The one Kinks album that still impresses Ray Davies: “There’s a lot of history in there”
As an artist progresses and develops their sound, it is often the case that they come to resent their earlier material, either as a result of their old music being overplayed or their new records being better in quality. For a group like The Kinks, whose time together was often punctuated by conflict and arguments between brothers Ray and Dave Davies, it is difficult to imagine the band members looking back upon that period with a sense of nostalgia. Yet, the incredible music created by the band still enjoys something of a timeless appeal.
The sound of The Kinks is virtually inseparable from the sounds of London during the swinging sixties. Through seminal records like ‘You Really Got Me’ or ‘All Day and All of the Night’, Ray Davies and company established the sounds of Britain’s angry post-war adolescence. If you listen to any of those early singles, with their pioneering use of distortion and trailblazing songwriting themes, you can clearly hear the impact that The Kinks had on all future styles of punk and alternative rock.
Never a man to settle in one specific style, the songwriting of Ray Davies was much more diverse than the short, sharp rock and roll tracks that first earned The Kinks an audience. As the band’s discography progressed, Davies began to showcase an incredible range of compositions, from the timeless romanticism of ‘Waterloo Sunset’ to the pop master of singles like ‘Lola’. One of his most accomplished works, however, came with the 1967 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society.
An often overlooked early example of a concept album, released three months prior to The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the record features a stunning level of songwriting by Davies, mainly arriving in the form of character studies and social commentary, with a particular emphasis on the theme of nostalgia. As a result of its complex construction and, ahead of its time, songwriting, the album was the first of The Kinks’ not to reach the UK charts.
Despite its commercial failure, though, the album remains a favourite among Kinks fans and has since been rediscovered by audiences for its unique composition. Seemingly, Village Green Preservation Society never lost its appeal in the eyes of Ray Davies, either. Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2011, the songwriter fondly spoke about Konk Studios, where The Kinks recorded much of their material.
“It’s an anonymous little building in a working-class area of London,” he shared, “It used to be a biscuit factory. I know every corner of the place, where to get good sounds, and where not to stand because the floorboard has been creaky for 20 years. There’s a lot of history in there.” A notable part of that history appears to lie within the recording of The Kinks’ 1967 record, which continued to be performed live by Davies long after the demise of the band.
“I was just listening to The Village Green Preservation Society,” he said, “And I was impressed.” These fairly modest words from Davies do not do justice to the endearing genius of Village Green Preservation Society. Not only did the album mirror the changing face of society in England, but it also helped bridge the gap between the old and new generations of English songwriters.
The Kinks might have left their mark on alternative rock and punk with their various mod rock anthems in the early years, but it was seminal records like The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society which helped to forever cement the band in the pages of British musical history. As one of Ray Davies’ greatest songwriting triumphs, it should come as no surprise that it is an album which still impresses him all these years later.
