''The Kink Kontroversy'' is the third studio album by the English rock band

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...

. It was released in the United Kingdom on by

Pye Records PYE or Pye Records is an independent British record label. It was first established in 1955 and played a major role in shaping rock 'n' roll and pop music history. The Pye name was dropped in 1980 due to trademark issues, after which it produced ...

. Issued in the United States on by

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...

, it was the Kinks' first American album to feature an identical track listing to its British counterpart. It is a transitional album, with elements of both the earlier Kinks' styles (heavily blues-influenced songs such as "

Milk Cow Blues "Milk Cow Blues" is a blues song written and originally recorded by Kokomo Arnold in September 1934. In 1935 and 1936, he recorded four sequels designated "Milk Cow Blues No. 2" through No. 5. The song made Arnold a star, and was widely adapted ...

" and variations on the band's

power chord A power chord , also called a fifth chord, is a colloquial name for a chord on guitar, especially on electric guitar, that consists of the root note and the fifth, as well as possibly octaves of those notes. Power chords are commonly pla ...

-driven hits from 1964 to 1965 such as "

Till the End of the Day "Till the End of the Day" is a song by the Kinks, written by Ray Davies and released as a single in 1965 and later on their album '' The Kink Kontroversy''. It centres on power chords, like many of the group's early hits, and was similarly succes ...

") and early indications of the future direction of

Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter for the Rock music, rock band the Kinks, which he led, with his younger brother Dave Davies, Dave pro ...

' songwriting styles ("The World Keeps Going Round" and "I'm on an Island"). The liner notes were written by

Michael Aldred Michael Aldred (6 July 1945 – 15 April 1995) was a British record producer, music journalist, and television presenter. He is best remembered as co-presenter of the 1960s music show ''Ready Steady Go!''. Life and career Aldred attended Emanue ...

Background

The album's title is a mocking reference to the notorious reputation the group had developed over the previous year, including onstage fights and concert riots in Europe, which led to a ban on the group's concerts in the USA. " Where Have All the Good Times Gone" makes several references and/or allusions to

Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

and

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

songs.

Release

The single "Till the End of the Day" was a major hit, reaching #8 in the UK and #50 in the US, spending eight weeks or more in each chart. American singer

Bobby Rydell Robert Louis Ridarelli (April 26, 1942 – April 5, 2022), known by the stage name Bobby Rydell (), was an American singer and actor who mainly performed rock and roll and traditional pop music. In the early 1960s, he was considered a teen idol. ...

covered "When I See That Girl of Mine", which was released as a single in the US a full month before the Kinks' version was made public.

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

praised the album as the Kinks' coming-of-age, commenting that their raw early material was being replaced by more thoughtful and sophisticated songs. They pointed out "I'm on an Island", "Where Have All the Good Times Gone", "Ring the Bells", "The World Keeps Going Round", and "I Am Free" as particularly strong examples of this.

Legacy

American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band

Sleater-Kinney Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member Janet We ...

used the same album cover layout as an homage for their 1997 album ''

Dig Me Out ''Dig Me Out'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Sleater-Kinney, released on April 8, 1997, on the Kill Rock Stars label. The album was produced by John Goodmanson and recorded from December 1996 to January 1997 at John an ...

''.

Track listing

All tracks are written by

except where noted. Side one #"

" (

Sleepy John Estes John Adam Estes (January 25, 1899 or 1900June 5, 1977),
known as Sleepy John Estes, was an A ...

)3:44 #"Ring the Bells"2:21 #"Gotta Get the First Plane Home"1:49 #"When I See that Girl of Mine"2:12 #"I Am Free" (

Dave Davies David Russell Gordon Davies ( '; born 3 February 1947) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the English rock band the Kinks, led by his older brother (and principal writer and singer) ...

)2:32 #"

"2:21 Side two #"The World Keeps Going Round"2:36 #"I'm on an Island"2:19 #" Where Have All the Good Times Gone"2:53 #"It's Too Late"2:37 #"What's in Store for Me"2:06 #"You Can't Win"2:42

Personnel

According to band researcher Doug Hinman: The Kinks *

lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitars;

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

; piano ; producer *

backing vocals, electric guitar; acoustic guitar ; lead vocals ; co-lead vocals *

Pete Quaife Peter Alexander Greenlaw Quaife (born Kinnes; 31 December 1943 – 23 June 2010) was an English musician, artist and author. He was a founding member and the original bassist for the Kinks, from 1963 until 1969. He also sang backing vocals on s ...

bass guitar; backing vocals *

Mick Avory Michael Charles Avory (born 15 February 1944) is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and percussionist for the English rock band the Kinks. He joined them shortly after their formation in 1964 and remained with them until 1984 ...

drums ;

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, thoug ...

;

maraca A maraca ( , , ), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas, also known as tamaracas, were rattles of d ...

s ;

bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

) Additional musicians and production *

Clem Cattini Clemente Anselmo Agustino Cattini (born 20 August 1937) is an English rock and roll drummer of the late 1950s and 60s, who was a member of The Tornados before becoming well known for his work as a session musician. He is one of the most prolifi ...

drums *Rasa Davies backing vocals *

Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. He performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, including on songs recorde ...

piano *Alan MacKenzie

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

*Alan O'Duffy (credited as "Irish") assistant engineer *

Shel Talmy Sheldon Talmy (August 11, 1937 – November 13, 2024) was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger, best known for his work in England in the 1960s with the Who, the Kinks, and many other artists. Talmy arranged and produced hits ...

producer; electric guitar

Charts

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kink Kontroversy, The 1965 albums The Kinks albums Albums produced by Shel Talmy Pye Records albums