The Kink Kontroversy

The Kink Kontroversy
Studio album by The Kinks
Released 26 November 1965
Recorded 23–30 October 1965 at Pye Studios, London
Genre Rock
Length 30:29
Label Pye
Producer Shel Talmy
The Kinks chronology

Kinda Kinks
(1965)
The Kink Kontroversy
(1965)
Face to Face
(1966)
The Kinks American chronology
Kinks-Size
(1965)
The Kink Kontroversy
(1965)
Face to Face
(1966)
Singles from The Kink Kontroversy
  1. "Till the End of the Day"/"Where Have All the Good Times Gone"
    Released: 19 November 1965 (UK), 2 March 1966 (US)

The Kink Kontroversy is the third studio album by English rock band The Kinks, released on 26 November 1965. It is a transitional work, with elements of both the earlier Kinks' styles (heavily blues-influenced songs such as "Milk Cow Blues", and variations on the band's hits from 1964-65 such as "Till the End of the Day") and early indications of the future direction of Ray Davies' songwriting styles ("The World Keeps Going Round" and "I'm On an Island").

Background

The album's title is a mocking reference to the notorious reputation the band had developed over the previous year, including onstage fights and concert riots in Europe, which led to a ban on the group's concerts in the US.

"Where Have All the Good Times Gone" makes several references and/or allusions to Beatles and Rolling Stones songs.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Ray Davies, except where noted.

Side one
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Milk Cow Blues"  Sleepy John Estes; arranged by The Kinks 3:44
2. "Ring the Bells"    2:21
3. "Gotta Get the First Plane Home"    1:49
4. "When I See That Girl of Mine"    2:12
5. "I Am Free"  Dave Davies 2:32
6. "Till the End of the Day"    2:21
Side two
No. Title Length
1. "The World Keeps Going Round"   2:36
2. "I'm On an Island"   2:19
3. "Where Have All the Good Times Gone"   2:53
4. "It's Too Late"   2:37
5. "What's in Store for Me"   2:06
6. "You Can't Win"   2:42

Release

In both the US and UK, The Kink Kontroversy was only released in mono, as no stereo mix was ever made.

The single "Till the End of the Day" was a major hit, reaching #8 in the UK[1] and #50 in the US, spending eight weeks or more in each chart.[2]

American singer Bobby Rydell covered "When I See That Girl of Mine", which was released as a single in the US a full month before the Kinks' version was made public.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [3]

Allmusic praised the album as the Kinks' coming-of-age, commenting that their raw early material was being replaced by more thoughtful and sophisticated songs. They pointed out "I'm On an Island", "Where Have All the Good Times Gone", "Ring the Bells", "The World Keeps Going Round", and "I Am Free" as particularly strong examples of this.[3]

Personnel

Legacy

American indie rock band Sleater-Kinney used the same album cover layout as an homage for their 1997 album Dig Me Out.

References

  1. "Kinks | Artist | Official Charts". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  2. "Billboard – Music Charts, Music News – The Kinks | Billboard". billboard.com. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Unterberger, Richie. "The Kink Kontroversy – The Kinks : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 October 2012.