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15th out of 95 books
—
24 voters
The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society (33⅓ #4)
by
Andy Miller
Ignored by virtually everyone upon its release in November 1968, 'The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society' is now seen as one of the best British albums ever recorded. Here, Andy Miller traces the perilous circumstances surrounding its creation, and celebrates the timeless, perfectly crafted songs pieced together by a band who were on the verge of disintegrati...more
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
September 1st 2003
by Bloomsbury Academic
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A nice little book about a classic but underanthologized record. Compared to the Beatles/Stones/Dylan, hardly anything gets written about the Kinks, but their importance has been immense. The book deals with the cricumstances around the albums creation, its genesis as an abandonded Ray Davies solo album, the band's fall from the pop charts and unfashionable image at the time, and the total lack of success this wonderful little record experience upon release, only to grow into a bonafide classic....more
Jan 22, 2008
Andy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
kinks fans, mods, psych music fans
Shelves:
rock-sleaze
"Village Green Pres, etc." is a great Kinks album but Davies is just an asshole and the Kinks were the English Beach Boys the way they defied psychedelia by singing about dull traditional British ways and its preciousness.
The most interesting point made in the book was that following the band's Musicians Union ban from the United States they dramatically changed their musical complexion from US music (Chuck Berry, R&B covers) to an insular-cum-inbred British music hall style, which could be...more
The most interesting point made in the book was that following the band's Musicians Union ban from the United States they dramatically changed their musical complexion from US music (Chuck Berry, R&B covers) to an insular-cum-inbred British music hall style, which could be...more
This is one of the 33 1/3 series from continuum. I got it to read on a plane flight and it was a perfect choice. The book is a pretty straightforward account of the making of Village Green. It includes song by song analyses of all the songs that made it on the final version of the album, along with songs that did not, and others that were recorded around the same time. Lots of good info and insight into Davies and the kinks. While the account is straightforward, the story it tells isn't--it's so...more
My favorite books in the 33 1/3 series introduce me to an album I had previously overlooked from a band or artist I enjoy listening to. The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society does exactly that. Andy Miller chose this record precisely because it has been so often overlooked by fans, both at the time of its release and in the subsequent decades. (Indeed, finding a copy of the record to listen to while reading the book was something of a challenge in and of itself; it is available on...more
The 33 1/3 series was written for those of us who like to dig through the fossil record of rock.
These are quick reads; brief meditations on classic albums and the cats who made them, not from-the-beginning bios. If Ray and Dave Davies are unfamiliar names to you, best begin elsewhere.
I was already in my early 20s when I was introduced to The Kinks (we won't say how many years have passed between then and now). Sure, I knew about Lola and the rest of the standard fare, but The Kinks are the Vill...more
These are quick reads; brief meditations on classic albums and the cats who made them, not from-the-beginning bios. If Ray and Dave Davies are unfamiliar names to you, best begin elsewhere.
I was already in my early 20s when I was introduced to The Kinks (we won't say how many years have passed between then and now). Sure, I knew about Lola and the rest of the standard fare, but The Kinks are the Vill...more
The first time I remember hearing about The Kinks' album The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society was when it was listed in best albums of all-time lists in the local weekly in college. My knowledge and appreciation of The Kinks grew from the hits that I knew to the covers of Kinks songs that some of my favorite artist of the 80s and 90s were doing (The Jam "David Watts", The Young Fresh Fellows "Picturebook, The Pretenders "Stop Your Sobbing," Elvis Costello/Kristy MacColl "Days" an...more
Although 'TKATVGPS' is one of my desert island/and or stranded-in-space records, I've tended to pass over the Kinks in my mp3 shuffling, as of late. Andy Miller's breezy assessment (read it in a day) is an unexpected delight that renewed my appreciation for the singular concept album that birthed my love for the brothers Davies upon first listen, 10 years ago. The book consists of an account of the albums's conception and recording, a track-by-track analysis of the album and of the b-sides and r...more
This probably is the best companion you could wish for the album. Not just the conceiving of it is being discussed in depth, the individual songs are too - and beyond! Every B-Side, every outtake that you can only find on bootlegs or on long out of prints compilations, pretty much everything there is gets its own long section in the book. Andy Miller isn't just a huge fan of the record, he's a huge Kinks-fan in general and it shows, for the better and the worse. You get a lot of affectionate ana...more
The album is better than the book, but it's a great album. The author first tells the story of the kind of mess the Kinks and Davies brothers were in just before and after the album's recording. I assume it's a very confusing topic because I couldn't keep up with what was going on with their record company and potential solo careers. I'm sure Ray and Dave had just as much trouble trying to record, tour, and enjoy all that swinging London had to offer. The latter part of the book goes on a track...more
Good, short history on the album (one or two sittings will get you through this book). Front of the book sets the general background of how the Kinks - or, rather, Ray Davies - were trying to remake the band of "You Really Got Me Know" into something akin to Sgt. Pepper's -era Beatles. Second half goes song-by-song to show how the album is actually an anti-Sgt. Peppers, one that both celebrates and skewers the whole concept of nostalgia. One of my favorite albums of all times, and this book help...more
This well-written little book gives the background and a track-by-track account of one of the greatest--but largely unknown--rock albums of all time. I don't know whether anyone who is not deeply into the Kinks like I am would enjoy the book, but if you buy the CD you'll fall in love with the music--and then you'll enjoy the book as much as I did.
An illuminating look at what is, for many of us, the most illuminating Kinks album. For fans only, of course. I'm one.
This rating is a little deceptive. I'm giving 3 stars for the book, but 5 stars to the album. (One of my favorites).
Full of great insights about one of my favorite albums and of late, one of my fave rock groups of all time.
A great take on the makings of one of the best albums of the 60's.
a worthwhile companion to a great record.
Mar 02, 2012
Phoebe
is currently reading it
Abandoned indefinitely. I do that a lot. If I really didn't like it it would be abandoned forever. So, not that bad a dis, but then, it didn't force me to finish it immediately. Lesser books have, though. I often think of that phrase I read once, that some books you can't put down because you don't want to ever have to pick them back up again. It's weird, but true. This wasn't one of those!
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Well put together history of the record! Great stuff here!
Never have so many words been written about an album heard by so few... This is the story of The Kinks greatest LP (IHMO) when the world was filled with incense and peppermints, Ray Davies was writing songs about village greens, wicked witches and bygone days.
Sep 08, 2007
Mark
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
music nerds/"anglophiles"
Shelves:
recentlyread
Another very good example of the 33 1/2 books, this one about a less-remembered masterpiece from the late 60s, Ray Davies's catchy but enduring set of pop hooks both celebrating and satirizing the English nostalgia for/recreation of the rural picturesque.
And in contrast to the 33 1/3 book on Sign O' The Times, we have an account of a brilliant album that reduces it to a strictly clinical affair. Learning about the Kinks from this book is like learning about sex from a Physicist.
I'm not sure why I keep reading books from this 33 1/3 series. The section where the author goes track by track was interesting, but it could easily be on a Kinks fan web site instead of a chapter of a book.
My favourite of the 33 1/3 series combining personal and contextualize information while talking about all the music the Kinks were writing during the year 1966.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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A labor of love that will be essential reading to anyone who loved this much maligned and underrated band.
made me feel sad and awesome at the same time. I'd rather listen to the album.
A great behind-the-scenes of a great band's great flop of an album.
LOVE this album. LOVE this band. LOVE this book.
CT + RD 4 EVA.
CT + RD 4 EVA.
A vital document of the creation of a classic album.
For huge Kinks fans only.
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