Kinks uk Jive

Even though the album was weighed down by its adherence to late-'80s state of the art studio techniques, UK Jive was a noticeable improvement over the lackluster Think Visual. Featuring only a handful of hard rockers – including the excellent, snarling "Aggravation" – the album was comprised of pop songs that painted an unfocused portrait of modern British life. Although many of Ray Davies' finest songs were based on a similar concept, his songwriting on UK Jive was frustratingly inconsistent, ranging from the infectious bop of the title track to the ham-fisted anthem "Down All Days (To 1992)." With the loping "Looney Balloon," Davies wrote one of his finest songs of the '80s, but the only track that equaled its conviction was his brother Dave's spiteful protest, "Dear Margaret."

The Kinks were one of the most influential bands of the British Invasion. Early singles "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night" were brutal, three-chord ravers that paved the way for punk and metal while inspiring peers like the Who. In the mid-'60s, frontman Ray Davies came into his own as a songwriter, developing a wry wit and an eye for social commentary that culminated in a pair of conceptual LPs, The Village Green Preservation Society and Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), that proved enormously influential over the years.

Exclusive 2005 interview the main man behind the Kinks, Ray Davies. Topics include Ray’s song writing process, hearing the Beatles for the first time, Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders and lots more.

This is a strangely persuasive compilation. It's rare that "best of" packages have songs from a variety of labels, yet maybe the fact that this is a German release had something to do with this draw. You Really Got Me: The Very Best of the Kinks essentially consists of three-fourths Pye/Reprise material (i.e. the '60s) and another one-fourth of Arista and MCA work (i.e. the "dark" years). What's even more rare is that this import collection is quite good…

Most artists don't wait until they're nearly 62 to deliver their first official solo album, but Ray Davies has never been predictable. As a matter of fact, Davies is the quintessential rock contrarian, doggedly following his path, sometimes to the detriment of his own art or career. This obstinate nature extends to the very sound of his solo debut Other People's Lives, a shiny, simmered-in-the-studio album where each song creeps on just a little longer than necessary. This 2006 effort sounds roughly 16 years out of time – sonically, it could comfortably function as the follow-up to 1989's UK Jive – and its slickness may keep some listeners at a distance, particularly if they're craving a stripped-down, back-to-basics comeback along the lines of Dylan's Love and Theft or the Stones' A Bigger Bang.

Superlatives are inadequate for the box record company Universal Music recently released. Two hundred hits on ten CDs, hundreds of hits and a lot of TV and news clips on five DVDs and then another book as reference book. It can not be on. The disadvantage of the Testament of the Seventies is that for a hundred euros a hefty investment. The advantage that you are now ready to be a hit with your Seventies Collection.