Reviews (page 4 of 8)
Nice collection of 2-3 minute 1960s guitar pop songs. Social commentary and story telling of everyday life. Some odd sound effects and bit of a medieval vibe in some places. I've never dug beyond The Kinks' famous singles, but it seems their back catalogue has depth. 4/5
Good classic Kinks album, real raw sound
Quite elegant, with an essential preciosity that blends with the airy vocal harmonies with linear melodies and energetic instrumental interventions.(7/10) Favourite Songs: Sunday Afternoon
Very early Beatles. Always confuse these guys with The Shins... unsure why.
More Beatles-y than I expected. I liked approximately 60% of the album, but Sunny Afternoon is one of my all time favorite songs.
Very 60's rock. Is nice and relaxing to put on in background. Fav was "Sunny Afternoon"
Yes
Reminds me of Beatles and the Zombies. Lots of different genres and songs, very catchy and not one bad song.
in some cases i have been known to forgive britishness
Really solid Kinks album. It's no "Arthur", but the mod spirit is there.
Not my favorite Kinks album but still great!
Got it already. Will relisten later. Already my favourite Kinks album.
Ewig nicht mehr gehört aber ist ein absoluter Grundpfeiler für die moderne Musik und ein spaßig zu hörender Teil der British Invasion
Nice bit of mum music
Very sixties but good fun
Sounded like the Beatles
Not bad, a little too vintage for my taste, but some good songs. I liked She's Got Everything.
Solid, couple of the big songs on there and all the others were good too... Again, spotify gives you the 'special edition' with all the bonus tracks mixed in :( don't think it listened quite as intended
Love the Kinks
I liked it!
Fantastic, can really hear the influence they've had on so many bands, as good as a Beatles album easily. Just missing maybe one more banger to be a 5
Cute
Very, very nice. Interesting mix between cheerful and thoughtful songs. Good lyrics.
It has the same roller coaster quality that a lot of albums from this era do with all the sub three minute songs, but there were some really good songs on there. After listening through this, I feel like I need to listen to some more of The Kinks. Really the only reason this is getting a four from me is because I would rather have fewer longer songs than a crap ton of short ones. When you have that high of a volume of short songs I feel like there will feel like there are more bad songs than there actually are and the good ones are a little less memorable. Favorite tracks: “Rainy Day In June,” “Little Miss Queen of Darkness,” and “Dead End Street”
Pretty solid, I enjoyed this one
Fun album. I should really get more into The Kinks.
kinks ei ollutkaan tuttu, mutta toimii.
good album
First rating, personal scale may change
yo this is actually sick. just hella fun and random. didn’t listen to all the mixes but I’m sure I got the rough idea you know? some of my favourite kinks songs x
funky
Rainy day in June and Sunny Afternoon are my two faves
It's so weird to me that we don't see The Kinks as equals to the Beatles. Their music is just as good, but their lyrics are probably more mature. Very interesting.
Pretty good rock album. Need to give the Kinks a bit more of a chance.
Really enjoyed the sound-- very Beatles/Bryds-esque
Familiar British pop rock, a la the Beatles
Never heard the album but top quality.
I loved it on a rainy day!
I liked it a lot more now than when I first listened to it. While not as varied as Something Else or as conceptual as Village Green, has a lot of quintesential Ray Davis style songs. Also, rosie won't you please come home is beautiful. Closer to a 3.5
Showing its age. I don't care much for whether it was significant or not, because it just sounds very expected and middle-of-the-road.
Sounds like a very stereotypical mid-60's Beatles clone... only a bit better. I hesitate to give it 3 stars, because I didn't like most of the album. But I gave the Beatles 2 stars, and "Rosy Won't You Please Come Home" is a great song...so 3 stars, but just barely.
***A good easy listening album
Fun skiffle
The Kinks are one of my favorite bands of the era. This album though, with the exception of Sunny Afternoon (which it being June as I write this, was very appropriate to listen to), is a bit of a slog. The Kinks made more fun and powerful music before this, and then really came into their own after this. I see Face to Face as a kind of boring bridge between two great versions of this band.
5th Kinks album so far and I still feel very meh about them. They don't do anything well enough or unique enough to justify 5 (potentially more) albums on here. This is temu Beatles but still a pleasant enough listen.
Given it came out the same year as revolver, it’s no revolver
#982. The hits from The Kinks are pretty solid, but this is not a band where I want to listen to an entire album. It's tolerable, but I don't really care about it in any way. 3/5: it's ok
This album received lukewarm reception from critics? Why? It's the Kinks, yo. Just pure, high-energy, well-played 60s material. Nothing legendary or groundbreaking, but nothing particularly disappointing either. We get our first taste of "baroque pop" in Rosie Won't You Please Come Home, which features prominent harpsichord and a few low strings that are quite far back in the mix. The vocal falls a little flat – this usually happens when the melody is played simultaneously by both guitar and voice. Still, a decent tune. Dandy is clearly the best song up to that point, accounting for the hilariously spirited wailing on vocals, active acoustic guitar, and fun groovy atmosphere with a few interesting chords here and there. It seems the Kink boys took my message to heart, because the next song, Too Much On My Mind, is another acoustic guitar track – this time a ballad. Pretty good. Session Man, despite literally being of the 60s, comes across as a pastiche of the decade – and nothing else. It fails to avoid being, well, boring. Rainy Day is similar. There's little soul to speak of, nor are there any interesting elements – at least until halfway through, where we get some thunder SFX. Not nearly enough to let the track shine, though. We pick the quality back up in A House In the Country – very rock'n'roll inspired with its distorted riffs, grungy-yet-melodic guitar solo, gritty vocal delivery, and that distinctive piano part you hear all over the place in 50s rock. The next two songs, Holiday In Waikiki and Most Exclusive Residence for Sale, take a similar direction in terms of sheer musicianship – but are also slightly weaker because they lack hooks. Unfortunately, artists get this wrong constantly. The song Fancy breaks the pattern of bog-standard rock pieces, which I appreciate. Kind of sounds like a Beatles filler track. But hey, Beatles filler tracks tend to be pretty swell! Then we have Little Miss Queen of Darkness, a bizarre countryesque honky-tonk track that works better than it should. Nothing spectacular, just good ol' guitar Americanism. Then there's You're Looking Fine – a spirited performance with a sort of Lennon-like rock wail. Of course, everybody's waiting for Sunny Afternoon, the track with the most legitimately catchy rhythm. Turns out a swing, a decent melody, and well-composed backing vocals can work wonders. The lyric "lazing on a sunny afternoon" was surely an inspiration, if indirectly, for Queen's Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon about a decade later. I'll Remember is a solid closer. Indeed – unlike many of the songs here, there is a chance "I'll remember" this one! 3/5 Key tracks: Dandy, A House In the Country, Sunny Afternoon
The band decided that the world needed some mellow tunes to calm themselves with. But they joined it with irony. 3.5/5
3,5
Oli vähän hätänen kuuntelu, mut Kinks toimii aina! Pitää ehkä kuunnella vielä vähän tarkemmin tää, koska tosiaan osa levystä meni vähän ohi.
Iha ok kahen pennin Beatles. Vähän inconsistent musta et osa biiseistä oli tosi fillereitä. Pari hyvää biisiä. Emt onko yliannostus kuuskytäluvun pimpelipompelia.
Ihan ok levy. 3/5.
spoczko miły rock and roll takie typowe 60’
There are parts of this record that I like a lot, but I don't find it to be The Kinks finest hour at all. The (very) loose concept of "social observation" is not anywhere close to a real concept or rock opera like the better Kinks concept records and the songs aren't really strong enough to stand alone either. It's an ok record.
sharp, well-sung little songs, kind of a companion to Parklife in its short-story approach to class and mundanity in Britain but subtler and more cohesive than that record, to this one's benefit. nothing that blows my socks of but there is real sturdiness and craft here, hoping to be wowed by the Davies crew a bit more next time but not complaining!
Average, sounds dated now
This album is like a pleasant afternoon picnic with your girlfriend. You're both pretty low on money, because you have moved out of home and rent is expensive. But it is sunny, and you are both aware it has been a while since you have gone out and done something together. The sun is shining so you've gathered the ingredients for a picnic in the local common. After a few glasses of buttery chardonnay and some crackers with camembert and quince paste, you're blissfully walking home along the quiet streets, admiring the trees that line the pavement.
I enjoyed this one. The beats and vocals were fun. Definitely a more fun album for a 60s band.
Excepto el Sunday Afternoon que me he guardado, el resto se me ha hecho repetitivo. No está mal, pero no es imprescindible aunque entiendo que una vez habría que escucharlo entero.
Another Kinks album, this one pretty boring if you ask me. 2.6/5
Always enjoy the Kinks. Pleasant album I've revisited over the years.
Was very long and a little meh. I may be getting burned out on 60's rock.
Not bad, but after two Kinks albums, I just don't think they're for me
Again, not their best
This has a Scooby-Doo energy to it for some reason and I can't fully explain why
It's ok, was really hoping for more fun the Kinks
Standard fare Kinks. Which is a good thing.
Of it’s time jangly almost naive 60s pop Maybe it’s Ray Davis voice that just sounds so 60s.
Kinks album #3 for me! I remember liking both Something Else and Arthur more, but who knows, that could change. Happy to report for the 3rd time that I still haven't heard any Kinks songs I don't like. I particularly like Rosy Won't You Please Come Home, Rainy Day in June, and Fancy. And the way he pronounces chord pro-gresh-ee-yun.
It’s ok. But I don’t know that it needs be on the list
I feel pretty ambivalent to this. I’m starting to get 1960s and 1970s rock fatigue. It’s starting to blend together for me.
Fine but very derivative 60s pop rock. Nothing too interesting, but overall inoffensive. Makes me glad to hear how The Kinks evolved to a more mature sound on later albums. Top tracks: Rosy Won't You Please Come Home, Sunny Afternoon, I'll Remember
I am not sure what I want to say about this...finnneee? I suppose
I can't help it - most Kinks songs sound like children's songs to me. I know - it goes well with some of the (good) lyrics but I can't get past that merry-go-round sound. Davis' voice doesn't help. The Kinks have a few songs I like but they're not on this album. A generous 3 because they were influential so the album may deserve its place on the list.
It was alright, nothing stood out to me
The Kinks have better.
Started out slow but I eventually started enjoying it.
6 - AVERAGE
just because a band is good doesn't mean we need to put every album of theirs onto this list
3,5
They sound so much like The Beatles
Playful kinks! They almost always are right? They seem to be having fun here. It comes across maybe slightly patchy to me - there were definitely bits I engaged with more than others, but generally it felt pretty high quality and had the individual voice that I appreciate from the kinks.
Alright in terms of this generation of music, pretty much just like the Beatles
2,5
No notes. It's a good album.
Bring back party lines! 3.5
Some really good moments but overall just solid background today at least. A 3.5 rounded down because
Sunny Afternoon off this album has been on every one of my nice weather playlists basically since I started using Spotify, but I've never heard the rest of this album. Unfortunately, the bulk of this album is just generic English rock-and-roll for me. Lot of these songs could've been The Beatles and I'd have no idea. I don't hate the genre, but I do get bored if the band in question isn't adding anything particularly unique/interesting to their take on it. This one fell into that bored category for me.
7 / 10
fine i guess but mostly makes me wish i was listening to Rubber Soul instead
This is interesting to me more as historical artifact than music I will ever listen to. That said, I liked it a little more than I expected. Not terrible.
I don't dislike it, but it's fluffy in a way that was ultimately adapted better elsewhere, particularly Rolling Stones.
Not as timeless as other Kinks albums
Enjoyable tunes from an innocent era
ok
Very good Kinks album.
I’ll never understand baroque pop but this is a good album. Pales in comparison to all of its contemporaries but it’s still solid the whole way through. They obviously have strong musical inclination and they wrote like three of the most famous songs ever? But idk every hit they have there’s a cover of that I like more. Little conflicted, cause my only complaint really is that I wouldn’t listen to this on the day to day except sunny afternoon but it’s all good. Count this as the highest three I guess.
A cute but pretty mixed lil' bag. They're clearly past their rough garage and straight-to-your-face rock 'n roll era, but it's just before Ray *really* saw the light and decided to join the league of Great British Songwriters. I'll take those harpsichord jams, baroque progressions and Sunny Afternoon(!) any time at all, but I'm not quite so sure about all those little ditties that sound like they could have been by the Beatles on an off-day.
First of all, I really like the album cover. I think that this somehow perfectly fits the feel of the album as a whole. This gave me the same sort of feel as a slightly edgier, yet also more party-like, version of The Beatles. I had a lot of fun with this album, with none of the songs really missing. The lyrics are well-crafted throughout, keeping you interested. The only thing I found is that the songs start to become a bit 'safe' after a while. They found a really solid sound for the album, but there's not much variety or risk at all. I think the songs are a good length, and so is the album as a whole. 'Party Line' was a really great opener, introducing the vibe The Kinks were going with, as even the slightly more meaningful songs have a slightly upbeat feel to them. Favourites: Party Line Session Man Sunny Afternoon
good album, sunny afternoon was a banger
Once somebody decided to turn that fucking harpsichord into firewood this album took a turn for the better. Not at all bad, but that baroque-pop-bollockness really damages the score for me.
🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 I've never heard a Kinks song I didn't like, but on an album without the drive of some of my favorite kinks hits and much topographical difference between songs, this album felt a little flat for me. Pretty much the definition of 3 stars in my book, which sounds meaner than I mean it. 1: Bad | 2: Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing
Enjoyable but not memorable. Tbh reminded me of Fingertips a little bit at the beginning?
Album 950. The end is in sight. But the grind continues. I don’t know how many more “yeah it was alright”s I got in me. Please list, give me a good album this week
nice
How I'd imagine a sunny day in England during the mid-sixties would sound. A little long for my taste though. I'd prefer to listen to the Beatles Rating: 6.5/10 Favorite Song: Sunny Afternoon
Decent 60s rock
Lowest rated Kinks album for me. All others have been 4 stars.
Liked it better than Beatles somehow. Still not a fan of the era, but this is not bad.
No sabria como definirlo, y eso m gusta M gusta el final como conclusion
A bit more stripped back and primitive than some of my my favored kinks records, but still a good time nontheless.
If you ever get worn out from the extensive catalogue The Beatles put together, you can find some more of their style right here with The Kinks. And you'll be alright for just about 40 minutes, and that'll probably be it. There's no big massive highs here, and it's hard for me to describe it as anything but a pull from the deep well of britpop. I'm missing a bit of the thematic cohesiveness that I found in some of The Beatles stuff, and the mixing is just alright, even for the early 60s, although it is supported by some interesting effects, like the thunder in Rainy Day in June.
Better than the Beatles.
Number: 93 Date: 04/05/2026 Artist: The Kinks Album: Face to Face Year: 1966 Genre: 60s Pop Rock Rating: Notes: Before: ======= The Kinks are great but they have way too many albums on this list. It has been said but bears repeating, just so you know, in case it gets a poor score, “An artist shall be represented on The List by no more than one album, except where multiple albums by that artist demonstrate materially distinct artistic character and historical significance. Where two or more albums by the same artist are determined to be substantially similar in style, scope, or cultural function, only one such album may be included, with preference given to the earliest released work.” During: ======= So, I'm 7 songs in and it's going to get a less than stellar score. Not only because of The Policy, but because I don't like it all that much. It seems the album does mark a major shift in their music style which is a good enough reason to include it in the list, given that this is The Kinks were talking about. I have no problem including 2 or even 3 albums in this list, from The Kinks, but I surprised that there is no representation of their earlier work here. 3 Party Line 3 Rosy Won't You Please Come Home 4 Dandy 3 Too Much On My Mind 3 Session Man 3 Rainy Day In June 3 House In The Country 3 Holiday In Waikiki 3 Most Exclusive Residence For Sale 4 Fancy 3 Little Miss Queen Of Darkness 3 You're Lookin' Fine 3 Sunny Afternoon 3 I'll Remember ----------------------------------------------------- 3.12 WEIGHTED AVERAGE (accounts for song lengths) After : ======= 3 my personal rating 2 suitability for this list 3 impact ----------------------------------------------- 2.7 composite rating
Its okay 2 or 3 good tracks some just too close to the Beatles for me
Classic rock and roll.
Good, but it kinda drags sometimes. Not much else to say. LCD is usually pretty reliable stuff to put on.
Of all the bands who were in direct competition with the Beatles, The Kinks are one of the ones that makes the most sense to me. Although I don't necessarily know that this is entirely a good thing. Face To Face sounds like a response to The Beatles' developments in pop music, and the result is a collection of great songs, but it is still a collection of great songs that, at times, has a hard time coming into it's own identity. In my opinions, it's the same problem with some of the earlier Rolling Stones records and certain moments in The Who's discography. Both bands, as well as The Kinks eventually did escape the gravitational pull of The Beatles, and then, in my opinion, start making their most interesting work (a notable exception is The Beach Boys, maybe the only Band playing the same ballgame as The Beatles who ever got them (artistically) against the ropes with Pet Sounds). That being said, this is what you'd think it is, it's a slightly psychedelic, lushly produced, and well written pop and rock album of it's time. The long and short of it is that The Kinks were keeping pace, but I don't think they had really cemented their legacy or defined themselves in the way that they would on future records. Although, my overall impression here is positive. Ray Davies can still write some great pop songs, and The aesthetic is very enjoyable. Its a solid listen.
I don’t know a ton about the background of this band, but honestly, they seem like a bunch of stoner himbos who think they’re making extremely profound music when in reality they are producing absolute mids for the time.
Decent.
I’ve now listened to a lot of kinks albums on this platform, they’re all decent, but I wonder now which albums will appear on the 1001?
Some classic tracks here - Sunny Afternoon, I'm not like everybody else. They occupy an odd place the Kinks - almost up there with the Stones and the Beatles, but not quite
It was an okay listen, but crazy how much the album list is dominated by British bands from the 70s, 80s.
It's good, solid. Not remarkable to me.
Party Line - very reminiscent of early Beatles, uptempo and catchy Rosy Won’t You Please Come Home - shows signs of their later work, the harpsichord reminds me of Supersonic Rocket Ship Dandy - feels like they are reminiscent of the Beatles again, but more of their less popular songs Too Much on my Mind - very basic song, but enjoyable Session Man - slightly harder than anything else on the album so far, much more high energy Rainy Day in June - reminiscent of CCR’s “Have you ever seen the Rain “ but lower energy House in the Country - clearly inspired by the Beatles again, sounds like a song off their first album
Part Beatles, part Stones, part Kinks. I enjoyed this, but didn’t love it. I give it a strong three stars.
Høres litt ut som Beatles uten x-faktoren. Hørte gjennom to ganger for å gi den en ordentlig sjanse men kjedet meg litt.
Helt ok! Kan ikke huske en eneste låt i farta, men ingenting i veien med det.
Greit nok, mye rart og mye interessant (og noen kjedelige låter), men det virker ikke som at ting henger helt sammen.
Nice album I liked party line and most exclusive residence for sale the best. Plus the instrumental in You’re Looking Fine was great 👌
I've liked "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" for a while, but this as a complete work did not particularly interest me
I think I overlistened to this type of music
A bit poppier Kinks
meh, like all Beatles clones it was low variety. Not terrible, but neither good.
Mid except sunny afternoon
fairly boring apart from a few. Perhaps more boring than your average 60s filler
Interesting concept, immediately recognizable Kinks's sound. I shall listen to it again with more attention. For now is 3.75 / 5
01) Party Line - 7,0 02) Rosy Won't You Please Come Home - 7,0 03) Dandy - 7,0 04) Too Much on My Mind - 6,5 05) Session Man - 7,0 06) Rainy Day in June - 6,0 07) House in the Country - 6,5 08) Holiday in Waikiki - 6,5 09) Most Exclusive Residence for Sale - 8,0 10) Fancy - 6,0 11) Little Miss Queen of Darkness - 6,5 12) You're Looking Fine - 6,5 13) Sunny Afternoon - 10,0 14) I'll Remember - 7,0 TOTAL: 6,96 (70/100) Current ranking: 489/845
The last of the four Kinks albums in this collection for me, but the first chronologically, and only now do I see that the editors chose, somewhat enigmatically, to include four consecutive albums rather than a sampling across their decades of albums (presumably to denote their "classic period"). This album is definitely not as distinctively Kinks-sounding (and "Holiday in Waikiki" sounds so derivative of the Stones' "19th nervous breakdown"), nor as interesting lyrically from the slightly later Kinks albums in this collection, and suffers from fairly poor recording/production quality. In addition to their big single "Sunny afternoon", the best of the lot might be "Dandy" (perhaps it sounds so much like a later Kinks tunes like "Autumn almanac"), "Rainy day in June" (mainly because it's an interesting departure for them), and "Fancy" (for a little psychedelic Kinks), but overall, and with the utmost respect to Ray Davies, this doesn't strike me as an album I particularly needed to hear before I die.
fun album
This is my first time listening to a Kinks album start-to-finish. The one track I'm quite aware of is "Sunny Afternoon." It's one of those fun and quirky tunes from this era. Other than that, this was a fun listen, and I'm glad this site made me listen to it, but it's merely good, not great.
Ok
Imagine a young wes anderson having this blow his mind
Like a zanier version of the Beatles. Favourite track: Too Much on My Mind
Not much to say to be honest, pretty neutral on this one
# Album Name: The Kinks # Artist: Face to Face # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Very 60s vibe which i like. Relatively short album ~38 mins. Couple of decent songs. One banger. Mainly fillers. # Top Tunes: Rosy / Party line / Sunny Afternoon # Would I listen to it again? Hmmmm
approvo
Never really figured out why I don't love The Kinks. I should. And I like some of their songs. But mostly it s just sounds like "60s" to me and there's better music from the 60s
Nice early punkish/ beatles influenced stuff. Meandered a bit but I guess that's kind of the whole feeling.
Eh some okay songs
interesting to think ive now rolled all the kinks albums that are on this list, u'd think theyd have more considering the absolutely chronic british-centric perspective! this semi-transitional album was meant to be a bit of a larger and more ambitious statement, bridging the songs together with conceptual sound effects that would have made its own kind of LP-Wide Aesthetic Statement well before sgt pepper....i have to imagine a lot of kinks fandom is caught up in What Could Have Been. in any case, its a kinks album! which means i like it but feel a bit inherently distanced from it in terms of attitude and approach. ray davies is definitely coming into his own on this record (consisting entirely of originals for the first time in their career), and his worldview and aesthetic is already so fully formed its impressive, if kind of depressing to think how little it progressed over the next few years. ray is a real anti-hippie, interested in starkness and mundanity over flights of fancy, interested in moderately regressive nostalgia rather than a strange new future, interested more in being lyrically striking than melodically striking. he'd do p much all of this in a stronger and more specific ways over the next few records (in particular this one's b side feels really spotty, sunny afternoon excepted), but its kind of illustrative as to why he's never Had My Heart as much as most of his contemporary. still, if u love his whole thing, it rly takes its first full flight here...kind of inspiring!
This album was definitely ahead of its time, being one of the first rock concept albums. It embraced the psychedelic rock movement before it fully took off and also had a strong baroque pop influence. The album is also known for incorporating modern studio techniques and a lot of experimentation, which really sets it apart.
Not so bad
Another UN-BEATLES- esque album, if Ringo sang lead. I prefer "Something Else By the Kinks" to this one, but same stars. No bangers, but some good riffs.
It's fine but not memorable.
Aight aight, it's OK. Not my cuppa
It's like The Beatles but not The Beatles. I dig the retro sound and groovy psych vibes. Instrumentation is well produced and the songwriting is quality. Haven't really been familiar with The Kinks until this record, but I like what I hear and will look for more.
Perfectly fine and enjoyable.
It was ok 3/5
Not bad. Mid. I don't like the production from 60s rock bands like Kinks and Who, bit too scrappy, gives me a bit of a headache. Good song-writing. Wicked drumming. 6 / 10 Best track/s: Holiday In Waikiki, Sunny Afternoon
reminds me of The Beatles. pretty cool tho, love the vibe.
Lowkey gutes Halloween Album
Sometimes too focused on being the Beatles, but they've some really nice stuff when they're their own band
A fun album, some songs in it makes you double check the name 3/5
Ok no me dio para terminarlo, medio mid
This feels very early 1960s. It has one really good song, one pretty good one, and the rest are just all right. Top tracks: "Sunday Afternoon," "Rosy Won't You Please Come Home"
--Party Line...fun Meet the Beatles-esque rock --Rosy Won't You Please Come Home...sounds like it was recorded through a tin can. not a fan --Dandy...the rough production works much better for this one --Too Much on My Mind...Brits do love their harpsichord --Session Man...see above. mocking session musicians? sympathizing with them? who's to say? --Rainy Day in June...my first reaction was that it was boring. kind of grew on me by the end --House in the Country...this one grooves. vocals are a little weak --Holiday in Waikiki...has a Big Bopper "Chantilly Lace" feel --Most Exclusive Residence for Sale...a decent ditty --Fancy...ren faire slop --Little Miss Queen of Darkness...filler ditty --You're Looking Fine...decent bar rock --Sunny Afternoon...this was the hit single? interesting --I'll Remember...the high end of this album sounds very tinny. kind of ruins it
not bad
it’s nothing that i haven’t heard before. quintessential mid-60s album. i like the sound fx in rainy day in june. interesting think about the role they played in shaping the sound of that period, just for me to say it sounds generic.
Alright, definitely didn't stand out to me as much as Arthur.
Dead end street and Sunny Afternoon are familiar and enjoyable. The rest of the album is good but doesn't stand out for me.
One really strong track, otherwise quite pleasant.
I’ve always been very fond of the Best Of Kinks compilation I listened to countless times as a child, and have only recently dived into a couple of their albums. Sadly as it stands I’m resigned to preferring them as a singles band, with a bit of the magic I feel from Sunny Afternoon being missing from the LP as a whole. It's not a bad listen by any means, but I always had them pegged as a category above.
Not bad, I can hear their influence on lots of other bands.
- Fine. It didn’t blow me away but it also didn’t make me want to skip any songs either. - Standout Songs: Fancy, Sunny Afternoon
Good not great
Perfectly fine. Doesn't excel in much but doesn't do anything wrong. I like Sunny Afternoon alot though. 6/10
Classic 60s album. Always very upbeat and positive throughout so enjoyed for that reason but also incredibly dated and doesn’t really stand up next to some other albums. Would rate 2.5 but go with a 3 for nostalgia.
Overall rating by me: 6/10 Songs added to playlist: ,,Party Line", ,,Holiday in Waikiki", ,,Little Miss Queen Of Darkness", ,,Big Black Smoke" Notes: Funky and cool, sounds very modern for a 60's album. I just know some twee aesthetic girl would be thrilled to hear it.
Not as cool and louche as the Stones, not as finely-crafted as the Beatles. Pretty pedestrian affair aside from Sunny Afternoon.
Not bad, but other similar bands of the time did it better. 3/5
Das befreiende Album, mit vielen Hits, aber auch viel Gedudel
First listen
I liked "Little Miss Queen of Darkness", "Rainy Day in June" and "Sunny Afternoon". The rest I could take or leave. Three stars.
I’m indifferent to The Kinks. It’s ok, but nothing more. Small doses are fine. Sadly, this was a bonus edition, which was longer. That was not ok.
Very Beatlesy
nice enough
348/1089 - It's okay. I thought the sound effects were a bit too loud and didn't sit well in the mix.
First song lowk reminds me of Beetles! Ooo, Rosie please come home is sooo groovy and sensual. Fav so far, Little Women
Another album full of background music. Nothing bad, nothing stands out. It sounds like the Beatles, only without anything that made them special.
Kinky 60s love for ya
There are far better Kinks albums out there, and I'm sure we're going to come across a few of them. But even an okay Kinks album is better than most.
Face to Face is the warm-up to the Kinks' insane five album run. They're still in the process of throwing off their merseybeat roots and looking to the Beatles for inspiration. The songs sound great, the talent is definitely there and the production is much more ambitious than ever before but the writing hasn't quite found its groove yet. But it wouldn't be much longer before Something Else dropped. Favorite Tracks: Party Line, Holiday in Waikiki, Sunny Afternoon, Little Miss Queen of Darkness
it’s okay, but i’ve heard better from some 20 something’s opening for the opener
It's alright.
Maybe this was overhyped for me but I feel like they're not quite there yet on this album; the tunes are mostly good, the production is good enough for the era, I get the droll vibe, and yet something leaves me cold. I have never understood the hype for "Sunny Afternoon." Honestly, the expanded edition with all the singles from the era was revealing because most of those are better than most of these album tracks.
Like if the beatles were enjoyable
Kinks är bättre både före och efter den här skivan
Kinks, ett band som passar nästan alla tillfällen! Sunny Afternoon är ett mästerverk, annars blandas genomgående hög kvalitet med några få transportsträckor här. Stark 3a!
Less på året 1966 nu och har fortfarande ptsd efter att ha lyssnat på UK-versionen av Stones-plattan igår, som bland annat ersatt ”paint it black” med en riktig skitlåt. Men över till Kinks. Gillar detta! Däremot väcks en större fråga: Varför känns vissa saker från samma period daterade och fast i sin epok, medan annat känns tidlöst? Jag kanske framstår som Beatles-runkare, och det är ju en korrekt beskrivning, men det är så jag tänker kring alla Beatles skivor från rubber soul och framåt (typ). Tidlösa, inte ”60-talsplattor”. Det här: till största del en ”60-talsplatta”, med några undantag, som ”dead end street”. Inget fel med det, bra och mysig, men ofta inte mer än så.
tralligt!
Not listened to this album before and tbh found it a little bit music hall / cheeky chappy for my liking. I do like the Kinks - but slowly realizing I'm a greatest hits fan rather than an album guy.
A Solid Album. No kinks noticed
Like it’s ok psychedelia but after a lot of those it gets slightly boring. 3 stars
Power man better
Not quite The Kinks yet.
Who can't like an album that has 'out of sight' in its lyrics! I like The Kinks and there are some good songs on it, but there must be stronger albums than this that could go on the list?
3 Beatle-ish smooth fun. Sunny afternoon and Party lane are complete bangers
This has a very late Beatles feel to it, which probably isn't a surprise given when it was made. Some of this is decent, but mostly I didn't think any of it was amazing. Really didn't grab me at all. But not bad. Pretty average.
60s rock, yay. Concept album, poppier than their previous stuff. Sound like the Beatles.
For a 38 minute album, that was a very long listen.
Lowkey a vibe🤷♀️ not my go to music but she has nice groovy vibes. Very silly :D
it’s quite an okay, solid album. songs i particularly enjoyed; rosy won’t you please come home fancy little miss queen of darkness sunny afternoon sunny afternoon i had heard before and it’s a great propah choon! i listened to the stereo mix as it sounded much better to me. 3.7/4 it’s quite tricky to rate tbh, it’s almost a 4 but a bit low for an average 3. 🌕🌕🌕🌖
It's alright
Buen album de rock con melodias pop eclécticas.
Fun album by a great group.
On this album Ray Davies' songwriting ranges from good to great and covers ground from straightforward rockers to more music hall-inspired fare. His portrayal of the characters in these songs is sharp, vivid and imaginative and the topics he touches upon are relatable. The band's performances are solid and energetic also. However, the production on this record is unfortunately fairly cruddy and at times sounds no better than ratty garage rock. That might have been fine if this was the type of band that was merely pounding out three-chord numbers but it doesn't do justice to Davies' increasingly sophisticated and detailed songs.
These guys may be the most underrated band of all time or at least in the conversation. Unfortunately, they got away from what they do best on this one. Although it’s still good, they’ve had better outings.
Standout Songs: Dandy House in the Country Holiday in Waikiki Sunny Afternoon
As with sooo many albums on this list: Partly good, partly not. So again it's a 3.
Quoite Kinky
This was fine. I thought I knew who the kinks were but I guess not. Very 60s and kinda generic.
3 out of 5. Probably my favorite Kinks album so far, really enjoyed how each song came together here.
Most of the songs sound like Paperback Writer
Classic 60s UK rock sound, nothing extraordinary (well maybe except the overused harpsichord). 6/10 Favourite Track: Sunny Afternoon
It’s your standard 60s post-Beatles rock. Not bad, didn’t love it.
devo approfondirlo (non sono manco riuscita a finirlo) comunque in generale godibile alcuni pezzi mi sono piaciuti un sacco tipo rosie won’t you please come here e too much on my mind, altri invece molto meno tipo dandy e holiday in waikiki… capiamo
Non c’è nessuna canzone che mi ha colpito però quando sono arrivsto a sunny afternoon che infatti è la canzone piú famosa del disco, mi sono gasato perché la sapevo
I love the harpsichord! Sunny Afternoon is here; one of my favourite of theirs
3.5 for me
3.5
Decent album
Kinda reminds me of what would happen if The Beatles had Boh Dylan in the band. Probably one of the better albums in the baroque pop/Psychedelic rock genres. Still not really my thing, a little too antiquated for my ears now.
Pleasant listen. Sunny Afternoon is a nice track
Different from other Kinks stuff I've listened to before. Kind of dragged on by the end
Sunny afternoon
This is a pretty generic sounding album. Nothing to hate, nothing to really love either.
Highlights: Holiday In Waikiki, Sunny Afternoon. In a nutshell: just fine and dandy I dunno how The Kinks do it. They make 60s baroque pop tolerable, they still rock out as hard as The Who and they are good at writing songs. We are still in the era of record companies forcing artists to churn out two albums a year. It's not my favourite Kinks album, but still good. And Sunny Afternoon is one of the best songs of the 60s. Full stop. Overall: 5/10
OK, not every song can be a Sunny Afternoon but great to hear where The Kinks changed tack and launched themselves into British rock history 😁 And to discover where Blur found their Country House!
Fun and relaxed vibe and ahead of its time (I think) but a bit background music-y for me today.
No real stand-outs for me, but an overall good record. The sound of the Beatles and the versatility of the Rolling Stones - these are both very high compliments, but it is also to say that they don't have as strong a sound as the Stones or the versatility of the Beatles.
Its ok, some good stuff, some average and some mediocre.
This is the first time I have listened to an actual album by this lot. And on the whole it's was rather good. Ray Davis is one hell of a wordsmith, and his songs are social commentaries really. The phrase that comes to mind is that they are the jam of the 60's and 70's, except the Kinks had talent. Now for a score. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't exceptional. Is it worth a 4? No I don't think so. 3
I do like the wild frontier of 1960's experimentation. This is another perfect example. Sadly there is just not the hours in the day to listen to everything on a regular basis. Perfect for a Monday afternoon.
Sounded super nice. I really liked it even though it lacks bangers.
Alright, but not as good as the last Kinks album.
Kind of an unremarkable Kinks album
Would give this a 3.5 if I could. Always liked The Kinks and this has some great catchy pop tunes but overall album was too long
My kink's The Kinks. This sounds so chill though, how were they ever controversial?
A little too poppy for me. I like the kinks but this one came up short in my opinion
More of a psychedelic album from the Kinks than the previous ones we’ve had. I think they do a pretty good job of it, better than some pure psychedelic bands do it even. The first half of the album is definitely more pop than the latter, and they’re good at that as always. Decent enough and I can see why fans of them only warmed up to it later since it’s a fairly big departure from their earlier work.
A typically milquetoast collection of bleeding-heart parochialism from the 60s most infamous commie wimps. Not quite. It might just be the one “inarguably one of the best pop songs of all time” that’s on this particular Kinks record (rather than the usual three or four), but the whole thing still has that special shimmer of a band coming into the peak of its powers. From “Party Line” (“The best Beatles song I’ve heard yet”, according to Fleur; jokingly, but also…) to “I’ll Remember” it’s a blast of 60s life, its attitudes, perturbations, frustrations, joys and perspectives that feels museum-quality. Listening to “Face to Face”, you can’t help but conclude that America’s loss in those cancelled years was musical posterity's gain. A Time Machine with a couple of timeless numbers, and the total perfection of “Sunny Afternoon” to boot. If this is what commie wimps sound like, sign me up.
It doesn't contain as many hits as their first couple of albums, and village green preservation society is easily the best Kinks album but it's still very enjoyable. It would be fair to think you're listening to the Beatles, but thats just the style of the time. The Kinks are a bit more raw, using overdrive effects, (effect is a loose term as I think Dave Davies basically just stabbed his amp with a knife.) Good album, brilliant band.
Not their best album
Clever wordplay but still a mid-60s British pop sound
Back half wasn’t bad, liked You’re Looking Fine. Low-end three
Nice
Grew into it
Voilà, ce sera un 3 sur 5, un 3 sur 5 pour un album qui te fait dire "Ok, j'ai compris le truc, on peut passer au suivant". Et c'est exactement ce que je me suis dit après avoir religieusement écouté ce "Face to Face" des Kinks, nouvelle étape sur mon chemin de croix des "1001 Albums" Pour être tout à fait honnête, c'est une expérience "mi-figue, mi-raisin". Tu te retrouves avec deux ou trois titres absolument brillants, et puis le reste... eh bien, le reste est loin d'être exceptionnel. On sent l'ébauche, le brouillon, l'album de transition par excellence. Remettons-nous dans le contexte, on est en 1966, le Swinging London bat son plein, les Beatles viennent de sortir "Revolver", les Beach Boys leur "Pet Sounds". La pop music est en train de devenir un art majeur, une sorte de course à l'armement psychédélique où chaque groupe se doit de repousser les limites. Et au milieu de ce bordel ambiant, il y a les Kinks, menés par un Ray Davies au bord de la crise de nerfs, un génie torturé qui, entre deux bastons avec son frangin et des problèmes juridiques qui l'empêchent de tourner aux USA, décide de chroniquer la vie de ses contemporains. "Face to Face" est souvent considéré comme l'un des premiers "concept albums" de l'histoire du rock. Un concept, certes, mais un concept aussi flou qu'une fin de soirée à la bière tiède. Le concept, c'est la vie quotidienne des Anglais, leurs petites frustrations, leurs grandes désillusions, leurs maisons de banlieue et leurs vacances ratées. En gros, Ray Davies inventait la pop sociale, le portrait au vitriol d'une Angleterre qui n'avait de "swinging" que le nom qu'on voulait bien lui donner. Et c'est là où se trouve le problème et que ma note de 3/5 prend tout son sens. Quand il touche au sublime, il n'y a personne pour rivaliser. "Sunny Afternoon" par exemple, ce morceau est un chef-d'œuvre absolu, une perle de cynisme et de mélancolie portée par une mélodie faussement enjouée. C'est le tube de l'été pour dépressifs, l'hymne des nantis qui s'emmerdent. Même moi, le vieux con élevé au post-punk et au rock indé crasseux des années 90, je ne peux que m'incliner. C'est une chanson parfaite, point barre. On peut y ajouter "Dandy", petite pique bien sentie sur les freluquets à la mode, et peut-être "Rosy Won't You Please Come Home", jolie ballade mélancolique. Et puis... et puis le reste. Le reste, c'est une collection de vignettes plus ou moins réussies, de croquis qui sentent parfois un peu le renfermé. On sent que Davies a une idée derrière chaque titre, une histoire à raconter, mais la musique, elle, ne suit pas toujours. Ça manque de mordant, de cette rage primaire qu'on trouvait sur leurs premiers brûlots rhythm 'n' blues. On est dans un entre-deux, entre la fureur des débuts et la sophistication narrative de ce qui allait suivre, notamment le monumental "The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society". Et puis, il y a ce putain de son. On a beau me dire que c'est l'époque, que c'est le charme du vintage, mais là, on sent le poids des âges. La production est plate, ça manque de basses, de dynamique. C'est comme regarder une vieille tapisserie magnifique mais dont les couleurs ont passé. On devine la grandeur passée, mais on a du mal à être ébloui. L'album hurle son besoin d'un bon remastering, d'un coup de polish pour faire briller les chromes. Alors, pourquoi cet album est-il dans la liste des 1001 ? Parce qu'il est historiquement crucial. C'est la pierre angulaire de tout ce que les Kinks, et une bonne partie de la pop anglaise (de Blur à Pulp), allaient devenir. C'est l'acte de naissance de Ray Davies en tant que chroniqueur social, un observateur hors pair des mœurs de son pays, avec une plume aussi acérée que celle d'un journaliste satirique. Il y a dans "Most Exclusive Residence for Sale" ou "House in the Country" les prémices de tout ce qui fera le sel de la Britpop trente ans plus tard. C'est un disque plus important pour ce qu'il annonce que pour ce qu'il est réellement. C'est un document, une pièce à conviction dans le grand procès de l'histoire du rock. Il faut l'écouter pour comprendre d'où vient une certaine idée de la pop anglaise, cérébrale, littéraire et un peu snob. Mais est-ce que je vais me le repasser en boucle en sirotant un whisky ? Probablement pas. Pour moi, qui ai grandi avec la froideur de Manchester et la fureur de Seattle, ce Londres de 1966 me semble aussi lointain et exotique qu'une danse folklorique balinaise. C'est intéressant, culturellement enrichissant, mais ça ne me parle pas aux tripes. Verdict : à écouter, oui. Pour la culture, pour l'histoire, pour "Sunny Afternoon". Mais ne vous attendez pas à prendre la claque de votre vie si, comme moi, votre panthéon musical est peuplé de gens un peu plus fâchés avec l'existence.
This is my 4th and last Kinks album on this list, and the oldest. Besides the classics, the rest is ok, nothing really outstanding.
I didn't expect to like this album as much as I did. It was pretty good and that's all I have to say really
58 minutes was a bit long for this album, which seemed a bit repetitive. There were certainly some enjoyable songs within, but nothing really stood out. I liked "Little Miss Prince of Darkness" the most. I hate to just blatantly say, "They just sound like their ripping off the Beatles." I mean it's impossible to overlook the similarities. But I can't rightly say I know who, if anyone, influenced who and what the timeline was there. Overall it sits right in the middle for me.
Hit songs: Sunny Afternoon
Solid 60s rock. Definitely Beatles inspired but not a complete rip off. Love Sunny Afternoon. Favorites: Rosy Won't You Please Come Home, Too Much on My Mind, Sunny Afternoon
Not alot of thoughts, alot of these songs are so basic in the 60s melody writing that i could just trace it to future pop/rock song writing that were influenced by the Kinks. Stuff like Green Day during Warning years and all. Something I found unique is their use of sound effects for atmospheric painting which sounds pretty unique to me for a simple power pop/garage band
Great album!
First time i've heard the album. Feel like I need to listen to this more than once. But I like it. 6/10.
Classic
Peaked at sunny afternoon
My partner commented on me getting another Beatles album and to be fair it is a legitimate comparison. The Kinks were arguable just as interesting, if not more so in some respects. I wonder what would have happened if they hadn't been kicked from the US market for four years. Overall a solid album, but how many albums like this do we need for this period? Maybe it is just my current streak, IDK
Wasn’t familiar with 95% of these songs. Probably holds true for their whole catalog. Always pleasantly surprised.
I listened to the original release, which had fourteen tracks. The album cover is very colorful and very 1960s. Not sure who that guy is on the cover. The Kinks have a lot of good songs but there are not enough of them on this record for a high rating. ‘Dandy’ is a good song but Herman’s Hermits did a better version of it. Sunday Afternoon is the one song that is frequently played on oldies stations.
My review got deleted again! Rats! I think my main takeaways were: -Party Lines sure are a time capsule. -This album cover looks like an old board game, too (and I like it). -I continue to generally like the Kinks; pop is top! Still sounds Beatlesy, pleasant, yet a little old (sound-wise). I think I'm too annoyed about the deletion so I'm rounding down to a 3. In another world, this coulda been a 4 maybe. Highlights: 'Party Line', 'I'll Remember' (album bookends!)
The kinks rock. Never kink shame
meh
A cracking song in "Sunny Afternoon" and the whole album flowed together nicely, great compositions, great harmonies, and Ray Davies is just a great songwriter. If not for a couple of guys from Liverpool then he might have been the preeminent British songwriter...
3/5
*weary sigh* As much as I love this project, sometimes the list feels like hard work. It says it all that the Spotify track count for this album is around 500k-1m for everything and then TWO HUNDRED MILLION for Sunny Afternoon. And Sunny Afternoon is a load of tedious old bollocks Defaults 3 stars.
Very Beatles-esque. They started to form there own sound after the first few tracks, they became more distinct. This isnt an album I would listen to I dont think. I did like the songs Dandy and Little Miss Queen of Darkness. Songs like Sunny Afternoon are make me feel like I'm sitting on a park bench licking an ice cream wondering what the hell I'm doing with my life.
6.5/10
Golden age of Kinks? Det blev väl aldrig bättre än You really got me now. Trea
опять забыла какие они старые и битлоподобные И что я их уже знаю из каверов. норм, если бы я не знала битлов, можно было бы в них втянуться
Face to Face is a pretty good album. There doesn't seem to be much of a difference between it and the follow-up to this album (Something Else) as they do seem to be cut from the same cloth which makes sense due to them both being by the same band (obviously) but i think i do like this album a little bit more. I feel that this album has a little something that it's follow-up didn't have even if I'm not exactly sure what that is. Even then, they still aren't too far apart from each other as they both do have some pretty good songs and some rather rough production qualities which is expected from this time period. This is still a pretty decent album. Best Song: House in the Country Worst Song: Fancy
3,5
It sounds like The Kinks. While not as great as some of their other works, it’s still a fine album.
3 // beatles-like
Not their best but still solid
It's britpop!
Sunny Afternoon is an amazing song. The rest of this is fine. Probably deserves a more detailed listen for the lyrics though.
It ain’t the beetles
I really disliked the first half of the album, but there were some good songs in the second half.
Un light rock farfalloso e un po’ moody. Le prime canzoni non mi sono piaciute, la voce del tipo non mi piaceva, ma poi è cambiata. Le mie preferite: Rainy Day in June, House qualcosa, too much on my mind, Looking fine e Sunny Afternoon (in effetti l’ho già sentita, quindi sarà quella più famosa). Beli gli effetti sonori particolari che iniziano le canzoni Non so perché si ascoltano solo le canzoni famose. Come uno scrittore scrive i capitoli di un libro, i cantanti scrivono le canzoni e sono come capitoli di un album. Ha senso ascoltarle così.
Enjoyable mid-60s rock. Doesn't shoot for the moon, but doesn't outstay its welcome either.
Really good classic rock that I have not heard before today. A lot of the songs have great music, lyrics and vocals. Surprised that they don't have more listens on the streaming service. It's pretty mellow and easy to listen to, I found myself nodding along to many songs and replaying a couple so I could vibe one more time. I'm sure I will be listening to this one again.
I’m finding that a lot of these 60s bands don’t really treat the album format in the way I like to listen to music - they’re more just a collection of songs than a coherent project. These are all fine Kinks sounding songs, but I could honestly just get by which a greatest hits compilation of theirs and be done with it. Sunny afternoon is a banger though.
I've learned in the past month I really just don't care for baroque pop, I think it is one of the boringest lamest genres out there. This didn't change my opinion. I've heard several times that the Kinks are this massively underrated phenomenal band. This is my 2nd album by them and I really can't say I enjoyed a single song on either album. Nothing was band, just boring and forgettable. Mid 3.
Some great songs on here, not sure if it needs to be on a list of 1001 albums to hear before I die. It's kind of a continuation of the british invasion sound
Not very memorable. But a very happy album..
i think this has been the most fun The Kinks album that we've listened to so far, but I still don't walk away from this album hoping for more. I enjoyed it, it was fine, and now I'm ready to listen to something else.