода, когда они уже переросли быстро устаревающий рок-н-ролл, но еще не стали лепить не очень заходящие мне концептуальные альбомы. К этому моменту они не просто отошли от американского рок-н-ролла, а с головой ушли в возрождение британских традиций в музыке. Как раз в этом альбоме основная тема - ответ на глобализацию и усилившееся влияние Америки и Европы на британскую культуру. И отвечают они типично британскими мелодиями, присущей поп-музыке структурой и барок-поп аранжировками, нередко с добавлением характерных классических инструментов типа клавесина или тамбурина. Результатом стала музыка, настолько опередившая время, что только через 20 лет эту концепцию подхватит ряд групп, которых условно объединят в волну под названием брит-поп. Влияние The Kinks на все эти группы действительно сложно переоценить. Что же до наполнения альбома, группа действительно была в творческом пике и выдавала неиссякаемый поток великолепных цепляющих мелодий и запоминающихся текстов. Правда, во всех альбомах The Kinks хватает филлеров, с этим нужно смириться, но при этом каждая их запись - набор уникальных, не банальных и не повторяющихся мелодий, где каждый может найти что-то для себя. Таким образом, их альбомы лучше воспринимать не как цельные произведения, а как источник качественного пополнения плейлистов. Лично мои кандидаты из этого альбома - Animal Farm, Village Green, Starstruck, All of My Friends Were There, Monica, People Take Pictures of Each Other, и, конечно, Picture Book - одна из лучших песен группы их раннего периода. Как только ее слышу - "скуби-дуби-ду" не выходит из головы еще несколько часов) А ведь есть еще делюкс издание - они действительно были настолько в форме, что материала хватило на 3 диска, пусть и с повторением, при этом многие даже не влезшие в основной трек-лист композиции не менее хороши. Если слушали обычное издание - рекомендую также заценить Misty Water, Wonderboy и Where Did My Spring Go? Так что, пусть альбом и не ровный, но здесь столько приятного и интересного, сколько не наберется во многих ровных. А еще это группа, в которой братья долгое время играли и творили вместе и не ссорились. Поучиться бы кое-кому)

Бэстики

Давно не слушал, уже забыл какой это классный непосредственный альбом. The Kinks как-то вообще в тени обычно воспринимаются по сравнению с их именитыми современниками, но группа очень достойная. Этот альбом у меня вызывает больше положительных чувств чем любой у Битлов, почти на уровне лучших работ Бич Бойз.

Лучшая песня: Village Green Худшая: Days Нормальный альбом. На общем фоне выделяется пара песен, а так все как всегда

очень люблю кинкс, но есть и проходные песни, потому 4

Очень удачно этот альбом попал под настроение. После того, как прочитала про его концепцию, вообще осталась в восторге. Словила немного моего любимого midsommar вайба

Очень миленький альбом

This is the Kinks I know and love.

Funny lyrics, great songs, good album

Not good. I really dont like thr kinks

I couldn't avoid the comparisons to Sgt Peppers on this one. The Kinks were clearly influenced by the Beatles, or maybe the other way around. If Sgt Peppers or the Beatles didn't exist I wonder how this would have done. Would we all have Kinks tshirts instead? I did really enjoy this and even added two songs to my rock classics playlist.

Fun energy and delightfully silly.

Meh. I like the kinks but this didnt do too much for me

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 (I'm generally not a fan of concept albums). 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,,,,

Pleasantly Kinks, pleasantly '60s and no right-wing undertones with the English nostalgia. Disappointed 'Days' didn't make it on the remastered album, though I'll let Kirsty MacColl's version stand out instead.

Ouvi-se bem mas não achei nenhuma música memorável

Não tive tempo de ouvir com muita atenção. Pelo meu gosto pessoal dou 3, mas pode ser daqueles que com mais contexto subisse

Gostei de algumas músicas, mas também houve outras que não gostei principalmente na parte final do álbum.

Honestly as first I thought it's gonna be worse. Still not my kind of music, but it was fairly listenable.

I love any band from the '60s that starts with "the." The animals, the monkees, the Beatles, the band, the kinks, all of 'em are great, and this one's no exception.

Great pop songs. I can understand that the album sounded naive and backwards-looking at the time, but I like it.

18/02/2026 I enjoyed this. Short, sweet and on the money. Spotify listeners: 5.1 million.

Thoughts before listening: One of the lost celebrated albums by the Kinks. I usually love the Kinks so I'm sure this will be no different. Review: I don't know how to describe the Kinks sound. It's like the Beatles after they went psychedelic but without all the actual psychedelia. They specialize in just catchy little ditties that are rock n roll but draw from a lot of other influences. It's maybe a little vaudeville and camp at times, but it all works. I really enjoy listening to the Kinks and this album is no exception. Really glad to hear this today with my favorite song being "Last of the Steam Powered Trains". 4-stars.

A bit too Beatles ISH for me

The Kinks are a great folk psych compliment to the typical “classic rock radio” type acts many of us know. That said, they don’t hold a candle to the Beatles, as some have claimed their superiority over the fab five. This is a delightful record, though.

More notable to me for its massive influence, but still a lot of breezy fun.

We are the Blankies Green Album Listening Society

such a great time. the voice behind Kinks lyrics is so impressive and elegant to me always. evocative in exactly the way you dream of. I already know and love the song "Picture Book", but the new highlights for me were the opener, "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains", and "Village Green". Just filled top to bottom with jammers. What more can you ask for! If the other albums are even better as several say, then this might be an all timer band for me.

Not my favorite Kinks album but one that I do still think is all in all pretty delightful

Absolutely fantastic, love me some baroque pop

This was a laid back, enjoyable listen. All the good parts of the sounds of the 60s.

I didn’t know a single song. Weird

I didn't mind this album, but I doubt I would seek it out in the future

After hearing the first few seconds, I already felt like I wouldn't be the biggest fan. Boring melodies and instrumentals, feels like if the Beatles never evolved from their first album. Had to fight not to fall asleep most of the time and could not wait for it to be over. I'm sorry, but this has no right being close to the top 1000 albums of all time.

A better time was had with this one compared to "Arthur", and the songs on here are actually quite catchy, both in terms of the melodies and the zany, quintessentially British lyricism accompanying them. This did start wearing a touch thin after its first third, but there wasn't anything too objectionable going on to speak of, and the final few tracks were a notable uptick away from a drawling style which had begun to set in. Even if it's not my usual bag, I did find enough to appreciate here for the chance I might revisit down the line.

3.5 Stars Fun album. I didn't know what to expect with this one, but I was pleasantly surprised.

This album might be a little long for my liking, but most of the songs are really cool. I’d say, most of the tracks sound really 60s-like. I really appreciate 60s music, therefore I enjoyed listening to this record. It’s sounds fresh and interesting and I think it might get me into The Kinks a little more.

Best leuk album. Grappige tekst

I’m always bowled over by The Beatles influence on the sound of the 60s, their finger prints are all over this. This album sounds like taking a psychedelic trip through a whimsical alien English country village. I loved it.

Actually fw the kinks so heavy . I think i like them almost as much as the Beatles kinda. Some really funny clever lyricism esp the first track

This thing rules, so melodic and fun and distinctly not lets go meet up with our girlfriends at the milkshake shop. I love the little vignettes into these different characters and dang if this just isn't a good time all the way through. Easily comparable to the Beatles and Beach Boys and whatever else of the time but still very distinctly them. Is this not the Pretty. Odd. of their discography? Yeah, just taken aback by how solid this album was, loved it, want more, keep it coming. Shoutout last of the steam powered trains.

Like. Much simpler to rolling stones

First listen

Pretty typical music of it's time. Added 1 song to "favourites" (sic). Strange obsession over taking photos.

Nice and upbeat, but just not for me

Álbum mediano, primeira metade melhor que a segunda. Algumas músicas fizeram-me lembrar de Jack White. Pela maneira de cantar, letras e algums acordes na guitarra. É um esticão, talvez, comparar The Kinks ao Jack mas foi o que me fez lembrar mal ouvi algumas músicas.

Excellent

This is so so British, but in a derogatory way. I’m not a fan.

Less nostalgic and more a meditation in nostalgia itself

I like how it doesn't include any of their big hits. A cool eclectic mix of songs that fly by, dedicated to a nostalgic version of England. I can't give it a 5* because a few songs grate on me. 8.0 Fav track: Picture Book Least fav: Starstruck

This album has a lot of great musical and lyrical content on it. It's pretty straightforward for 60s music at the time with a bit of whimsy which translates well. I think it's slightly front heavy with a few tracks toward the end kind of losing my attention a little. But still a great listening experience. Solid 10 track run from the beginning of the album. This is my first full album by this band. I'd love to see what their more experimental stuff may look like. But honestly pretty solid album. Fav tracks are 'walter', "Picture Book", "Johnny Thunder", and probably 'Riverside'. Overall, happy I listened.

I appreciate the Kinks more every time I hear them. They are funny — droll, sardonic, clever. And their musicianship is outstanding. They don’t seem to care much how their songs are received and this liberates them to have fun and make cool sounds. I appreciate the creativity here and can definitely hear the influence on the Who as well as, dare I say it, the Beatles. I want to listen to this again. A 4.

Last of the steam powered trains

Never listened before - listened twice!

Pretty good!

It was OK.

Pretty fun, classic '60s rock!

This is a light, effervescent album with some good beats (and some weirdness). This feels very much in the avant garde 1960s in a carefree, cool, concept way, although it’s not something I’d relisten to a lot. Top tracks: "The Village Green Preservation Society," "Johnny Thunder," "Village Green"

I guess I just don't like the Kinks? idk, I feel like the whole "60's british band does a semi-concept album" isn't a very attractive picture to me, and the things I do like (basically "Tommy") are just better than this.

--The Village Green Preservation Society...my second the Kinks album this week. I already prefer the production of this one --Do You Remember Walter...a fun jaunt --Picture Book...the tinny production from Face to Face is back. lyrics are a bit kinky (heh) --Johnny Thunder...plodding --Last of the Steam-Powered Trains...this grooves. still don't like the production on the high end --Big Sky...this one is fun and weird --Sitting by the Riverside...getting Tiny Tim vibes --Animal Farm...I like the jangly guitars. British musicians were thinking a lot about Orwell in 1968 --Village Green...that damned harpsichord is back --Starstruck...fun power pop --Phenomenal Cat...I doubt the phenomenalness of this cat --All of My Friends Were There...quirky. don't love it but I could see it growing on me --Wicked Annabella...getting a T. Rex/glam feel from this --Monica...a sultry Latin number --People Take Pictures of Each Other... fun closer for a good not great record

Very middling 1960s British music. Maybe it’s iconic in its time, but today it just sounds generic as hell.

The standard issue with this generation of british boy bands is that they do funky annoying quirky songs that make the album totally unlistenable (@ the monkeys). But even when the Kinks try their funky shit, it's still listenable - All of My Friends Were There and Monica still have some nice elements and are pretty decent for the worst songs on the album. I really enjoy this album, it's uplifting and poppy. 4.5 rounded up bc it's been a while since I threw a 5 out.

Good 60s style britpop. Beatles but less good, which is still very good.

What can I say but, The Kinks are my kink. This album has hints of a concept album that sends up traditional English countrysides in a way that may not have been a hit at the time (probably due to some bad timing for its release). But I think its value is definitely something that is much more apparent today.

Except for a few really great songs like "You Really Got Me", "Lola", "Waterloo sunset" and a couple of other songs I'm not really fond of The Kinks. So while this album is ok, it simply lacks highlights - at least for me. But as a whole it is ok and worth having been heard.

Der Beginn ist noch ok, aber im Verlauf verliert mich das Album immer mehr.

Habe mich schon die ganze Zeit gefragt, wann dieses Album an die Reihe kommt. Das hat mit "You Really Got Me" wirklich gar nichts mehr zu tun. Ich respektiere den stilistischen Left-Turn und das für die Zeit ungewöhnliche Konzept. Die Platte fängt auch wirklich stark an, aber in der zweiten Hälfte juckt mich wirklich gar nichts mehr und das Konzept beginnt da auch schon zu bröckeln. Da hätte man wirklich noch einiges wegkürzen oder zu vollwertigen Songs ausarbeiten können. Ganz schwache 3 Sterne.

War schon fair für die Zeit denke ich. Phasenweise kam es mir sehr kreativ vom instrumentalen Songwriting vor. Unterm Strich mir aber doch zu tragend.

War schon irgendwie gut, aber ich habe bei den Kinks und den Songs die ich von denen schon kannte was anderes erwartet. Aber das ist ja mein Problem, nicht das des Albums

Surprisingly enjoyable all the way through. Would happily spin again.

I think I got this one in a random album dump from a friend early in college as "required listening." Seems this list agrees... I haven't listened to a ton of The Kinks, but everything I've heard I've enjoyed -- so there's that. This album has a nice "feel" to it. Picture Book is the only one that I *know* immediately by name, and its a classic jam in its own right. Other favorites in here are Monica, Village Green, Wicked Annabella, and Starstruck. Title track is sort of a political messaging about (shocker) preserving "good" things from the past. And I think we can all agree on the platform "God save strawberry jam and all the different varieties." Do You Remember Walter is a solid one about how people change over time, but our memories of them remain. Love Monica (especially in the stereo mix). Same for Wicked Annabella. This is a really high 4 for me.

Another good Kinks album. Listened to it yesterday and didn't write any notes, but I liked it :)

Kinky

Why yes, I do remember my grandfather Walter. Really loving Last of the Steam-Powered Trains. This was a pretty fun album and stayed pretty consistent throughout.

.hh

A different sound for the kinks, it's not as rock and roll like other songs, but it's still enjoyable. A calm sound and a concept that makes you listen further.

Last Of The Steam-Powered Trains is real toe-tapper. I am surprised this album wasn’t received better at the time but concept albums were a new thing then. For the rest of the album, I was not the biggest fan.

Fin, melodisk 60-tallsrock med surrete tekster. Litt for surrete tekster.

Мне нравится концепция альбома, но я считаю, такой веселый стиль, без выделяющихся мрачных треков не позволит прочувствовать её по полной. Также некоторые треки концептуально не совсем подходят, из-за чего хоть это вроде и первый концептуальный альбом группы-всё ещё смахивает на микстейп

Good but starting to blend in with some of the other albums like this now.

So many reviews call this album “quintessentially English”, “charming”, “gleefully nostalgic” JFC PEOPLE - THEY’RE BEING SARCASTIC. IT’S SATIRE. (It is, isn’t it? I think? Maybe?) ‘God save little shops, china cups and virginity’ OF COURSE IT’S SATIRE. Beware weaponised nostalgia. Politicians lie. If you think it’s shit now, the ‘good old days’ were worse. Except for the music. That was definitely better.

There are 4 or 5 kinks songs I like (all on different albums) and there are 4 kinks albums on this list and somehow none of them have any of those songs. I'll never understand why people like the kinks. They are not bad, in fact I think this is the best one they have on this list, but it just sounds like watered down Sgt. Pepper. Mid 3.

very good not my usual type of music but i’ve favourited one or two songs

Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Masterpiece - A masterclass in songwriting. I love everything about this album.

This was fun and enjoyable

noice

kinda dgaf

No. Still don't understand.

Familiar with their hits, but this was something I never heard…very good!

it's giving store brand beatles

everybody was chasing behind the beatles

Not my vibe

Sonido que me recuerda a The beatles y hasta un poco onda Charly García. Zona de confort quizás. Me gusta la estructuracion de las canciones y los sonidos. Muchas canciones cortitas. Likes: The Village Green... - Johnny Thunder - Monica - Starstruck - PHENOMENAL CAT

This is the third Kinks album I've gotten as an OAD, and I'm still not a fan of this admittedly great music, though this record hit me better than the other two. It's pretty weird in a way that I usually like. Again, it's all just so damn British. It celebrates a culture that was already in decline when the songs were written. It's very focused on that objective, and I'm sure it resonates in a big way with folks who share a similar sense of clear-eyed nostalgia and appreciation for the songs. This album was not made for me, and that's ok. Still, there are some very interesting tunes on this record. "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" is an appropriate rip-off of Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning." I also liked "Animal Farm" and "Village Green." But most of the songs on this record hit me like "People Take Pictures of Each Other," awesome tunes that I don't care to listen to again. The best thing about listening to The Kinks as part of this project is to figure out why I'm not into it. I'm still working on that. Three stars.

i really liked lyrics but not the music itself they sound like the beatles and bob dylan collaborated

good solid album !!! it is twee lol I like big sky and animal farm

По вайбу якась сільська дискотека. Абсолютно не моє

Back in the 1960s, I only knew The Kinks from their big AM radio hits. It wasn't until the early 1970s, after Lola, that I really dove into their albums and became a true fan. Ray Davies' distinctive vocals and songwriting instantly hooked me. That said, The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society is a solid album, but not one of their greatest. It's often called a concept album, though the overarching theme doesn't fully click for me. A few tracks feel instantly familiar and stand out, while others are just decent fillers. Still, there's no doubt this is unmistakably a Kinks record through and through.

I think this is what I wanted Sgt. Pepper to sound like!

Another album of its time. What sounded revolutionary in 1968 sounds rather twee now

Listened to on vinyl

nose

A very sunny day music

Honestly I loved this album!! So fun and groovy

I wanted to like this one, I really did. Not as though I've never heard of the Kinks, this record is on a few lists of seminal rock records. Not to my taste sadly.

Already a fan of kinks and this album is one of their best.

Musically interesting, would make solid background music for most activities

Rock recorded in a british countryside. Upbeat music but with quite or soft singing/voice, which makes it enjoyable and dancable but peaceful. Would be a nice soundtrack for some british rural film.

any time i see a band named “the” and then “noun” i know its going to sound the same and i haven’t been disproven yet

I like animal farm

A bit poppy, some of it, but not really too different than, say, the Beatles back then. It is evident where their stuff influenced music/bands/genres years after. I don't know if it is the 2018 remaster stereo mix specifically, or if there was a stereo mix before, but I am not a fan of how this one -- what i listened to on spotify -- was mixed. I am not necessarily a hater of interesting stereo mixes where certain things are in one headphone but not the other, but there's something about the way this one (at least in the beginning of the album) is done that sets me on edge. Too much treble in one ear and muffled/distorted vocals in the other. I don't even mind distorted vocals either, but when it's that on top of it being in only one ear, it kinda annoys me. Favorite song on the album: Last of the Steam Powered Trains This is a solid 3.5, maybe higher. So rounded up to 4.

Very British: I like the Kinks. They are cool. This is up there with the best 60s folk-pop/rock that I’ve heard. I can definitely see the influence this would have had on bands like ELO and the Who. While there are no standout “hits” on the record it’s still a pleasant listen with enough going on to keep it interesting throughout. I’d buy the record. Strong 3.5

My fave kinks album

I cant decide if the kinks now who they are in this album. It’s not bad, but I kind of feel like they were still trying to figure out who they are as a band

Disappointing since I really like another kinks album. This was pretty lame overall

I really enjoyed listening to this album and could see myself listening to it again in a multitude of settings. Fun lighthearted English rock album.

Wish I'd known of this album back in the 80s when I had dubbed copies of "All Day and All of the Night" and "You Really Got Me" and some other singles. This is amazing.

Little country not for me

Great time, a lot of fun. I liked Village Green most but it was consistent throughout. And can't not like there being a song about a kitty :3

Pretty good and groovy

Top notch Brit-pop. This album is full of great songs, maybe 2 clunkers towards the end. Picture Book, Last of the Steam Powered Trains, and Big Sky are some of the greatest of all time English pop rock songs. I would put this album up there with the greats of its time.

My rating 3.0 Nothing offensive nothing that really stands out. Yellow paintish

I like the album overall, and it is an interesting departure for the Kinks. I still think I prefer them when they a rocking a bit more than on this record

Liked the sound of it although it started to drag on a bit near the end.

British folk horror is usually said to crystallise in the early 1970s, in a loose trilogy of films: Witchfinder General, The Blood on Satan’s Claw, and The Wicker Man. These works are less concerned with the supernatural than with communities - closed, ritualised, and capable of extraordinary cruelty when they decide someone does not belong. The timeline is already unstable, however. Witchfinder General was released in 1968, the same year as The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society. That coincidence is more than trivia. It suggests that Village Green emerges from the same cultural pressure point as folk horror, even if it expresses those anxieties in as a platter of exquisite pop tunes rather than period brutality. Wicked Annabella is central to this connection, though not quite in the way a straightforward witchfinder allegory would imply. The song does not depict punishment, trial, or execution. Instead, it shows how such violence becomes possible in the first place. Annabella exists entirely through rumour, fear, and repetition. She lives “where no Christian man has been”; relatives pass her by; children are warned into obedience with her name. By the time demons and midnight skies appear, the song has already demonstrated its real subject: the manufacture of the outsider. Like Witchfinder General, it is not interested in proving guilt, only in showing how accusation coheres into certainty. This makes Wicked Annabella less a tale of persecution than an origin myth for persecution - a portrait of the social conditions that precede the bonfire. I think we - or the sixties individualists who loved the Kinks’ Not Like Everybody Else - are meant to recognise this unfair construction of the outsider. Musically, it is also the closest the Kinks ever came to psychedelia. The droning vocal, the incantatory rhythm, the cartoonish menace edging into hallucination all place the song in the same psychic territory as late-60s psychedelia’s fascination with altered states and dissolving boundaries. British folk horror, in this sense, can be understood as psychedelia turned outward rather than inward: the bad trip externalised, projected onto landscape, history, and communal ritual. Where psychedelia dissolves the self, folk horror dissolves the social contract. Wicked Annabella sits precisely at that junction. Is Village Green Preservation Society itself a folk-horror album then? Not in tone, perhaps, but certainly in theme. It is preoccupied with many of the genre’s core anxieties: traditions hardening into dogma, cultures perceived as slipping away, and the tension between continuity and change. Ray Davies’s suspicion of Americanisation is often read as reactionary, and superficially it can look that way. Yet this is complicated by the band’s own history. The Kinks drew deeply from American rock ’n’ roll and R&B, and arguably invented the sound of classic American rock through the distorted riff of You Really Got Me. Davies knows this contradiction and does not attempt to resolve it neatly. Crucially, Village Green (the title shortening each time I type it) is not an album paralysed by nostalgia. It stands, like Witchfinder General, at the edge of a dying conception of England, but it does not insist that this death must be resisted through stasis. Davies accepts that change is inevitable. His fear, expressed in interviews, is not of influence or exchange but of homogenisation - of a flattening that erases texture rather than transforms it. This reflects a deeper understanding that the album never states outright but continually implies: all notions of nation, place, and tradition are contemporary constructions. They are shaped by memory, but they exist in the present. I Remember Walter articulates this gently - people change, relationships fade, yet memory remains. However, we cannot allow memory to dictate. Unease about social change often arises not because something is wrong, but because it is “not like it was.” Folk horror thrives on precisely this discomfort, projecting present anxieties onto imagined pasts. Village Green performs a similar operation, but with irony and affection rather than menace. What Davies chooses to preserve, in the title song, is revealing then. What are the important elements of Britain? Vaudeville, which originated in France; variety entertainment shaped in America as much as Britain; and not only heroes, but villains too - Fu Manchu, Moriarty, Dracula - figures who are all, in different ways, outsiders or imports. Immigrants central to Britain’s cultural output. Perhaps, like Wicked Annabella, these villains are misunderstood, mischaracterised outsiders or British eccentrics. Certainly, he would not be without them, and neither, he suggests, would Britain. His warning is not against change, influx, or cultural contamination, but against a global sameness that erases specificity. When Davies spoke at the time about wanting to write “English songs,” he was being descriptive, not prescriptive. Englishness here is not purity but production: jam, Desperate Dan, pop tunes, shared jokes. It is knowingly contradictory. A rock star demanding the preservation of virginity can hardly be issuing a genuine edict. That self-awareness is what saves Village Green from becoming a scolding screed and distinguishes it from the harsher moral certainties of folk horror cinema. Davies recognises Britishness as something made rather than inherited. Ultimately, though, what preserves The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society is not theory but craft. The songs are coherent, melodic, witty, melancholy, and faintly ridiculous - partly vaudeville and variety, but just as much rock’n’roll. Tradition survives here not by being frozen in place, but by being sung - again and again - until it changes shape. 4 This is a lovely album. There is energy, charm and variety throughout. It doesn’t have the highs of the albums either side of it…unless it’s all highs. It might be. I confess I don’t know this album as well as four or five other Kinks albums. Never bought this one. In my defence the cover is absolutely rubbish. Who wants that sitting about their living room? 4/5

A seminal album that brought the Kinks into the next phase of their greatness. This is arguably the first concept album - various takes on the thought of what it meant to be British. With multiple influences (American, European, Indian, etc) shaping new parts of the British life - the songs work as windows into that shapeshifting.

Sorte de Beatles light. Fort sympathique.

I must admit I knew nothing of this legendary Kinks album, fond as I am of their rollicking hits. While I understand the brilliant nature of the sprawling thematic review of humanity on this album, the whimsical pastoral journey through that landscape doesn't pique my interest much musically.

You know, that was a fun ride

delightful

Cosy and cute - it does lack in some dynamics and grandiosity, which does mean that it's likely to be less listened and regarded than some of the other landmark rock albums of the time, but I really enjoy it for what it is.

I've always liked the Kinks. I've also always thought that I should dig deeper into their discography and do some more serious listening. I'm convinced that would be rewarding given how innovative and interesting they are. My problem is that for all of their incredible merits--they can blues rock with the Stones, they were proto-punk rock, they can REALLY play--they occasionally feel like they veer into what I consider circus-y music. I'm down with psychedelica to a point, but once it gets to, like, "Doors deep tracks"-level, I'm out. There's some of that on here ("All of My Friends Were There"). My challenge is when you get close to but not over that edge ("Village Green" "Big Sky" "Wicked Annabella") it absolutely rules. Ultimately these things come down to taste I guess. To paraphrase "Animal Farm" (a song RIGHT on that line) Kinks Good, Doors Bad. But I'm just one two-legged man. "People Take Pictures of Each Other/just to prove that they existed" sounds cliche now, but it's still a very apt observation. "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" was fun. I am also old.

Favorite Tracks: Village Green Preservation Society / Picture Book / Animal Farm / Starstruck / Rating: 4.1 I listened to the 2018 Stereo Remaster version. I've never listened to this album -- or much of The Kinks, in general -- and really enjoyed this. Except for "All of My Friends" which I ended up skipping. Deserves a closer second listen, and makes me want to listen to more of the Kinks.

A band that just never worked for me: too English?

Proof if proof were needed that “everything was better in the old days and why are people taking so many photos all the time?” aren’t new complaints. And the songs are really great too - Starstruck is now firmly stuck in my head.

The Kinks give us short character studies of what it means to be British, in a folk rock, almost psychedelic manner. The songs are almost all very short, but each gives a depth into their story and characters and each is also very well written. Solid 8/10

4/10

Good album by a great group. Wistful, nostalgic and endearing. The title track, and Picture Book are excellent. Only wished they’d included Days on it too.

This was pleasant, jolly with heavy English themes. I love much of the Kinks music, but for me this is not their strongest work, still enjoyable.

Love it. I was not familiar with this particular album and enjoyed not only the music itself, but hearing all of the elements that influenced some of my favorite bands, especially Belle and Sebastian. Favorite tracks were the title track, "Animal Farm," "Village Green," and "People Take Pictures of Each Other."

Yeah, I don't know, i guess there were a lot of "ahead of it's time" moments, but I think it was longer than it should've been, and maan that's the problem with rock bands from the british invasion. Nothing really compares to the run of albums the Beatles had by this point. I probably should give it another chance, but at this point I didn't feel it being better than a strong 3 for me

I had to double check this wasnt a kids album

Too whimsical and kind of annoying. Sorry to those who love this record but I don’t get it and didn’t enjoy it.

That was very good. Sounds like the Beatles combined with Led Zeppelin. No song particularly caught my ear but the whole album was a pleasure.

Big sky, village green preservation

Pop, rock, baroque pop, folk-pop.

This is one of those albums I already knew I had to listen to so I’ve enjoyed getting to know this. It’s jangly, imaginative and just generally interesting, if a little twee at times. Maybe it tails off a bit at the end but there is plenty here to return for.

Killer album, captures that quintessential Britishness that maybe never actually existed. Great production quality (for the era) and strong songs all the way through, not really anything to complain about, you can hear the influence to and from peers like the Beatles and Hendrix whilst still being very much it's own thing incorporating bits of folk and psychedelia without sounding like a pastiche

I appreciate and enjoy quite a few of the Kinks’ songs, but I don’t think they deserve a place alongside The Beatles, Stones, and The Who as giants of the British Invasion. They sound a lot more dated when they recorded this, in 1968, than those bands were sounding by that time. I admit I’m less familiar with The Kinks than most major acts of the era, but every album of theirs I’ve heard has been a mixed bag. This is no exception; there are a few songs that are pretty good and some that might grow on me after a few listens, and it’s never boring, but it also doesn’t seem particularly inspired and is at times a bit hokey. However, I love the bass playing on several of the songs, and a few have great instrumentation, such as Wicked Annabella.

Solid album, very good song in picture book. Can see why the kinks were one of the groups in the British Invasion.