|
How did the Kinks respond to the fresh start afforded by Lola? By delivering a skewed, distinctly British, cabaret take on Americana, all pinned down by Ray Davies' loose autobiography and intense yearning to be anywhere else but here -- or, as he says on the opening track, "I'm a 20th century man, but I don't want to be here." Unlike its predecessors, Muswell Hillbillies doesn't overtly seem like a concept album -- there are no stories as there are on Lola -- but each song undoubtedly shares a similar theme, namely the lives of the working class. Cleverly, the music is a blend of American and British roots music, veering from rowdy blues to boozy vaudeville. There's as much good humor in the performances as there are in Davies' songs, which are among his savviest and funniest. They're also quite affectionate, a fact underpinned by the heartbreaking "Oklahoma U.S.A.," one of the starkest numbers Davies ever penned, seeming all the sadder surrounded by the careening country-rock and music hall. That's the key to Muswell Hillbillies -- it mirrors the messy flow of life itself, rolling from love letters and laments to jokes and family reunions. Throughout it all, Davies' songwriting is at a peak, as are the Kinks themselves. There are a lot of subtle shifts in mood and genre on the album, and the band pulls it off effortlessly and joyously -- but it's hard not to hear Dave Davies' backing vocals and have it not sound joyous. Regardless of its commercial fate, Muswell Hillbillies stands as one of the Kinks' best albums. [A 2014 reissue added 20 bonus tracks.]
Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed
TRACK LISTINGS
Disc 1
1 20th Century Man
2 Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues
3 Holiday
4 Skin and Bone
5 Alcohol
6 Complicated Life
7 Here Come the People In Gray
8 Have a Cuppa Tea
9 Holloway Jail
10 Oklahoma U.S.A.
11 Uncle Son
12 Muswell Hillbilly
13 Lavender Lane
14 Mountain Woman
15 Have a Cuppa Tea
16 Uncle Son
17 Kentucky Moon
18 Nobody's Fool
19 20th Century Man
20 Queenie
21 Muswell Hillbillies Radio Spot
Disc 2
1 Have a Cuppa Tea
2 Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues [the Old Grey Whistle Test - Bbc Tv,
3 Till the End of the Day [the Kinks At the Rainbow - Bbc Tv, July 21, 19
4 Waterloo Sunset [Liv
5 The Money-Go-Round [Live
6 Sunny Afternoon [Liv
7 The Virgin Soldier March
8 She Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina [the Kinks At the Rainbow - Bbc T
9 Alcohol
10 Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues [the Kinks At the Rainbow - Bbc Tv,
11 You Really Got Me Live
|