One for the Road [LIVE] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

The Kinks

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 27, 1999)
• Original Release Date: June 4, 1980
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Velvel Records
• ASIN: B00000IM7M
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #165,468 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The Kinks, more perhaps than any band of their magnitude, appreciated the niceties of daily life. Think of how Ray Davies bestowed his blessings on china cups and such in The Village Green Preservation Society. The Kinks of 1980's One for the Road, however, cast aside their attention to detail in favor of broad gestures. Here the Davies boys and company (including original drummer Mick Avory) attack their classic repertoire and some newer songs with hard-rock force. Lest one think they were straining to fit into tight trousers that no longer fit their nearly middle-aged bums, recall that the Kinks basically invented hard rock with "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night" (both of which turn up on Road). This isn't Kinks of the highest order, but as a live greatest-hits document of a significant period of a great band, it's certainly worthwhile. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kinks Come Alive, July 10, 2000

By	Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This live album captures all the raw energy & intensity that make the Kinks the great rock band that they are. The album contains the obligatory hits like "Lola", "You Really Got Me", "Low Budget" and so on, but the Kinks don't merely play them as copies of the original recordings. Either by rearranging the songs or by the simple live energy they play them with, they sound fresh and powerful. The most startling rearrangement is that of "Celluloid Heroes". In it's original version, it is a mostly acoustic song, the live version contains a lenghty synth opening with a blazing guitar solo at the end. It is a great song and the centerpiece of the album. In addition to the well known hits, there are strong versions of lesser known album tracks like "Pressure", "National Anthem", "Victoria", "Misfits" and "Stop Your Sobbing" which Ray Davies' girlfriend at the time Chrissie Hynde had a hit with. Although Kinks fans know these tunes well, they will be nice suprises to casual fans of the band who probably only know their greatest hits. The album is 20 years old but it doesn't sound dated. A few references to things like disco aside, it could just as easily been released in 2000 instead of 1980.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantasic Performances, January 7, 2002

By A Customer

This is one of my favorite live albums. What the listener gets
here is a collection of wonderful kinks tunes, done with a tremendous amount of energy, passion and yes...soul. This album captures the Kinks at the height of their popularity in the States and each song is performed with vigor. When I first got the CD I wanted to just hear a tune or two and I ended up tracking the whole CD. Rays vocals are right on the money and Dave Davies searing guitar makes some of these tunes levitate.
If you like the Kinks this is a must have, if you are a causual fan or if you are looking for a good lesson as to what a live group should sound like, get this.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying listen, March 7, 2001

By	"mgbutler" (Aquinnah, MA United States) - See all my reviews

When I picked up this CD at Strawberries in Boston at the beginning of March, i saw some of the greats on the jewel case: Hard Way, Celluloid Heroes, etc. When I put it in the Discman at the hotel ("Sitting in my Hotel"?), however, I was a bit disappointed at first. This stems from the fact that when I hear the live version of a studio song I already know and love (ESPECIALLY a Kinks song), I feel a little let down. But time went on, and things changed with this one...for the better. I listened to some more. Prince Of the Punks got me hooked, along with Stop your Sobbing and the poignant Misfits. Also, I put the CD through my tried-and-true test: listen to it while I'm doing something else. It works its way subliminally into the mind. I gained a greater appreciation for the legendary Live Kinks flair, and suddenly I found myself hitting the backtract button on the stereo at home. I must admit, though, this version of Celluloid Heroes can't compare to the haunting studio version. And the audience can get annoying sometimes. But everything else, though, it gets you going like no one else can. The Kinks continue to prove their status as the world's incomparably greatest group with OFTR. So while this album may not be a Something Else or a Village Green, it's a good listen.