The Kinks
This past month I've been on a total kick listening to old records by The Kinks. Everyone has heard their famous pop tunes - Lola, You've Really Got Me, and others. But I've been listening to their records start to finish as entire albums, starting with Kinks (1964), Kinda Kinks (1965), The Kink Controvery (1965), and dozens of others up through the late '70s and early '80s. Their material and songs are so charming and fresh and full of energy and ingenuity. They have a perfect balance of pop story-telling and commentary about everyday life and observations. If you haven't listened to old Kinks CDs in a while, go for it. Their music is deceptively simple, and it is usually a nice mix of raw tracking with vintage '60s tone for days and intentional production, signaling only one band - the sound of The Kinks. It's unmistakable. If you can, try and find the song Wicked Annabella, and listen to all of the record, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968). In the late '70s they started to release a few records that have a bit more Show Biz and theatrical drama, I guess in the vein of The New York Dolls, which is not my favorite, but for the most part they were solid for 18 years of making records.