The Village Green Preservation Society

I don't know how I feel about the vocals.

later

Hearing this so close to Electric Light Orchestra was not great. Very samey and I zoned out multiple times. Quite bored with this rock music, even though it’s not bad by any means.

норм, без негатива.

Why is it that '60s psych bands can't resist putting a couple terrible children's circus songs on otherwise good albums?

50 percent bangers, 50 percent mash.

Amazing

Some of this is good-ish. Too much of it feels like a Beatles Wanna Be Band. Yeah, could be better. 2.65. Round it up to a pretty generous 3.

Echt angenehm anzuhören.

Ok

I have tried on this album a bunch of times and every time I hear it, it sounds like a Spinal Tap version of Sgt Peppers. There are some great songs.

Mix the Rolling Stones and The Velvet Underground and you get the Kinks. Enjoyable.

Jo, 70er Rock, weiß nicht was ich sonst noch dazu sagen soll :D

Ist das längste Wikipediaeintrag zu einem einzigen Album bisher?

meh. Prefer different kinks, still pretty good tho

An enjoyable listen, some hits/singles I would listen to again. However overall it was good background rather than something I would revisit as a whole album.

It feels like Im unearthing the road map of some of the best 90's UK rock acts. And Green Day on Picture Book for some reason. It was great, but not mindblowingly great.

Do you have to be British to appreciate this album?

I guess I don't know how to fully appreciate the Kinks, the lyrics probably mean a lot to someone wiser than me but musically it couldn't really take me very far, it did feel like it was a pretty big journey for just a sub-40-minute playtime, though I can't tell if that means something good or bad to me I already know I like a couple of things from Arthur, though, so I'm still willing to look forward to that

Listenable.

Good solid old rock album. Perhaps a little old to do too much for me without the context of its time, but enjoyable.

Heard it before. It's really interesting musically and makes the album stand out among other more standard 60s rock albums 3/5

Who caresssssss. This was very boring unfortunately, a lot of people seem to really enjoy it.

More of that 60s English whimsy. Picture Book is fun. The rest is kinda meh. 2.5/5 #191

Åbenbart et flop og udgivet det samme tidspunkt som beatles the white album. Det er senere blevet en kritisk succes pga dets tidsløse tekster. De synger om hverdags og everyday life ting, som mange kan relatere til og er gældende i dag på samme måde. Det er det andet the Kinks album jeg rater og selvom jeg synes det er charmerende og godt (60'er lyden) så rammer det mig bare ikke rigtigt. Synes det virker hektisk og overgearet og jeg kan næsten blive stresset af at lytte til det. Måske har jeg bare en stresset dag. Jeg overvejer at give det mere eller mindre end 3 fordi de sidste mange albums jeg har rated har været 3'ere. Jeg tror det er en blanding af at jeg gerne vil anerkende at det er god musik, men jeg kan ikke rigtig sætte et ord på præcist hvorfor jeg synes det er godt. Specielt når det meste burde ligge i teksterne og jeg generelt ikke rigtig forholder mig til dem. Der er noget engelsk satire over det som senere har inspireret kunstnerne i brit-pop bølgen. Det baroque pop / brit pop.

Some was good. Some wasn’t. It’s not quite a like for me but not fully meh either.

I liked it but it got a little too whimsical in the back half.

My first shot at The Kinks! And I get it, I get why it inspires, I get why it's a classic, there's a lot of really cool things happening all throughout the album. The B side is a little extra special to me, not really a fan of the way the record starts off but that's a personal preference thing, a little too kookie. I associated "The Kinks" as a name with a sound more punk than this. We're actually experiencing classic rock with British wit. And weird goofiness. I'd like this on my collection, not because it's my favorite rock album, but because even though it's dated, there's a lot of cool interesting twists. Great percussive work, entertaining and well composed lyrics, it's an awkward jam. 3.4/5

Enjoyed, reminded me of my Dad.

Eeugh, I guess there were parts where I wasn’t having a horrible time. Understandable why I haven’t heard anything from this album

I'm starting to think that every 60s pop record sounds the same. This one at least had a few cool moments, but overall I swear this sounds like the last five 60s pop records I've gotten at some point. Worst part is it's always the bands that I hear my parents talk really well about.

Despite the description, this sounds a lot like all the other Kinks we’ve had. Perfectly fine.

I know this is a critically acclaimed album and even considered to be their masterpiece but I really prefer the lo-fi garage band British Invasion songs that really made them famous.

Pleasant but unexceptional. I guess there were some nice little stories of every day peoplle tucked into the lyrics of these songs but overall this album sounds like a knock off of other British Invasion acts ("Last of the Steam Powered Trains" sounds like the Rolling Stones without Mick Jagger's charisma). I feel like I said this about the last Kinks album we heard (I just checked and I did). Maybe I'm missing something, but this era of music is be well covered with the Beatles, Stones, Who, Zombies etc. so Idk why this Kinks album needs to be on this list. The durms on "Wicked Anabella" are cool though.

Same same. Nice music, not massively keen on the lyrics/theme.

A little too cutesy for my tastes, but not so much that I wanted to turn it off.

5.27

It's ehh. It's alright. I ain't got much else to say about it.

The comparisons to the beatles don't do it any favors. Occasionally the sound of the kinks surpasses that typical 60's pop but those moments are sparse. Still a perfectly fine listen.

An early concept album. But a bit too lightweight for me. The harpsichord really gets overused for my taste giving it a little bit too much theatrical vibe

Not too bad but I wouldn't put it with top albums of all time 3.3

5/10

It's nice, but somewhat homogeneous and wants to seem like the very essence of pop rock of those years. It's catchy, but it's not THAT catchy, and that makes it playable only one or two times. And seriously, 60 tracks in 2018's deluxe edition?

Ni fu ni fuck

Algumas músicas conseguem ser bem originais, é legal de ouvir

Genérico

I don’t think I’ve really listened to the Kinks before and based on the name, this is not the music I expected. I feel like I need to listen to more of the Kinks to better rank this. Favorite track: People Take Pictures of Each Other.

Copy/ paste notes from previous Kinks album.

So many songs had licks that resemble other songs.

This is definitely the most British thing I've ever heard. Not bad though ⭐⭐⭐.5

I love a good concept album but sometimes the concept hits harder than the execution. Great songwriting and themes but the musical style was just not working for me except for on a few songs like Wicked Annabella. Found the circus-y Sgt. Pepper-y sound pretty samey

Better than I thought this would be. Sounded like a lighter version of Beatles.

Meh

This isn't as good as Arthur of the Decline and Fall of the British Empire. It lacks cohesion and feels kinda disjointed. I just don't really know where they were going with this, the songs feel really all over the place. Nothing really stuck out to me or made me go wow. Slightly disappointed.

seems an earlier version of The Kinks. like they don't have their sound yet & trying out styles. not bad, just not memorable either

I'm getting beatles vibes. Nothing more to add then that. I'd give it something like a 3.5

Overall, nothing exciting and sounds a bit dated when I listen to it today, but I know that this was pretty cool to jam to back in the day.

I've heard another The Kinks album before so knew what to expect. It's good although a complete vibe mismatch for me today

Hey, the Kinks. Of all the "the" bands in the world, there isn't a better word you can append to your band name than "Kinks". It just has a great ring to it. Strokes is a solid second place, and I often get the two confused due to my lack of familiarity with either band. What was I talking about? Oh yeah, music. If I'm to guess, this will either be a pop rock or psychedelic affair. This album was pretty good from start to finish. Some inventive and infectious pop songwriting. Ray Davies is a very talented vocalist. I enjoyed all of the different styles and tones he was able to capture over the course of this album. I wasn't sold all the way on the instrumentals, but there are some gripping quirks here and there. "Do You Remember Walter?" is a good tune. The piano/percussion combo is gripping, but it's the vocals/songwriting that really do it for me. The "rolling" quality that they take on during the middle of the song is fantastic. "Picture Book" is a good follow-up. Great chorus, and I enjoy the chord progression on the guitar during the verses. "Animal Farm" has a very interesting sound. I like the heavy acoustic guitar and the vocals are, again, very pleasing. "Starstruck" has a nice, feelgood energy. The strings in the background are pleasing, and I enjoy the bassy guitar which underscores the song. Book time. "timeless". That's about it, really. Nothing much in the way of impact or influence, but I don't need much convincing. I quite liked this - it's been way too long since I was last hit with an album I enjoyed. I cosign this inclusion

Some 5 star songs for sure! I love the concept but some bits were less than good to my ears

Good album to jam along to, paints a picture that I'm maybe not British enough to understand. But it's a vibe, and "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" is super fun. 3.5 stars, if I could.

Average 60s pop/rock. One or two songs above average, one or two below average. The Beatles comparisons in other reviews make sense, but this just doesn't hold my interest like a Beatles album does.

A million hipsters born of this album.

Interesting, but feels crammed- like a few songs could be removed

3,5

The soundtrack of 2000's British comedy films. It's twee and British, every song is about scones and strawberry jam. Not really, but sort of. One of the songs has the same riff as the bass in Warning by Green Day. It's like sitting in a field watching cricket and drinking Pimm's. I feel a lot of bands sounded like this in the late 60's.

Ці ностальгійні переживаннями за старою доброю Британією досить цікаво слухати.

Quirky, manic and just a bit too much twee going on, but still fascinating. If a kitten was an album then it would be The Village Green Preservation Society. Jumpy and not quite grown up. Very very British and I'm up for that.

8/20/25

Just didn't grab me like I thought it would.

Boring

This was a fun and enigmatic album. It just FEELS British. What must have felt extremely experimental at the time feels almost familiar now likely due to the influence this album had on music going forward.

Cute music!

Well, that was boring. I’m just gonna come out and say that I wasn’t really big on this album. I’d heard of The Kinks before, mainly because of You Really Got Me being covered by Van Halen, but I hadn’t really heard of any of their other stuff. So I listened to this album, and I wasn’t all that impressed by it. The lyrics weren’t very interesting to me, and the music didn’t pick up that slack where the lyrics fell short. It all kind of just felt like really early Beatles songs, not bad, just kind of inoffensive. All of the music and vocals sounded well made, it just wasn’t really interesting to me. I guess if you like this style of music, this is right up your alley, but I’m gonna move on and find something I like better.

Cross between The Who and the Beatles B-sides. Liked the title track, didn’t like the cat song. Not bad.

They really want to be the Beatles

Jeg tror jeg har det lidt med The Kinks som nogle mennesker har det med Radiohead. Måske ville jeg være idioten til en Kinks koncert der bare stod og ventede på at de spillede You Really Got Me, og ikke rigtig fattede deres andre sange. Altså noget af det er da okay. Men det når bare ikke rigtig de samme højder.

Another try at the Kinks and still not clicking for me. Enjoyable, but don't get it yet. *Heard before

This is peak high guy music if you've ever considered wearing clogs

- decent - clearly a big inspiration for Bug Club - slightly twee in places - mono mix slaps, stereo mix is whack - knew more songs than I expected

Didn’t know this what The Kinks were-less proto-punk, more pure melody. A bit saccharine, but a few really good tunes.

Album is okay, but nothing that really struck me as amazing

всё время забываю что они древние и мелодичные (как и про бич бойз забываю). пока не ложится на душу, просто милые

I like The Kinks but this album didn't really evoke anything in me. I didn't mind listening to it but I also didn't save any music to come back to. Truly neutral.

A time capsule of its time, and doesn’t have much to offer today

I get the time period, but found the album quite immature in the lyrics.

This album felt deeply nostalgic and unmistakably English. The themes were sweet and the storytelling was charming, full of small details and gentle humor. It didn’t hit me emotionally, but I appreciated the way it painted its world. A soft listen with a strong sense of place.

Yes, Jesse, I remember.

S’ok!

This was alright - didn't blow me away but was decent.

Love the Kinks but this is one of my least favorites.

El tercer tema se lo robaron a Green Day

Aguante de kinks papaaaaaaaa

Poco kinky para llamarse the kinks No tengo ningún highlight sobre los temas, lo escuché en el auto y meh

They sound very similar to the Beatles.

3 1/2 Stars: Has the upbeat, earworm of Beatle-like pop of the era, but lacks the overall depth and polish. Still a lot of fun to listen to. Can't beat a full album of 2 minute pop ditties.

This one is definitely a rollercoaster and will probably benefit from additional listens down the road. It starts off amazing, sputters toward the middle, then casually drops a couple of amazing songs in between before it finally fizzles. Still, you can’t accuse Ray Davies of being boring, as he throws all sorts of styles into his mod rock blender and makes it sound pretty incredible and prescient for 1968. Even the Beatles, at the height of their experimentation, couldn’t hit the same consistency as the Kinks are here. It’s just not always consistently great.

I wasn't incredibly impressed, nothing was exciting or very interesting about it.

This was ok

It's a pretty accessible folk/rock pop album, but I didn't find it that noteworthy. I believe it has more of an historic role, being considered by some the first concept album, and being pretty ahead of its time back when it was released. By now though, while an easy listen, they don't sound particularly different or innovative. This doesn't mean it's a bad record by any means, I just didn't find it to be a landmark record. Maybe it deserves an extra star when listened in more detail? The singing it pretty good, the backing vocals were particularly interesting and well delivered. They sound pretty good, they mix songs that are catchy and energetic with more slow folk ones. This works well, specially because the album isn't that long, so it's a easy and quick listen. Thematically, they approach it with a sort of nostalgic take on English culture, mixed with some satire to make it more interesting. It's mostly about what they miss about small village life and how modernity changes these things. Also love, their friends, and a cat. It works mostly, and he writes some interesting songs that remain somewhat relevant today. In terms of songs, I liked how experimental they get in "Sitting By The Riverside", "Animal Farm" was pretty nice too, and "The Village Green Preservation Society" is a good opener, though a bit over the top. Also, "Phenomenal Cat", because it's about a cat, and because it's so weird and whimsical it's nice they decided to go there. I also found "People Take Pictures of Each Other" pretty funny, even more so because I'm a photographer.

Meh.. Prefer their few big hits. Sounds very Beatles wanna be.

Buen álbum, no esta nada mal.

Alright British invasion rock. If that's the style your into, no disappointments, fits right in

It was fine. Nothing earth shattering.

Better than the last kinks album

Some stuff was dated, some stuff was alright. Not their best or my favorite stuff but solid.

Much more interesting than anything else going on at the time in my opinion. I've been given Beatles and Stones albums already. This tops them

Never really knew much by The Kinks, but this was a good start. Biggest enemy is themselves; this album is very British Invasion and they deserve their dues.

New to me. Good early but found myself getting bored by the end

I dig the Kinks but this album felt long. Like every time I listened. Multiple times over multiple days. Usually albums grow on me. TVGPS might be a smaller dose album for me. Makes sense tho that they didn't become a global sensation band but rather a cult favorite. There's always like this underlying art school vibe VS straight up Beatles or Stones -ness. Not a bad thing, just maybe trickier to sustain for the long haul? Too much of a good thing? Idk. I'll just say it's not my favorite Kinks album.

6/10

This is a classic Kinks Album. Very much in the "Beatles" style that was driving a lot of groups at the time. Best Songs The Village Green Preservation Society Picture Book

Jeh, good

Idk somewhere between a 3 and 4 I like the kinks they’re cool just never loved em

Another disc I own. This is a very English records with a set of songs that seemed just right for the time, you can see how it influenced bands that followed like XTC. Almost seems like a Ray Davies concept album all quite consistently good even if there are no real bangers on this one. 3.5/5

I do appreciate the irony, but not so much the music here.

I really enjoy a lot of Kinks songs. I had never listened to this album in its entirety. This album is older than me but it still has a freshness and doesn't sound nearly as dated as it should. Nearly every song on the album is around 3 minutes or less which is how a good pop song should be. The title track was great, a welcomed addition to my Kinks collection. "Walter" was a rollickingly fun track. Everyone knows "Picture Book", it's still in ads and soundtracks. Is Ringo playing on "Wicked Annabella"!? While I enjoyed giving this a listen I'm not sold on the need to have it included in the Top 1001. One hit song, some good listen counts, but nothing I'd say was revolutionary or super influential. It's consistent and solid but not a huge standout in my estimation. 2.5-3 stars.

Jangly guitar melody pop. Pleasant enough just not stunning.

The Village Green Preservation Society 3.4 Do You Remember Walter 3.3 Picture Book 3.5 Johnny Thunder 3.5 Last of the Steam-Powered Trains 3.7 Big Sky 3.6 Sitting by the Riverside 3.6 Animal Farm 3.4 Village Green 3.6 Starstruck 3.8 Phenomenal Cat 3 All of My Friends Were There 3.3 Wicked Annabella 3.5 Monica 3.3 People Take Pictures of Each Other 3.4 Score: 3.46

Pretty good. The Kinks are interesting songwriters. But when I want to listen to the snark that they always have, I'd rather put on Lola Vs Powerman.

I have a soft spot for this album. Listening to it this time, I can’t say I remember why I have a soft spot for it. But I do.

Mixed feelings on it. It’s good but definetly dated to its era. Will have to give it a few more listens.

Few strong songs here at the beginning, particularly enjoyed The Village Green Preservation Society, Last of the Steam-Powered Trains and Picture Book. However, felt the rest of the album petered off toward the end.

Aka Wes Anderson music. Iconic and seminal and appreciate what it means

Really enjoyed listening to this!

All round good listen, I just don’t really get the Kinks, they just feel like a less interesting version of the Beatles.

Really enjoyed this for the most part. Got a bit tired of the concept by the end so didn’t quite hit 4

Bom álbum! Truthear Zero:Red.

It was fine, but I listened with it in the background and nothing really stood out to me. I could give another listen later, but there's little to draw me back in

My primary exposure to The Kinks is their “Kinks” album, so this was not what I expected. The album opens like a tribute to (copy of?) Sgt. Pepper, so listeners in 1968 may have been forgiven for quickly passing summary judgement on this one. If I didn’t know I was listening to a Kinks album (and have a reasonable grasp of the Beatles catalog), it would be easy to mistake “Picture Book” as a lesser known Beatles song. Fortunately, “Johnny Thunder” starts to turn a corner, and by “Last of the Steam-Powered Trains” they are finally in their own lane. Which is to say, at least here, somewhere between The Beatles and The Who. For my part, I guess I wish there were a little less harpsichord and a few more rock’n’roll tracks like “Wicked Annebella”, or blues-rock tracks like “Last of the Steam-Powered Trains”.

Good old school rock.

Some really good rock songs on this album that I hadn't heard before. Not the kind of rock I usually listen to since it often feels kind of dated. This album has a part of that but it still holds up good enough for me to enjoy it.

The first three songs are hitters, but the carnival aesthetic got kind of old around Sitting By The Riverside. 60s bands were really not afraid to be whimsical from time to time. There is a noticeable lack of whimsy in the music of today. The carousel-core gap in pop and rock has not been filled effectively since January 1, 1970 (excepting Mr. Blue Sky).

Cheerful with depressing lyrics. Very "take me back to the old days" ironically. Pretty cool for its era though

Some catchy songs, particularly in the first half. Two listens was ideal but not sure I want to have it on repeat.

Went in with high expectations but still enjoyed

he can sing. Not the most recognisable voice but still a nice tone. He could do emotive delivery within his relatively narrower vocal range. The album itself is just ok. The 2/4 lilts in The Village Green Preservation Society remind me of some march-like patriotic rhythms. The phenomenal cat’s intro sounds like Tom and Jerry. I can’t tell if I like it or not, it’s just an observation. I have a very neutral feeling about this album, I define this as a perfect three.

listened to this on Friday, by Monday morning I am already kinda forgetting this album. it wasn't bad to listen to, but it wasn't memorable in my opinion. i remember a lot of things about photographs... but thats really it

Fun in some spots but didn’t stick with me too much.

There’s distinctions between The Kinks and The Beatles, but there were moments on this album that felt like it was a straight up copy of The Beatles sound. I can’t tell if that’s just the way British rock sounded in the 60s, or if they were looking to capitalize on Beatlemania. Decent album, couple songs I’ll go back to. Pretty sure we’ll eventually listen to each album that has a song Apple has featured in their commercials.

The Kinks are nice. These songs are nice. This album was nice.

Decent, pleasant album with a distinct late 60s sound. It sounded a lot like The Beatles at times, though.

A sound that didn’t change through the decades.

Album carino, anche se non mi ha lanciato più di tanto.

This is classic 60s bubble gum pop. I imagine for its time, it might have been the beginning of this type of music. It was an enjoyable listen but very dated. Better Kinks albums were to come.

Were the Kinks that significant that they needed multiple albums on this list? Most of this sounds like your typical late 60s record, good, but nothing groundbreaking. I picked my favorites that did not sound like just another Beatles copy. Last of the Steam Powered Trains, even though it has that CCR feel, Animal Farm, and Wicked Annabella.

Hear the influence

It was good and fun but mostly felt like a Beatles album that was more flat. 6/10

It's a pop album from the 60's. It didn't make me feel like I needed to hear it, but I guess it's a good time capsule.

Starts somewhat strong, but loses steam after the first half. Pity. 3/5

Favourite song is village green. Really enjoyed

Not what I was expecting from the Kinks. Very 60s feel for this album. Fun, unserious vibe.

Very good. I hadn't listened to this album before. You can really hear that 60s era of rock, where it at times reminds me of other artists around then (some songs are giving Bob Dylan rock era).

Like a folkier Sgt peppers. Thumbs up.

Overall ok. Kinda just sounded like a worse version of the Beatles. I see how they could have scared a mother in 1968 with “Sitting by the riverside”. 6/10

village green good, rest fine

Surprisingly pleasant listening to this one, fun!

kinda like if the beatles were less serious

classic good

Average

Overall a very simple yet iconic album that is staple in the rock community that has inspired countless famous artists till this day.

I like the Kinks a lot, but this one doesn’t grab me like its reputation suggests it should.

A good album overall even though none of my favorites songs by them were on it.

They have better

Very naive very cool

101/1089 - Went in one ear and out the other.

decent but i don't love the singer. like the music quite a bit

3.3 2x

No private session used for Spotify, either time I listened to this album. Dated by fun, good to go into a Kinks deep dive. Not sure I will listen again.

sehr schlne warme 60er sound ufem erste song. sehr flowerpower irgendwie. aso für 68 nöd verwunderlich. so picture book zum bispil no nice find d drums recht cool und d stimme harmoniered guet. ich gseh irgendwie wie so nerds chönd finde "emfall d kinks sind besser als d beatles und d stones i ihrne beste moment". mich berauschts jetz null grad. okay bin bi all of my friends were there und finds eigentli chli nervig? vilicht wennis scho wür kenne fändis geil aber hert nöd gad?

omg freumi hert, kenn nur 2 lieder vo ihne SEITER GOD SAVE THE DONALD DUCK ah lol ja actually hahahahaha WALTUH MR. WHITE GET IN WE NEED TO COOK ich lieb de pinkman ANYWAY okay han d kinks um einiges schneller und dreckiger im chopf ich hans na gern aber s macht wenig mit mier laat of the steam powered trains isch na cool! hahaha sitting by the riverside chlii nervig animal farm findi seeehr cool village green megaaa schön und beruhigend iwie? phenomenal cat wird nöd mis lieblingslied people taking pictures of each other findi sehr cool vom text aber s ischmer z fest chinderlied:(

Hyväntuulista tarinointia ilman hittejä

i can hear that it’s good… but i don’t really feel it’s interesting enough to want to keep listening. there were a few songs that peaked my interest but in general, not feeling it for now. i just wanted to go listen to Magical Mystery Tour or Sgt Peppers by The Beatles instead 😅 it will prob work better when i don’t feel completely burnt out on this genre and the 60s/70s from this list.

Very Beatlesque. Seems like they went away from the pop hits on this one.

It was ok.

Interesting listen knowing that the creator wanted to basically capture his childhood into music.

Jangly rock-pop that is clearly a product of its time. Not my bag, but fine for a listen. Standout track: "People Take Pictures of Each Other"

Not my fav from The Kinks, but still ok

Deze hoefde niet. Picture book is een banger, maar de rest is niet echt benoemenswaardig. The kinks hebben betere. 2..6

Sounds like Beatles again

Insufferably peppy

Face to face (66), Somethign else (también del 68) junto con The Village Green Preservation Societ, y Arthur (69) conforman una tetralogía fundamental del pop. Este fue un fracaso de ventas, el fracaso más exitoso de todos los tiempos según el propio Ray davies, pero ensalzado por crítica y el paso del tiempo no ha hecho otra cosa que aumentar su reputación (P. Townshend lo cataloga como su obra maestra, su Sgt. Pepper) con Days como absoluta joya, no incluida en su edición original. Aquí se apoyaron en el impagable Nicky Hopkins a los teclados y mellotrón. El Brit pop (sobre todo Blur) le deben más de media discografía, siendo generosos (y tomando en consideración lo mejor del lote, no absurdeces). La inicial The Village Green Preservation Society resume el sentir de todo el disco. Do you remeber Walter, Picture book y sobre todo Johnny Thunder son buenos temas, que en los 90 sonarían plenamente actuales. Last of the steam-powered trains es un buen tema de R&B, aunque Big Sky incorpora psicodelia y cierra la primera mitad del disco la McCartneyana Sitting by the Riverside. La cara B comienza con Animal Farm y gana brillo con Village green, una canción exquisita. El resto siguen los parámetros de la cara A, salvo Wicked Annabella con Dave Davies en la voz solista y una guitarra distorsionada, hasta el maravilloso final que es People Take Pictures of Each Other con un fraseo en algunas partes similar al Let´s spend the night together que los Stones habían llevado a la censura en los USA apenas unos meses antes. No es mi disco preferido (Arthur me gusta mucho más) de los Kinks, ni del 68, pero es un buen disco. Están joyas absolutas como las de THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE - Electric ladyland y Odessey and Oracle de The Zombies, También THE BEATLES- White Album, THE VELVET UNDERGROUND - White light, white heat, VAN MORRISON - Astral weeks, THE ROLLING STONES - Beggars banquet, CREAM - Wheels of fire, THE BYRDS - Sweetheart of the rodeo, THE SMALL FACES - Ogden's nut gone flake, THE PRETTY THINGS - S.F. Sorrow, OTIS REDDING - The dock of the bay, BLOOMFIELD , KOOPER & STILLS - Super Session, JAMES CARR - A Man needs a Woman, Dance To The Music de Sly & The Family Stone, Safe As Milk del Capt. Beefhart, Surrealistic Pillow de Jefferson Airplane, Lady Soul y Now de Aretha Franklin, The Notorious Byrd Brothers y Sweetheart of the rodeo de The Byrds, We're Only in It for the Money de Zappa, Idea y Horizontal de los Bee Gees, For Once in My Life de Stevie Wonder , A Saucerful Of Secrets de Pink Floyd, Spirit de Spirit, Bookends de Simon and Garfunkel, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida de Iron Butterfly, el Soundtrack to 1968 TV special de Elvis, Nuff Said! de Nina Simone, Child is father to the man y Blood, Sweat & Tears de Blood, Sweat & Tears... Debuts de JEFF BECK GROUP, NEIL YOUNG, THE BAND, CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL, OS MUTANTES, SILVER APPLES...

The Kinks' "The Village Green Preservation Society" serves as a quasi-concept album that explores characters and narratives evoking a sense of nostalgia for a more idyllic time in England. Interestingly, nostalgia often leads us to idealize the best aspects of the past while overlooking the struggles. It remains unclear to me whether Ray Davies intends to convey irony through this concept or if he genuinely yearns for a simpler, idealized era that may never have truly existed. Musically, the album is characterized by its gentle rhythms rather than harsh or jarring sounds, featuring strong harmonies and intricate layers of instrumentation and lyrics. Aside from "All Of My Friends Were There," which stands out as the weakest track on the album, each song is a well crafted pop song lasting about two or three minutes. After listening this album, I find it difficult to understand why The Kinks do not receive the same level of acclaim as their peers from the 1960s British Invasion, especially considering their impressive body of work. Once again, as in my review of "Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)", my sole criticism would be that they occasionally indulge in their whimsy bit too much. However, this is also part of their unique charm

Interesting and varied.

I like The Kinks a lot but this album didn't do a whole lot for me.

The Kinks are a funny group for me - so much of their music slaps but then some goofy shit comes along and it loses me.

Fun. Quirky.

7/10 Highlights: The Village Green Preservation Society People Take Picture of Each Others Animal Farm Picture Book Do You Remember Walter

Most Brit pop/rock sounds pretty similar to me, but a few songs in this album branched out a bit from the genre. The choruses got a little repetitive sometimes, but it wasn’t bad.

the other Beatles. Good stuff.

Ray Davies is an interesting character, and I really want to like The Kinks... but something about this just doesn't impress that much. I think I overall find that their songs are too sprawling and uneven, incoherent even. One song can have a really nice tone and sit well, and then the next sounds like some kind of circus theme or otherwise whacky thing, like 'Phenomenal Cat', for example. I guess that is partly what makes them interesting, but it also works against them sometimes. Had trouble finding songs I liked on this record, but there also weren't any real major low points (except aforementioned 'Phenomenal Cat' perhaps)

Some pleasant tunes, couple annoying

A nice listen. Some good tracks i hadn't heard

Pleasant, pretty, too cute for me.

Sympa mais je le trouve clairement en dessous des deux précédents après ça reste cool et l'ambiance est clairement agréable mais c'est pas ce que j'écouterai par moi-même

Very British and at times a bit twee but never the less an interesting snapshot into the mind of the genius that is Ray Davies. Not their best effort but enjoyable none the less.

It’s a cool album, very much of its time. There no denying its influence on modern pop and indie - the title track stands out above the rest. It’s not an album I’ve heard before but would certainly go back and revisit it.

Not what I was expecting. Had some catchy riffs and lyrics- overall I liked it but not something that would ever go in rotation

Quaint. Small town sober hippy dippy.

inoffensive boring fun rock

I really like some Kinks material but they were very prolific and there's a lot that I really don't know. This album was mostly new to me, although I did recognize the song Picture Book. Overall this is a very interesting album, with definite themes throughout. Musically, it's good; it leans a bit more into the British whimsy than I would normally care for, but it works here. I would listen again.

OK...

fine

village green preservation society- 7 or 8 do you remember walter?- 6 picture book- 7 johnny thunder- 6 last of the steamed powered trains- 6 or 7 big sky- 5 sitting by the river side- 6 animal farm- 5 or 6 village green- 6 starstruck- 5 phenomenal cat- 5 all my friends were there- 5 wicked annabella- 6 monica- 5 people take pictures of each other- 6 the beatles if they were good. easy listening album.

Meh it’s was yea

I enjoyed it but not enough to really wanna come back to it. Big respect for the kinks tho. This is the most 60s sounding album I've ever heard, and sounds like it could be a recent indie release

I loike when you ge kinky, baby!

I was listening to this thinking that instead of random, we should listen in order of release so we could hear how music has evolved. This isn’t great for today, but may have been when it was released.

Slayed.

allll of his friends

Not sure about this one! Some of it was great and I had a great time and thought of the Beatles and occasionally even my beloved Jonathan Richman (like Big Sky and the album title track). Other songs really made me scratch my head going what the hell is this (like Phenomenal Cat and Wicked Annabella). It’s quite an unusual mix in some ways. I’m sure I’ll revisit and rethink so for now I’ll go 3 but that seems unfair.

Skiffle at its best?

This is fine... I guess? It's not a bad album, it's just not that interesting and pretty outdated. It's not boring, but I didn't feel anything when listening to it. This sort of chill, easy-listening rock is not my thing, and this album doesn't do enough to differentiate itself from all the other similar ones.

Interesting, but not their best

I know I just got done listening to the new Panda Bear album, but wow does he sound like a new version of the title track on here. So thats saying I enjoyed the start of this album. It’s all got a pleasant, trying to be utopia feel about it. “Do You Remember Walter” sounds a lot like the blueprint for Mr Bluesky too! Unfortunately, around “Johnny Thunder”, this album succumbs to a bit of the tired sounds of it’s time, I feel myself resisting the urge to think comparatively about the Beatles, etc. “Starstruck” is a standout for me for the “babababa” chorus. “All My Friends Were There” is so goofy and circus-ish that I replayed it a couple times. This is overall a respectable effort, I’m guessing this was a diversion from some of the earlier mid-60’s stuff The Kinks and others were doing. Easy on the ears / 5.

Good band from the 60’s. Good songs.

306/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

Distinctly kinks and very 60s - enjoyable

it's not unpleasant to listen to but from my point of view it feels like... a worse beatles? i didn't really get it i guess. i liked it okay, the lyrics were fun and all my friends were there was a nice upbeat track i guess.

Man they really did a lot of these. Title track is fun and silly, there's some that feel like their gonna rock, but never quite do. I think this may have been the first of their british pastoral/parklife style albums, but I think its the third I've gotten on the list and the oompah adjacent pacing, and slice of english life stuff does get a little threadbare after two (honestly good though) albums.

This was nice. Not amazing by any means but I’d never heard a Kinks album before.

Super good. Kind of reminds me of that psychedelic type of sound of the late 60s. But the way the kinks would do it instead

Estuvo ok

The Kinks were absolutely prolific, and they have some good songs. But this particular album is far from their best work.

First the Byrds and now the Kinks, another majorly influential band that I often find a little bit "shrug". This is one of the first concept albums but I didn't really follow the story. I don't know, maybe the musical aspects of the songs don't seem as well connected as other great concept or theme albums - or why so much dead air between songs? Further makes it not feel seamless. I liked individual songs but the sum of the parts was no more than the parts. Highlights were Do You Remember Walter?, Last of the Steam-Powered Trains (reminded me of CCR and classic blues), Animal Farm, maybe Picture Book and People Take Pictures of Each Other. Next.

Pretty good.

Good

To old timey

60s British band being goofy about jam, a dime a dozen at this point. Almost strange in a way, why does it come up so much? The album is fine.

It was solid.

Ok

divertido. e dura o que tem que durar. algo que eu sinto que pelo menos 700 dessa lista nao vao fazer

actually some decent catchy songs. 3.5/5

Für Ende 60er Rockmusik ganz gut. 3/5

It was ok, quirky lyrics, just not really my thing.

I didn't mind this, but I can't help thinking that there are way too many Kinks albums on this list, and that I would have liked this way more during my classic rock phase. Would rate 3.5.

I'm familiar with Kinks songs, but this is the first album of theirs I've actually listened too. I thought it started off strong then faded to average. It does make me want to explore more into Kinks but I'm sure 1001 has another album of theirs.

唉 British

Not that memorable for a concept album, but I do respect character studies.

Not bad. I just find it a bit monotone and dull.

Picture Book

3.5

Concept albums don't always work. This one falls into this category

It's ok, not the best Kinks album in my opinion by a country mile.

Some very fun upbeat songs, especially the title track.

-hmm not bad… I think I greatly prefer Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire just for the stylistic decisions and concept but there was quite a bit I enjoyed on here -a lot of it reminded me very strongly of the Beatles which was interesting… makes sense considering the time period tho -Favorites are Picture Book and Sitting by the Riverside

Pretty cool. Obviously foundational for a lot of the jangle pop kinda stuff that I like. But god was it sort of relentlessly jaunty. I dunno. I liked it more when it was on but since it ended I've felt no desire to go back to it. There's probably a better Kinks album.

7/10. In my opinion, it's a typical rock album from a 1960's all-male band. It's pleasant, but I didn't feel anything special about it. Sorry!!! :)

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.

Nothing to disagree with here, a solid 3.5 from me. Some falling off on the second side to a three really.

there were some very good songs on here, very fun listen

It's good

I read several reviews comparing them to the Beatles, so here I go: they are like the Beatles, but cleaner, with less experimentation, crazyness and electricity (I mean, even on their early records the Beatles are wilder than the Kinks). It's not bad (it's even pretty good) but it doesn't work so well for me.

Some of their best songs but not without duller moments.

Nice enough, never heard of any of these songs from them Will I listen to again: 30%

Knockoff Beatles. Pretty decent for what it is though. Mono can be annoying with earbuds.

Very heavy Beatles vibes here. I’m guessing a product of the time. I’ve always been interested in The Kinks, but never really dove into their stuff. I like this album, although I’m not blown away. I would like to listen to more of their material that spans their career to see how they evolve.

Обычная панкуха

Although I'm in no way a Kinks connoisseur, I'm pretty sure this is one of their best albums (although apparently not all that successful commercially at the time), and certainly jam-packed with their acerbic humor and irony, mixed with a fair bit of nostalgic sincerity (I think). It's a bummer that they always sound to me like they were inspired by the Beatles, because I'm pretty sure that's only a product of me not knowing much of their music beyond their radio (and non-Beatles-sounding) singles. Although I'm not a huge fan of their garage-band sound (or maybe it's just the perhaps-intentionally low-quality production), I think my favorite tracks are the title track, "Animal farm", and "Wicked Anabella". I like it that they took the late 60s in a different direction from psychedelic rock, and also that Ray Davies clearly understood how traditional life was falling apart and the allure and poison of romantic memories of the past and childhood; this album reminds me both of the movie "Hope and Glory" and the recently-heard Arcade Fire album "The Suburbs". Also kudos to the Wikipedia entry authors for one of the longest articles I've seen yet....

Always loved the title track but the rest of the album illustrates why the Beatles' Penny Lane is genius. Not their best effort but it's okay, they're working stuff out for greater stuff to come.

A 3.5, not sure which side of the fence I’ll fall.

I like some of the Kinks output quite a bit. This one's fine, but none of the songs really grabbed me. 3.5*

It's fine, but think it's a bit overrated in the Kinks discography. They add in a bit too much British whimsy here, and I really think the albums that came before and after it are a lot better. Nothing here reaches the highs of Something Else or Arthur. 3.5 stars.

Fine, but not exactly riveting.

This album has a sounds similar to the beetles.

Her life story overwhelms her music for me and although her talent was so clear, I find listening to her difficult

Fav song: Big Sky Classic UK sound for the time. You can definitely tell how influenced everything was by The Beatles around this time but none the less, still a good listen through with fun lyrics and cheerful overall vibe.

This was entertaining enough, but didn’t terribly hold my interest. Seemed to be an album made up of tracks from the cutting room floor, ones that were decent but didn’t quite make a previous record. 3/5

3 out of 5. Pleasantly middle of the road for me.

Wasn’t too bad, sounded pretty good. I like the Kinks but I felt there was nothing special about this album.

Good not great. (For me)

I love the nostalgic lyrics and theme. The music itself is alright, very mid/late-60s English pop rock. The lyrics and theme are what make it stand out for me, though. It pushes it from a decent album to something I think is actually quite good. Even in its time, though, it wasn't highly regarded, and I think that's for a reason. I enjoyed it, and it has its spot in history, but I don't think it would make a list of top 200 albums. Favorite Song(s): Do You Remember Walter?

Giving me those 70’s rock, beetles vibes. I’d expect to hear this at some small venue or bar, not bad but not memorable either. 2.5

I had not heard any of these songs before, but I did genuinely enjoy it. It is classic Beatlesque British sixties rock. It is probably a 3.5 for me, and I may listen to it again.

I may be showing my age but this sounds strangely like a children’s television soundtrack…

Meh

If there were half stars, this would be a 3.5 for me. Loved the title track. Like the kinks but this album didn’t resonate as much for me. If I’m going to listen to a 60s concept album, it has to be Sgt. Pepper’s. This doesn’t have the re-playability for me.

Fun 60s British invasion rock n' roll. 3.5

Diet Beatles. For when you want to listen to British pop without all of the catchy hooks. Completely neutral to this. Nothing amazing; nothing offensive. Next.

This was a good listen. Well put together. The were a few tracks I saved to my library. I’d be interested to hear more by The Kinks, but probably not going out of my way to do so.

Love the kinks music.

This album sounds like it was written by a group of whimsical gnomes

The Village Green Preservation Society is awfully twee, a nice and gentle sound, it just suffers from being the billionth 60s soft psychedelia album we've had and I can't do anything more with it than say it's better than most of those, a high 2 or low 3 effort. Look lads, metal and hard rock came along in the 70s and was miles better, let's have a bit more balance please.

This is one of the better examples of 60s psychedelic-folk-rock albums that we've had. And we've had so, so many. Doesn't around trying to sound like something it isn't (no sitar music, faux-American accents, or Irish fiddle here), it's English folk enhanced by electric instruments. First half is definitely better than the second half, an easy 3/5.

manages to sound very of its time while also having an obvious link to british indie music made today - this influenced britpop (modern life is rubbish, whats the story morning glory, pulp) which influenced everything today. in a period when everyone was either trying to sound american or take on more exotic influences from places like india, its quite a brave move to make a distinctly english album. unfortunately some of the songs just dont quite cut the mustard. there are some standouts like all of my friends were there, wicked anabella, and the title track, but stuff like johnny thunder are fairly forgettable on first listen. ultimately this will probably be one i return to at some point, and encapsulates what a lot of people love about the kinks.

Like a poor man’s The Beatles. Album started strong then lost focus. Green Day definitely took a lot of sound from these guys. Would probably listen to again. Quirky.

Slightly aged but entertaining beatles like rock album. Weak three stars for this album. (Listened to the UK and US edition.) favourite: "The Village Green Preservation Society", "Do You Remember Walter", "Last of the Steam Powered Trains" 2,5

Good classic rock and roll

Mejor

a lot of classics 3.5 going towards 4

That was quite good.

7/10 Tacy trochę Beatlesi z wodą. Bardzo przyjemnie buja, ale większość utworów zlewa się w jedno. Wolę ich album z Lolą w tytule, tam się wydają być trochę odważniejsi

3/5

Second Kinks album from the list and I hope it's the last. Simple, fun pop tunes wit a definite "Englishness" (that's good) but much too cabaret-esque at times, I think thins music would work well in school plays when the clown comes on stage. Some songs are very Beatles-like, but unfortunately like those Beatles songs I don't like. Songwriting as such, if this style is your thing, isn't bad. This album get on my system but not quite as badly as Christina Aguilera, which I have a 2, so I'll give a generous 3 here. Not fond of Davies' voice and it's right in front of the mix.

I feel like I should like this more but something didn't quite click. Rounding down.

Nice britpop album 3/5

I enjoyed this album particularly when I realized the lyrics, as someone who is not a British citizen, weren't relevant to me and could just sit back and enjoy the fine song arrangements and performances. Tight, short songs, but honestly the album does drag a bit from sameness around song 11-12 of 15. Honestly that is better than many of the albums chosen for this list.

Thought this was a Picture Book but instead was Starstruck.

Like The Beatles but silly.

As a Kinks fan, and freely admitting I'd never heard this one before, it was easy to listen to and earned 3 stars from me. A bit different than the Kinks albums I like best, but not annoying.