Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Collection

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The following tracks on this compilation are in mono: "You Really Got Me", "All Day And All Of The Night", "Tired Of Waiting For You", "Everybody's Gonna Be Happy", "Set Me Free", "See My Friend", "Till The End Of The Day", "Dedicated Follower Of Fashion", "Sunny Afternoon", "Dead End Street", "Autumn Almanac", "Susannah's Still Alive", "Wonderboy", "Days", "Plastic Man", "Lola", "Dandy", "Mr. Pleasant", "I Gotta Move", "Who'll Be The Next In Line", "I Need You", "Where Have All The Good Times Gone", "Sittin' On My Sofa", "A Well Respected Man", "I'm Not Like Everybody Else", "Love Me Till The Sun Shines", and "She's Got Everything".

The following are in stereo: "Waterloo Sunset", "Death Of A Clown", "Victoria", "Apeman", "Supersonic Rocket Ship", "David Watts", "Stop Your Sobbing", "Starstruck", "Shangri-La", "God's Children", "Celluloid Heroes", "Superman", "Do It Again" and "Living On A Thin Line".

"Better Things", "Come Dancing" and "Don't Forget To Dance" sound like mono, which had been phased out long before then. They could possibly be single fold-downs from stereo.

Well this has been released for some years now and anyone who has wanted to revisit The Kinks has probably bought it, but if you are thinking of getting yourself a copy don't hesitate, it is undoubtedly the best collection, both in terms of sound quality and songs. The Singles Collection is a fine CD, but go the extra distance with this which includes some later material and you won't be disappointed. The 2008 UK released Picture Book Box Set does not appear to be available as yet in the US.

I was checking Kinks' reviews and noticed there were some differences of opinion re the band being originators of heavy metal, not that it really matters after all, being the originators of such a plodding dinosaur is hardly noteworthy. The early singles You Really Got Me and All Day And All of the Night did promote heavy chording with a raw in your face production (which Ray Davies had to fight for) but these singles exhibited much faster beat and were far more spirited than most heavy metal, which by definition is lugubrious and loud. I should also point out that Louie Louie, a song which also used staccato chording was in the Kinks early repetoire. The original version was played by Hannibal & The Headhunters from 1958; maybe they are the rosetta stone of heavy metal? Hardly, but for early metal progenitors check out Jeff Beck's Truth (1967) and Zep's first album (1968), although both discs had more to offer than heavy (base) metal.

I do think however that you could safely attribute the Kinks to having heavily influenced that basic, some might say inept, performance of minimalist r 'n b songs now called garage rock,. It was so basic you could describe it as punk in attitude and execution and many three chord Charlies, myself included, saw themselves as maestros of the genre, anyone could do it and many did. Check out the garage bands series of albums called Nuggets, issued now by Rhino.

The Kinks' first album had many examples of basic R 'n B which thankfully, for my taste, are not included although excellent rock numbers are here. It wasn't long before Ray Davies' artistic vision began to assert itself in terms of lyrics, music, arrangements and sometime later in the 60s, production, although the band retained its ability to rock out with its rawness and that somewhat shakey edge. It was an unusual combination, a loose, sometimes rough feel yet highly sophisticated arrangements - revisit Autumn Almanac, it is astounding - check out Shangri-La! I think that Mick Avory's drumming and Pete Quaife's bass playing served the band well, as did brother Dave's guitar when he was on form.

The Kinks had such a large output of good material and I can think of songs which I might have included - Two Sisters, Harry Rag, It's Alright, Alcohol, Don't You Fret, Last of the Steam Powered Trains, Animal Farm, Monica, Village Green, Do You Remember Walter? As you might guess I'm not so familiar with the later material, although the later tracks which are included are very good. When you think that the band had primarily one writer, as opposed to other units of the time, Ray's output in terms of quality and quantity was phenominal. Grab yourself a glorious slice of rock history from primal pulse to pastoral eloquence, from lusty bravado to incisive observation, and thank them for the Days.

The Kinks are, undoubtedly, one of the British 'greats' of the 1960s, along with The Beatles, Rolling Stones, and The Who. The Kinks seem to have a quintessentially British quality that is charming and immediately apparent in the brilliant songwriting of Ray Davies. Their influence has been all-pervasive, inspiring the work of later artists (like Oasis and Blur) and having their songs covered ("David Watts" - The Jam, "Stop Your Sobbing" - The Pretenders, "Victoria" - The Fall, etc.) Even more casual music listeners will likely be familiar with songs like "You Really Got Me", "All Day and All of the Night", "Tired of Waiting For You", and "Lola".

This 2-CD compilation contains ALL of their hit singles, PLUS many other favorite tracks; not many compilations can boast that! Though many of The Kinks' studio albums are worth listening to as well (The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society, for one), if you are looking for solid, thorough coverage of The Kinks at a reasonable price, the Ultimate Collection is it!

this is without a doubt, the best kinks compilations period!has all the hits,rare cuts,album cuts any kinks fan could want.this is the only kinks cd you need. supreme remastering,excel ent liner notes,a must for any true fan. phillip blanchard

I love the Kinks. It was one of the best band of the 60ties, much more than The Rolling Stones in my opinion and almost at the same level of The Beatles. This collection gives a good idea of the story of this fantastic band, but it's really a pity that no songs have been taken from the masterpiece "Muswell Hillbillies", one of their best! Anyway, enjoy it!

Most of the major hits are on here, but can't believe "Destroyer" & "Predictable" off of "Give the People...." were not included. Two major later hits!!

Kinks/ The ultimate collection: This is an excellent collection of The Kink's hits with an emphasis on their 60's and early 70's work. The Kinks have obviously had many more hits than what is in this excellent collection but those other hits can be found in another great CD collection called "The Kinks Greatest Hits 1970-86" which has minimal repeats from this one. The only problem is the fact that (past their earliest hit single phase) the Kinks made thematic albums rather than singles and the themes behind the songs get lost in a Hits package. That aside, unless you are willing to buy every album, the best place to get their best work is in this collection and the other already mentioned.

This collection replaces everything I had of the Kinks and then adds new gems. All this with quality sound. Well worth the money, and I played it five times in the first ten days which is rare for me.

My husband and I had the best time listening to all the Kinks songs on this two-CD set. I couldn't help but dance to most of the songs on the first CD. It was so much fun to remember how much I enjoyed the Kinks. It's an excellent collection -- only song missing was "Destroyer."

This is a marvelous collection of Kink's Klassiks, and a couple of tunes by Ray solo. All the hits are accounted for and if you're not familiar with everything, it should wet your appetite to explore further.

During the Brittish invasion, the Kinks were like the Who in their revilre of American Rock n' Roll. 'All day, and all of the night' was one of the hardest things out there in '64. Then they diversified following 'Who'll be the next in line" with 'Dedicated follower of Fashion' 'Sunny Afternoon' Victoria' 'Waterloo Sumset'. Right up into the 70's with 'Celluloid Heros' and their hits from the 80's on Arista, they have never been pigeon holed. If you can find Muswell Hillbillies, you'll see that they are not content to stand still. 45 years and counting. You'll enjoy this set.