[edit] The Kinks: The Village Green Preservation Society

Release date: November 22, 1968 (recording)

New Release: 3-CD Deluxe Edition Album: June 28, 2004 (Sanctuary Records)

Original vinyl release tracks:

1. The Village Green Preservation Society (Davies) - 2:45
2. Do You Remember Walter? (Davies) - 2:23
3. Picture Book (Davies) - 2:34
4. Johnny Thunder (Davies) - 2:28
5. Last of the Steam-Powered Trains (Davies) - 4:03
6. Big Sky (Davies) - 2:49
7. Sitting by the Riverside (Davies) - 2:21
8. Animal Farm (Davies) - 2:57
9. Village Green (Davies) - 2:08
10. Starstruck (Davies) - 2:18
11. Phenomenal Cat (Davies) - 2:34
12. All of My Friends Were There (Davies) - 2:23
13. Wicked Annabella (Davies) - 2:40
14. Monica (Davies) - 2:13
15. People Take Pictures of Each Other (Davies) - 2:10

Essential Tracks:

The Village Green Preservation Society
Last of the Steam Powered Trains
Village Green

"After a long period of unjust neglect, Village Green has finally been recognised as the Kinks finest ever album in recent years. With the full co-operation of Ray & Dave Davies, Sanctuary have put together the definitive tribute to this quintessentially English record. Assembled here are the full mono and stereo editions of the LP, plus more than 30 rare mixes, long-lost B-sides, BBC session tapes and previously unreleased out-takes. The result is one of the most important reissue projects ever released" (sanctuary records)

Of course, the Kings have recorded other awesome albums than "Preservation society" and all the albums they recorded in that era were awesome anyway.

From 1966 to 1969 Ray Davies and his band were in top form, eg: "Face To Face" "something Else" "Village Green" "Arthur" and a fistful of fantastic singles like "Dead End Street" "Autumn Almanac" "Sunny Afternoon" and of course one of the most beautiful British song ever written: "Waterloo Sunset" never been equaled since then.

"Face To Face" and "something Else" are pure originals Brit-Pop monuments,and "Arthur" has been one fabulous concept album magnificient and pure genious (will be reedited and remasterised soon i believe).

As for "The Village Green Preservation Society" well it's the most successful the Kinks have recorded to date.

Like Ray Davies said it recently: "today, it's like a club: are you a part of the Village Green Preservation Society" ?

So why is it that this album sticks out from the Kinks catalog ? simply because everything in that album is exceptional, and because the Kinks of that album were an exception. That's why.

When that transcendental marvel was released in 1968, Jimi Hendrix produced "Electric Ladyland", the Rolling Stones realeased their awesome "Beggars Banquet" and the Beatles are still on top of it all with their magnificient chef d'oeuvre commonly known as the "White Album".

But meanwhile Ray Davies goes backward in time and sings in the album's opening track:

We are the Village Green Preservation Society God save Donald Duck, Vaudeville and Variety We are the Desperate Dan Appreciation Society God save strawberry jam and all the different varieties Preserving the old ways from being abused Protecting the new ways for me and for you What more can we do We are the Draught Beer Preservation Society God save Mrs. Mopp and good Old Mother Riley We are the Custard Pie Appreciation Consortium God save the George Cross and all those who were awarded them We are the Sherlock Holmes English Speaking Vernacular Help save Fu Manchu, Moriarty and Dracula We are the Office Block Persecution Affinity God save little shops, china cups and virginity We are the Skyscraper condemnation Affiliate God save tudor houses, antique tables and billiards Preserving the old ways from being abused Protecting the new ways for me and for you What more can we do God save the Village Green.

That said it all IMO ... So that year, it's like if Raymond Douglas Davies wanted to take a break from the modern world and retired in a kind of mythical England that probably has never existed. "The geeen Village" can be whatever you wish it to be: a lost paradise, a wonderland where you can find back your lost childhood. In all those songs with a somewhat irreal beauty, the Kinks leader dream aloud and he is inventing something that will put a mark forever on people like Damon Albarn, Morrisey, Paul Weller or David Bowie. Bowie who is a huge fan and who declared "Ray Davies writes, composes, and records nostalgia, no more no less. And Pete Townshend was a fan too and he said:

"For me, Village Green Preservation Society is Ray's masterwork. It's his Sgt Pepper, it'what makes him the definitive pop poet laureate." Pete Townshend, 2004

Pete Townshend who used to complain about the way Rock Stars were ageing. About Ray Davies he also once declared: "but Ray Davies is exempt because he has always been old" (Coming from him it's obviously a compliment.)

In the 60's the British Rock Stars, were trying to change the world: Ray Davies was only trying to find back the one he had lost. At the time of the "Village Green....." recordings, that great songwriter was nothing but a 24 years old nostalgic sage ...

This album is also stuffed with mellotrons, clavecins and pianos: the great Nicky Hopkins was in charge of all keyboards: we can't count the marvels that came out of that album: "Big Sky" "Starstruck" "All Of My Friends Were There" "Animal Farm" "Do You Remember Walter" I'd have to quote them all.............

That deluxe reedition is offering a lot of previously unreleased tracks: the first CD proposes the original album's integrality flawlessly remasterised amid a sumptuous stereo remix (even better than the Castle 1998 reedition, and better than ALL the previous versions included the vinyls)...As bonus we can find all those tracks that were intended for a first aborted version of the "Village Green" project; 12 tracks in all: included "Mr Songbird" . The second CD proposes the album's Mono Remasterisation plus a number of tracks (still Mono) recorded at the same time than "Village" and certain had been very briefly available in the 70's and only in some US compilations: "The Great Lost Kinks Album" and "Kinks Kronikles"...

The third CD offers it all in stereo: those incredibles "Wonderboys" "Berkeley Mews" "Misty Water" "Polly" "Lavender Hill" "Rosemary Rose" "Where Did My Spring Go" all in all we find here the Graal of the Kinks music that offers itself a new youth and from now on sounds incredibly well.

When that album was first released, it's been a huge flop in the charts.......too nostalgic for those days. But 40 years later, everybody knows: we're talking about one of the greatests monuments of RocknRoll here !