....i----...---...-_--.--_-_---..,..-A_ 
     
    
   
   
    
     .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. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
      {-3qu £79; 1‘39 .1213 $2515», YJ'JTK‘ ..rrt..~'$_'—‘: 75“?" Hz 
     
    
   
   
    
     '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'