Lola Vs Powerman [Extra tracks, Import]

The Kinks | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 11, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Import
• Label: Castle Music UK
• ASIN: B0000089A1
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,965 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Contenders

2. Strangers

3. Denmark Street

4. Get Back Line

5. Lola

6. Top Of The Pops

7. The Moneygoround

8. This Time Tomorrow

9. A Long Way From Home

10. Rats

11. Apeman

12. Powerman

13. Got To Be Free

14. Lola

15. Apeman(Demo)

16. Powerman(Demo)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

The Kinks' 1970 effort was the penultimate creation in a five-year, six-album burst that ranks just a notch below the great sustained rock & roll eruptions of Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Stones, and Elvis Costello. Of course, the linchpin to this collection is "Lola," Ray Davies's irresistibly vivid account of the charms of a seductive transvestite. Its daring (for the time) subject matter aside, "Lola" stands as one of the great singles of all time. Add to the list the almost as infectious "Apeman," a slew of funny, shrewd alienated-rock-star screeds ("Top of the Tops," "The Moneyground," "Powerman"), and a couple of memorable contributions from brother Dave ("Strangers," "Rats"), and you have the Kinks at their raucous, righteous, quirky quintessence. This import version includes a mono mix of "Lola" and demo takes of "Apeman" and "Powerman." --Steven Stolder

Product Description

Digitally remastered 1998 reissue of their 1970 album featuring the top 10 hit 'Lola' and the top 50 'Apeman'. Also contains three bonus tracks: 'Lola' and demo versions of 'Apeman' & 'Powerman'. 16 tracks total. Also features restored packaging and unpublished photos and memorabilia. A Castle release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long Live the Kinks!, January 8, 2000

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lola Vs Powerman (Audio CD)

With the release of Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround in 1970, the Kinks had its highest charting album (#35) since its Greatest Hits album four years earlier! The album also yielded the Kinks' first U.S. top 10 single since 1965's "All Day and All of the Night."

And what a single! "Lola," Ray Davies'song about a young man and his love of ambiguous gender ("...I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola") peaked on No. 9. "Apeman," Ray's look at how man has screwed up the planet, reached the top ten in the U.K., but would do no better than No. 45 in the U.S. [In fact, the Kinks' U.S. audience would return them to the Top 40 singles chart only two more times in the next 30 years--"Rock'N'Roll Fantasy" in 1978 and "Come Dancin" in 1983.]

And that's a shame, because this is a wonderful Kinks album. The album essentially is a song-cycle about the making of a hit record and the pitfalls of the music business. It leads off with "The Contender," which begins with a folky guitar and banjo intro behind Ray's vocal (foreshadowing the bulk of material that would make up Muswell Hillbillies) before breaking into a rollicking, hard-driving song.

Brother Dave Davies also turns in a couple strong tracks: the contemplative "Strangers" and the angry "Rats."

This was the final release in the Castle reissue series of the Kinks catalog. Unlike the previous reissues, the bonus tracks are fewer (three of the other reissues had 10 or more bonus tracks) and none of them are previously unreleased. What you do get is the "cherry cola" version of "Lola," and demos of "Apeman" and "Powerman."

Of the second wave of British Invasion bands, the Kinks are rivalled only by The Who. This is a must-have addition to any serious Kinks fan collection. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great remaster great album, January 2, 2011

By 

jansley "jim ansley" (Vernon, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lola Vs Powerman (Audio CD)

It is amazing how much better this remaster sounds compared to the non-remastered version by Reprise. I love the Kinks anyway but have gained an entirely new appreciation for this gem of an album because of the remaster. The song that benefits the most imo is "This Time Tomorrow". This acoustic strumming beauty has great definition and instrument separation in the remaster vs a completely muddy sound in the earlier version. The rockers like "Powerman", "Top of the pops" and "Rats" really pop. A great album and possibly the Kinks best overall. Not really a weak song on the entire album and some great lyrics that one can now hear clearly!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Uneven but powerful cap to classic albums..., January 10, 2002

By 

WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Lola Vs Powerman (Audio CD)

Ray has always managed to turn personal disaster into potent musical poetry. Having mined his own nervous break down and jealousy of brother Dave for classic material, he spun his bitterness at the music industry, the experience of endless touring and his close encounter with a transsexual into music gold.

The playing is sharp throughout but the demo version of Apeman demonstrated that some of the best material never made it to LP. Dave's guitar solo gives the song bite and it's actually superior to the album version. Originally released on a single in Europe, this version of Apeman hasn't been heard in the US before.

Dave contributes two strong tracks with Strangers every bit the equal of Ray's best material on the album. After Lola the band's albums would show a sharp decline in quality. Both Everybody's in Showbiz and Muswell Hillbillies have their moments equal to the best the band ever produced, but both are inconsistent.

The mastering is an improvement here over some of the other Castle reissues (particularly Something Else) but not quite as good as the Japanese import released in 2000.