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.KINK
by Callun Beck
'Ihe Kinks were formed in 1961, and have been together longer than any other British rock group. hey are led by the in- comparable Ray Davies, a rather odd sort of fellow but one of the finest and most original song Writers in rock, and probably its'_ wittiest lyricist. He has written such delightful lyrics as this, in a song in ,which a Vicar corpares ‘.the game of life with the game of cricket:
Some people say that life is a game, well if this is so
I'd like to low the- ru1es on which this gameof life is based.
I know of no game more fitting than the age-
' old game of cricket
It has honour, ~ it has character, and it's British.
Now if you feel this verse is entirely devoid of any humorous qualities, you quite likely won't like the Kinks. But if, it'strikes you as being rather amusing (you. poor soul) then there is a good chance you are on your way to becoming a bonafide'Kinks‘kook. If so the following bro albums are likely the'best place to start your collection.
In 1969,t.he Kinks released Arthur or Decline and Fall of the British'Empire. It was selected as the second best album of the year by Rolling Stone mag- azine; it should have been first. It is a terrifically enjoyable album, with the music ranging from great' rock 'n roll, to beautiful ballads, to such elaborately structured songs as Shangri- I-a, the album's high point.
The lyrics are witty, charm- "
ing, and quite perceptive, ' Showing a good insight into human nature and British life. It's a great album, a five starrer for sure.
'Ihe first Kinks album I heard was Lola Versus the and it is still my favorite Kinks album. It may not be quite as en- JOyable lyrically as Arthur, but musically it's more in' —
Ventive, tight, and pleasing
and the album as a whole is more Impgenous. ' It con-
tains their big hit "Lola", and the lovely "Get Backin
‘* Dilly 4K00KS
Line", the albun's master- piece. V
13115 album, like most of tie Kinks' album, from Arthur to Soap (para, tells
a story. circle, wehear
the story of a rurmy-nosed, scruffy kid who wants to avoid his fate of being a sweeper. of sidewalks or con- structor of highways. So he decides to take a shot at being a rock 'n roll star. Hemanagestomake ittothe 'tOP Of the pops', only to
self.
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'Ihe Upm Sun, my, Oct. 27, ‘1977, page 13
Noted
find that his my is around to everyone but him- Everything starts to go wrong, the Pmmran of the record industry has him in
a stranglehold, and he's not sure what to do. But he decides he has to be free, to do what he vants. The way to freedom, he feels, is to take his girl and leave the city, thus getting away from all the evil forces that seem to be ruining his life. And then going and
' Wha-teveryunivmrsity fneeds is a-quarterhack
UPE-I can at
McDonald's’
order at McDonald's
and ‘gef o quarterback
.yfrom your doHdr
get‘one
,KRAVE KOMEDY-
living in the jungle where he'll be an apeman, and she'll be his apatan girl, and they'll live happily ever after. 'Ihat's the basic plot.
It's a nice sentiment but I doubt it will work, as freedom, I think, is tied up more with attitude than with environment. None— theless, it is still a great album, and I highly recommend it.
MC I63 - |. “Ecloitallfirym'