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The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society | 
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| Artist: The Kinks
Label: Universal Int'l
Category: Music
Buy New: $21.98
New (23) Used (8) from $5.18
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 47431
Format: Import, Original Recording Remastered, Extra Tracks
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.9 x 0.4
EAN: 5050749218421
ASIN: B00078JZ92
Release Date: June 10, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Promotion: Save $5.00 when you spend $25.00 or more on Qualifying Items offered by Amazon.com. Enter code BMLSAVES at checkout. Terms and Conditions
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Village Green Preservation Society | | • | Do You Remember Walter | | • | Picture Book | | • | Johnny Thunder | | • | Last of the Steam-Powered Trains | | • | Big Sky | | • | Sitting by the Riverside | | • | Animal Farm | | • | Village Green | | • | Starstruck | | • | Phenomenal Cat | | • | All of My Friends Were There | | • | Wicked Annabella | | • | Monica | | • | People Take Pictures of Each Other | | • | Village Green Preservation Society | | • | Do You Remember Walter | | • | Picture Book | | • | Johnny Thunder | | • | Monica | | • | Days | | • | Village Green | | • | Mr. Songbird | | • | Wicked Annabella | | • | Starstruck | | • | Phenomenal Cat | | • | People Take Pictures of Each Other | | • | Days |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Album Description
Digitally remastered 1998 reissue on Castle's Essentiallabel of their 1968 album '(The Kinks Are) The Village GreenPreservation Society', founder Ray Davies' homage toEngland. Also contains 13 bonus tracks: 'Days' (Mono Single)and the 12 track stereo album released overseas (outside ofthe U.K.: 'The Village Green Preservation Society', 'Do YouRemember Walter', 'Picture Book', 'Johnny Thunder', 'Days','Monica', 'Village Green', 'Mr. Songbird', 'Starstruck','Wicked Annabella', 'Phenomenal Cat' & 'People Take PicturesOf Each Other'. 28 tracks total. Also includes original art.
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| Customer Reviews:
Preserving the old ways from being abused... September 9, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Like many great artists, Ray Davies was a slave to his muse in the late Sixties and this muse commanded him to follow his own heart and commercial rock music be damned! This particular obsession was the bucolic, ideal English countryside first introduced in verse in a late 1966 recording "Village Green", with its beautiful use of harpsichord and gentle though slightly melancholic melody. Almost two years later, in the late fall of 1968, Davies and the Kinks completed what is generally considered to be their magnum opus, 'The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society' and it was a flop. A collection of quaint, vaguely related songs which rhapsodize on the nostalgia of a simple time, 'Village Green' represented a major shift in fortunes for the band and it was also the end of an era of sorts as orignal bassist Peter Qualife left the band soon after the LP's release. Critics loved the record, especially in Britain, but the record buyers on both sides of the Atlantic couldn't care less! The album kicks off with the title track which is instantly memorable and ranks right up there with any of the Kinks finest. The song was one of the last recorded and served as a narrative overview of the major themes presented on vinyl. Wicked witches and phenominal cats, old friends and photo albums, steam trains and returning pop stars all help recreate an England which didn't really ever exist. This Castle release includes both the final 15 song LP in mono and the 12 song stereo version that was intended to be the orignal release but was pulled back by Pye at the request of the young producer whose first solo production chore this was. Ray Davies wasn't fully satisfied until close to the album's release as his obsessions with the themes presented still had not been hammered out to his full approval. It is amazing the response this LP has provoked almost forty years later and how it is still seen as the apex of the genius of Raymond Douglas Davies.
Pastoral Masterpiece May 24, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
'The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society' find the Kinks musically and lyrically in fine form. Topically, it seems to draw and contrast the pastoral setting of the country as a placid anchor and a source for metaphors. Musically, it is diverse, but still relies on intricate guitar, the melodic pub tradition, and Victorian accents. 'Village Green' is mostly a quiet masterpiece with able social commentary and fine character portraitures. It is the third articulate masterpiece from the singer songwriting helm of Ray Davies. It also seems more modern than 'Something Else' and 'Face to Face' with its spare production.
It is sometimes difficult to discern when he is straightforward here and when tongue-in-cheek, but there is certainly an affinity to the serene country with the title track, "Village Green," and "Animal Farm". Certainly, the contrast presented is flattering when he injects tales involving the glamour of success in the city. His funny takes from show business, "Starstruck" and "All of My Friends Were There," are enough evidence that he holds the rustic setting dear.
Nevertheless, Davies is more than a nature lover. He uses the landscape and his characters often to describe alienation. He does this well on the riveting "Last of the Steam Powered Trains" and "Johnny Thunder". Then there is the brilliant and intricate masterpiece "Big Sky," which has been called a communist anthem, but I vote for a more Dickens' interpretation against aloof aristocratic authority. The spirit of English poet Shelly is presented in this song, but it is a thoroughly Davies' original nonetheless. "Do You Remember, Walter?" is a fanciful and mesmerizing song that pensively speculates about people who are able to live happy, conventional lives. Then, there are beautiful songs that do connect to people and nature. "Sitting by the Riverside" is romantic in nature and courtship. The expansive "Animal Farm" should be the best piece of evidence for unveiling the serene beauty of nature.
Conceptually, the album is very cohesive, even if he stretches to other stories and themes. "Phenomenal Cat" is a spare and beautiful song with an engaging story that should appeal to adults as well as children. Similarly, "Wicked Annabella" is an entertaining portrait of someone who truly lives up to the title. Other numbers are more playful, like "Picture Book," which rips off any notions of sentimentality, as does the irreverent reprise, "People Take Pictures of Each Other". Also, "Monica" is an exotic and engaging portrait of a woman who is stuck up and may represent the aristocracy.
'Village Green Preservation Society' is a beautiful Kink's masterpiece that is entertaining lyrically and mesmerizing musically. It remains a classic and is one of their best works ever.
Sound Quality Improvement! April 17, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
If you are viewing this item right now you probably already know about the significance of this album. I wrote a review for 'Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround' and I will state many of the same things about this album. I have owned the old domestic Reprise edition for years now and just recently picked up this pressing. The mono sound quality is superior and the booklet is handsome and much more informative. The stereo versions on this CD are a bit lousy in comparison to the first 15 tracks, but who cares? You will not regret buying this import in lieu of the older, more common Reprise pressing. I have not, however, heard the 3-CD Special Edition, nor do I plan to. This version is very pleasing for those who don't want two extra CDs that are likely to be stored away to collect dust.
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