The Feeling The Feeling

By sheer size alone, Universal’s 2011 Deluxe Edition of the Kinks' debut album trumps any previous reissue of the album, weighing in at a whopping 56 tracks spread over the course of two CDs. This includes the album in both its stereo and mono mixes, both sides of the “Long Tall Sally,” “You Still Want Me,” and “All Day and All of the Night” singles, the tracks from the Kinksize Session EP, the demo of “I Don’t Need You Anymore,” a couple of alternate takes and mixes, and a clutch of BBC sessions punctuated by interviews with Ray Davies. Although the album proper is slowed down by a little filler, the wealth of bonus material improves the overall experience: many of the single and EP tracks are better than what’s on the LP, the live sessions smoke, and the remastering kicks hard, all factors in making this the best edition ever of the Kinks' debut.

1971 was perhaps the best year for the lesser known British bands who still found themselves in the proto-prog category. Such acclaimed albums as Cressida's "Asylum", Beggar's Opera's "Waters of Change" and of course Spring's self-titled album were released that year. But while these albums are well known to at least progressive rock fans, Deep Feeling's album from the same year seems to be strangely forgotten, even if it occasionally boasted a higher degree of complexity than the earlier mentioned bands…

An eponymous LP of this very fine, but completely ignored British band was released in non-attractive, but expensive (gatefold & textured) cover in November 1971 by DJM Records - label familiar with the early Elton John titles, but absolutely not with the underground music. This professionally produced album contained an eclectic mix of styles (inc. two ballads and classic ‘Lucille’ clone in heavy blues rock style), but most of the time it was beautifully-arranged, progressive sounds similar to early Genesis, Yes, Procol Harum & Beggars Opera (like lengthy and simply stunning compositions like ‘Welcome To The Soldier’, ‘Classical Gas’ and ‘Guillotine’) with excellent & quite heavy guitar parts, inventive keyboard work & complex vocal harmonies.

Rare 1993 UK 68-track 4-CD collection including The Specials, Madness, The Selecter, The Beat, The Bodysnatchers, Rico, Elvis Costello and many more. This 4 CD box set collects the A-side and B-side of every single released on the label. Both sides of the Dutch Concrete Jungle single plus both tracks from the free single which accompanied initial copies of More Specials are also included. The Bodysnatchers live version of 007 is the only unreleased track in the set, however it did previously appear in the film Dance Craze but failed to make it on to the films soundtrack album. Jerry Dammers was less than impressed with its release and had this to say about it: "It's real train spotters stuff with every B-side from every free single and I wasn't even consulted about it. In some ways that (The Compact 2 Tone Story) is the worst." (Uncut Magazine interview 1998).