The Century Before Steam: The Development of The Sailing Ship

The Kinks came into their own as album artists - and Ray Davies fully matured as a songwriter - with The Kink Kontroversy, which bridged their raw early British Invasion sound with more sophisticated lyrics and thoughtful production. There are still powerful ravers like the hit "Til the End of the Day" (utilizing yet another "You Really Got Me"-type riff) and the abrasive, Dave Davies-sung cover of "Milk Cow Blues," but tracks like the calypso pastiche "I'm on an Island," where Ray sings of isolation with a forlorn yet merry bite, were far more indicative of their future direction. Other great songs on this underrated album include the uneasy nostalgia of "Where Have All the Good Times Gone?," the plaintive, almost fatalistic ballads "Ring the Bells" and "The World Keeps Going Round," and the Dave Davies-sung declaration of independence "I Am Free."

It seems that, in terms of his music, Jean Sibelius wanted to show a different face to Finland than the one seen by the rest of the world. Music that he produced for specific local occasions such as theatrical productions and cantatas for university graduations betray a mildly experimental bent that is analogous in painting to the work of an early Fauvist or, perhaps, Norwegian proto-modernist Edvard Munch. However, he did not allow these pieces written for Finnish audiences out of his cabinet, usually withholding publication of the originals in favor of heavily revised "suites" from same, or worse, destroying the scores.