The Kinks' The Village Green Preservation Society (Thirty Three and a Third series) (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: phenomenal cat, misty water, unpublished interview, Ray Davies, Dave Davies, Pete Quaife (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"So thorough is Miller’s survey of the period." -- Pop Culture Press

"a Kinks fan's dream come true: 140 pages exhaustively detailing inner turmoil and explosive genius...You bet I'm happy." -- Playback Magazine

"a convincing case for the Kinks' 1968 operetta of English village life as a heartbreaking work of staggering genius..." -- Rolling Stone (4 star review)

A compelling portrait...Miller’s insight into the album’s thematic structure is as eloquent as any writing on The Kinks. -- Philadelphia City Paper, Oct 9, 2003

Like the best books...it makes the reader want to reinvestigate the album or hear it for the first time. -- Blender Magazine, Oct 2003

Product Description

Andy Miller traces the circumstances surrounding "The Village Green Preservation Society" released in November 1968, and celebrates the songs pieced together by a band who were on the verge of disintegration and who refused to follow fashion.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826414982
• ISBN-13: 978-0826414984
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #76,554 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This item is part of The Thirty Three and a Third Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A perfectly timed book!, October 4, 2003

By A Customer

Just in time for the re-issue of this classic record by Sanctuary, Mr. Miller's book is a fine example of rock writing without pretension or artifice. His writing is clear, well-informed, illuminating, and witty. A pleasure to read. A shame that he couldn't get Ray Davies to talk, but then not many can. Still, there is some good input from the rest of the band, including a wonderful remark from Pete Quaife, which is too rude to repeat here!

Another positive feature of the book is that Mr. Miller devotes almost as much time to the songs which never made it on to the LP as he does to those that did. I am sure the sleevenotes for the reissue will be good, but they are unlikely to be as fascinating as Mr. Miller's book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sufficiently Kink-y, June 26, 2007

By	Ryan Silberstein - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The album with that may have the longest name in rock history, The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society, is now a book. It is part of the "33 1/3" series, now comprising over 40 volumes, with more on the way. Each volume is about an album, with musical acts far ranging from The Band to The Beastie Boys.

This particular volume, about the Ray Davies-led 1968 effort The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society, is written by Andy Miller (many different authors have contributed to the series thus far). Seeing is how there wasn't one about Rush, I immediately picked up the one about The Kinks, one of the most underrated bands of the British Invasion.

TKATVGPS is a wonderful album, and being born almost 20 years after its initial release I was completely unaware is was a flop upon release. Miller's volume sheds light on the creation of the album, the recording sessions, and the relationship of the band to the album's material.

It tops out at 150 pages, and it's about six inches high, so it's a nice little volume. It doesn't, however, go into the meaning of the lyrics as much as I'd like, but I think that's a point of personal preference.

Overall, this volume of the 33 1/3 series is pretty well written, and a great gateway to understanding a great album. My only reservation is that the cover price on these is about $10. A couple dollars off of that and I'd be quick to buy several more.

If they have one about an album you're especially fond of, pick t up. This is a very cool series of books, and I hope it continues long into the future.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Compliment to the Album, June 4, 2006

By	directions "iladvocate" (Space Time Foam) - See all my reviews

Though the 3 cd reissue of Village Green Preservation Society is excellent, it lacks extensive liner notes that shed more light on it. This book details everything about the album, the band during that period, the recording sessions and how it translated live. The analysis is crucial. While the Kinks after their sound matured were masters at social commentary what they were expressing in their songs was not always obvious if you weren't there at the time. For example the song on Village Green "Last of the Steam Powered Trains" is referring (at least according to the book) about a blues rave up by Howlin' Wolf "Smokestack Lightning" that was a live staple of all the bands at that time until psychadelia encroached which made the music instantly nostalgic. The book expertly picks through the threads that that the album is woven from. I find all the books in this series to be enlightening but the ones that are the notable discuss albums that haven't been already picked apart by rock critics (e.g. Neutral Milk Hotel) and while the Kinks have been around for a while this book offers a fresh perspective on an album that not only has not dated but with its then unique mix of nostalgia and cynicism become ripe for discussion.